WCW Thunder - Thursday, 03/26/98
WCW Thunder - Thursday, 03/26/98
With A Foreword And Arena Report By Bill
- Howdy all, following my weekly commentary, you'll find James Thornsberry's report. Following that will be my arena report, live from the George Mason University Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. No pictures tonight as I was at the show, and I'm too tired to watch the tape now (1:00 a.m.) and I wanted to have the report on line when you got up this morning.
- Trivia Question: Frenchy Martin, manager of Dino Bravo in the late 1980s, is the brother of which WCW wrestler? (Answer at bottom of my comments)
- The mailbag:
- From Dennis K.:
You might get a kick out of this, I was in Dallas a couple of weekends ago, and I was sitting around in my hotel room waiting for my fiance to finish getting ready for the evening. I started flipping through the television, and what should I see? None other than Hulk Hogan wearing a pink tutu getting the stuffing kicked out of him. Every time he tried to fight back, his opponent "no sold" the blows. He was left lying unconcious as the "bad guys" (only in a movie) kidnapped the kids he was watching. I couldn't help but think how appropriate that was. The name of the movie was something like The Nanny.
- From Dean Ayass:
Just reading the Worldwide report - I'm *that* bored, Bill :0) - and
I've gotta tell you my favourite Duggan memory.
'Twas the summer of 1996, a fortnight or so after Hogan had turned heel, on a Nitro outdoors at Disney, I think. Whoever Duggan's opponent was
came out (it was someone horrible like The Barbarian, or Wallstreet) and then out came Duggan, to which Larry Zbyszko whined, "Oh no, not Duggan!". Me and my friend watching Nitro with me just cracked up laughing for the entire match. Then, just as our laughter was subsiding, Duggan is interviewed by Mean Gene at ringside and asked his opinion of the Hogan turn.
Duggan replied with something that we still can't work out to this day. All we know is that it sounded like, "Hogan, I've known you for a long
time.....you smoked my children!"
And you thought the scandal of Duggan and The Iron Sheik in that van was bad enough.....:0)
- From Jody Y. on an observation he's had:
Call me someone with a lot of time on their hands, but I've noticed something recently. I think I figured out why Steve Regal got so fat before he left. You see, REGAL backwords is LAGER!
- From Al H.:
I read the arena reports about Nitro recently and noticed on one the guy said something about a fight. If I'm correct, this was the area we were sitting in (I was with James, the guy who wrote the other report). The cops escorted one guy to the entrance of the ramp we were near and cuffed him. According to my friend Lee who had gone to the concession stand, the guy began chanting "Attica".
- Please welcome Jesse Green to the DDT Digest staff. Jesse will be doing the {Pro} reports on a weekly basis. So, after a hiatus of about two months of neglecting {Pro}, DDT Digest is once again covering all WCW TV shows. While you are at it, check out Jesse's own wrestling page.
- Arn Anderson did a Prodigy chat on Wednesday night. A transcript of the chat can be found on his official website. I understand a lot of people have been having trouble accessing Arn's official website. My understanding is that the problem should be fixed in the next 24 hours.
- Hey, anybody remember Dangerous Dallas Garvin? He was my first interview subject way back in April of last year. Well, he's now working in the business and we've hooked up again. I'm going to be doing a follow-up interview with him soon and I will have some new photos. I know over the last year, a number of people have asked for his e-mail address and this time around he will have an e-mail address for me to post. So, look for that new interview sometime in the next week or so.
- A lot of fans out there bemoaned the demise of the USWA. Well, Randy Hales, the man behind the USWA, is reopening the Memphis territory with a new promotion. I've seen reports of a number of name wrestlers getting involved, so it should be interesting.
