WCW Thunder - Thursday, October 15, 1998

By Aldo

Wet Willy!

Thanks to everyone who mailed me last week. The topic of this week's mailbag is Chavo Guerrero, Jr. If you recall last week I asked why Chavo isn't getting better treatment than he deserves. A few of the selections I received are posted below. No commentary will be given on the emails, as they pretty much speak for themselves.
- From Blue Virtue:
  - Chavo kicks ass in my opinion. Here you have a guy that is supposed to have lost the mind wrestling better then guys with that mental awareness. Can you have a better star????
- From Richard Sullivan:
  - Chavito deserves a push. But someone first has to push Pepe off a cliff.
- From Villagonzalos:
  - How about some Chavo angles and feuds?
    We haven't seen a real angle with him since Eddie. How about something involving the lWo.
    I think Chavo could be for WCW what Al Snow and head are for WWF. Put Chavo in an angle with someone like a commissioner. What do you think about Chavo kicking Piper's ass or nailing him in the groin with the toy horse a la Head? That would rule.
    Or give Chavo an enemy that he can beat the crap out of every Monday Nitro. It would rule if Chavo came out everytime the nWo had a match that Vincent was at ringside for and Chavo could beat the crap out of him weekly.
- From Bob Trainer:
  - Chavo is being badly misused. He deserves a push before say ED LESLIE. TV Champ Perhaps? It is sad that the talent gets wasted in WCW.
- From Joseph D. McMenamin:
  - Chavo is one of the most entertaining young stars wcw has and is not getting any kind of push since his feud with Uncle Eddie. Considering that he is a good wrestler, athletic, funny on the mic, and most of all has charisma. I have to admit that every time I see him riding pepe down the aisle or in the ring, I start to laugh. I think he's one of the many great young talents that WCW has but isn't using properly. Oh well, it looks as if he'll be in the lWo with Eddie, so maybe that'll be part of his push.
- From YamboYoo:
  - I had the pleasure of attending Melee' in LA 98' with some friends, back in July. WCW put up a mostly tepid card, lacking some of the 'oomph' that we usually see in untelevised house shows (WCW was selling it on RealAudio through their web site, so.. they were probably toning it down a bit.)
    Chavo was up against Eddy G. on the card, and, by far, their match was the best of the night. This guy is for REAL. Although we were in nosebleed territory, the fluid tempo of the match was 100% Chavo, his pop for taunting Eddy back into the ring after the elder Guerrero tried to walk back to the locker room was one of the largest of the night. (Chavo: "Heeere, Eddy Eddy Eddy.." With a little doggie whistle.)
    Eddy eventually won the match with a superplex to frogsplash combination, but the two got a house-rocking pop when all was over, on par with the Wolfpack and Goldberg's.
    I'd look for the WCW to abuse Chavo some more, by having him join Uncle Eddy's LWO on an upcoming Nitro. But if there's anyone who deserves the cruiserweight or TV title shot as much as The Disco Inferno, it'd be Chavo, hands-down.
- From Sam Brady:
  - I'm with you. Chavo is the best thing going now, aside from Jericho. I'm also with you on Lenny Lane. Two great workers who just don't get the push. I remember seeing a Lenny vs. Syxx match sometime last year when Syxx was Cruiserweight champ that was absolutely fantastic. With all the new factions forming up, how about Lenny, Chavo, La Parka, and Disco as sort of a "jobber Horsemen"? I'd buy the shirt.
- From Jennifer Alleman:
  - Chavo Jr. totally needs a huge push. When he and Eddy were at each other, it was pretty funny. They were both excellent in the 2 PPV matches they were in. And singly they were also very good. Whenever Chavo was against Jericho, you had a guarantee of a great match. That won't happen again. Since Jericho hasn't wrestled in three weeks and Chavo hardly does either!!!! He deserves a lot better than what they give him. Also, you gotta wonder if he'll be joining the lWo. That bothers me too. I wish they could have thought of a more original idea for Eddy. He deserves way more than a tired repeat of the nWo. Two factions is enough, in fact one was enough for me!!
