klunderbunker
Welcome to My (And Not Sly's) House
Uncensored 1998
Date: March 15, 1998
Location: Mobile Civic Center, Mobile, Alabama
Attendance: 7,474
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone
Another trio of shows here as Ill be doing 98-00 for Uncensored then later the 97-99 Bash at the Beach series and then Ill chill with these for awhile as the numbers will be all caught up. Anyway I just did the show before this so its a nice little continuation. This is a two match show for all intents and purposes with Sting defending his newly won title against Hall and Savage vs. Hogan in a cage. Oh joy. Id bet that the stuff before that is FAR better though. Lets get to it.
The opening video is about Hogan and Savage being split up and the world title match is there too.
The announcers talk about how the NWO could crumble tonight. Yeah sure. Tony suggests that if Hall wins the title, Hogan thinks Hall will just hand the title over. Heenan: No one is stupid enough to just hand a title to Hogan. Seriously, the jokes write themselves in this company.
TV Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Booker T
Chavo is forced to accompany Eddie to the ring after losing a match to Eddie recently. Eddie is all evil here and Booker is champion. The fans are all over Eddie in a hurry so he heads to the floor to chill a bit. Eddie channels his inner Memphis dude and stalls forever. Of course they go fast once they start and Booker gets a clothesline to put Eddie down and then sends him out.
Back in Guerrero wants a handshake and Booker isnt that stupid. Eddie tries to leave and that doesnt work either. All Booker so far. We get a rare power display from Booker in a gorilla press. Booker tries to go up though and Eddie dropkicks him right back down, finally getting something going here. Superplex hits for Eddie but he cant follow up immediately. Big old superkick hits for Booker though but he cant hit the axe kick, possibly injuring his knee.
Eddie, ever the shark, goes after the injured knee as Chavo isnt thrilled with his uncle. The heel in Eddie channels his inner Flair and puts hit feet on the ropes to crank on the leg a bit better. Booker taps the mat but I guess that didnt count in WCW yet. He gets out of the hold but he cant get anything going as Eddie takes over again. Eddie tries to dive to the floor but slips, making it more like a shoulder block.
Booker gets a kick in and hits the Spinarooni. Axe kick hits but the knee is still bothering him. Also its not his finisher yet so he sets for the missile dropkick after putting Eddie down with a spinebuster. Dropkick misses but the side kick misses in the corner. They go up in the corner and Eddie backflips off, only to get drilled with the missile dropkick immediately for Booker to get the pin and retain.
Rating: B-. Match got a little boring in the middle but the ending was pretty awesome. Booker and Eddie were both guys that could go out there and do their thing around this time and you got good matches out of them. Booker was getting better and better every week, namely through working with guys like Eddie.
Chavo is kind of happy Eddie lost so Eddie massacres him and leaves him laying. Chavo would go insane soon after this.
Scott Steiner is giving an interview on WCW.com and says hell take Luger out tonight.
Konnan vs. Juventud Guerrera
Pretty much just a random match. Konnan is NWO and this is personal apparently due to Juvy tapping out last month and losing his mask. The Flock is in the front row of course. Juvy goes straight at him as Konnan is in khakis. Guerrera tries to speed things up and sends Konnan to the floor with a headscissors and has to cancel Air Juvy at the last minute. Konnan sends him into the steps to take over.
As per the laws of wrestling though, Konnan winds up going into the steps that he brought into the match. Springboard missile dropkick hits back in for two. Reverse figure four goes on Juvy and hes in trouble. Konnan then stands up in a freaky looking hold. He even adds in a double underhook and it looks awesome. After that gets broken up, Konnan gets a throw but steps on his head instead of covering.
A slingshot sends Juvy into the corner and he flips forward to make it look even stronger. The crowd is really quite quiet here and while its not exactly the most thrilling stuff its not bad. Boston Crab goes on but Konnan picks his arms up to make it kind of an inverted surfboard. Konnan gets him in a firemans carry but turns it into something like an upside down Torture Rack. Not sure if that would hurt incredibly badly but it didnt last long enough to think about it.
A German off the top doesnt work and Konnan gets caught in the Tree of Woe. Juvy gets a dropkick to take over but gets caught in a wicked release wheelbarrow suplex for two. A powerbomb is countered into an X-Factor and here comes the 450. Konnan avoids it and hits the 187 (cradle DDT) for two which the crowd pops for. The kickout that is. Modified Samoan Drop gets two and Juvy rolls him up into a cradle for the surprise pin.
Rating: C+. Pretty good match with some freaky looking holds by Konnan but it ran a bit long. The crowd was into Juvy but the rest of the match wasnt all that interesting. Still though the ending being more interesting than the seemingly obvious one is a big plus. Pretty fun overall and a nice surprise.
Konnan plants him post match.
JJ Dillon says Giant vs. Nash is happening tonight as per Giants request with the powerbomb being legal for one night only.
