WCW Thunder, Thursday, 08/20/98
WCW Thunder, Thursday, 08/20/98
By Bill
"I'll break your stinkin' neck!"
- Trivia Question: A number of pages have reported rumors of Goldberg wanting to make his character "more Jewish", partially by putting the Star of David on his trunks. What currently active wrestler used to have the Star of David on his trunks?
- The mailbag:
- From David S.:
I don't know if this ran in your paper, but there was a photo on the AP wire Friday morning showing a kid in Roanoke, VA who found a sabre that was believed to be used during the Civil War. The photo showed him holding up the sabre and standing in the lake where he found it. And he was wearing an nWo t-shirt!
- From Chan of Chan and Charlie:
I got kicked out of Sunday School on Sunday. We were covering Revelation, and every time the name "Four Horsemen" would come up, I brought my foam four fingers, and yelled "Whoo!" My minister was so mad because I'm a religious studies major and was supposed to help with the lesson.
- From DDT Digest's own Cubs Fan:
Some friends and I went bowling tonight and as we walked in, we saw a life-size cut out of Hogan.
Surprisingly, we didn't turn around and leave. Anyways, we looked around and found out that WCW is co-promoting some bowling leagues with AMF, "Bowl Where The Big Boys Play" or something like that. For the league fee, you get a nWo or WCW cap, shirt and bowling ball, I think. Plus, you get some special thing (never figured out what, maybe it's the shirt) for your pick of wrestlers (Nash, Hogan, Giant, Hart, Savage, Sting or Goldberg, with the Wolfpac portion of the group still in their pre-Wolfpac outfits in the pictures they were using to advertise.) Truly weird.
- Speaking of Chan and Charlie, they will be making a guest appearance next week reprising their role as the Monday Nitro reporters. Wade will be taking the week off.
- Beth of Bulan, KY, let me know that Booker T is featured as a collector of Beanie Babies in this month's issue of a Beanie Baby magazine. If anyone could pass along a JPG of that photo to me, it would be much appreciated.
- Regarding Warrior's entrance on Nitro, it would have ruled if a fake Warrior appeared in the rafters first...and the fake Warrior was portrayed by Renegade.
- So, rumor has it that WCW team at War Games will be Warrior, Piper and DDP. Kind of ironic to have a team of three guys where, of the three of them, DDP is the most likely to put another guy over. Sort of like being the owner of an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant and three guys walk in and Dusty Rhodes is the lightest eater of the three.
- Speaking of War Games, I'm real curious how it's going to work, what with the "winner" getting the shot at Goldberg. Normally, War Games doesn't have a winner, rather it has a loser, that being the person, and the team of the person, that submits. I'm guessing that the winner will be the person who obtains the submission. Although that wouldn't have worked in 1996, when nWo Sting and Hollywood Hogan combined to get the submission on Lex Luger.
- For the 1% of you who don't know this already, this week's Thunder was taped last week in Fargo at the conclusion of last week's live show. Thunder will alternate between being live and taped. Unlike RAW, which is usually live and then taped for the next week on successive nights, it seems that Thunder will be live and then the following week's taped Thunder will be taped immediately following the live Thunder.
I really had to go out of my way not to read the results on any of the "smart" pages. I am reporting this having no idea what the results will be.
I'm really interested to see how this affects the number of people reading this report versus a report on a live show. I have the feeling that the numbers are going to go way down given that you could have read these results on other pages a week ago. I'm guess that you are one of about 50 people that will read this report.
- Last week's trivia question was incorrect on two counts. An anonymous reader let me know that Wahoo McDaniel also held the U.S. Title five times. As a result, I did a little research and I found that Ric Flair has actually held the U.S. Title six times.
Dark match: Eddie Guerrero defeated Lizmark, Jr. This was presumably edited out due to the developing "Eddie walks out on WCW" angle.
- We are taped from Fargo, ND. The main event tonight will be Stevie Ray vs. The Giant.
- WCW World Cruiserweight Champion Juventud Guerrera vs. Psychosis
- Interesting, the voice over, or at least portions of it, for this show was taped this week. The announcers are all discussing the Ultimate Warrior's appearance.
