WCW: Thunder
February 26, 1998
Cedar Rapids, IA
Five Seasons Center

The current WCW champs are as follows:
WCW World Champion: Sting (2/22/1998)
WCW U.S. Champion: Diamond Dallas Page (12/28/1997)
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Outsiders (2/22/1998)
WCW World Television Champion: Booker T (2/22/1998)
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Chris Jericho (1/24/1998)

Your hosts are Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Lee Marshall.

• Booker T & Dean Malenko vs. Chris Jericho & Eddie Guerrero
  

What a missed opportunity with Jericho and Guerrero. Of course, Bischoff never did seem to like or know what to do with tag team wrestling. They announce that Booker T will defend his TV belt against Eddie Guerrero while Chris Jericho will put up his Cruiserweight championship against Dean Malenko at UnCeNSoReD. No reason given. During the bout, Tony and Lee discuss the over-the-top-rope DQ rule has finally been waived in WCW. Anyways, onto the match. The crowd lets Eddie know that they feel he sucks in the opening moments. Booker starts off strong against Jericho and we go straight into commercials. Ugh. When we return, Malenko gets the top rope pulled down on him by Jericho as he goes flying over the the top rope to the floor. Jericho and Malenko start working the back and neck of Malenko for a bit. They cheat on an abdominal stretch. Malenko fights out of the bad corner, but gets put in the LIONTAMER. Booker makes the save with a superkick to the back of Jericho’s head. Hot tag to Booker, he owns Guerrero and drills him with the AXE KICK. Cover, 1-2-NO! Jericho leaps from the top rope to save the day. Guerrero hits Booker with a vertical suplex and sets up for the Frog Splash, but sneaks and waits while Malenko slaps the Texas Cloverleaf on Jericho (neither one are the legal men). When Malenko isn’t looking, Guerrero leaps up to the top and delivers the FROG SPLASH for the win. (7:14 shown) Eddie is the best in the world, folks. Malenko and Booker T is such a weird tag team, right? **½

WCW Saturday Night! Watch it – IF YOU WILL! 6:05PM eastern time! TBS! Disco Inferno, British Bulldog, Jim Neidhart, and Eddie Guerrero will all be in action. In the feature bout, Raven meets Chris Benoit! Scott Hudson and Mike Tenay have taken over commentary, but it’s still the MUTHASHIP!

Mike Tenay speaks with the US champ Diamond Dallas Page. He puts over Chris Benoit and how the match they had at SuperBrawl VIII was the best match DDP ever had. Referring to what happened on Nitro when he traded punches with Benoit when he came out to save Benoit from Raven and his Flock, DDP says Benoit was just blind punching and sometimes it beez that way. Raven interrupts and wants a main event US title shot. Of course DDP will grant him the opportunity on next week’s Thunder.

• Fit Finlay vs. Brad Armstrong
  

YES. More Brad Armstrong, please. Our esteemed commentators ponder on what the Armstrong curse is. Finlay goes for the leg and takes an enziguri kick. A nasty spill on the floor causes Finlay to come back with uppercuts. Armstrong fires back with a flying body press for two. He hits Finlay with a back suplex, but it’s not enough. Finlay avoids a corner charge and plants Armstrong with the TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER for the win. (3:57) Weird seeing Armstrong working as a face. He’s more interesting right now as a heel if you ask me. *

MFGWLM plug: Sonny Oono and Yuji Nagata tells us to watch “The Outsiders” tonight.

• Davey Boy Smith vs. Dave Taylor
  

This is the last we will see of Dave Taylor in 1998. I’m sure Steve Regal getting fired has something to do with it. He’ll be back though. During the match, Marshall puts over Bulldog as the guy who broke Steve McMichael’s arm back at SuperBrawl VIII. Tony corrects him with a story about how Mongo had broken his arm *before* the match, forgot about the injury, shut out the pain, and wrestled with a broken arm anyways, which kills the story of the match just to put over how tough Mongo is. Very strange. DBS hits the Hourglass Suplex and the RUNNING POWERSLAM for the win in 2:20. ¾*

THIS WEEK IN WCW MOTORSPORTS: FUHFUHWID

Curt Hennig comes out and meets with Mike Tenay. Curt says he spoke up when Hollywood Hogan mentioned that he needed somebody to take care of Bret Hart. He tells us that he and Bret Hart have a lot of similarities (size, experience, second generation), but Hennig’s dad can beat up Bret’s dad. He thinks Bret has a lot of nerve coming out here telling the world that he’s the best when Hennig is the best athlete and wrestler the nWo ever produced. In fact, he was voted as the wrestler that made Minnesota famous. In two weeks at UnCeNSoReD, Bret Hart is going down. He feels Hogan can definitely count on him.

• Bill Goldberg vs. Rick Fuller
  

Fuller’s music is mixed in with the nWo theme for a few seconds. Whoops. Huge ovation for Goldberg. Heenan says he needs to find out from Tenay what Goldberg’s undefeated streak is up to now. Fuller kicks Goldberg in the head and that gets him mad. Spear and JACKHAMMER ends Fuller in 1:13.

Raven and his Flock make their way to their front row seats before this next match.

