WCW Thunder, Thursday, September 9^th, 1999

If you haven't heard already, Brian Hildebrand, aka referee Mark "Shooter" Curtis, passed away last night after a long bout with stomach cancer. As usual, in cases like this, I'm not going to pretend I knew the man, nor am I going to wrote poetry, nor am I going to talk about what an asset he was to "our business", nor am I going to speak for everyone "in the business" and say how no one had an unkind word to say.

What I will relate is my personal recollections, and there are two. First, he was a referee I really enjoyed watching. I got a kick out of his shtick of mimicking the moves. And, as you can see in the picture above, sometimes it seemed that he was the biggest mark in the arena.

Second, I actually did get to meet him once for a few minutes at an independent show in February of 1998. It should be noted that I've only met a few famous people in my life, and most of them have been wrestlers. From my few fleeting experiences with famous people, one thing I've gathered is that they tend to maintain a certain distance, both physical and mental, when you're meeting them as a fan. That's not a criticism, but more a fact of life. I would guess that when you live a life full of people you don't know coming up to you in restaurants and shopping malls wanting things from you, you have no choice but to learn to keep your distance. However, in Mark Curtis' case, I found the opposite to be true. Here I was, just another mark, coming up to him to say I really enjoyed his work. Rather look through me and give me a condescending "Thank you...you're very kind" as he brushed pass me, he stopped, shook my hand, looked me in the eye, and chatted with me a bit. To me as a fan, and as a person, that meant a lot. So, rather than say "from what everyone says, the wrestling business lost an asset", I'm going to say that, from my personal experience of all of three minutes, the world lost an asset.

• We are taped from Saginaw, MI tonight. In fact, this report is being done from a tape of the taped Thunder.

• We start off with a silent graphic "In Memory of Mark Curtis 1962-1999".

• Barbarian (w/Jimmy Hart) vs. Buff Bagwell
  • Mike Tenay starts off by saluting Mark Curtis.
  • Question: Will Barbarian...how you say...eat my lunch?
  • Zbyszko and Tenay pimp the upcoming match between Buff Bagwell and Berlyn.
  • Buff preens for the fans. As Aldo would say, "Stallmaster 5000".
  • Buff ducks a lockup and poses...aka "stalling".
  • Buff ducks and poses...again. And he's winded already.
  • Kick by Barbarian. Punches. Choke. Two backhand chops. Elbow.
  • Whip, Buff ducks a clothesline, comes back with one of his own, and hits a dropkick.
  • Barbarian rolls out, and Bagwell goes to work as Barbarian comes back in.
  • Jimmy Hart distracts Bagwell, and Barbarian gets the advantage.
  • Mickey J is your referee, by the way.
  • Barbarian and Jimmy Hart take turns working on Bagwell.
  • Barbarian with a big side slam. Two-count only.
  • Buff comes back with a big boot, cross-body block and spinning neckbreaker. Two-count only
  • Jimmy Hart tosses an international object to Barbarian, but Bagwell grabs it first. He brains Barbarian with it and gets the three-count.
  • Your winner: Buff Bagwell via pinfall.

• Clips of Berlyn.

• We relive the history of Luger's and Sting's friendship. Pretty cool segment, as it has some really old clips of their first matches against Flair and their Crockett Cup victory.

• Van Hammer (w/o gimmick) vs. Blitzkrieg
  • Tenay and Zbyszko talk about Bret Hart.
  • Blitzkrieg comes out to the Greg Valentine / Marty Jannetty music.
  • Van Hammer starts out by overpowering Blitzkrieg, and then talking to the wrong camera. Hey, Einstein, I've never been on TV and even I know it's the one with the lit up red light on top.
  • Blitzkrieg stages a short comeback, but Hammer puts him in a whirlybird.
  • Clothesline in the corner by Hammer.
  • Charles Robinson is your referee, by the way.
  • Biel off the top turnbuckle by Hammer. Big legdrop on the gut by Hammer. Two-count only.
  • Hammer puts Blitzkrieg into a gorilla-press, but Blitzkrieg reverses it into a sunset flip for two.
  • Blitzkrieg mounts another short comeback ended by a belly-to-back by Hammer.
  • Scoop and a slam by Hammer, followed by elbowdrop. Hammer drops Blitzkrieg across the top rope and then suplexes him back in.
  • Slam by Hammer, but Hammer misses a somersault off the second turnbuckle.
  • Blitzkrieg hits a standing moonsault, but misses the second.
  • Biel by Hammer, but he misses the second.
  • Blitzkrieg hits a kick to the face, but Hammer pitches him outside.
  • Hammer works on Blitzkrieg outside, but Blitzkrieg hits Hammer with a moonsault off the apron.
  • Back in the ring, big slam by Hammer, followed by a cobra clutch slam and the pin.
  • Your winner: Van Hammer via pinfall.