- Juventud offers a handshake before the match, Psychosis hesitates and gives him one.
- Majistral (sp?) Cradle by Psychosis almost gets the pin.
- Headlock by Juventud and eventually Psychosis gets pitched from the ring.
- Psychosis comes back with some kicks, a couple head shots, and a back elbow.
- Juvie comes back with a shot to the head and a flying body press. Two count only.
- Reverse carpetmuncher by Psychosis.
- Reverse mule kick, lariat, spinwheel kick, and flying headscissor takeover by Juventud.
- Psychosis misses a flying headscissor of his own.
- Psychosis kicks Juvie off the turnbuckles on an attempted 450 splash.
- Psychosis hits the rolling cradle off the turnbuckle. Two-count only.
- Commercial break. When we get back, it seems that we are picking up right where we left off.
- Gourdbuster by Psychosis.
- Standing back slam by Psychosis.
- Guillotine leg drop by Psychosis connects! Psychosis takes too long to make the cover and only gets two.
- Out of nowhere, Guerrera hits the Juvi Driver and gets the pin.
- Montage of the Wolfpack.
- Okerlund interviews Stevie Ray.
- Okerlund tries to deride Stevie Ray, but Stevie Ray takes over the interview.
- Man, Stevie Ray has a bigger gap between his teeth than David Letterman.
- Stevie Ray says he is hot on the Giant's tail tonight.
- To close out the interview, Okerlund asks how Booker T is doing, and Stevie Ray says it's none of his business.
- Replay of Warrior's appearance on Nitro.
- I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly looking forward to "the revolution".
- According to Lee Marshall, the fan excitement "had the building literally moving".
- Barry Darsow vs. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan
- Oh, no, it's Jimmy One-Eye.
- Darsow doesn't even get an entrance. We don't get a chance to hear him telling anyone to shut their stinkin' mouth.
- Darsow all over Duggan to start but, surprise, Duggan no-sells.
- Outside the ring, Duggan continues the advantage.
- Darsow gets to go to work inside the ring.
- btw, Darsow is letting his hair grow back.
- According to the announcers, Warrior is not under contract to WCW. "Interim Commisioner" Roddy Piper will have a statement on Monday night. Whatever.
- Darsow puts it to Duggan for a few minutes, until Darsow misses a big elbow.
- Duggan with his ten punches in the corner, big slam, and three-point stance and running lariat.
- Duggan drops Old Glory, and gets the pin.
- Schiavone: "The people love Duggan, don't they?"
Brain: "I know a lot of people that like burnt toast, too."
- A feature on War Games. Totally cool, as they give a feature on each year's match from 1991 to the present, the story behind the feud, and how the match ended. The only thing that was missing was the War Games in the 1980s. Oh, well, can't have everything. The other interesting thing is that in this year's War Games, pinfalls will count. Sounds more like an elimination match than War Games.
Sid destroying Brian Pillman in 1991
- Here's a question...was there ever a War Games match where the heels didn't have the one-man advantage? If there was, let me know.
- Okerlund interviews Bret Hart. According to Bret, he and Hogan are two of the people on the nWo Hollywood War Games team, and the third is a secret.
- Okerlund interviews Mongo. Talk about the blind leading the blind.
- "Iceman" Dean Malenko vs. Brian Adams w/Vincent
- Thunder is live from Peoria on Wednesday next week.
- Malenko looks like a midget compared to Adams.
- Early on, Malenko has trouble overcoming Adams' size.
- Malenko gets on with a nice reversal, Adams comes back with a power move. This sequence happens a couple times.
- Malenko is tossed outside the ring, and Vincent gets a few shots in.
- Big gutbuster by Adams.
- Adams misses the big elbow. Again, Malenko gets a short advantage. Key word being short.
- Malenko reverses a bearhug into a rolling DDT! He goes for the Texas Cloverleaf, and Vincent distracts the referee while Hennig runs in and nails Malenko from behind.
- Adams takes the advantage and hits Malenko with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker and gets the pin.
- Hmmm, it seems Beavis is in the crowd tonight.
- An nWo Hollywood montage.