- Speaking of wrestling tradition, Mike B. of Off The Top Rope dropped me a line the other day. He's now doing the play-by-play duties for Florida Championship Wrestling. They recently got their web site on line, so I encourage you to check it out. With Curt Hennig and Rick Rude getting so much microphone time, a big deal is being made out of the wrestling heritage of Minnesota. However, Florida's wrestling tradition is even better, imho, with guys like Dusty Rhodes, Kevin Sullivan, Lex Luger, and many others making their names there.
- I was talking to my old roommate the other day, and he reminded me of The Million Dollar Man's appearance on Lifestyles Of The Rich And Famous. He said it was really cool but, unfortunately, I've never seen it and he doesn't have a tape of it. On the off chance that any of my readers still have a videotape of the segment, please let me know. I know it's a longshot, it being some ten years ago, but I thought I'd give it a try. I'll send it back to you within a week or two and refund your postage.
- You know, I never realized how many backyard feds there are around the nation. If you've never heard of them, backyard feds are a bunch of guys getting together and holding unsanctioned wrestling matches. The definition of a "backyard fed" is very loose. Sometimes, it's a bunch of thirteen-year-olds in the living room videotaping themselves wrestling on the couch with no one watching, other times it's a bunch of guys actually renting a ring and putting on a card in a high school gym for something like $4 a seat. The actually have a webring for backyard feds. Anyway, I just find the whole thing interesting.
- I was looking at a WWF Superstars magazine from 1991 and one of the people they profile was Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart. What do you think his Favorite Quote was even back in 1991? That's right, you guessed it, "Ha, ha, ha, yeah baby!"
- You may have noticed I got through a bunch of reports people had been sending me that I hadn't posted. Sorry about that, I will try to be more prompt, but I can't promise anything. One way to get things posted faster is to send them in HTML, already in the general format I use for reporting house show results.
- I'll be back next Thursday with my first full report in three weeks. This should be the last week I need to take off for a while.
- Trivia Answer: Rick Martel.
- And now on to James Thornsberry's report.
- Hello everyone who is anyone. My name is James Thornsberry and I am doing this week's Thunder report. I would like to thank Bill for giving me this opportunity. I guess I should tell you all a little bit about myself and my wrestling background.
- I am a 19 year old college student at Morehead State University in eastern, Kentucky. I began watching wrestling circa 1986. my earliest memory is the steel cage match at Wrestlemania II between Hulk Hogan and King Kong Bundy. I have to admit, I hated the NWA/WCW up until around 1988, when I watched one of the all-time greatest matches in the history of the sport, Ric Flair going the distance against Sting at the first Clash of the Champions. I have been hooked ever since. I even have my own backyard promotion in my hometown, the Wayland Wrestling Federation. Some of my favorite wrestlers include Raven, Ric Flair, Bill Goldberg, La Parka, Bret Hart, Chris Benoit, and Saturn. well, enough about me, lets get on to the show....
- Trivia question: Who beat Randy Savage in his Smokey Mountain Wrestling debut?
- Ladies and gentlemen tonight Thunder is in Fairfax, Virginia
- Chavo Guerrero Jr. w/ Eddie vs. Chris Benoit
- Eddie will challenge Booker T.
- Bischoff and Rick Rude run the announcers off during this match so he can whine a little more
- Sign: "Goldberg is Thunder"
- Chavo jobs again to the crossface.
- Uh oh...Voodoo Child. It must be Mr. Clean
- Sign: "Hogan is such a Fat Ass" - nice
- Hogan is now apparently calling his fans "disciples"
- yadda yadda yadda
- Kevin Nash makes his way to the ring to confront Hogan
- Nash says "Everyone knows who's pulling the strings around here"
- Calls Hogan "The self-proclaimed leader of the nWo" and that The Wolfpac is 'The heart and soul of the nWo"
- Nash is asking why Syxx doesn't have a job anymore. Is he shooting? Nah.
- Nash asks why Scott Hall hasn't been on TV. (probably because he's enjoying a luxurious vacation at Charter. and remember, if you don't get help at Charter, please get help somewhere -al)
- Hogan says Syxx "can't cut the mustard".