Cruiserweight Title: Dean Malenko vs. Chris Jericho
Jericho is the heel champion here that is insane here and rather amusing. This is just after the Man of 1004 Holds promo and the number is on Jerichos tights. He dances down the aisle which is something you dont see every day from him. Dean goes insanely fast to start of course and we hit the mat. He works the arm and this crowd stays silent far too much. Jericho gets a hammerlock and shouts that its hold #643. Thats why Jericho is awesome if you were wondering.
Jericho is all ticked off here because he cant really do much to Dean. Enziguri hits for the Canadian though and theres the springboard cross body, only for Dean to move. Jericho tries to walk, only for Dean to get even more ticked off. Dean sends him in but gets caught in something like a spinebuster to give Jericho the advantage again. Arrogant cover gets two and a delayed suplex gets the same.
The Canadian hammers away with various evil moves like only an evil one can do. Not really snapping snap suplex sets up the Lionsault for two. Heenan sounds a bit tipsy. Backbreaker sets up a back hold by Jericho. Its time for a moderate fit as Heenan is drunk. Dean gets chopped and it ticks him off so he goes off on Jericho to a good reaction. Belly to back gets two for Malenko.
Backsplash hits for Jericho though, getting two as well. This crowd goes silent faster than any Ive ever seen before. Corner dropkick hits as Dean is in Shattered Dreams position. Dean gets out for a bit and they exchange some holds, ending with a reverse suplex for Jericho but he cant get the Liontamer. Victory roll gets two for Dean. Jericho sends him to the apron and tries the springboard dropkick but slips (I think). Just because hes awesome though, he gets his arm out to shove Malenko to the floor anyway. Points to Dean also for quick thinking to fall from it.
Back inside and Dean tries to outsmart him as things speed up. They go up top again but Jericho cant get a belly to back superplex as Dean rotates over to land on Jericho for two. Dropkick misses into a near Liontamer but Dean makes the rope. Jericho tries a top rope rana but Dean reverses into the gutbuster off the top for a close two. Dean tries a leg lariat but gets caught in the Liontamer and Dean taps.
Rating: B. Another good match here as they continue to have solid stuff in the opening hour or so. The important stuff here happens post match though which well get to in a bit. Jericho was rapidly getting awesome and in a competent company he would have been on the fast track to a world title but here he was a year and a half from the WWF which allegedly he had decided he was leaving like six months before he did.
Post match Gene comes out to talk to both guys but Jericho keeps walking. Instead he talks to Dean and more or less rips him apart, saying that hes known Dean for years but hes 0-4 in his last four PPV matches and calls him a bonafide loser. He asks where Dean goes here and Dean says home. This would result in Dean not being seen in 2 months with Jericho taunting him every day. Dean would dress as Ciclope and win a battle royal at the Great American Bash in a shocking return and then beat Jericho for the title which was of course stripped because that could have been an awesome title win.
Raven says hell win the title.
Scott Steiner vs. Lex Luger
Now remember: Steiner was supposed to be the savior of the NWO when he turned last month. He jumps Luger to start us off and hammers on him, hitting a hard belly to belly for no cover. Out to the floor and Luger is getting beaten down still. He blocks a suplex back in though and throws Steiner to the floor, setting up a double axe that sends Steiner into the crowd. A quick attempt at a Rack results in a low blow and the horrible reverse chinlock known as the Steiner Recliner goes on. Heres Rick for the distraction and the forearm ends this for Luger. Some superstar right?
Rating: D. Too quick here to mean anything but the fact that it was this short and having Steiner go down that fast was just stupid. If thats the best they can do, whats the point? Luger was the epitome of floundering at this point and I dont get the point of having him go over like this. Tony calls it one of the biggest wins of his career. Thats stupid even for him.
Post match Rick dumps Scott to the floor because we cant have them have an actual match because it could have been interesting.
US Title: Diamond Dallas Page vs. Raven vs. Chris Benoit
This is under hardcore rules and Page is champion. We get a triple lockup to start which is a new one. Mike calls it a triple full nelson for some reason. The third triple lockup sends them to the floor and Page goes into the steps. Benoit gets two back inside on Raven and stomps a mudhole, only to walk into a clothesline by Page which gets two for Raven. Page looks to set for a gutwrench powerbomb on Benoit but drops him onto the top rope instead.
Raven trips up Page but Page avoids a baseball slide which goes into Raven. Big dive by Page takes everyone out. Theyre actually doing three way spots instead of two guys fight while one is down. Pancake gets two for Page on Raven. Top rope splash gets two for Benoit. Page and Benoit slug it out, won by Benoit and they head to the floor. Raven dives onto the two of them, leaving only Benoit to not have done a big dive.
Into the aisle now with everyone beating on everyone. Raven goes off to the side and brings in a trashcan. It gets put on Raven and DDP and Benoit grab crutches from someone and blast him with it, sending him down. They both break up pins and the can goes onto Page as they head towards the curtain. DDP gets knocked through a set piece and Benoit finds a kitchen sink of all things to hit Raven with.
