WCW Thursday Thunder - 05/14/98
WCW Thursday Thunder - 05/14/98
Don't "bite me"...fight me!
- Trivia Question from Nathan C. at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia: Who are the three wrestlers that Benoit wrestled, and lost to, while in WWF? (Answer at bottom of the report)
- The mailbag:
- From Dan at University of Missouri. I'm reprinting it because this guy happened to use my two favorite words in the English language in one e-mail:
What's up with Luger and the Giant cracking up on their way to the ring?? Neither of them could hardly keep a straight face. Perhaps Luger ate too many Cocoa Puffs for breakfast and maybe the Giant just finished watching Space Ghost Coast to Coast or something. Anyway, I can't believe the monkeyshines and shananigans that they incorporated on their way to the ring.
- From JBEBAD:
In your Nitro report you put that the announcers said that Savage and Hart have never faced each other, well again it shows their ignorance. The one that comes to my mind is it was a Saturday Night's Main Event a while back. Hart was with the original Hart Foundation and Anvil was at ringside. Anyway Hart and Anvil were pulling out all the stops and got to Savage's ankle. His ankle was "injured" so badly that the ref had to take off Savage's boot to look at it. Savage insisted he could keep going and in the end came out victorious over Hart on one foot from a small package. I tell you sometimes these announcers play the fans as morons when in fact they are the true ones themselves!!
- A number of people noted that Bret Hart was wearing a Hollywood Hogan t-shirt when he faced Hogan on the 4/28 Nitro.
- For those of you who'll be in Baton Rouge or New Orleans on Saturday, 5/23 (the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend), Ric Flair and Arn Anderson will be doing personal appearances together. There is a luncheon in Baton Rouge and a dinner cruise in New Orleans. For more information, check out the Arn Anderson interview on the Audioline at 1wrestling.com. All of the information is in the first few minutes of the interview.
If any of my readers do go to either event, I'd love it if you sent me a report on the event.
- Charlie of Chan & Charlie asked me if I knew what Lodi's "Pelican Is On Welfare" sign meant. If anyone knows, please e-mail Charlie.
- I got a lot of e-mail asking me if there is a WWF site out there like mine: detailed TV results, light on the opinions, and non-existent on the rumors. Let me know if you know of one. I might as well have one to recommend in case someone asks me.
- Congratulations to everyone who voted for Ric Flair in the People Magazine poll. Now, of course, not willing to leave well enough alone, there's a movement afoot to vote for Ric Flair as one of the top 100 most influential people of the century. I hate to be a naysayer, but let it go, folks, and pick your battles wisely. As beautiful as Ric Flair is, he deserved the first award, but he doesn't deserve the second. I'd rather see pictures of Ric Flair in a wrestling magazine than Leonardo DiCaprio or George Clooney in People. However, I think it's silly to say Ric Flair is more influential than Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Jesse Owens, or Muhammed Ali. Plus, even if we stuff the ballot box, Time Magazine will ignore it. They are making no guarantees about the influence of the on-line voting. People Magazine didn't really have that option. So, you're setting yourself up to be disappointed.
Enough, already. Save it for next year when everyone has forgotten about Hank and we can make Ric Flair number one in the People poll.
- Speaking of write-in campaigns, Ryan, a local guy to the Washington, D.C. area, is getting a write-in campaign going to get ECW on the local sports cable channel. He has a link to be able to quickly send e-mail to Home Team Sports. If you are interested in helping out, click here.
- As for the MTV thing on Saturday, I'm guessing Vince McMahon had to be sitting at home wetting himself from laughing so hard. I felt bad for the WCW wrestlers, to tell you the truth. They did their best, but it came off horrible. But that's the chance you take having an outdoor event. I'm guessing the MTV Belt will be as cherished and defended about as often as that "King Of Cable" belt that is in Sting's closet. I really think the show was worse than the first Souled Out, and coming from me that's a huge insult. Oh, well, at least it was free.
- Did anyone buy the Nitro Girl Beach Blast pictures? If you did, send me a critique of them.
- As far as Eric Bischoff challenging Vince McMahon, it's been discussed to death on other pages, so I'm not going to say a whole lot about it although I feel I need to make one point. Most other pages have said this, too, but I want to repeat it because I feel it is the most remarkable thing about it. What the hell was Eric Bischoff thinking when he issued that challenge before RAW come on? If I hadn't been clipping JPGs for the Nitro report, I would have tuned immediately to RAW to see Vince McMahon's response. imho, Vince McMahon was an absolute genius pulling that stunt on the day a live RAW was on. If it was a taped RAW, everyone would have kept watching Nitro. And, by not responding, I bet a lot of people stayed tuned to RAW all night long to see the response.
Obviously, Vince got Eric angry enough to cloud his judgment.
Heh.