- Hogan offers Nash his hand in marriage tonight, and Nash accepts.
- Where is this angle going? Didn't WCW do this once before with Hogan and Nash?
- La Parka vs. Prince Iaukea
- Damn, we missed La Parka's cool ring entrance. We had to sit through Hogan's interview, why couldn't we be given a treat? (and where was La Parka at on Monday?? I was disappointed that he wasn't in Louisville -al)
- My friend Nicole said that she wonders what La Parka looks like under the mask. She also mentioned that she thinks Juventud Guerrera is good looking. Whatever! Personally, I think he looks like Angus Young.
- Iaukea wins the match with a northern lights suplex. Man, why do they continue to push this guy? I mean, no one cares about the guy, he has a terrible gimmick, and he's not that talented. Gosh, WCW wants another Rick Steamboat badly, huh?
- No chairshot after the match. Sorry Bill :).
- Lex Luger interview. Oh Joy!
- Luger says that he and Sting will accept the challenge of Nash and Hogan tonight. Does anyone think this match will end in a clean finish? Show of hands. Anyone?
- Disco Inferno says that Police Academy will be on next. I bet everyone would rather watch THAT than Disco Inferno dance (Police? Wasn't Sting and Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker in that? -al)
- Disco Inferno vs. Chris Jericho
- As Jericho comes to the ring, my friend STILL comments on the time when he had one pigtail.
- "Jericho sucks" chants from the crowd. How would they know?
- This for the cruiserweight title? How much does he weigh?
- All the girls here in the room are freaking out over a picture of Buff Bagwell and I can barely concentrate on this match.
- Jericho surprised me when he turned heel. Not the fact that he turned, but that he makes such a great heel.
- Disco hits for his swinging neckbreaker, and gets a two count.
- Jericho gives Inferno a backbreaker then locks on the liontamer for the win.
- Jericho takes Disco's headband to add to his trophy collection.
- Goldberg vs. Jerry Flynn
- Oh my god. Goldberg had better watch out, if my memory serves me right Flynn gave him a pretty decent match the last time they wrestled. I think it went over a minute.
- Flynn takes Goldberg down by the leg and is in control of the match. He must be in store for a huge push.
- The announcers mention that both men are masters of submission wrestling. I have never seen Goldberg use a submission hold before.
- Well, there's a first time for everything. He puts Flynn in an armbar.
- Flynn connects with a spinning heal kick in the corner that only wakes the sleeping giant.
- Goldberg comes off the toprope with a hurrancanrana and grapevines the legs for the win!!!!! Oh, I'm bad with dates, I thought this was April 1st.
- Spear. jackhammer. Job for Flynn.
- Win # 62 for Goldberg. Only 7 more :).
- Hey, if Dustin Hoffman can joke about it at the Oscars...
- Kidman vs. "The Crippler" Psychosis
- Ha! Kidman is picking lice off of Reese's hair and eating it.
- This should be a pretty good match.
- Kidman gets on the mic and says "You hurt Lodi so now I'm going to hurt you". Supposedly, Lodi got his ankle broken wrestling Psychosis on Nitro.
- Great shooting star press by Kidman to Psychosis on the outside of the ring. He now calls it the "seven year itch". That's a new one for ya "Iron" Mike
- Legdrop by Psychosis on Kidman who was lying on the middle rope. I thought it was over then, but Kidman escaped at 2.
- By the way...where is Mortis? He wrestled Raven a couple of months ago and no one has seen or heard of him since.
- Kidman regains control with a superplex.
- Kidman is holding Psychosis' arms and Sick Boy ascends the top rope. Fill in the blank.
- Psychosis hits the top rope leg drop of doom for the 3 count.
- It looks like this is an angle in the making.
- Diamond Dallas Page is interviewed. Bitches about Raven stealing the belt and says he doesn't need any help to get it back.
- Queue the 8 track player...here comes the Bulldog.