Raven and DDP go over near the announcers and Raven throws a table at him to a big reaction. Remember that the Hardcore Title in WWF was still 9 months away so this wasnt a common thing in mainstream wrestling. Benoit reverses Raven into/through a table and uses a velvet rope to choke him out. Back to the ring as Page is still down. Low blow puts Benoit down and its chair time.
Benoit sends Raven into it and Page is literally crawling back to the ring. Raven is thrown into the chair and they head back to the floor. Sleeper to Raven and Page is somehow back in, putting a sleeper on Benoit to stead a spot from ECW. The Canadian hits Germans on the American but the other American (Page) Germans the Canadian and the American to put all three down.
Page gets double teamed and Lodi hands in a sign that says use my sign, which has a stop sign inside of it. The Flock sends in a table and Page is put on it. Benoit clocks Raven with the sign and goes to suplex Raven through Page through the table. Page gets up though and gets a middle rope Diamond Cutter onto the table WHICH DOESNT BREAK for the pin. FREAKING OW MAN!
Rating: A-. Totally awesome match here with these guys beating the tar out of each other. Page crawling back and the painful looking ending worked very well as everyone was working HARD out there to make a good match which is the whole point to triple threats. Definitely worth seeing and exactly the idea of what the midcard breakout match is supposed to be. Raven would win the title next month and lose it the next night to Goldberg while Benoit just faded away because thats WCW for you.
Kevin Nash vs. The Giant
This is a revenge match after Nash dropped Giant on his head. The powerbomb is unbanned for one match only. Now common sense booking would see Giant powerbombing Nash halfway to China. Since this is WCW, we can pretty easily write that off as the ending already. Giant has a neckbrace on. They stare each other down for a long time before Nash ducks a shot in the corner and throws some shadow punches to make fun of Giant.
Giant gets him down though and drops an elbow. Big running clothesline sends Nash to the floor. They FINALLY got rid of the over the top DQ rule which was stupid anyway and was only used on and off over the years. Giant misses a charge and hits the post to shift momentum. Nash makes fun of Giants neck injury because hes a jerk. Theres a boot to the neck/throat in a corner choke.
Sleeper by Nash as this crowd is weird. They stay quiet during the matches until the end but they certainly appear to be interested in whats going on. Nash gets the running hip/leg attack to Giant while hes in the 619 position. That really needs a name. There goes the brace. Giant gets a boot up that might have been low. Nash tries a headbutt and that just fails. Giant hits one of his own to take over. He loads up the powerbomb but since that would result in Nash jobbing, heres the NWO for the cheap DQ.
Rating: D+. Seriously, you cant even convince Nash to job one single time? From what I can find, Nash was pinned a total of once in the entire year, and that was after a belt shot. The idea of not wanting to lose your heat is one thing but the total lack of jobbing is absurd. This would become a serious problem as no one wanted to get pinned clean and it made the guys beating them look weak. Oh well, thats WCW for you. Screw that professionalism or discipline stuff right?
Post match Nash breaks a ball bat over Giants back and thats fine as Giant chases them off. Well of course he does.
Gene says you can hear from MARK MADDEN on the Hotline. Gee I cant wait to call that.
Bret Hart vs. Curt Hennig
WCW vs. NWO like all other big matches here. Bret looks so out of place in WCW its unreal. Rude is with Hennig and would be dead in about 13 months. Curt of course stalls to start. Bret gets a shoulder block and a headlock to take over. He kind of throws Hennig around as Curt looks weird tonight. Hes kind of falling instead of bumping if that makes sense.
They mention Bret beating Hennig in the summer of 91 (Summerslam) which was Brets breakout win. Back inside and Bret throws on the Sharpshooter but Rude pops in to punch him. HOW COULD THE REFEREE NOT NOTICE THAT??? I mean lets see. Theres the vibration of him coming into the ring, theres the brown suit that he could see, theres the sound of the punch landing and theres also the fact that the hold was broken. WHO ELSE COULD HAVE KNOCKED BRET DOWN???
Anyway, Curt works on Brets knee and wraps it around the post. Curt plays with Brets hair for some reason as Id bet on him being drunk. Figure Four goes on and it is definitely not perfect. Bret fires off some right hands in the corner but gets kicked in the balls to end that. Hennig throws on the stepover toehold to really make this interesting.
Curt goes up for no apparent reason and is brought down so he can do his balls to the post spot. Heres Brets comeback as he gets a small package for two as well as a bulldog. Middle rope elbow hits as this ending sequence looks rather familiar. Bret does his chest into the buckle spot and its Perfectplex time. It only gets two though which weve never seen before. Bret tries to steal a rollup in the confusion but only gets two. Hennig tries a sunset flip but Bret rolls through into the Sharpshooter for the tap.
Rating: C. Remember that Summerslam match where Bret won and the whole thing was awesome? Remember their awesome match at King of the Ring 93? This is nothing like those matches. WCW just sucks the life out of talented veterans and this is no exception. The leg work was just dull and while the last minute or so was good, the rest just wasnt there. Not horrible, but dude its Bret vs. Hennig. This should be a B- on their worst day ever.
