Live from Fargo, ND
Airdate: August 13, 1998
Attendance: 9,721 (sold out)
Hosted by Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, Lee Marshall, & “Iron” Mike Tenay
Can Luger retain the US title against Bret? How will Nash fare against Hennig? Or Konnan against Hall? Will Jericho retain the TV title? What’s going on with Stevie Ray? Grab your raincoat, ‘cuz this episode’s gonna pour!
Opening montage.
Before the first match, Hall performs his survey. Again, Wolfpack wins!
Thunder is sponsored by Valvoline.
Following a commercial break, Konnan runs down his catchphrases.
Match 1: Scott Hall versus Konnan
Highlights:
- Some numbskull walked through the aisle and held a “Who booked this crap?” sign like the one DX had in 1997.
- When Hall fed Konnan a fallaway slam, he got 2.
- He gave Konnan a cross corner whip followed by a corner clothesline.
- As Hall trapped Konnan in a rope-assisted abdominal stretch, referee Mark Curtis caught Hall’s shenanigans and forced a break.
- Konnan hip-tossed Hall but missed an elbow drop.
- After Konnan reversed an Irish whip, he leapfrogged and rammed Hall face-first into the mat.
- He dealt Hall a somersault clothesline, rammed him into a pair of turnbuckles, but fell victim to Hall’s trick knee.
- While Konnan countered an Outsider Edge with an inside cradle, he got 2.
- Hall rebounded with a clothesline and delivered an Outsider Edge.
- 1-2-3.
- Hall won at 6:40.
Rating: *
Summary: A clean finish? In an nWo match?
On WCW Saturday Night, matches include Public Enemy/Dancing Fools III, Mongo versus Stevie Ray, and Hennig versus Dean Malenko. That’s a good lineup for the C show.
Prior to the next match, Raven grabs the microphone and admonishes Horace again.
Match 2: Raven (w/ Lodi) versus Horace
Highlights:
- As Raven finished his promo, he plastered Horace with the microphone.
- Raven gave Horace a cross corner whip followed by a running body block to the midsection.
- When Raven grabbed a STOP sign, Lodi jumped into the ring behind him and begged him not to blast Horace with it.
- That enabled Horace to boot the STOP sign into Raven for 2.
- After he slammed Raven, Horace mounted the top turnbuckle and launched a flying splash for another 2.
- He annihilated Raven in the back with the STOP sign, slammed him atop it, mounted the top turnbuckle, delivered a second flying splash, but couldn’t get 3.
- While he placed Raven against the STOP sign in the corner, Horace charged but hit the STOP sign himself.
- Raven tossed Horace over the top rope to the floor, joined, and fed him a side-Russian leg sweep into the steel railing.
- Back in the ring, Raven demanded that Lodi enter the ring and attack Horace.
- Lodi hesitated, so Raven slapped the BEJEEZUS out of him.
- Also summoned by Raven, Riggs put the boots to Horace.
- Kidman entered the ring along with Sick Boy, so referee Billy Silverman threw the match out at 3:33.
Rating: *
Summary: Two flying splashes by Horace erased by a bullshit finish.
After the match, Saturn storms the ring and instructs the Flock to stop. As they comply, Saturn berates Raven who’s slumped in the corner. That enables Horace to get up and decimate Saturn with a clothesline to the back of the neck. Upon Raven’s order, the Flock destroys Saturn until Kanyon arrives. Kanyon backdrops Riggs over the top rope to the floor, guillotines Horace with the top rope, cremates Sick Boy with a Flatliner, and plants Kidman with an electric chair facebuster. Not to be upstaged, Saturn deals Kanyon a suplex off-camera as well as a T-bone suplex to Horace.
At the entrance, Schiavone interviews Stevie Ray who cuts a promo on Giant. He wants a match next week on Thunder but refers to Eddie as a “cruiserweight.”