• Page/Goldberg Fall Brawl promo.

• They should put Sting in that "Do the Mime" commercial.

• Vignette about Hummer mystery. It's in the running for longest unresolved angle along with the sneak attacks on the nWo in the parking lot.

• U.S. Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit, Saturn and Shane Douglas (representing the Revolution) vs. Steve Regal, Dave Taylor and Chris Adams (representing the Tories)
  • Nothing against Chris Adams, but Bobby Eaton should be with those guys in a reformation of the Blue Bloods.
  • Billy Silverman is your referee.
  • This will be tough to call. I'm just going to catch the highlights.
  • "USA" chant by crowd.
  • Benoit vs. Regal to start.
  • Nice series of stiff exchanges. Taylor is tagged in and he completely manhandles Benoit.
  • Chris Adams is tagged in and Benoit tags Saturn.
  • Saturn manhandles Adams, including legitimately dropping him on his head.
  • Douglas is tagged in and he works on Adams.
  • Douglas winds up in the heels' corner and gets worked over including five whacks from the flagpole.
  • Frequent tags by the heels as they continue to take apart Ricky Morton Shane Douglas.
  • Either this is a really hot crowd, or there's canned heat for this match.
  • Saturn makes a save.
  • Eventually, Douglas makes the corner and tags in Benoit.
  • Pandemonium in the ring.
  • Eventually, four men on the floor, and the legal men, Benoit and Adams, are still in the ring.
  • Diving headbutt, Crossface, it's over.
  • Your winners: Benoit, Saturn and Douglas via submission.

• Lodi (w/WCW World Cruiserweight Champion Lenny Lane) vs. Kaz Hayashi (w/moustache and goatee)
  • Lodi's sign: "Are we ambiguous enuff now?"
  • Nice pink bow on Lenny's belt. Better than nWo spraypaint, I guess.
  • Hayashi is more interested in beating up Lenny than Lodi, as Kaz will be facing Lenny for the cruiserweight belt at Fall Brawl.
  • Lenny and Lodi keep attempting to doubleteam Kaz, and it keeps backfiring on them...again and again.
  • Finally, Lodi hits a snap suplex.
  • Outside the ring, Kaz gets tossed into the safety rail multiple times.
  • Back in the ring, Lodi is beating the crap out of Kaz.
  • Finally, Kaz gets the boots up on a charge by Lodi, but Lodi comes back with a clothesline.
  • Big powerslam by Lodi. Two-count only.
  • Bulldog from the middle rope by Lodi. Two-count only.
  • Kaz attempts a sunset flip and Lodi grabs Lenny's hands, and the ref (Charles Robinson) kicks them away. Two count only.
  • Again and again, the doubleteaming backfires. The irony in this match is that whenever Lodi works solo, he manhandles Kaz.
  • Brainbuster by Kaz. Two-count only.
  • Roll-up by Lodi. Two-count only.
  • Another attempted doubleteam backfires, and Kaz rolls Lodi up for the three-count.
  • Your winner: Kaz Hayashi via pinfall.
  • After the match, Lenny keeps attempting to drop elbows on Kaz, but Kaz keeps rolling away.

• Short montage of Hogan's and Sting's "friendship". I should hope so. It's been a short friendship thus far.

• "The Millennium Squeegee Guy" Sid Vicious vs. Adrian Byrd and Bobby Blaze.
  • Rather than a regular handicap match, where only one guy from the team can legally be in at one time, it seems that both guys can be in at once.
  • Charles Robinson is your referee.
  • In a squash lasting less than a minute, Sid squashes and powerbombs Byrd and pins him.
  • Your winner: Sid Vicious via pinfall, in a squash handicap match.
  • For good measure, Sid powerbombs Blaze and pins him, too.
  • Sid rants into the microphone as Charles Robinson holds up a sign.
  • So, if I understand it correctly, Charles Robinson is in Sid's camp, but still calls the matches fairly? That makes sense.