Bret gets mauled post match, including a Rude Awakening. He would of course be heel in like five weeks.
WCW World Title: Sting vs. Scott Hall
Hall won World War 3 which was only four months earlier. Theres your story. He also has Dusty Rhodes with him because hes a heel turn were supposed to care about I guess. Sting hammers him to start and Hall bails. Mark Curtis, the referee, is REALLY skinny. He would die of cancer a year and a half later so maybe thats partially to blame for it. He looks fine other than that. Maybe hes just a skinny guy.
Hall hits a chokeslam and does his Giant imitation instead of covering with even Bobby freaking out over his stupidity. Hall goes out to the floor again and Dusty trips up Sting so Hall can clothesline him. Fallaway Slam hits as this is just Halls Greatest Hits here. Sting does his collapse into the balls thing. Dusty comes in and drops the elbow which the referee somehow misses despite the slight earthquake off the landing.
That only gets two though and Hall punches some more. Heres the comeback and Sting hits a Stinger Splash in the corner. Scorpion is attempted but he has to drill Dusty instead. Down goes the referee (shocking) and Dusty throws in some brass knuckles. Another referee comes in for a two count. Outsider Edge is reversed into the Death Drop and were done.
Rating: C-. This is one of those matches where its supposed to be a big match and is just another match. This could have been a moderately big Nitro main event and no one would have noticed I dont think. Its not horrible but dude, thats it? Sting would lose the title the next month so that Hogan could get it back the next night, because thats what people wanted to see. Right?
The cage is lowered.
Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage
This is an NWO war which would finally result in the Wolfpack being formed in like August. This is for the leadership of the team I think. Buffer introduces Savage as the Slim Jim spokesperson. Thats really the best accolade you can give him? For some reason its dark at first. Hogan starts in control and chokes with the weight belt. Heenan says as the match goes on, the cage gets smaller which Tony agrees with. Am I missing something here?
Big boot gets two and Savage still hasnt gotten a single shot in. Savage blocks some cage shots but he doesnt get to ram Hogan in because that would mean Hogan not in control so Hogan rakes the eyes to keep the advantage. Hogan misses some elbows and Savage gets his first shot in at 3:20. Well its better than what he did to Sting I guess. Savage grabs him by the nose and pushes him down with it. At least its not a HHH match. That could have been fatal.
More belt shots by Hogan as hes right back in control. This is really slow. Slam sets up the legdrop but Savage moves and whips Hogan with it a bit. Oh and you can win by pin here, just like any other bad cage match. Hogan goes into the cage and at least Savage is in control, making it moderately interesting. Savage hammers away and Hogan might be busted.
Hogan counters with a backdrop into the cage and ENOUGH WITH THE FREAKING BELT ALREADY. You use a weapon ONCE because it makes it feel like a big deal. When you do it three times, it waters it down. Savage gets rammed into the cage face first and after Savage puts his hands to his head, moves his hand slightly and pulls them back, hes bleeding too. Cage shot gets two.
Now lets crank up the stupid as they go to the door with Tony saying this could end the match. Naturally when they both go out the door (with zero reaction from the announcers, like its a normal thing in this match) the match doesnt end and then they walk back in. So is this like a playground where you come and go as you please? Savage plays possum and goes to the top of the cage for a sweet double axe which only gets two because thats too big a spot to lose to.
Its elbow time but heres Disciple who steals the key to the cage and comes on in since its just a big old cage party! Savage goes to the top of the cage and Disciple hits the referee. He stands in front of Savage and its 2-1. Savage says cool but Hogan has the belt again. Sting repels from the ceiling and its 2-2. Nice reaction for Sting. And never mind as Savage decks Sting and just walks out to end a cage match in a no freaking contest. Give me a freaking break.
Rating: D-. So Im guessing that Savage and Hogan hate each other but they hate Sting as a united NWO? See, this is one of those endings where the fans get ripped off. The match just ended with no particular winner and with Sting coming in there was no point to actually having the cage match, because the point was to decide who won and who was in charge of the group. In other words, if you want to know what happens, tune into Nitro.
Overall Rating: D+. And thats just about all for the earlier stuff. Going back to what I said in the rating for the main event, the problem here is that you tune into Nitro to tune into the PPVs to find out big deals like this. WCW had a really bad habit (and WWE to a lesser extent does this now as well) of never really resolving anything and having the story just keep going, which also added to WCWs downfall. In short, whats the point in buying a PPV if the main matches suck and nothing is accomplished?
I mean, what happened on this show? What is now different now that the show is over than it was going into this? Halls title shot is used up and thats about it. Hogan and Savage havent resolved anything, the NWO doesnt like Sting, Sting is still champion, and no titles changed hands. The rest of the year kept going downhill and its really no shock at all. Maybe catch Jericho vs. Malenko and the triple threat for sure. Other than that, nothing worth seeing.
