WCW: Thunder
May 21, 1998
Cleveland, OH
CSU Convocation Center

The current WCW champs are as follows:
WCW World Champion: Hollywood Hogan (4/20/1998)
WCW U.S. Champion: Bill Goldberg (4/20/1998)
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Giant & Sting (5/17/1998)
WCW World Television Champion: Fit Finley (5/4/1998)
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Dean Malenko (5/17/1998)

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

Tony Schiavone is standing in the ring saying things about the Giant and Sting. He brings out the Giant for further comment on whether or not Sting defects to which nWo or stays with WCW. Giant comes out with *both* tag belts around his waist. Sign of the night and we’re only five minutes in: “The Giant is a fat goofy backstabbing caveman”. Giant tells us that he and Sting went backstage after the loogie incident and talked things out. According to the Giant, Sting has made his decision to join the nWo Hollywood camp and they are now the nWo world tag team champs. Of course, Sting isn’t here tonight to defend himself. Tony doesn’t seem to believe the Giant, but what’s he gonna do? Call the Giant a liar? Here comes Lex Luger to call the Giant a liar. WCW security is here in case things get out of hand. Luger says he and WCW made the mistake of not believing Sting in the past and he never will again. He challenges the Giant for tonight. Instead, Giant gives Luger an out offering him a place on the nWo bandwagon. Luger spits in Giant’s face. For some reason, the cruiserweights are doing security tonight. As Luger runs away, they bump around for the angry Giant. Once the dust settles, Giant accepts the challenge.

• Ernest Miller vs. Yuji Nagata (w/Sonny Oono)
  

Now they are using the more talented Nagata to get less talented guys over. Nagata works on the knee of Miller to prevent his springboard roundhouse kick from happening and so he can win with the Nagata Lock, but then Miller randomly hits him with the FELINER anyways so it’s all for naught. Miller gets the pin in 3:47. When does Sonny Oono dump Nagata and join Miller? ½*

WCW Saturday Night! Watch it – IF YOU WILL! 6:05PM eastern time on TBS! Only one hour this week due to Braves baseball! Braves lose to the Cubs 10-6 and Sammy Sosa didn’t even hit a HR! As for WCWSN though, the Giant will be there! Konnan will also be there! Since it’s only a one hour show, there’s not a lot more to hype but Tony has to say there will be “lots more” anyways. It’s the MUTHASHIP! Take it to the PAY WINDAH, baby!

• Chris Jericho vs. Super Calo
  

Chris Jericho has turned into Lodi now holding up a sign that reads “Conspiracy Victim” with an arrow pointing down at him. He gets on the mic to talk about the conspiracy against him. It’s bigger than the 1918 black sox scandal, the Roswell incident, and the JFK assassination. Jericho wants the president of WCW JJ Dillon, or POWCWJJ for short, to come out and hear what he has to say. No JJ Dillon. He claims since Dean Malenko was never on the list of people supposed to be in the cruiserweight battle royal at Slamboree, he never could have lost to Malenko. Jericho will never stop hounding Dillon about this decision until he gets his cruiserweight belt back. Crowd starts to chant for Jericho.

Super Calo sighting~! Not the best day to face Jericho though. He dumps Calo on his neck after a release German suplex. That was nasty. Lionsault misses and Calo tries a springboard, but just falls backwards into Jericho. Time to go home. LIONTAMER taps out Calo in 1:28. ½*

MFGWLM HYPE: Alex Wright, “The Perfect Weapon” (1991) starring Jeff Speakman.

They air what has transpired between Raven and Mortis (who will become known as Kanyon) over the last month or so culminating at Slamboree with the “Chairshot Heard ‘Round the World” moment.

Raven comes to the ring with his riot squad guys. He calls out Saturn for being an ungrateful wretch after all these years. Saturn gets on the mic and separates himself from the rest of the Flock saying he’s not one of Raven’s zombies obsessed by the guru. He considers Raven his friend and his equal, not his leader. If they are to continue being friends, Raven will have to stop bossing him around. Raven apologizes and Saturn walks out. Well, okay then. Now onto Mortis. Raven says the Flock has seen him in a “rainbow wig”. Is he a clown or is that a gay joke? Here comes Mortis to the ring (w/o a clown wig) and looks like a gay biker. The riot squad people grab him for Raven, but then “a fan” disguised in a blonde wig jumps the rail and spins Raven around for a FLATLINER. The wig comes off and we now have the *real* unmasked Mortis in the ring. Where did the fake Mortis go? What? Huh? Who? WHERE? I’m confused. Anyways, the Flock are all mad standing over their fallen leader.

• WCW World Television Championship: Fit Finley (c) vs. Jim Neidhart
  

What has Neidhart done to deserve a TV title shot? Neidhart controls 90% of this match. He hits the slingshot shoulderblock and slams Finley near the ropes to get a nearfall. Neidhart misses a corner charge and turns around into the TOMBSTONE PILEDRIVER to give Finley the win as if there was any doubt at 2:35. ¾*

Tony Schiavone brings out the #1 contender to the TV title: Booker T. Instead, we get Chris Benoit who obviously has a beef with that decision. He wants to talk to JJ Dillon – right now. We finally get Booker T and of course he has no problem with being called the #1 contender. Benoit decides to let cooler heads prevail by allowing Booker to “get what he deserves”. Of course as Benoit walks away, he hits Booker from behind. After Doug Dellinger escorts away Benoit, STEVIE RAY returns to talk to his brother. You just got punked out, son! He wants Booker to go stomp a mudhole in Benoit’s fruit booty. He puts his arm around Booker and takes him backstage to assumedly go after Benoit.