- I've picked up on something that none of the other websites seem to have picked up on. For those of you who buy wrestling magazines on the newsstands, it may or may not have occurred to you that every wrestling magazine you buy in the stores is 100% kayfabe. Now, that's interesting enough in the context that all the decent pro wrestling websites are 100% not kayfabe. But, anyway, on to my point...I subscribe to Pro Wrestling Illustrated which is, imho, the best wrestling publication out there. I just got my August 1998 issue and I realized that, suddenly but subtly, Pro Wrestling Illustrated is no longer 100% kayfabe. They actually referred to Eric Bischoff as President of WCW and had a piece on Sean Waltman's (Syxx's) firing from WCW. PWI is well known for reporting the real life legal troubles wrestlers have a tendency to get into, but, until this month, Bischoff, and everyone else, was only referred to in character.
Well, anyway, I find it interesting. It's going to be interesting how far down this path Pro Wrestling Illustrated goes. Obviously, from an immediacy perspective, they can't compete with MiCasa or Scoops.
Personally, I'm a little disappointed. I really enjoyed getting a well-written magazine that bought into every angle completely. I was kind of refreshing. I really hope PWI doesn't turn into a three-month-old MiCasa on paper.
- The show opens with a replay of the Giant's nWo reappearance from Monday night.
- We are live from University of New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire.
- Tonight's feature match is Sting vs. Savage.
- Arrghh!! They are still saying Hart and Savage have never wrestled each other. They must keep saying this just to annoy the Internet fans.
- A new black-and-white promo with Bischoff challenging Vince is shown. Sure seems to play right into the WWF's lawsuit.
- An interview with Mando Guerrero, Eddie's brother and Chavo's brother, is shown. He's very disappointed in Eddie.
- Chavo Guerrero, Jr. vs. Reese
- Chavo and Eddie come to the ring. Eddie gets on the mic and says he's handpicked an opponent that's the same size and skill level for Chavo...
- Out comes Reese. The crowd is dead silent.
- Reese towers over everyone in the ring.
- Chavo tries an early offensive but Reese started tossing Chavo around like a rag doll.
- Chavo goes up top, Eddie distracts him, and Chavo jumps right into a modified spinebuster and pin by Reese.
- Eddie starts slapping Chavo around, Ultimo Dragon comes in and puts Eddie in the sleeper, and this time Chavo just leaves.
- Six, count 'em, six, referees are needed to make the save on Eddie.
- Here's a second trivia question: Reese and Chavo have faced each other on TV before. What was the result? Answer at the end of the report.
- The "fan attacks" on Raven are replayed. The announcers talk about the upcoming "Bowery Death Match" between DDP and Raven. Basically, it's a "Hell In A Cell" match, like War Games in one ring with a top on the cage. Then a replay of the entire DDP/Raven feud is replayed. By the way, the "unsafe working environment" thing with Raven is probably a goof on Shawn Michael's claims when he "felt threatened" by Bret Hart while Bret was still in the WWF.
- Out comes Raven's with the "riot control officers". Raven starts his whining in the ring and he dares DDP to come to the ring since the Flock is backstage and it will be one-on-one. DDP comes through the crowd. The riot squad forms a wall in front of Raven and DDP goes up top and jumps over them and attacks Raven. The "riot squad", moving suspiciously like wrestlers, start stomping a mudhole in DDP and then hold him up for Raven. Raven DDTs DDP and then hangs DDP from the ring. We go to commercial.
- We come back at 8:39 p.m. and we've had only one match.
- Get this, the announcers say that at Slamboree, Goldberg has been signed for a gauntlet match where he has to go through the entire Flock or give the U.S. Title back to Raven. Good Lord.
- Lee Marshall says that Nash and Hall will be here to defend the tag titles tonight.
- Tag titles? What are those?
- 8:41 and we're getting our second match.
- WCW World Television Champion defends his title against Kaos of High Voltage.
- Some dude representing Ruper, an animated character in Quest For Camelot, comes out to give out t-shirts. Geez, he really looks like the Undertaker. He's acting real tough, but as the camera's about to cut away, you see him about to hand a t-shirt to someone and ask really politely "Want one?". It's pretty comical because he totally breaks character.
- An additional stipulation for Goldberg's gauntlet match at Slamboree is that Raven gets to choose the order of the men Goldberg has to face.
- Goldberg vs. Sick Boy.
- Forearm shots by Sick Boy to Goldberg. Some effect, and then Sick Boy goes to a nerve hold.
- Goldberg tosses Sick Boy out of it, but Sick Boy hits a dropkick.
- Goldberg comes back and press slams Sick Boy.
- Spear.
- Goldberg talks trash to Reese.
- Jackhammer.
- 1-2-3. 84-0.
- Riggs attacks Goldberg from behind and gets beat up as a result.
- Savage comes to the ring. Says he wants Bagwell to get well and join the red-and-black attack. And, then, to annoy us all, he says that he and Hart have never wrestled each other before. (They have to be doing this on purpose.) Savage says he doesn't want Piper, or any referee for that matter, at Slamboree. Bret Hart comes out and calls Savage a "chicken". The Keystone Cops won't let Savage get to him. Hart keeps talking trash, saying he's going to "kick the crap out of" Savage at Slamboree.
- Saturn is interviewed. He calls Glacier a joke and a reject from a video game and says that the Cryonic Kick that Glacier claims to have invented is a basic side kick people have been doing for thousands of years. Saturn said to Glacier: "Guys like you give guys like me a bad name."