- Davey Boy Smith & Jim "Aristotle" Neidhart vs. Curt Hennig & Bryan Adams w/ Rick Rude
- Jim Neidhart is showing his mastery of the english language once again on the way to the ring.
- Comment from Nicole on Bulldog: He's sexier than socks on a rooster. Well, remember she IS from Kentucky.
- Heenan: Perfect, absolutely perfect.
Schiavone: Perfect teamwork.
- Is it just me, or does the Bulldog look like Rob Estes from Melrose Place?
- More blown spots in this match than 911 vs. Mike Sexton
- I guess it ended in a double countout. Boy is WCW ever misusing these guys.
- Saturn vs. Diamond Dallas Page
- A lot of nearfalls at the start of the match.
- Suplexes galore by Saturn. I wonder if he is related to Rick Steiner.
- Nicole is freaking out because she is afraid that page is gonna get pinned in a reverse chinlock.
- Page is coming back and Raven appears at the entrance. In the meantime, Saturn is climbing up top. When Page turns around, Saturn jumps off but gets greeted with a diamond cutter.
- Page runs out of the ring to chase Raven. As a result, Saturn becomes the first guy to WIN a match (by countout) after receiving a diamond cutter.
- Page, you moron. Three seconds wouldn't have slowed you down that much.
- If I were the referee, I would cover Saturn myself.
- On a slightly related note, in the Duke vs. Kentucky basketball game on Sunday the 22nd, UK center Jamaal Magloire had Steve Wojh... Steve Wojo locked in the Rings of Saturn. If I'm not mistaken, Wojo got up, holding his back and somewhat smiling, ALA Raven. Well, Magloire may have a promising wrestling career ahead of him. He already has one move on Rodman.
- On another slightly related note, UK forward Scott Padgett and guard Cameron Mills were present in Louisville for Nitro on the 23rd. Hmmm... Coincidence? We think not!
- Eddie vs. Booker T.
- Booker T. grabs the mic and asks Chavo to take up for himself.
- In the meantime, Eddie has pulled out a pair of brass knuckles and is sneaking up on Booker. (looks like a used role of masking tape to me -al)
- When Booker turns around, Eddie nails him with the knucks. And to my TOTAL surprise, Booker kicks out.
- In an ending that I've never seen before, Eddie throws the knucks outside of the ring, and Chavo THROWS THEM BACK IN right in front of referee Mark Curtis. Curtis DQs Eddie.
- Eddie puts the knuckle dusters back on Chavo's hand and tells him to hit Booker. Once again to my suprise, he does. They start a mudhole stomp on Booker T. which is broken up by Chris Benoit.
- Scott Norton w/ Buff Bagwell Vs Rick Steiner
- Buff is WAY OVER in 309 East Mignon
- Why Norton is such a name in Japan, I'll never know.
- Typical Steiner match.
- In another weird ending, Scott Steiner runs to ringside and throws Norton Rick's dog collar in. Norton would have missed Rick even if he hadn't ducked. Rick then gets the collar and stops before he hits Norton. Norton lifts him up for a belly to back suplex, then Rick FINALLY uses the collar to get the pin.
- Shew, I hope the main event is good, this show is sinking faster than Titanic
- "Hollywood" Hogan & Kevin Nash vs. Sting & Lex Luger
- Poor Sting, the only non-stiff in the match.
- We had to wait a year and a half to see Sting Vs Hogan, now we only had to wait 2 hours to see Sting vs. Hogan 1,004.
- Well it's 9:57 I don't think we're gonna see a marathon match.
- Hogan and Sting begin the match. Sting gets the advantage and tags in Flexy Lexy.
- The nWo gets the advantage and starts to skank Lex.
- Lex eventually musters enough intestinal fortitude to tag in the Stinger. Sting is taking it to Nash.
- Stinger splash to Nash which brings out Randy Savage.
- Savage and Sting are duking it out while Nash and Hogan tease a fight.
