WCW: Thunder
October 1, 1998
Norfolk, VA
The Scope

The current WCW champs are as follows:
WCW World Champion: Bill Goldberg (7/6/1998)
WCW U.S. Champion: Bret Hart (8/13/1998)
WCW World Tag Team Champions: The Giant & Scott Hall (7/20/1998)
WCW World Television Champion: Chris Jericho (8/10/1998)
WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Billy Kidman (9/14/1998)

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

• Diamond Dallas Page vs. Lodi

Wow, okay. We’re just starting off with DDP – the number one contender to the world title – in a meaningless match with Lodi. Apparently, Lodi is mad at DDP because EVERYBODY KNOWS DDP is responsible for bringing Saturn into WCW. I don’t remember this. Anyways, Lodi thinks if he beats DDP, he can wrestle Goldberg at Halloween Havoc. Lodi shows us some “spunk” to start, but DDP fires back and hits a HUGE gutbuster. Tony even says DDP is responsible for bringing Goldberg into the company. He whips Lodi into a corner and bounces off the ropes to catch him with a DIAMOND CUTTER for the win in 1:33.

• Mike Enos vs. Jerry Flynn

They take a minute getting started, but Flynn shows off with his lightning fast kicks. Enos sees a backdrop coming and follows up with a short-arm clothesline. He drops Flynn on the top rope, but Flynn makes Enos chase him only to catch him on the way back inside the ring. Enos comes back catching Flynn with a powerslam. DOWN COME THE STRAPS! Unfortunately, Scott Hall – who has a history of interrupting Mike Enos’s matches – gets in the ring with a drink in his hand. Hall starts to do a survey. Flynn tries to tell him he and Enos are trying to have a match here, but Hall doesn’t care and cleans his clock with the microphone. (4:44) Enos yells at Hall and dares him to a fight. Enos shoves Hall, but then Hall throws the drink in his face. OUTSIDERS EDGE to Enos! Vincent is out to throw Flynn into the OUTSIDER’S EDGE as well. Now back to the survey. One more for the good guys. How many times do you have to visit the same strip club before they give you a t-shirt? Kevin Nash’s name gets brought up. If he wants a fight, it’s on Scott’s terms, which may or may not be at Halloween Havoc. If Nash has a problem with that, he can suck it. Down where? Down there. ½*

Get your WCW Mastercard today – so you can have a *crushing* credit card balance – 4-LIFE!

• Kanyon vs. Riggs

Riggs enters without an entrance or any friends right now. WHO’S BETTA THAN KANYON? He thinks Riggs looks like a bad pirate and reminds Riggs that Raven is the one who made him exciting, but WHAT ABOUT RAVEN? Now Riggs is mad. He catches Kanyon with a nice dropkick for two. Kanyon gets dumped out and throws him shoulder-first into the ringpost. He wraps the arm around the ringpost a few times for good measure. Heenan is carrying the pirate joke further, which is great. Riggs delivers a ten-count corner punch, but Kanyon drops him on the top buckle. The Super Rocker Dropper connects on Riggs. Kanyon finds a swinging neckbreaker for two. Riggs fights out of a chinlock, but then takes a flapjack off the shoulder. He counters the second Super Rocker Dropper with a powerbomb and mounts a comeback with clotheslines. RIGGS IS COMING ALIVE. AMERICAN MALES! AMERICAN MALES! He runs Kanyon into the corner and tries the Crossface Chickenwing, but Kanyon runs him off into the corner and delivers the FLATLINER for the win. (6:17) Not a bad match as possibly the best Scotty Riggs we’ve ever seen. **¼

Raven cuts a promo in the boiler room saying he was told as a kid not to get attached to anything and tells Goldberg he will lose the WCW world title tonight. Feel his pain, Bill.

This Week in WCW Motorsports! EXCITING!

• Wrath vs. Ciclope

Hey, it’s Ciclope. Well, I guess it could be Dean Malenko. Nevertheless, Wrath throws Ciclope around. There’s a big side slam, a back suplex, and a flying elbow. He slides Ciclope under the bottom rope to the floor. Wrath then follows him out and throws him into the guardrail. Back in, Ciclope knocks Wrath back and delivers a springboard dropkick, but Wrath just bounces off the ropes and runs down Ciclope with a clothesline. After a big shoulder tackle, Wrath grabs Ciclope for the MELTDOWN to get the win in 3:23.

Hey, I hear the Chucky laugh again.

WCW Saturday Night! Watch it – IF YOU WILL! 6:05PM eastern time on TBS! Stevie Ray and Diamond Dallas Page will square off! Plus, we’ll hear from the Four Horsemen! It’s the MUTHASHIP! Take it to the PAY WINDAH, baby!

• WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Billy Kidman (c) vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. (w/Pepe)

Mike Tenay takes over for Lee Marshall, so it must be 9PM. So yeah, Disco Inferno has beaten Chavo Guerrero TWICE in one week, but let’s give Chavo the Cruiserweight title shot first. Makes sense. Chavo knocks down Kidman after a shoulderblock and does the cabbage patch to celebrate. He’s essentially the Al Snow of this promotion, but people love Head more than Pepe. Kidman comes back with a pescado. Back in, they do the hiptoss across the ring spot that takes Kidman to the floor. Kidman sells his knee as Chavo takes him out with a springboard dive. Back in, Chavo gets two. He grabs a chinlock, but Kidman fights out and lands a jumping dropkick. Chavo finds a springboard bulldog for another two count. Chavo keeps Kidman grounded and once Kidman gets up, Chavo drops him crotch-first on the top rope. When we come back, Chavo is still in control. He’s working over Kidman with a back suplex and then applies a camel clutch. Kidman gets a random comeback powerslam and drags Chavo to a corner for the Shooting Star Press, but Chavo stops him up top for a superplex for a two-count. Nevertheless, Kidman finds the BK Bomb and lands the SHOOTING STAR PRESS for the win. (9:17) Long-ish match that seemed to rush to the finish. **½

Get your Jericholics Anonymous t-shirt for only $20 bucks.

TBS FRIDAY NIGHT “DINNER AND A MOVIE” ALL YOU CAN EAT / ALL NIGHTER HYPE: “Arachnophobia” (1990) starring Jeff Daniels and John Goodman at 8:05PM, “The Golden Child” (1986) starring Eddie Murphy at 10:25PM, “Encino Man” (1992) starring Sean Astin, Brendan Fraser, Mariette Hartley, Richard Masur, and Pauly Shore at 12:45AM, and “L.A. Story” (1991) starring Steve Martin at 3:05AM.

Out of those five movies, I’d probably watch “Arachnophobia” and “L.A. Story”. That’s about it. “The Golden Child” and “Encino Man” don’t hold up and “Chained Heat 2” is just women with guns.

• Van Hammer vs. Lenny Lane

The hippie Van Hammer needs some Allman brothers rip-off. His music is just too aggressive, man. Lenny Lane thinks he’s the shit. Is he this generation’s Rip Rogers? Hammer seems to have added some moves to his match – like an Oklahoma roll and a cobra clutch slam. Nevertheless, Hammer follows up with a stalling superplex and the FLASHBACK (Alabama Slam) gets the win in 3:38.

We get another Raven promo from the bowels of the arena. He wonders why none of WCW’s top stars take the fight to Goldberg like he and Saturn did. Goldberg may have “barely” beat him the last time they met, but he won’t beat him tonight. Is Raven booking his own segments?

Get your Dean Malenko “Eyes of Ice” t-shirt for only $20 bucks.

• Disco Inferno vs. Damien

Damien gets quite a bit of offense to start, but dances too much mocking Disco and pays for it. The flying elbow drop connects as does the PILEDRIVER for the win in 3:22. Disco continues to put the boots to Damien after the bell. JUVENTUD GUERRERA runs down from outta nowhere and springboard dropkicks Disco for the save. He wipes out Disco with different headscissors moves and takes Disco to the floor for a somersault plancha to send Disco crawling up the aisle. ½*

“MFGWLM” HYPE AFTER THUNDER: “Chained Heat 2” (1993) starring Brigitte Nielsen. Bobby Heenan is a national treasure.

• Konnan vs. Stevie Ray (w/Vincent)

Stevie Ray is still sitting way too close to the main event. Konnan runs through his weekly nonsense and gets fired up running through his moves. Stevie Ray hammers down Konnan and grabs a chinlock. Konnan fights out into a running knee. Back to the chinlock. Konnan comes back and hits the K-FACTOR. He nails Vincent, but then takes the slap jack to the head for the DQ in 4:20. KEVIN NASH runs down and boots Stevie Ray out and then gives Vincent the JACKKNIFE POWERBOMB. Scott Hall staggers out the tunnel, but he’ll only face Kevin Nash when he chooses to. ½*

TBS SATURDAY NIGHT “MOVIE LOUNGE” HYPE: “Deliverance” (1972) starring Jon Voight and Burt Reynolds. Special guests will be Lisa Ann Walter  (“The Parent Trap” (1998)) and Matthew Laurance (“Beverly Hills, 90210”).

We get a special video look at the Hollywood Hogan versus the Warrior rematch for Halloween Havoc! THE WAR RAGES ON!

• WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Bill Goldberg (c) (147-0) vs. Raven (w/Kanyon)

They pulled out the Michael Buffer for this match. Diamond Dallas Page shows up for extra special commentary. Raven and Kanyon come carrying a table to ringside. As you can imagine, Raven bumps around for Goldberg. He takes a press into a powerslam, but then ducks a corner charge causing Goldberg to run his knee into the top buckle and fall out to the floor. He runs Goldberg back first into the post a few times and bounces him off the steps. Kanyon sets up Goldberg on the table as Raven goes to splash him, but Goldberg moves and Raven crashes through the table. Back in, Goldberg kicks Raven’s head off. He sets up for the Spear and hits both Raven and the referee. Whoops. Kanyon stops the Jackhammer with a chair. DDP runs down to put a stop to these shenanigans, but Kanyon stomps him. Meanwhile, Raven hits the EVENFLOW DDT on Goldberg. DDP finds the DIAMOND CUTTER on Kanyon. Raven knocks DDP to the apron and tries another Evenflow DDT on Goldberg, but Goldberg counters to a swinging neckbreaker. JACKHAMMER! The ref wakes up and counts the pinfall. (4:16) Goldberg and DDP point fingers at each other to close out the show. *½

24 DAYS UNTIL HALLOWEEN HAVOC!

That’s going to do it for now though. Until next time, so long for now.