Date: March 15, 1998
Location: Mobile Civic Center, Mobile, Alabama
Attendance: 7,474
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone
Another trio of shows here as Ill be doing 98-00 for Uncensored then later the 97-99 Bash at the Beach series and then Ill chill with these for awhile as the numbers will be all caught up. Anyway I just did the show before this so its a nice little continuation. This is a two match show for all intents and purposes with Sting defending his newly won title against Hall and Savage vs. Hogan in a cage. Oh joy. Id bet that the stuff before that is FAR better though. Lets get to it.
The opening video is about Hogan and Savage being split up and the world title match is there too.
The announcers talk about how the NWO could crumble tonight. Yeah sure. Tony suggests that if Hall wins the title, Hogan thinks Hall will just hand the title over. Heenan: No one is stupid enough to just hand a title to Hogan. Seriously, the jokes write themselves in this company.
TV Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Booker T
Chavo is forced to accompany Eddie to the ring after losing a match to Eddie recently. Eddie is all evil here and Booker is champion. The fans are all over Eddie in a hurry so he heads to the floor to chill a bit. Eddie channels his inner Memphis dude and stalls forever. Of course they go fast once they start and Booker gets a clothesline to put Eddie down and then sends him out.
Back in Guerrero wants a handshake and Booker isnt that stupid. Eddie tries to leave and that doesnt work either. All Booker so far. We get a rare power display from Booker in a gorilla press. Booker tries to go up though and Eddie dropkicks him right back down, finally getting something going here. Superplex hits for Eddie but he cant follow up immediately. Big old superkick hits for Booker though but he cant hit the axe kick, possibly injuring his knee.
Eddie, ever the shark, goes after the injured knee as Chavo isnt thrilled with his uncle. The heel in Eddie channels his inner Flair and puts hit feet on the ropes to crank on the leg a bit better. Booker taps the mat but I guess that didnt count in WCW yet. He gets out of the hold but he cant get anything going as Eddie takes over again. Eddie tries to dive to the floor but slips, making it more like a shoulder block.
Booker gets a kick in and hits the Spinarooni. Axe kick hits but the knee is still bothering him. Also its not his finisher yet so he sets for the missile dropkick after putting Eddie down with a spinebuster. Dropkick misses but the side kick misses in the corner. They go up in the corner and Eddie backflips off, only to get drilled with the missile dropkick immediately for Booker to get the pin and retain.
Rating: B-. Match got a little boring in the middle but the ending was pretty awesome. Booker and Eddie were both guys that could go out there and do their thing around this time and you got good matches out of them. Booker was getting better and better every week, namely through working with guys like Eddie.
Chavo is kind of happy Eddie lost so Eddie massacres him and leaves him laying. Chavo would go insane soon after this.
Scott Steiner is giving an interview on WCW.com and says hell take Luger out tonight.
Konnan vs. Juventud Guerrera
Pretty much just a random match. Konnan is NWO and this is personal apparently due to Juvy tapping out last month and losing his mask. The Flock is in the front row of course. Juvy goes straight at him as Konnan is in khakis. Guerrera tries to speed things up and sends Konnan to the floor with a headscissors and has to cancel Air Juvy at the last minute. Konnan sends him into the steps to take over.
As per the laws of wrestling though, Konnan winds up going into the steps that he brought into the match. Springboard missile dropkick hits back in for two. Reverse figure four goes on Juvy and hes in trouble. Konnan then stands up in a freaky looking hold. He even adds in a double underhook and it looks awesome. After that gets broken up, Konnan gets a throw but steps on his head instead of covering.
A slingshot sends Juvy into the corner and he flips forward to make it look even stronger. The crowd is really quite quiet here and while its not exactly the most thrilling stuff its not bad. Boston Crab goes on but Konnan picks his arms up to make it kind of an inverted surfboard. Konnan gets him in a firemans carry but turns it into something like an upside down Torture Rack. Not sure if that would hurt incredibly badly but it didnt last long enough to think about it.
A German off the top doesnt work and Konnan gets caught in the Tree of Woe. Juvy gets a dropkick to take over but gets caught in a wicked release wheelbarrow suplex for two. A powerbomb is countered into an X-Factor and here comes the 450. Konnan avoids it and hits the 187 (cradle DDT) for two which the crowd pops for. The kickout that is. Modified Samoan Drop gets two and Juvy rolls him up into a cradle for the surprise pin.
Rating: C+. Pretty good match with some freaky looking holds by Konnan but it ran a bit long. The crowd was into Juvy but the rest of the match wasnt all that interesting. Still though the ending being more interesting than the seemingly obvious one is a big plus. Pretty fun overall and a nice surprise.
Konnan plants him post match.
JJ Dillon says Giant vs. Nash is happening tonight as per Giants request with the powerbomb being legal for one night only.