- The rest of the nWo hit the ring and we have a very creative ending to Thunder. WCW clears the ring! Never seen that before.
- Answer: Bruiser Bedlam
And here's Bill's report, live from the arena:
- I got to meet Wade, my WCWSN reporter, for the first time before the show. Sort of ironic, considering that Cubs Fan has been reporting for DDT Digest for some eight months now, and I don't think we've ever even talked on the phone.
- Dark match: Lizmark Jr. pinned El Dandy following a backspring splash.
- Some shirtless, well-built guy dressed like Sick Boy was walking around with a sign saying he wants a tryout to be in the Flock. Guess he wasn't part of the show since later I saw him walking back to his car in the crowded parking lot with everyone else.
- I didn't know that the announcers were run off during the Benoit/Chavo match until I read James' report.
- We were about forty rows back, and we could plainly see how red Chavo's chest was after the chops from Benoit.
- When La Parka came out, I put on my La Parka mask and held up my "La Parka Is My Dad" sign, and some guy threw french fries at me.
- La Parka planned well. Since his entrance wasn't on TV (I guess), he did his dance at the beginning of the match.
- La Parka's match was so short, I thought it might have been during a commercial.
- I don't know what they announced on TV, but after Luger accepted the challenge, in the arena they said that they were "working out a contract in the back and hoping to get it signed". The people I was with were all worried that it might not happen. I just rolled my eyes.
- When DDP did his interview, I am assuming they blocked out the name of Jake "The Snake" Roberts on TV. The reason I am assuming that is that the microphone also went dead in the arena for that split second as he was saying Jake's name. Coincidence? I think not.
- The Bulldog/Neidhart vs. Hennig/Adams match was even worse in person than it was on TV. No heat, the action was terrible, and the ending was non-sensical. They didn't even announce the decision in the arena. Huge boos after that. First time I've ever heard a crowd chant "Boring" after the match was over.
- The pyrotechnics when DDP came out were absolutely blinding.
- The Booker T match was a complete joke. Lots of boos after that.
- The ending to the Rick Steiner match was totally blown. Everything was pretty much in full view of Nick Patrick. It reminded me of Goldberg's run-in on Mongo at Halloween Havoc, where Charles Robinson looked directly at what was going on something like three times and pretended like he didn't see it.
- A fair amount of garbage was in the ring after the main event, including a roll of toilet paper.
- All in all, a great show. The Booker T. "match" was a rip-off, but you need to expect that type of "made for TV to advance an angle" match when you go to a Nitro or Thunder. The only match was was truly bad was the Bulldog/Neidhart match. All the big stars were there so even a casual fan would go home happy. All anyone in my group wanted to see was Hogan and Macho Man.
- It's interesting the enormous number of WCW employees out there with cameras, clipboards, etc. that you never see on TV. I'm sure there are plenty of people in the back and controlling lights and sounds as well, but it's like an ant farm down there even while the matches are going on. All those people just stay out of the way of the camera.
- After the show, we went out to a local establishment and saw Booker T and Jerry Flynn there. I bought them both a round and shook their hands. They were extremely nice. And, believe it or not, Hollywood Hogan, Randy Savage, and Ed Leslie come in about a half hour later. No bodyguards or anything like that, just the limo driver with them. The entire place broke into spontaneous applause when they walked in. It was pretty funny. Say what you want about the price of fame with autograph seekers, stalkers, etc., but it's got to be all worth it when you can just walk into a restaurant in a podunk town like Fairfax, VA, and have everyone in the place start applauding just because you walked in the door. In spite of all the criticizing of Leslie that I do, he is in phenomenal shape. Surprisingly, they weren't mobbed during the night although they were bugged by individual fans fairly frequently. Otherwise, I didn't really see too much of what they were doing. Even Hollywood Hogan doesn't deserve to be harrassed by a big mark like me. Reese came in later. Huge, just huge.
- Good night...