- Saturn vs. "Gentleman" Chris Adams
- Kidman gives Adams the choice of losing to the Rings Of Saturn or the Death Valley Driver. Adams doesn't get a chance to answer.
- Hammer tries to get to the ring, but the Keystone Cops hold him back.
- Too bad the Keystone Cops didn't do such a good job two years ago with the Outsiders.
- Savatte kick by Adams and Saturn lands on his head. Ouch!!! (Although on the replay it looks like he braced himself first.)
- Piledriver by Adams but he misses the knee from the top.
- Saturn uses the chair as a springboard and nails Adams.
- Saturn hits the side kick, death valley driver, and gets the pin.
- Kidman: "Hey, Snowman, that's how it's done." When I originally posted this report, I though that was a mistaken reference to the Sandman of ECW; however, a bunch of people let me know that I was missing an obvious reference to Glacier.
- "Crippler" Chris Benoit vs. Rage of High Voltage.
- Next week's Nitro is 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. and then a second hour from 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. EDT.
- Benoit with the early advantage and Rage comes back.
- Rage with a nice half crab on Benoit.
- Rage continues to work on Benoit's back.
- Benoit with some chops and the crowd "Whoos".
- Rage misses the money shot from the top turnbuckle.
- Benoit hits the flying headbutt and gets the crossface and Rage taps out and Mark "Shooter" Curtis calls for the bell.
- Bischoff comes out. On the way to the ring, Bischoff is grabbing fans' "McMahon Fears Bischoff" signs and holds them up for the cameras. Bischoff reads a (presumably legitimate) letter from Vince McMahon's attorney saying that Vince will not appear on the pay-per-view and Bischoff has no authority to say he will. Bischoff says that regardless of the letter, Doug Dillenger will be waiting outside to personally escort Vince in.
- The announcers are kind of funny with this whole thing. Officially, they can't be proud of Bischoff or support him since he's nWo, but they obviously can't support Vince. They're kind of lost. Lee Marshall at least said he feels some pride in what Bischoff's saying.
- Kevin Nash, theoretically solo, defends the WCW World Tag Team Titles against Public Enemy.
- Kevin Nash starts out by coming to the ring saying Scott Hall is still not allowed on TV, but Hogan and Bischoff can't stop Scott Hall from being on the pay-per-view.
- If you haven't already heard, Hall is back wrestling at house shows, losing to Sting.
- Big Sexy asks if he looks incredibly sexy tonight. He says is more sexy than Brad Pitt because he has more "meat" as he looks down you-know-where. Then he says "more meat on my bones, I mean".
- Geez, I hope they don't go into the gutter with the WWF with this kind of stuff.
- Kevin calls out Dusty Rhodes. Dusty, with a faint goatee, talks trash about Bischoff and says he will stand in counsel from Kevin Nash tonight.
- The match starts with Kevin Nash dismantling Rocco Rock.
- Johnny Grunge comes in and they hit a double suplex and a double clothesline.
- Public Enemy goes for another double clothesline and Dusty Rhodes grabs Johnny Grunge outside the ring and beats him up.
- Kevin Nash powerbombs Rocco Rock and doesn't get disqualified nor arrested. (Given that, I'm guessing he was not supposed to do that.)
- Kevin Nash tags in Dusty Rhodes who drops an elbow and then, for no logical reason, the ref counts the pin.
- Public Enemy must be hatin' life.
- Randy "Macho Man" Savage vs. Sting
- They really are doing this on purpose to bug us. Mike Tenay, once again, says Hart and Savage will be meeting for the first time on Sunday.
- Another guy totally breaking character. Sting's smiling and slapping hands with the fans on the way to the ring. What the hell??!!
- It's all Sting early on.
- Savage goes to the eyes and then gets Sting outside the ring and beats him up but Sting turns things around.
- (Weak) Stinger splash on Macho Man on the safety railing.
- Sting misses the Stinger Splash but comes back with an elbow. Savage hits a low blow and tosses Sting outside the ring.
- Bret Hart comes in the ring with a chair, disqualifying Sting.
- Savage nails Hart. Savage goes to give Hart the big elbowdrop, but Giant comes in and catches Savage in mid-air. Nash comes in and nails Giant with a chair. As Nash is about to powerbomb Giant, Sting nails Nash with the chair.
- The ring is cleared except for Giant and Sting. Giant grabs a microphone and says to Sting that he will be Sting's partner on Sunday and, if they win the belts, which the Giant thinks they will, Sting will have a decision to make. Giant hands Sting a black-and-white nWo shirt and walks off, with Sting sort of smiling.
- Luger comes to the ring and the cameras cut away.
- The announcers go on some more (while you can hear the crowd reacting positively to some things which we can't see on TV) and show the promo with Bischoff challenging McMahon again.
- That's all, folks!
- Trivia Answer: Owen Hart, Adam Bomb (Wrath/Bryan Clarke), and "Spark Plug" Bob Holly. Geez, it really hurt to type that last one.
- Second Trivia Answer: Big Ron Studd pinned Chavo following a vertical suplex.