- From Brandon McLaren:
  - Here's a guy that's got more talent than half the wrestlers on WCW. He is one of the few brightspots on the increasingly boring Nitro and Thunder. I thought for sure he would have won the cruiserweight belt by now. This guy deserves better and the fans demand better.
Al's Link For The Week: DT's Off The Top Rope Columns. DT was nice enough to give me two weeks of "free publicity," so out of fairness, I shall return the favor. Check it out!
Opening montage for Thunder.
And we are TAPED for two hours of Thunder!
- We are only ten days away from Halloween Havoc. Yeah, so?
- Tony, Bobby, and Lee talk about last Monday's Nyquil leading toward the PPV.
- They hype Hogan/Warrior as well as DDP/Goldberg.
Match #1: Sick Boy vs. Van Hammer
- Sick Boy comes out without any music or ex-Flock members.
- They talk about that abomination called Chucky that made an appearance on Nitro.
  - What the HELL were they thinking?!? Does Eric Bischoff secretly want to destroy his company by bringing that crap into the storyline?!?
- Sick Boy will be going up against Van Hammer, who has yet another music change.
- I can't believe they're gonna job Sick Boy to this unwashed freak.
- Bell sounds and both men lock up.
- Van Hammer pushes Sick Boy to the corner, but breaks cleanly and tells him not to freak out.
- Sick Boy does the same, but doesn't break cleanly.
- Van Hammer reverses Sick Boy's whip and hits a back elbow.
- Van Hammer sends Sick Boy outside with a lariat.
- Sick Boy grabs both legs and trips Van Hammer but is kicked to the rail.
- Van Hammer vaults outside onto Sick Boy.
- As both men reenter the ring, Sick Boy drops Van Hammer onto the ropes.
- Sick Boy goes to the opposite ropes and baseball slides into Van Hammer, sending him into the rail.
- Both men get back into the ring and Sick Boy gets in a kick and a punch.
- Sick Boy whips Van Hammer into a sleeper.
- Van Hammer gets out and whips Sick Boy into a sleeper of his own.
- This matchup is putting me to sleep, by the way.
- Sick Boy gets out of the hold with a jawbreaker.
- Sick Boy snapmares Van Hammer, goes to ropes, and drops a knee.
- Van Hammer headbutts Sick Boy in the groin.
- Sick Boy scoop slams Van Hammer.
- Sick Boy runs toward the ropes, jumps on the middle one and hits Van Hammer with an elbow for two.
- Sick Boy misses a corner charge and Van Hammer takes control.
- Van Hammer places Sick Boy on the top turnbuckle and throws him by the hair, for two.
- Van Hammer whips Sick Boy, whom somersaults over the hippie.
- Van Hammer ducks a lariat and Flashbacks Sick Boy for the win.
- Post-match, Van Hammer mugs the camera. One of these days, he's gonna break the damned thing if he keeps staring at it.
- YOUR WINNER: Van Hammer via Flashback in 4:24.
We take a special look at The Four Horsemen.
We go to clips from Monday Nitro in which Bischoff tries to keep the Horsemen out of the United Center.
- I'll admit, it is amusing to see Ric Flair spaz out when Bischoff is taken out by security. But this entire montage of clips lasted about eight minutes, which could have gone toward some sort of wrestling contest. This IS a wrestling show, isn't it? Maybe I should have read the TV Guide better.
Match #2: La Parka vs. Konnan
- Oh, yes, it's the Chairman of WCW!
- La Parka is dressed in a black suit with Mexico written on the back and a black sombrero.
- Konnan, his scheduled opponent, comes out. I can feel the cheap heat meter start to redline.
- Konnan wants to speak on dis. I want him to shut the hell up.
- Before the bell rings, La Parka makes a swinging motion toward Konnan with his belt.
- Konnan attacks at the bell and does his rolling clothesline.
- Konnan does the "bunny ears." This is done so that we get the impression that the Wolfpac is a serious, ass-kicking crew.
- Konnan delivers the seated dropkick. Since that was his two primary moves, I smell a momentum shift coming up.
- La Parka reverses a whip but Konnan hits a back elbow.
- See above, but La Parka crotches Konnan with a back mule kick. Can I call them or what?