- A replay of the Steiner/Bagwell bit from Monday night.
- Replay of Saturn trying to talk some sense into the Flock on WCW Saturday Night.
- Kanyon vs. Horace vs. Saturn vs. Raven in a four-corners match.
- I'm not even going to try to give a play-by-play on this one.
- Raven vs. Saturn to start. Before they even lock up, Raven tags Horace in.
- Horace dominates Saturn early, but Saturn comes back.
- Saturn elbows Kanyon on the head, and that counts as tagging Kanyon in.
- Kanyon works on Horace, and Kanyon tags Raven in.
- Raven tries to order Horace around, and when that doesn't work, Raven then attacks Horace.
- Kanyon slaps Horace and tags himself in. Horace and Raven are then in cahoots again.
- After an exchange, Raven tags Horace in against Kanyon.
- Horace handles Kanyon, and then tags Raven in.
- Three Russian Leg Sweeps by Raven, and Saturn breaks up the pin attempt.
- Raven tags Saturn in.
- Kanyon tries a roll-up, but Saturn comes back with a belly-to-belly over-the-head.
- Saturn tags Horace in.
- Horace hits his big splash on Kanyon, but Saturn makes the save.
- Raven gets tagged in. Raven holds Kanyon, and Horace goes to nail Kanyon with the stop sign, but accidentally nails Raven instead.
- Eventually, Kanyon attempts a cover but only gets two.
- Raven and Kanyon both attempt to tag Saturn, but Saturn won't tag Raven, and tags Kanyon.
- In a series of turns too quick to call, in a span of a two minutes, each guy turns on the other, as no one wants to let a friend or foe score the win.
- Eventually, while Saturn and Kanyon are duking it out outside the ring, Raven hits the Evenflow on Horace and scores the pinfall.
- Okerlund interviews the Giant.
- Giant: "I'm going to close the gap...and I don't mean the gap between your teeth". Heh.
- Steve "Mongo" McMichael vs. Curt Hennig w/Rick Rude
- What the heck do Hennig and Rude find to talk about on their way out to the ring every time?
- Well, finally the announcers got some history correct. They say the first War Games match was July 4th, 1987. Somewhat ironically, I actually watched a tape of that match this past weekend.
- The announcers score another point with me by realizing that the "teams" at War Games this year are not really teams at all once the match starts, seeing as there is a singular winner getting the title shot against Goldberg, not a team winner.
- It sounds like an interesting match, it's just too bad they are calling it War Games. It doesn't do the previous War Games matches justice.
- Hennig dismantles Mongo as the match progresses, eventually going to work on the left knee.
- Reminiscent of Lex Luger as, out of nowhere, Mongo comes back and starts beating on Hennig.
- Rude Awakening by Mongo, and then two flying tackles.
- Rick Rude nails Mongo in the back with a chair while the referee isn't looking.
- Hennig hits the Hennigplex, and as he is making the cover, Malenko runs in, disqualifying Mongo.
- Hennig and Rude beat up Malenko, ending up giving him a double DDT.
- They then do the same to Mongo.
- Hennig and Rude leave, as Malenko and Mongo are left laid out in the ring. That should be explanation enough of why Double A doesn't want to reform the Horsemen.
- The Giant w/Scott Hall carrying the tag belts vs. Stevie Ray
- Before the match, they replay the ending of the three-way dance on Monday, where Giant chokeslammed Stevie Ray again.
- Scott Hall is wearing a bandana knotted on his forehead. Heenan correctly notes that Scott Hall is "sporting the Little Bo Peep look".
- The Giant is wearing a tank top and jeans.
- Stevie Ray sends the Giant down early with a big kick.
- Scott Hall runs in and, for some reason, the ref doesn't disqualify The Giant.
- The Giant hits the chokeslam and, as Scott Hall is pointing at Stevie Ray, then Mark Curtis disqualifies The Giant.
- Giant tosses Mark Curtis out of the ring as nWo Hollywood surrounds Stevie Ray in the ring.
- The show closes with a Warrior montage, ending with the Batsignal.
- Er, that's it.
- Trivia Answer: Barry Horowitz