• The Revolution comes to the ring. Dean Malenko has the TV belt, which he stole from Rick Steiner. Malenko gives a soliloquy. Trust me...you don't want me to transcribe it. Be glad you missed it. What's that saying? Oh, yeah, "Shut up and wrestle".
  Malenko says that if Steiner wants to bring Sid out, he has his own backup. The Revolution won't stop until they each have gold around their waist. Douglas addresses the crowd as "Saginaw, Michigan". Wow, two live Thunders in Saginaw seven days apart. :-) Anyway, a pointless segment.

• Barry Windham (w/Kendall Windham and Curt Hennig) vs. Booker T. (w/Saint Stevie Ray)
  • Stevie Ray's lookin' sharp in that beret.
  • Distraction by Kendall allows Barry to get an early advantage, but Booker comes back.
  • Clothesline, kick, punches in the corner. Another clothesline.
  • Windham with a short comeback but Booker T comes back with a flying forearm.
  • Barry is tossed outside, and Stevie Ray hits a big punch.
  • Not to be outdone, the Rednecks triple-team Booker behind referee Johnny Boone's back.
  • Windham with a DDT.
  • Windham with an eye rake and punches. Suplex by Windham. Two-count only.
  • Booker T pitched to floor, and another beating by the Rednecks.
  • Back in the ring, Windham continues to methodically take Booker T apart.
  • Hip toss out of corner by Windham, but he misses an elbow drop.
  • Booker T ducks a clothesline and Booker T hits the Harlem Sidekick.
  • Axe Kick by Booker, belly-to-back, and some breakdancing.
  • Booker T goes up top for the missile dropkick but Kendall knocks him off his perch, getting his brother disqualified.
  • Steve Ray attempts to even up the odds, but Harlem Heat gets knocked out by the tag belts.
  • The beating continues until we break for commercial.
  • Your winner: Booker T via disqualification

• Another Sting/Luger/Hogan promo

• WCW World Television Champion Rick Steiner vs. "Iceman" Dean Malenko
  • Steiner comes out first. Malenko comes out with the belt second. Weird.
  • Steiner attacks before the bell to start the match, and we go to commercial.
  • Back and forth action...clubbing blows and suplexes by Steiner, reversals and dropkicks by Malenko.
  • Less than two minutes into it, Vicious comes to ringside. Steiner whips Malenko into Vicious, and Vicious chokeslams him and referee Billy Silverman calls for the bell, DQing Steiner.
  • Shane Douglas runs in, only to be stuff-powerbombed by Vicious and Steiner.
  • Benoit comes in and gets Vicious trapped in the Crippler Crossface for a moment, until Steiner clobbers him from behind.
  • Saturn runs in and, for awhile, Steiner and Vicious have the better of all four members of the Revolution. *sigh*
  • Vicious sets Saturn up for a powerbomb, but Saturn back bodydrops him out of the ring.
  • Steiner and Vicious retreat back to the dressing room.
  • Your winner: Dean Malenko via disqualification

• Goldberg vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
  • Nick Patrick is your referee.
  • Bigelow attacks from behind to start the match. Clubs, punches and slam, but Goldberg comes back with a big slam.
  • Bigelow looks like he's lost some weight.
  • Bigelow rolls out to collect his thoughts. That shouldn't take very long.
  • Lock up, knees by Goldberg, Goldberg ducks a clothesline and catches Bigelow in mid-air and slams him.
  • Goldberg locks on an armbreaker, but Bigelow gets a foot on the ropes.
  • Goldberg and Bigelow duke it out in the corner, and Nick Patrick gets knocked out.
  • Whip by Goldberg and a big clothesline. Punches by Goldberg on a prone Bigelow. Nick Patrick is still out.
  • Cheap shot to the eyes by Bigelow. Elbow to the head by Bigelow and a series of punches and an elbow in the corner by Bigelow.
  • More punches by Bigelow, and Goldberg starts no-selling. Standing sidekick by Goldberg. Referee Rip Van Winkle is still out.
  • Goldberg chokes Bigelow and Page runs in and clocks Bigelow from behind. Page and Bigelow go for the double-team and Goldberg spears Bigelow. Page rolls out in a hurry.
  • Jackhammer by Goldberg and Miles Monroe counts the pinfall.
  • Your winner: Goldberg via pinfall