Cruiserweight Title: Dean Malenko vs. Chris Jericho
Jericho is the heel champion here that is insane here and rather amusing. This is just after the Man of 1004 Holds promo and the number is on Jerichos tights. He dances down the aisle which is something you dont see every day from him. Dean goes insanely fast to start of course and we hit the mat. He works the arm and this crowd stays silent far too much. Jericho gets a hammerlock and shouts that its hold #643. Thats why Jericho is awesome if you were wondering.
Jericho is all ticked off here because he cant really do much to Dean. Enziguri hits for the Canadian though and theres the springboard cross body, only for Dean to move. Jericho tries to walk, only for Dean to get even more ticked off. Dean sends him in but gets caught in something like a spinebuster to give Jericho the advantage again. Arrogant cover gets two and a delayed suplex gets the same.
The Canadian hammers away with various evil moves like only an evil one can do. Not really snapping snap suplex sets up the Lionsault for two. Heenan sounds a bit tipsy. Backbreaker sets up a back hold by Jericho. Its time for a moderate fit as Heenan is drunk. Dean gets chopped and it ticks him off so he goes off on Jericho to a good reaction. Belly to back gets two for Malenko.
Backsplash hits for Jericho though, getting two as well. This crowd goes silent faster than any Ive ever seen before. Corner dropkick hits as Dean is in Shattered Dreams position. Dean gets out for a bit and they exchange some holds, ending with a reverse suplex for Jericho but he cant get the Liontamer. Victory roll gets two for Dean. Jericho sends him to the apron and tries the springboard dropkick but slips (I think). Just because hes awesome though, he gets his arm out to shove Malenko to the floor anyway. Points to Dean also for quick thinking to fall from it.
Back inside and Dean tries to outsmart him as things speed up. They go up top again but Jericho cant get a belly to back superplex as Dean rotates over to land on Jericho for two. Dropkick misses into a near Liontamer but Dean makes the rope. Jericho tries a top rope rana but Dean reverses into the gutbuster off the top for a close two. Dean tries a leg lariat but gets caught in the Liontamer and Dean taps.
Rating: B. Another good match here as they continue to have solid stuff in the opening hour or so. The important stuff here happens post match though which well get to in a bit. Jericho was rapidly getting awesome and in a competent company he would have been on the fast track to a world title but here he was a year and a half from the WWF which allegedly he had decided he was leaving like six months before he did.
Post match Gene comes out to talk to both guys but Jericho keeps walking. Instead he talks to Dean and more or less rips him apart, saying that hes known Dean for years but hes 0-4 in his last four PPV matches and calls him a bonafide loser. He asks where Dean goes here and Dean says home. This would result in Dean not being seen in 2 months with Jericho taunting him every day. Dean would dress as Ciclope and win a battle royal at the Great American Bash in a shocking return and then beat Jericho for the title which was of course stripped because that could have been an awesome title win.
Raven says hell win the title.
Scott Steiner vs. Lex Luger
Now remember: Steiner was supposed to be the savior of the NWO when he turned last month. He jumps Luger to start us off and hammers on him, hitting a hard belly to belly for no cover. Out to the floor and Luger is getting beaten down still. He blocks a suplex back in though and throws Steiner to the floor, setting up a double axe that sends Steiner into the crowd. A quick attempt at a Rack results in a low blow and the horrible reverse chinlock known as the Steiner Recliner goes on. Heres Rick for the distraction and the forearm ends this for Luger. Some superstar right?
Rating: D. Too quick here to mean anything but the fact that it was this short and having Steiner go down that fast was just stupid. If thats the best they can do, whats the point? Luger was the epitome of floundering at this point and I dont get the point of having him go over like this. Tony calls it one of the biggest wins of his career. Thats stupid even for him.
Post match Rick dumps Scott to the floor because we cant have them have an actual match because it could have been interesting.
US Title: Diamond Dallas Page vs. Raven vs. Chris Benoit
This is under hardcore rules and Page is champion. We get a triple lockup to start which is a new one. Mike calls it a triple full nelson for some reason. The third triple lockup sends them to the floor and Page goes into the steps. Benoit gets two back inside on Raven and stomps a mudhole, only to walk into a clothesline by Page which gets two for Raven. Page looks to set for a gutwrench powerbomb on Benoit but drops him onto the top rope instead.
Raven trips up Page but Page avoids a baseball slide which goes into Raven. Big dive by Page takes everyone out. Theyre actually doing three way spots instead of two guys fight while one is down. Pancake gets two for Page on Raven. Top rope splash gets two for Benoit. Page and Benoit slug it out, won by Benoit and they head to the floor. Raven dives onto the two of them, leaving only Benoit to not have done a big dive.
Into the aisle now with everyone beating on everyone. Raven goes off to the side and brings in a trashcan. It gets put on Raven and DDP and Benoit grab crutches from someone and blast him with it, sending him down. They both break up pins and the can goes onto Page as they head towards the curtain. DDP gets knocked through a set piece and Benoit finds a kitchen sink of all things to hit Raven with.