Match 3 for the WCW World TV title: Chris Jericho (champion) versus Chavo Guerrero, Jr. (w/ Pepe)
Highlights:
- The bell rang, and the Fargo faithful notified Jericho that he indeed “sucks.”
- When Chavo leapfrogged him, he fed Jericho a drop toe hold.
- Jericho leapfrogged him, but Chavo retaliated by biting his tuchus.
- As Jericho sought refuge on the floor, Chavo rode Pepe in the ring.
- Following a commercial break, Chavo missed a dropkick, so Jericho dealt him a Lionsault for 2.
- He suplexed Chavo and displayed an arrogant cover for another 2.
- After Jericho scored with a spin kick, he gave Chavo a cross corner whip but ate boot on his follow-through.
- He delivered a spinning heel kick but couldn’t get 3.
- While Chavo hit a lariat, he gave Jericho a cross corner whip followed by a flying forearm.
- He flattened Jericho with a springboard DDT and got 2.
- Stymied by an atomic drop, Jericho obliterated Pepe.
- Chavo charged, so Jericho sidestepped and rolled him up for 2.
- Getting clotheslined to the floor, Chavo retrieved Pepe 2.0 (baseball bat instead of broomstick) from under the ring and CLOBBERED Jericho.
- Referee Charles Robinson called for the bell, and Jericho retained by DQ at 7:31 shown.
Rating: ***
Summary: Solid match until Chavo’s temper got the better of him.
Cinnaburst sponsors the replay.
We revisit Nitro when Luger defeated Bret for the US title.
Bret heads to the ring, grabs a microphone, and cuts a promo on Luger.
Match 4: Public Enemy versus the Dancing Fools (w/ Tokyo Magnum)
Highlights:
- Rocco reversed an Irish whip but got backdropped by Wright over the top rope to the floor.
- As Wright baseball-slid into him, Rocco hit the steel railing oblique first.
- When Wright returned him to the ring, he mounted the top turnbuckle.
- Rocco crotched and joined him, but Wright fed him a front suplex down to the mat.
- After Wright attempted a double axe handle, Rocco blocked it but ate a belly-to-back suplex.
- Wright attempted a springboard splash but ate knees.
- While Rocco dealt Wright an atomic drop, Grunge came in and ruined Wright’s Thirsty Thursday plans with an inverted version.
- Disco tagged in, but Public Enemy double-flapjacked him.
- Following a double clothesline from Public Enemy, all four wrestlers were in the ring.
- Disco and Rocco got rammed together, and Grunge reversed an Irish whip and delivered a tilt-a-whirl slam to Wright.
- With a table positioned in Public Enemy’s corner, Grunge positioned Wright against it.
- Magnum jumped into the ring and absorbed the punishment that was scheduled for Wright.
- Subduing Grunge with a hangman’s neckbreaker, Wright pinned him at 3:24.
Rating: *
Summary: Disco was barely in the match, and Magnum took the big bump. On a positive note, Wright fancied himself well in HOT PINK.
Afterward, Meng storms the ring, beats up Disco, and applies a Tongan death grip to Wright. Magnum jumps onto Meng’s back but gets tossed down to the mat. When Meng applies a Tongan death grip to Disco, Magnum breaks it up. Meng throttles Magnum with a Tongan death grip, but he’s too far for Rocco to jump from the top turnbuckle.
As Barbarian and Jimmy Hart approach the ring, Barbarian tries to strike him, but Meng blocks everything. Meng traps Barbarian in a Tongan death grip while Hart jumps onto his back. After Rocco jumps from the top turnbuckle, he suffers a Tongan death grip. Grunge tries to intervene, so Meng puts both members of Public Enemy under his Tongan death grip. A member of WCW Security tries to stop him, but Meng locks him in a Tongan death grip. Like Monday, Meng has left a trail of bodies in the ring.
Prior to the next match, Nash runs down his catchphrases and wants to recruit Goldberg. Fascinating!