- La Parka celebrates with his strut and the wobbling on one leg!
- La Parka chops Konnan in corner.
- La Parka whips Konnan to the other corner and hits a lariat.
- Why is the crowd booing La Parka? Idiots.
- La Parka with another whip and a spinning heel kick.
- La Parka slaps Konnan in the corner.
- La Parka with another corner whip, but he runs into a double boot.
- Konnan lands a modified powerbomb for two.
- Konnan applies a neck vice.
- As La Parka gets up, Konnan kicks him and chops him twice.
- La Parka clothesline Konnan as he comes out of the corner.
- La Parka assaults Konnan in the corner.
- Konnan counters an abdominal stretch attempt with a pin but La Parka makes it to the ropes.
- La Parka tries another corner charge but runs into a boot.
- Konnan bulldogs La Parka and yells "Orale."
- Konnan leapfrogs a running La Parka and delivers a kick to the groin.
- Konnan does the carpetmuncher and locks on the Tequila Sunrise for the win. Damn it all.
- Konnan keeps the hold on for several moments after the bell. Awfully heelish for a babyface to do.
- YOUR WINNER: Konnan via Tequila Sunrise in 4:43.
Ad for WCW/nWo Magazine.
Promo for WCWSN:
- Featured: Konnan, Kidman, Saturn, Scott Hall, and Jericho/Fit Finlay for the TV Title.
Match #3: Riggs vs. Fit Finlay
- Riggs still has the eye patch on.
- He'll be doing the job to Finlay.
- Yet more talk about Hogan and Warrior as the bell sounds.
- After the initial lockup, Riggs knees Finlay and whips him, but is taken down by The Belfast Bruiser.
- Riggs with an armdrag takedown for two.
- Riggs drops a fist on Finlay for one.
- Finlay takes control with an eye gouge.
- This prompts The Brain to make "one-eye" comments about Riggs.
- Finlay applies a chinlock.
- Riggs whips Finlay into a dropkick.
- Riggs chokes Finlay in the ropes.
- Riggs puts Finlay's arm in the ropes and yanks on it. This must be the setup to Riggs' new arm submission, Barely Visible.
  - Just kidding. In case you didn't get that, former Demolition member Barry Darsow, best known for telling us to shut our stinkin' mouths, uses a very lame bent-elbow submission hold that he calls Barely Legal. Don't get me wrong, I actually like Darsow, but I think that he needs to bring out a fifteen year old female from the crowd if Darsow plans to use that name.
- Back to the match and Finlay gives Riggs a taste of his own medicine with the ropes.
- Finlay lariats Riggs and follows with a kneedrop. Pay attention, Goldberg, this is a simplified example of following up your moves.
- Finlay pulls Riggs toward the ring apron with his hair and slams his chin down on the apron.
- Finlay punishes Riggs on the outside.
- Finlay goes back on the apron and drops a boot on Riggs.
- Finlay chokes Riggs twice on the ropes.
- Finlay with another boot.
- Riggs tries to mount a comeback but to no avail.
- Finlay hammers Riggs in the corner.
- Finlay hits Riggs with a European Uppercut.
- Finlay brings Riggs to the ropes, takes off his eyepatch, and works on the eye.
- As Riggs is selling the pain, Finlay scoop slams him.
- Finlay goes up top for an aerial assault but lands on Riggs' knees.
- Riggs takes control with a whip to the corner and a flying knee.
- Riggs goes for the double axehandle and misses.
- This allows Finlay to finish Riggs off with the Tombstone Piledriver.
- This matchup was awfully stiff. How stiff? Well, this is a G-Rated site. I can't go there. :)
- YOUR WINNER: Fit Finlay via Tombstone Piledriver in 6:06.
Promo for Goldberg vs. DDP at Halloween Havoc.
An ad for the Goldberg Heavyweight Champion T-Shirt.
An ad for the Pro200, a Game Boy-type unit that boasts over 256 games. Well, that's nice, but with 256 games on one unit, how many of these don't suck?
- This is a non-wrestling related note, but a small company once did a similar gimmick with the Sega Genesis 16-Bit System. They made a cartridge which had 52 games in one. Needless to say, it was blasted heavily by the gaming mags. GamePro compared it to something that a college student would do for class credit.