• Yuji Nagata (w/Sonny Oono) vs. La Parka
  

Rematch from the 2/16 Nitro. It’s amazing they didn’t know how to market La Parka better with his charisma. After some ducks and counters, Nagata catches La Parka with a rolling Koppou kick. La Parka takes over and spinning heel kicks Nagata while he’s stuck in the tree of woe. On the floor, La Parka uses the chair to springboard dive onto Nagata. He leans the chair up against the ring apron and sends Nagata back first into the chair. Back inside, he lands the CORKSCREW BODY ATTACK. He’s got the pin, but Sonny Oono is on the apron. Disco Inferno comes down and pulls him off the apron and gives him a CHARTBUSTER. Sonny takes a better Stone Cold Stunner than Donald Trump. Anyways, La Parka and Nagata fight over the chair while the ref is watching what’s happening on the floor. La Parka gets the chair, but Nagata kicks it back in his face. The NAGATA LOCK gets the submission. (3:09) Nagata has no idea what happened to his manager. ¾*

Scott Hall comes out and does the survey. It’s pretty unanimous for the good guys. He brings up his opponent for UnCeNSoReD – the world champ Sting. For the last two years: while Sting has been hanging out in rafters, he’s been cruising down the aisle wrestling every single night. He knows Sting has a cool entrance, but he wants to know what Sting has when he steps through the ropes. Crowd wants Sting now, but not near as bad as Hall does. Stinger – if you want Scott Hall – don’t sing it, bring it.

Someone just threw a football it seems at Lee Marshall hitting his headset. Anyways, Tony announces the upcoming Nitro main event: Sting and Randy Savage against Hollywood Hogan and Scott Hall. Tony has a million questions about the SOAP OPERA ASPECT of this match. YOU MUST WATCH NITRO THIS COMING MONDAY.

• Scott Steiner (w/Buff Bagwell) vs. Marty Jannetty
  

Buff Bagwell comes out wearing an Outsiders t-shirt. He does an awful Michael Buffer impersonation before introducing us to “White Thunder” Scott Steiner. When Steiner takes over the mic, he makes some threats for Lex Luger. Poor Heenan. He wants to heel it up so bad and can’t. Buff nails Jannetty from behind at the bell and he’s never able to do anything to Steiner. Quick squash ends with the FRANKENSTEINER from the top rope at 1:36.

MFGWLM plug: Buff Bagwell tells us to watch “The Outsiders” tonight. He thinks the movie is about Hall and Nash. What a goof.

• Curt Hennig vs. Jim Neidhart
  

Rick Rude is conspicuous by his absence. While Hennig is bumping all over the place for Neidhart, Scott Steiner comes over to the announce table and grabs Lee Marshall’s headset. First of all, he threatens Tony Schiavone for saying something he didn’t like. And secondly, he tell his brother Rick that the nWo door is wide open for him. He says he’s coming home to Michigan tonight and he wants an answer. Meanwhile, Vincent jumps in the ring just as Neidhart is about to apply the ASIATIC SPIKE for the DQ. (2:23) While Neidhart has Vincent in the ASIATIC SPIKE, Brian Adams jumps him from behind and gives the Anvil a big backbreaker. It’s a 3-on-1 attack until Davey Boy Smith saves the day.

Raven hops in the ring and talks about Kevin Nash. Since Nash isn’t popular with the suits at WCW and Raven is a misfit and a freak, the suits decided to have Raven wrestle Kevin Nash tonight. The crowd pops for this idea. Raven agrees to face Nash, but it must be under Raven’s Rules and battle royal style.

• Battle Royal Raven’s Rules: Raven vs. Kevin Nash
  

Well, this is random. Kevin Nash comes out wearing a Syxx t-shirt again. He ends up fighting off the Flock instead and never lays a hand on Raven. He does fine with Riggs, Lodi, Kidman, Sick Boy, and Lodi. Hammer comes off the top with a clothesline. Nash winds up booting him out to the floor though. Raven holds Saturn back while Nash gives Lodi not one but two JACKKNIFES. He gets fined $50k for each powerbomb and spends a night in the hooscow – or escorted out of the building by police. I can’t remember. (1:36) Weird seeing the nWo and the Flock interact. Period.

• WCW U.S. Championship: Diamond Dallas Page (c) vs. Chris Benoit
  

Here is match number three for these two. They trade wristlocks and chinlocks to start. Once they start talking trash and slapping each other, they tie up and fall through the ropes to the floor. Benoit finally lets go and punches DDP into the crowd for a little Attitude Era brawling. Back inside, DDP is in charge and hits a swinging neckbreaker on Benoit for two. He hangs DDP out to dry and delivers a kitchen sink knee. More kicks to the ribs, but DDP won’t give up and inside cradles Benoit for two. DDP gets dumped on his face and his nose is busted to bits as there’s blood in the ring. The camera goes wide as DDP mounts his comeback with a desperate lariat. He calls for the Diamond Cutter, but Raven gets in the ring and kicks at both of them for the DQ. (6:53) Benoit tackles Raven and beats him on the floor while DDP pescados on both of them as we close the show. This was another example of them trying to do a 20-minute match in seven minutes. Kind of disappointing to me. **½

Until next time, so long for now.

WCW/nWo UnCeNSoReD LIVE ON PPV premieres March 15
from the Mobile Civic Center in Mobile, AL.
MAIN EVENT
Cage Match: Hollywood Hogan vs. Randy Savage
WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Sting (c) vs. Scott Hall
WCW World TV Championship: Booker T (c) vs. Eddie Guerrero
WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Dean Malenko
Bret Hart vs. Curt Hennig
The Giant vs. Kevin Nash
Lex Luger vs. Scott Steiner