WCW Thursday Thunder - 06/04/98
WCW Thursday Thunder - 06/04/98
Junk Yard Dog
1953-1998
Wrestle In Peace
- For those of you who haven't already heard, Junk Yard Dog was killed in a single car accident on Tuesday. Even though he's had a 20-year career in pro wrestling, he was still a young man at the age of 45. Check out Arn Anderson's homepage for a short but sweet tribute.
- Trivia Question: The Junkyard Dog defeated WWF Intercontintental Champion Greg "The Hammer" Valentine at Wrestlemania I. How come JYD didn't come away with the title? (Answer at bottom of the report)
- I read on another page that "Benoit 3 - Booker T 1" was posted on the big screen at the MCI Center Monday before the match. Whoops! Slight screw up. Actually it's reminiscent of the WWF Magazine referring to Randy Savage as the World Champion before Wrestlemania IV.
- Dark Match: "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan pinned "Mean" Mike Enos following Old Glory.
- Hacksaw was way over with the crowd.
- The show opens with a replay of Sting's nWo Wolfpack turn.
- We are live from Peoria, Illinois.
- Lee Marshall thinks Sting joined the Wolfpack because of Luger. Heenan thinks it was because of Nash.
- "Crippler" Chris Benoit vs. Booker T in match five the best-of-seven series to determine who faces Fit Finley for the TV Belt at the Great American Bash. Benoit currently leads 3-1.
- Booker T. with the early advantage with a big suplex, early Harlem sidekick, big slam, axe kick, and big back elbow before Benoit even gets a move in.
- Booker T stomping a mudhole in the corner.
- Benoit comes back with a triple rolling German Suplex.
- Snap suplex and back elbow by Benoit. Cover and two-count only.
- Belly-to-back by Benoit.
- Clothesline by Benoit.
- Benoit hits the flying headbutt.
- Two-count only as Stevie Ray comes to ringside for encouragement.
- Benoit goes for the Crippler Crossface, but Booker T blocks it.
- Spin kick by Booker T and a sidewalk slam.
- Pancake by Booker T, breakdance, but Benoit nails him with a clothesline.
- Benoit pitches Booker T out of the ring and goes over to talk smack to Stevie Ray.
- While Benoit is distracted, Booker T hits the missile dropkick.
- 1-2-3 and it's over. Benoit leads the series 3-2.
- The Giant comes to the ring.
- Heenan says it's time for Dillon to take his feet off the desk and make a decision about the tag team titles.
- "Ay, yo!"
- Giant says that Sting doesn't look good in red and black.
- Giant can live with that, but he can't live with Sting slamming him on live TV.
- Giant says he's got a new partner as tag team champion...Brian Adams.
- Adams comes to the ring to get his belt.
- Adams says that Giant could have chosen anyone as his partner, so it's a great honor to be chosen.
- Giant says he's done with Sting, and he challenges Luger to find a partner to face them for the belts tonight.
- Man, between the held up world title, the unacknowledged TV Title changes, and now this, there's going to be a lot of asterisks in the title history books.
- Reese vs. Van Hammer
- Lodi's sign: "Get a piece of Reese"
- Yes, it's Van Hammer again. Ugh. Well, at least he doesn't have his guitar.
- Horace has a stop sign outside the ring.
- Irish whip by Reese but he never lets go of the arm. Ouch.
- Reese in control. Big suplex by Reese.
- Van Hammer comes back with a jawbreaker, but the advantage doesn't last long.
- Horace nails Van Hammer with the stop sign behind the ref's back.
- Reese does the double choke and slam and gets the 1-2-3.
- The Flock starts stomping a mudhole in Van Hammer, and Juventud Guerrera jumps in to make the save.
- Juvie pitches most of the flock and then Van Hammer pulls Juvie out of the ring to save him from a squashing by Reese.
- I just realized that they didn't make a single mention of JYD tonight. That's pretty lame, especially since he spent some time in WCW during the 1990s.
- "Das Wunderkid" Alex Wright vs. Eddie Guerrero
- After Alex's entrance, Eddie powerwalks to the ring. Eddie grabs the microphone saying people are wondering what's wrong with Chavo. Eddie thinks it's constipation. Eddie got Chavo an appointment with Penzer's dad, the shrink, and got him a night off.
- Alex goes on the attack.
- Chavo comes to the ring, way overdoing the psychotic bit.
- Chavo comes flying into the ring and Alex pitches him immediately. The ref immediately calls for the bell, disqualifying Eddie.
- Chavo, still way overdoing the psychotic bit, stalks Eddie all the way back to the locker room.
- That wasn't even really a match. Lame. Oh, well, at least Alex does dance for us a little bit afterwards.
- Without even breaking for a commercial, Tony Schiavone calls Luger to the ring.
- Luger says Monday was a big night for the Wolfpack.
- Luger is now head of recruiting for the Red & Black Attack.
- Luger accepts Giant's challenge for tonight.
- As head of recruiting, Luger invites "Diamond" Dallas Page to be his partner.
- Luger says two things will happen. They'll win the titles and Page will get a red and black shirt.
- Mentos...The Freshmaker!
- WCW World Television Champion Fit Finley defends his title against Psychosis.
- The match starts with Psychosis trying to slide between Finley's legs and nailing Finley's knee hard instead. Ouch.
- Finley then starts taking Psychosis apart.
- Crowd starts chanting "Boring". Personally, I'm enjoying watching Finley methodically work over Psychosis.
- Psychosis comes back with a frankensteiner off the top.
- The comeback is short-lived. Finley comes back and hits the tombstone.
- 1-2-3. Finley is still your champion.
- Still no response from DDP to Luger's invitation.
- Replay of Luger inviting Sting into the Wolfpack on Monday. Then a replay of Sting's appearance at the end.