• Brian Adams (w/Vincent) vs. Jim Duggan
  

Crowd is hot for Duggan. He destroys both Adams and Vincent to start. Adams ends up dumping him on the floor to take control of this thing. He puts the boots to Duggan and brings him back in for a backbreaker. Adams chokes Duggan in the ropes and ref Charles Robinson has to pull him off Duggan by his ponytail. Well, Adams doesn’t like that sort of treatment and tosses Robinson across the ring for the DQ. (2:09) Afterwards, the nWo have some heel miscommunication. Duggan slams Adams and delivers the THREE POINT STANCE. The 2×4 gets involved and Duggan cleans house. Whaaaaat. ½*

More Ruber from last week to hype the “Quest for Camelot” movie.

• Saturn vs. [Van] Hammer
  

Tony declares this “a battle that just won’t die”. Hammer is hot to start, but Saturn delivers that lethal STANDING SIDE KICK to cool him off. Tenay tells Glacier he should take note. Oh boy. After a T-bone suplex, Hammer comes back with a powerslam. A reverse suplex sets up an Alabama Slam from Hammer. Reese appears on the apron and distracts the ref while Raven appears and drills Hammer with the EVENFLOW DDT! Saturn gets pissed that Raven is helping out. Nevertheless, Saturn hits the DEATH VALLEY DRIVER for the win. (3:22) Raven raises his arms in victory, but Saturn doesn’t seem to care for all this interference. Raven isn’t treating Saturn like an equal if Raven thinks Saturn needs him, right? Who knew Raven would be a “bad friend”? *

MFGWLM HYPE: Hugh Morrus and Jimmy Hart, “The Perfect Weapon” (1991) starring Jeff Speakman.

Well, here comes Rick Rude with the classic nWo music. Where does his allegiance lie now that Curt Hennig is in the nWo Wolfpac? He does the same old bit about Cleveland being fat. Rude brings out “the next U.S. champion” Curt Hennig. Apparently, Rude goes where Hennig goes. It’s Hennig first – nWo second. Moving on. Hennig brings up Goldberg and calls him “the biggest mark he’s ever seen”. He wants a piece of Goldberg right now. Rude knows he’s in the back because he can smell his boots from here. They give Goldberg ten seconds to answer their challenge. No Goldberg. Hennig challenges Goldberg to meet him at the Great American Bash. It’s all over at the Bash, pal.

Tony confirms that Goldberg is not in the building.

• Juventud Guerrera vs. Horace (w/Lodi)
  

We haven’t seen Lodi in like two months. Juventud continues his run through the Flock to get to Reese. He’s the next best thing to Rey Mysterio that WCW has right now and I think he’s gotten better as a result. Horace swats him around like a fly for a few minutes. When Juventud headscissors Horace to the floor, Reese gets in the ring and gives Guerrera the CHOKE BOMB. As soon as Reese clears out, Horace gives him a short-arm clothesline for the win at 4:20, man. ¾*

Randy Savage and Elizabeth (wearing red and black) head to the ring. He calls out the wrong PPV name, but hypes the tag team match with Roddy Piper against Hollywood Hogan and Bret Hart. Savage says that if Piper wants him after the tag match, he’s down with that.

They show a clip of Chavo and Eddie Guerrero talking to Mama Guerrero. When she says stuff in Spanish, Eddie translates saying she’s proud of her son Eddie and wishes her grandson Chavito would get more wins. Chavo rolls his eyes saying he’s lying about what she said.

• WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Dean Malenko (c) vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. (w/Eddie Guerrero)
  

Since this is a cruiserweight title match, Chavito is more than willing to sub for his uncle tonight. Headlocks and shoulderblocks to start. Chavo flips out of a monkey flip and starts putting the boots to Malenko. He catches Malenko with a dropkick and taunts Eddie a little bit. Chavo lands a back suplex on Malenko and Eddie reaches in almost to interrupt the three-count. Malenko comes back with a vertical suplex for two. Over in the corner, he runs into a boot and gets caught in position for the TORNADO DDT. Malenko counters the move and applies the TEXAS CLOVERLEAF for the win. (2:56) After the bell, Eddie slaps Chavo across the face with the towel and finally Chavo has enough of the abuse. Eddie dares Chavo to punch him on the jaw. Chavo kisses him and then slaps him down. Big pop. Chavo leaves Eddie stunned in the middle of the ring and heads back to the dressing room alone. **

• The Giant vs. Lex Luger
  

Giant does what Giant does. Slapping, kicking, and stepping on Lex. He even delivers a Russian legsweep! How about a backbreaker! Luger comes back with a series of clotheslines and the Bionic Forearm to take the Giant down. When Lex calls for the Torture Rack, “Sting” comes down to attack Luger for the DQ. (2:17) It’s the Jeff Farmer version. It takes our esteemed commentators a minute or two to believe it, but they finally convince themselves it’s not the real Sting. Anywho, once Lex cleans house on the nWo Sting, Giant gives Luger a CHOKESLAM and drapes an nWo shirt over him to close out another edition of WCW THUNDERRRRRRR. ½*

The next episode of WCW Monday Nitro will return to three hours next week!

Until then, so long for now.

MAIN EVENT
Hollywood Hogan & Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper & Randy Savage
WCW U.S. Heavyweight Championship: Bill Goldberg (c) vs. Curt Hennig
Roddy Piper vs. Randy Savage