Match 5: Curt Hennig (w/ “Ravishing” Rick Rude) versus Kevin Nash
Highlights:
- Nash ambushed Hennig in the corner and hauled him all the way across the ring.
- When he fed Hennig a boot choke, Nash charged with a big boot but came up empty.
- Hennig dealt Nash a knee crusher and applied a leg bar.
- As Nash escaped, he delivered Snake Eyes to Hennig.
- He hit a limping guillotine followed by a big boot.
- After Rude jumped into the ring, he annihilated referee Nick Patrick.
- He removed his jacket and tie in an effort to fight Nash.
- While Nash was distracted, Hall entered the ring and belted him from behind. SNEAKY!
- nWo Hollywood triple-teamed Nash until Luger saved Nash’s bacon.
- Obviously, Nash won by DQ.
Rating: ½*
Summary: More angle than match.
Master Lock sponsors the replay.
Match 6: Eddie Guerrero versus Stevie Ray
Highlights:
- Initially, Stevie Ray no-sold Eddie’s offense until he ate a dropkick.
- Eddie attempted a ten-punch count-along, but Stevie Ray shoved him down to the mat.
- As Stevie Ray fed Eddie a standing choke, Giant and Hall scouted him from the entrance.
- The camera focused on Giant and Hall devouring adult beverages, and Stevie Ray clamped Eddie within a bear hug. It must really be Thirsty Thursday.
- When Stevie Ray gorilla-pressed him, he dropped Eddie like a bad habit.
- He hung Eddie out to dry on the top rope and delivered a bicycle kick.
- After Eddie escaped a suplex back into the ring, he ate a big boot.
- Stevie Ray planted him with a Slapjack and pinned Eddie at 4:05.
Rating: DUD
Summary: More angle than match as nWo Hollywood scouted a potential new member. Poor Eddie.
Match 7 for the WCW US Title: “The Total Package” Lex Luger (champion) versus Bret “Hitman” Hart
Highlights:
- The Fargo faithful, missing their favorite wrestler “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, chanted “U-S-A” for him.
- Either that or they believe it’s 1994 again when Luger and Hart battled for the top spot in the WWF.
- Nevertheless, Bret slammed Luger and followed with a leg drop for 2.
- Luger tried to feed him a ten-punch count-along, but Bret countered with a guillotine across the top rope.
- When he headbutted Luger, Bret guillotined him with the bottom rope.
- He dealt Luger a side-Russian leg sweep for 2.
- As he gave Luger a HARD cross corner whip, Bret followed with a backbreaker.
- He mounted the second turnbuckle but missed a flying forearm smash.
- After Luger reversed a cross corner whip, he whipped Bret into the opposite corner and clotheslined him twice.
- He delivered a flying forearm and clotheslined him over the top rope to the floor.
- While Bret grabbed a chair, Luger clotheslined him before Bret could use it.
- Referee Billy Silverman prevented Luger from whacking him, so Bret sent the chair into Luger’s head and obliterated Silverman.
- DDTing Luger on the chair, Bret disposed of the incriminating evidence.
- He revived Silverman but only got 2.
- Locking Luger in a Sharpshooter, Luger passed out, so Bret won at 9:36.
- WE HAVE A NEW CHAMPION!
Rating: **
Summary: Not as solid as the match on Monday, but Hart regains the title.
What is up with Luger and the month of August? In ’93, he won in the main event of Summerslam but didn’t win the title. In ’97, he won the title on Nitro but lost it five days later. Here, in ’98, he won the title on Nitro but lost it three days later.
Conclusion: In addition to Hart’s regaining the US title, nWo Hollywood sets its sights on Stevie Ray. Meng leaves another bunch of wrestlers et al. in his wake of destruction. Also, Jericho retains the TV title. It wasn’t a bad show, but it didn’t compare to Nitro whatsoever.
Rating: 3.90
Stay tuned for WWF Sunday Night Heat 08-16-98!
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