This week in WCW Motorsports.
Match #4: Kaz Hayashi vs. Kidman for the Cruiserweight Title
- Kaz Hayashi comes out with his old face music, but is sporting a heel attitude.
- He'll be facing Billy "The Fonz" Kidman (as The Brain put it) for the Cruiserweight Title.
- Kaz starts with a headlock and a shoulder takedown.
- Kidman ducks under a Kaz heel kick and takes down the challenger with a headscissors.
- Kaz comes back with one of his own.
- Kaz whips Kidman to the corner and follows in.
- Kidman hops onto the turnbuckle and delivers another headscissors takedown, sending Kaz outside.
- Kidman dives onto Kaz outside the ring.
- With both men inside, Kidman drops a leg for two.
- Kidman tries to suplex Kaz to the outside, but Kaz reverses.
- Kidman gets out of the suplex attempt but is thrown outside.
- Kaz connects with a twisting suicide dive on the outside!
- Both men are back in the ring and Kaz chops Kidman to the ropes.
- The crowd starts chanting for Kidman!
- Kidman rallies a comeback, but a Kaz Hayashi knee stops this.
- They mention Kaz wearing a mask in Japan and being known as Shiyru. They conveniently forget that Kaz teamed with what is now Kaientai in the WWF.
- As Brain babbles, Tony shuts him up by asking if he can call the match.
  - What? Is that what an announcer is for? Gosh, I learn new things every week.
- Kaz applies a rear chinlock as we go to commercial at the 4:42 mark.
- As we come back, we see Kidman doing a sunset flip for two.
- Kaz sends Kidman down and yells before getting two.
- Kaz scoops slams Kidman and somersaults onto him from the top rope.
- Mike Tenay talks about Sonny Onoo's relationship with Kidman, but realizes his folly and corrects himself about thirty seconds later. D'oh!
- Kidman whips Kaz into the corner but misses an axehandle.
- Kaz applies an over the knee backbreaker.
- Kaz goes up top but misses the moonsault!
- Kidman whips Kaz to the corner and clotheslines him on the rebound.
- Kidman bulldogs Kaz from the tope rope for two.
- Both men exchange reversals with Kidman coming out of this encounter with a modified powerbomb.
- Kidman pulls Kaz to the corner and goes up top but Kaz attacks.
- Kaz gets knocked off the turnbuckle but goes up again and applies a leaping jawbreaker!
- Kaz applies a brainbuster for two.
- We see Sonny Onoo come to ringside.
- Kaz takes a page from the Luchadores and does a huracarana for two. (Otherwise known at times as "Whattamove!")
- Kaz German Suplexes Kidman for two.
- Kaz goes for a powerbomb but Kidman reverses and drops Kaz's face to the mat!
- Kidman lands the Shooting Star Press for the win!
- Post-match, Sonny Onoo levels Kaz with kicks but Kidman makes the save!
- Both wrestlers shake hands as Onoo walks away in disgust.
- YOUR WINNER: Kidman via Shooting Star Press in ~9:23.
We go to clips from Nitro featuring Buff and "Roids" Steiner getting it on and, ugh God, Chucky.
A promo for "The Lamest Return Match in the History of our Sport," Hogan vs. Warrior.
Match #5: The Cat vs. ???
- Excuse me while I vomit. The Cat makes an appearance on Thunder.
- Ernie does his usual spiel, saying he's the greatest. He even mentions that he is undefeated.
  - I suppose Blood Runs Cold and Yuji Nagata never existed.
- Ernie talks some smack to Jackie Chan.
- Ernie makes a challenge to anyone in the back room.
- At this time, some tubby guy who appears to be a fan enters the ring and is beat down by Ernie before security takes him away.
  - Was this for real? Doubtful. Usually, security will grab someone before they make it even halfway to the ring. This guy actually entered the ring when The Cat had his back turned and was not attacked until he fully entered the ring.
- Ernie celebrates as we fade to black...?!?
- YOUR WINNER: There wasn't even a match. This was all just a spot to get The Cat over.