Raven and DDP go over near the announcers and Raven throws a table at him to a big reaction. Remember that the Hardcore Title in WWF was still 9 months away so this wasnt a common thing in mainstream wrestling. Benoit reverses Raven into/through a table and uses a velvet rope to choke him out. Back to the ring as Page is still down. Low blow puts Benoit down and its chair time.
Benoit sends Raven into it and Page is literally crawling back to the ring. Raven is thrown into the chair and they head back to the floor. Sleeper to Raven and Page is somehow back in, putting a sleeper on Benoit to stead a spot from ECW. The Canadian hits Germans on the American but the other American (Page) Germans the Canadian and the American to put all three down.
Page gets double teamed and Lodi hands in a sign that says use my sign, which has a stop sign inside of it. The Flock sends in a table and Page is put on it. Benoit clocks Raven with the sign and goes to suplex Raven through Page through the table. Page gets up though and gets a middle rope Diamond Cutter onto the table WHICH DOESNT BREAK for the pin. FREAKING OW MAN!
Rating: A-. Totally awesome match here with these guys beating the tar out of each other. Page crawling back and the painful looking ending worked very well as everyone was working HARD out there to make a good match which is the whole point to triple threats. Definitely worth seeing and exactly the idea of what the midcard breakout match is supposed to be. Raven would win the title next month and lose it the next night to Goldberg while Benoit just faded away because thats WCW for you.
Kevin Nash vs. The Giant
This is a revenge match after Nash dropped Giant on his head. The powerbomb is unbanned for one match only. Now common sense booking would see Giant powerbombing Nash halfway to China. Since this is WCW, we can pretty easily write that off as the ending already. Giant has a neckbrace on. They stare each other down for a long time before Nash ducks a shot in the corner and throws some shadow punches to make fun of Giant.
Giant gets him down though and drops an elbow. Big running clothesline sends Nash to the floor. They FINALLY got rid of the over the top DQ rule which was stupid anyway and was only used on and off over the years. Giant misses a charge and hits the post to shift momentum. Nash makes fun of Giants neck injury because hes a jerk. Theres a boot to the neck/throat in a corner choke.
Sleeper by Nash as this crowd is weird. They stay quiet during the matches until the end but they certainly appear to be interested in whats going on. Nash gets the running hip/leg attack to Giant while hes in the 619 position. That really needs a name. There goes the brace. Giant gets a boot up that might have been low. Nash tries a headbutt and that just fails. Giant hits one of his own to take over. He loads up the powerbomb but since that would result in Nash jobbing, heres the NWO for the cheap DQ.
Rating: D+. Seriously, you cant even convince Nash to job one single time? From what I can find, Nash was pinned a total of once in the entire year, and that was after a belt shot. The idea of not wanting to lose your heat is one thing but the total lack of jobbing is absurd. This would become a serious problem as no one wanted to get pinned clean and it made the guys beating them look weak. Oh well, thats WCW for you. Screw that professionalism or discipline stuff right?
Post match Nash breaks a ball bat over Giants back and thats fine as Giant chases them off. Well of course he does.
Gene says you can hear from MARK MADDEN on the Hotline. Gee I cant wait to call that.
Bret Hart vs. Curt Hennig
WCW vs. NWO like all other big matches here. Bret looks so out of place in WCW its unreal. Rude is with Hennig and would be dead in about 13 months. Curt of course stalls to start. Bret gets a shoulder block and a headlock to take over. He kind of throws Hennig around as Curt looks weird tonight. Hes kind of falling instead of bumping if that makes sense.
They mention Bret beating Hennig in the summer of 91 (Summerslam) which was Brets breakout win. Back inside and Bret throws on the Sharpshooter but Rude pops in to punch him. HOW COULD THE REFEREE NOT NOTICE THAT??? I mean lets see. Theres the vibration of him coming into the ring, theres the brown suit that he could see, theres the sound of the punch landing and theres also the fact that the hold was broken. WHO ELSE COULD HAVE KNOCKED BRET DOWN???
Anyway, Curt works on Brets knee and wraps it around the post. Curt plays with Brets hair for some reason as Id bet on him being drunk. Figure Four goes on and it is definitely not perfect. Bret fires off some right hands in the corner but gets kicked in the balls to end that. Hennig throws on the stepover toehold to really make this interesting.
Curt goes up for no apparent reason and is brought down so he can do his balls to the post spot. Heres Brets comeback as he gets a small package for two as well as a bulldog. Middle rope elbow hits as this ending sequence looks rather familiar. Bret does his chest into the buckle spot and its Perfectplex time. It only gets two though which weve never seen before. Bret tries to steal a rollup in the confusion but only gets two. Hennig tries a sunset flip but Bret rolls through into the Sharpshooter for the tap.
Rating: C. Remember that Summerslam match where Bret won and the whole thing was awesome? Remember their awesome match at King of the Ring 93? This is nothing like those matches. WCW just sucks the life out of talented veterans and this is no exception. The leg work was just dull and while the last minute or so was good, the rest just wasnt there. Not horrible, but dude its Bret vs. Hennig. This should be a B- on their worst day ever.