- Glacier vs. Saturn
- Man, you can just feel the excitement shrivel to nothing in the crowd when Glacier's music starts playing.
- Saturn sneaks in behind Glacier and hits a German Suplex and almost wins the match immediately.
- Saturn starts working over Glacier.
- Glacier comes back with foot to the face as Saturn charges in.
- The comeback is short-lived.
- Lodi gets involved and Lodi and the ref take a bump. Mark Curtis is out.
- Saturn hits his standing sidekick.
- Saturn calls for another referee. What looks like Nick Patrick comes in and, surprise, it's Kanyon.
- Kanyon nails Saturn and leaves his mask on Saturn. That leaves Saturn as easy prey for Glacier's Cryonic Kick and Glacier gets the pin.
- Kanyon leaves, wearing an "Anytime, anywhere, anyplace" t-shirt.
- Curt Hennig comes out on crutches.
- Hennig says he can't wrestle for two more weeks, so he can't wrestle Goldberg at the Bash.
- I think Hennig has jobberitis of the knee.
- Hennig calls out Konnan.
- Konnan sounds a little doubtful that Hennig is hurt, but agrees to take Hennig's spot on the pay-per-view.
- Konnan says that when he wins the title, he'll give Hennig the first shot at the title.
- WCW World Cruiserweight Champion Dean Malenko vs. Silver King.
- Sign: "JYD R.I.P" in a heart.
- Sign: "Goldberg for County Clerk"
- Malenko takes Silver King apart for a few minutes, and Jericho comes to ringside.
- Jericho rings the bell while the match is going on.
- Jericho has an NWA rule book from 1934 that he found in the Library of Congress.
- The book says that the champion has the first right of refusal of a challenger. Since Jericho never agreed to wrestle Malenko, Malenko should give the belt back.
- Jericho says Malenko is dishonoring his dead father by continuing to hold onto the belt. Bad idea.
- Malenko responds by clocking Jericho on the melon with the belt and leaving with it.
- Raven vs. Disco Inferno.
- Raven goes right to work on Disco Inferno.
- Disco Inferno stops the momentum with a big elbow and starts to choke Raven. That just makes Raven smile.
- Swinging neckbreaker by Disco. Two-count only.
- Raven throws Disco into the steps outside the ring and then throws Disco into the chair in the corner.
- Disco reverses an attempted single-leg trip into the chair and slams Raven head firs into the chair.
- Disco isn't so lucky the second time.
- Evenflow DDT, and, 1-2-3, it's over. Your winner: Raven.
- Raven goes nuts, screaming for Mortis/Kanyon to face him one-on-one.
- Schiavone: "It's a dead heat for 'crybaby of the night'".
- Finally, Schiavone mentions the untimely death of JYD.
- WCW U.S. Heavyweight Champion Goldberg defends his belt against Hugh Morrus (I guess) w/Barbarian and Jimmy Hart.
- Second Trivia Question: Contrary to a somewhat popular belief, Hugh Morrus (on Nitro) was not the first person that Goldberg beat. Goldberg's first match was a month or two before that at a WCW Saturday Night TV Taping. Who was it against?
- The match starts with Morrus and Barbarian double-teaming Goldberg.
- It doesn't last long before Goldberg levels both of them.
- Jimmy Hart tries to get involved. Goldberg tosses him into Barbarian and Morrus and spears all three of them at once.
- Jackhammer for Barbarian, jackhammer for Morrus (after about ten seconds of set up), and Goldberg pins Morrus.
- 95-0
- WCW World Tag Team Champions (?), The Giant and Brian Adams vs. "The Total Package" Lex Luger and...?
- Giant and Adams come out first.
- Luger then comes out alone.
- As Luger stands in the aisle waiting, DDP's music starts playing.
- Page comes out and gives the Diamond Cutter sign and high-fives Luger but stays focused on the ring.
- No more rib tape for DDP.
- Luger and Adams to start.
- Luger and Adams look like Neidhart and Duggan wrestling each other.
- Page is tagged in and Page keeps the advantage with a big belly-to-belly.
- Luger is tagged in. Hip toss by Luger.
- Adams piledrives Luger.
- Giant is tagged in and he starts stomping Luger.
- Russian leg sweep by the Giant.
- Giant tags Adams back in.
- Adams and Giant work Luger over in the corner.
- Giant gets tagged back in.
- Giant's just manhandling Luger.
- Big slam by the Giant.
- Adams is tagged by in. Kneedrop by Adams, then a bearhug.
- Luger powers out but Adams hits a backbreaker.
- Giant misses the big elbow and he tags Adams in and Page comes in with the hot tag.
- Chaos ensues and garbage, including a roll of toilet paper, starts flying into the ring.
- Sting, with red face paint, comes out and distracts the Giant. Page hits the diamond cutter on Adams. 1-2-3, and it's over. New tag team champions...or so we think.
- To ruin the party, J.J. Dillon calls in from Atlanta and says Giant didn't have the authority to put the titles up.
- So, as per Executive Committee decision, Sting and Giant will face each other one-on-one at the Great American Bash, and the winner will pick a partner and they will be declared the new tag team champions. Yep, another asterisk in the record books.
- Er, that's it. We never find out if Page got a t-shirt in the back.
- I've got a work function next Thursday night. Look for Big Mike's report next Thursday. And for you Xavier Doom fans, he'll be covering the Great American Bash.
- Trivia Answer: JYD won the match by countout when Greg Valentine refused to return to the ring. Greg Valentine had pinned JYD earlier in the match with the use of the ropes. Tito Santana (who Valentine had won the title from and who Valentine would lose it back to) came out and explained the situation to the referee. The referee restarted the match by Valentine refused to return to the ring.
- Second Trivia Answer: "The Real Nature Boy" Buddy Landel