You know, I forgot to mention something that I should have put at the beginning of my report, but the old saying goes "better late that never." In this day and age, a lot of webmasters of smaller sites like to cut and paste reports from the larger sites and put it onto their smaller sites as their own work. I'm going on the record now and saying that I write for one site only -- DDT Digest. If you see any of my work elsewhere, please e-mail me so I can apply the smackdown. Likewise, if you see work from my colleagues elsewhere, please let them know, too. Thanks!
Match #6: Chavo Guerrero, Jr. (w/ Pepe) vs. Prince Iaukea (w/o Hair)
- We are tortured with more talk about Chucky as Prince Iaukea walks out.
  - Change the "CH" in Chucky's name with an "F" and you have my opinion. :)
- He'll be taking on "The Lone Deranger," Chavo.
- Chavo rides his horse before the match starts.
- Bells rings and Chavo does some sort of breakdance in the ring.
- Both men lockup and apply standing switches.
- Chavo comes on the better end with a shoulderblock and dances.
- Chavo drops an elbow on Iaukea.
- Chavo lands some uppercuts.
- Iaukea reverses a Chavito whip and chops him.
- Iaukea dropkicks Chavo and whips him again.
- Chavo breaks the whip by going outside and consoling with Pepe.
- Chavo taunts Iaukea from outside.
- Chavo cuddles Pepe some more.
- Chavo asks for a test of strength. Iaukea obliges and uses it to score a takedown.
- Both men counter takedowns and Chavo gets a pin attempt near the ropes, which is waved off.
- Chavo with an armdrag takedown into a chinlock.
- In what is THE highlight of this match, Chavo gives Prince Iaukea a wet willy! Yes!
- Iaukea with a snapmare and chinlock, but Chavo scurries out of it.
- In anger, Iaukea grabs Pepe and Chavo begins to beg.
- Iaukea smacks the horse around.
- Chavo continues to beg for mercy on Pepe.
- As Iaukea puts Pepe down, Chavo blindsides the Prince.
- Chavo introduces Iaukea to the turnbuckle, head first.
- Chavo takes Iaukea down after a whip.
- Chavo rides Pepe around the ring some more.
- Chavo takes Iaukea down to the mat and puts him in a headlock.
- Chavo with some European Uppercuts.
- Iaukea with a sweet roll-up for two.
- Iaukea lands a crossbody for two.
- Iaukea tries a victory roll, but again manages a two-count.
- Iaukea does a fall-away slam.
- Iaukea abuses Chavo in the corner.
- As Chavo charges toward Iaukea, he is met by a knee but no-sells.
- Chavo bulldogs Iaukea from the top rope.
- Chavo goes to the top turnbuckle, but Iaukea yanks the rope, crotching Chavo.
- Chavo and the Prince fight on the turnbuckle, but Chavo gets the better here, executing the Tornado DDT for the win in an entertaining match!
- YOUR WINNER: Chavo Guerrero, Jr. via Tornado DDT in 6:38.
Noooo! It's a Chucky promo advertising his new movie. Pa-thetic.
An ad for the WCW Mastercard.
- Can you imagine any self respecting businessman walking up to the cashier at an Office Depot and whipping out a plastic card with some freak in red face paint as a form of payment? Pa-thetic.
Promo for DDP vs. Goldberg at Halloween Havoc.
- In this spot, they refer to DDP as "The People's Champion." More fuel to the copyright infringement lawsuit by the WWF. :)
Tony Schiavone is in the ring and calls out Diamond Dallas Page.
- DDP does his usual "walk through the crowd" entrance.
- Tony wants to know where DDP's head is at. Again, G-Rated site. :)
- DDP is on cruise control, and when he's in cruise control, he is all JACKED UP! Read above comment.
- DDP talks about himself not being undefeated, the champion, or the phenom. DDP is just a guy.
- DDP says Goldberg appears to be bulletproof but makes mistakes.
- DDP has two words for Goldberg: Diamond Cutter.
- I don't need to tell you how this interview ended. But it involved a hand signal and a word that Cactus Jack used a lot for his gimmick.
- It's shameful that this World Title matchup will be booked before the Hogan/Warrior non-wrestling match.