Bret gets mauled post match, including a Rude Awakening. He would of course be heel in like five weeks.
WCW World Title: Sting vs. Scott Hall
Hall won World War 3 which was only four months earlier. Theres your story. He also has Dusty Rhodes with him because hes a heel turn were supposed to care about I guess. Sting hammers him to start and Hall bails. Mark Curtis, the referee, is REALLY skinny. He would die of cancer a year and a half later so maybe thats partially to blame for it. He looks fine other than that. Maybe hes just a skinny guy.
Hall hits a chokeslam and does his Giant imitation instead of covering with even Bobby freaking out over his stupidity. Hall goes out to the floor again and Dusty trips up Sting so Hall can clothesline him. Fallaway Slam hits as this is just Halls Greatest Hits here. Sting does his collapse into the balls thing. Dusty comes in and drops the elbow which the referee somehow misses despite the slight earthquake off the landing.
That only gets two though and Hall punches some more. Heres the comeback and Sting hits a Stinger Splash in the corner. Scorpion is attempted but he has to drill Dusty instead. Down goes the referee (shocking) and Dusty throws in some brass knuckles. Another referee comes in for a two count. Outsider Edge is reversed into the Death Drop and were done.
Rating: C-. This is one of those matches where its supposed to be a big match and is just another match. This could have been a moderately big Nitro main event and no one would have noticed I dont think. Its not horrible but dude, thats it? Sting would lose the title the next month so that Hogan could get it back the next night, because thats what people wanted to see. Right?
The cage is lowered.
Hulk Hogan vs. Randy Savage
This is an NWO war which would finally result in the Wolfpack being formed in like August. This is for the leadership of the team I think. Buffer introduces Savage as the Slim Jim spokesperson. Thats really the best accolade you can give him? For some reason its dark at first. Hogan starts in control and chokes with the weight belt. Heenan says as the match goes on, the cage gets smaller which Tony agrees with. Am I missing something here?
Big boot gets two and Savage still hasnt gotten a single shot in. Savage blocks some cage shots but he doesnt get to ram Hogan in because that would mean Hogan not in control so Hogan rakes the eyes to keep the advantage. Hogan misses some elbows and Savage gets his first shot in at 3:20. Well its better than what he did to Sting I guess. Savage grabs him by the nose and pushes him down with it. At least its not a HHH match. That could have been fatal.
More belt shots by Hogan as hes right back in control. This is really slow. Slam sets up the legdrop but Savage moves and whips Hogan with it a bit. Oh and you can win by pin here, just like any other bad cage match. Hogan goes into the cage and at least Savage is in control, making it moderately interesting. Savage hammers away and Hogan might be busted.
Hogan counters with a backdrop into the cage and ENOUGH WITH THE FREAKING BELT ALREADY. You use a weapon ONCE because it makes it feel like a big deal. When you do it three times, it waters it down. Savage gets rammed into the cage face first and after Savage puts his hands to his head, moves his hand slightly and pulls them back, hes bleeding too. Cage shot gets two.
Now lets crank up the stupid as they go to the door with Tony saying this could end the match. Naturally when they both go out the door (with zero reaction from the announcers, like its a normal thing in this match) the match doesnt end and then they walk back in. So is this like a playground where you come and go as you please? Savage plays possum and goes to the top of the cage for a sweet double axe which only gets two because thats too big a spot to lose to.
Its elbow time but heres Disciple who steals the key to the cage and comes on in since its just a big old cage party! Savage goes to the top of the cage and Disciple hits the referee. He stands in front of Savage and its 2-1. Savage says cool but Hogan has the belt again. Sting repels from the ceiling and its 2-2. Nice reaction for Sting. And never mind as Savage decks Sting and just walks out to end a cage match in a no freaking contest. Give me a freaking break.
Rating: D-. So Im guessing that Savage and Hogan hate each other but they hate Sting as a united NWO? See, this is one of those endings where the fans get ripped off. The match just ended with no particular winner and with Sting coming in there was no point to actually having the cage match, because the point was to decide who won and who was in charge of the group. In other words, if you want to know what happens, tune into Nitro.
Overall Rating: D+. And thats just about all for the earlier stuff. Going back to what I said in the rating for the main event, the problem here is that you tune into Nitro to tune into the PPVs to find out big deals like this. WCW had a really bad habit (and WWE to a lesser extent does this now as well) of never really resolving anything and having the story just keep going, which also added to WCWs downfall. In short, whats the point in buying a PPV if the main matches suck and nothing is accomplished?
I mean, what happened on this show? What is now different now that the show is over than it was going into this? Halls title shot is used up and thats about it. Hogan and Savage havent resolved anything, the NWO doesnt like Sting, Sting is still champion, and no titles changed hands. The rest of the year kept going downhill and its really no shock at all. Maybe catch Jericho vs. Malenko and the triple threat for sure. Other than that, nothing worth seeing.