Promo for Halloween Havoc, in which they sneak a Bride of Chucky reference.
It's main event time! By the way, it's 9:44 P.M. EST.
Match #7: Stevie Ray (w/ Vincent) vs. Dean Malenko (w/o Personality)
- Buffer is in the ring to do his schtick.
- As Stevie Ray comes out, Buffer lists him at 6'6" and 303 lbs.
- Dean Malenko comes out to the new Four Horseman music. As cool as it sounds, I liked Dean's older music better.
- Maybe I was imagining things, but did I just see Dean slap a fan's hand?
- Dean jaws with Vincent and pushes him off the apron as the bell sounds.
- Stevie Ray uses this to his advantage and pounds on Dean.
- Stevie with the big boot that sends Dean outside.
- Vincent beats up on Dean and bring him back in.
- Stevie applies a bearhug.
- We go to commercial at 0:58 and see another promo for Chucky. Somebody please kill this before it multiplies.
- Back from the break, we see Stevie sending Dean to the corner.
- Stevie gives Dean a side slam.
- Stevie works on Dean by stretching his arms backward and using the knee for leverage.
- Stevie sends Dean to the ropes and Vincent cheap shots him when the referee isn't looking.
- Dean tries a comeback but Stevie no-sells and drops an elbow.
- Stevie goes back to the resthold.
- Out of nowhere, Dean does a belly-to-back suplex.
- Dean attempts a sunset flip, but Stevie grabs him by the neck and goes for another bearhug.
- Stevie pushes Dean to the corner.
- Stevie whips Dean and goes to slam him, but Dean slips out and lands on top of Stevie for a count of two.
- Stevie whips Dean to the corner, but Dean floats over the buckle.
- Dean goes up top and lands a missile dropkick.
- Dean blocks a kick and goes for the Texas Cloverleaf!
- Dean locks on the Cloverleaf but Vincent enters.
- As Dean attacks Vincent, the bell sounds, ending the match.
- This leads to Stevie Ray and Scott Norton entering the ring to lay a world of hurt on Malenko.
- The entire Four Horsemen run in and make the save!
- The Horsemen console Dean as Arn gets a mic.
- AA says that if the nWo is going to attack a Horseman, they better finish the job.
- AA talks about them trespassing and says that the nWo is trespassing because the Horsemen have taken WCW.
- AA says that in gang warfare, The Four Horsemen were the first, the worst, and the last.
- Ric Flair then grabs the mic!
- Ric: "Oh, Lord, it's hard to be humble! Whoo!"
- Ric says that Bischoff isn't a man, nor a human being, but an abuse of power.
- Ric says that the Horsemen walk through barricades and subpoenas.
- Ric says that the Horsemen are stylin' and profilin'.
- Ric says that the Horsemen will continue to be the elite group.
- Ric talks about Dean Malenko and says he survived a beatdown because he is the man of 1,000 holds and a Horseman.
- Dean says two down and that he is ready and able to take on any comers because he is a Horseman and the Horsemen are back.
- I'm hope Dean's stint with the Horsemen will greatly improve his interviewing skills. Benoit got in an excellent line Monday Night, so anything is possible.
- Ric struts and Whoos.
- Ric says that he will have Bischoff's job and will run the company.
- As we go off the air, The Brain sucks up to Flair as if he were the new head of WCW. Classic stuff.
- YOUR WINNER: Dean Malenko via DQ in ~5:09.
The Good: Chavo Guerrero, Jr. was in his element tonight, the cruiserweights all gave excellent performances, and it was great to hear Ric speak on Thunder.
The Bad: La Parka jobbed to Mr. Cheap Heat himself, Van Hammer got booked to win, and The Cat got pointless airtime.
The Ugly: Chucky. This whole angle ranks down there with the "Robin Hood" crap they pulled back when Hogan feuded with The Giant. When will Eric Bischoff realize that to have a successful wrestling promotion you need to invest in your talent and not outside media stars? I'm afraid that Bischoff isn't going to learn anytime soon, not with this farce and what appears to be Jackie Chan heading this way, too. Pa-thetic.

WCW Thunder - Thursday, October 15, 1998

By Aldo

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