Taped from Lexington, KY
Airdate: September 17, 1998 (taped 9/10)
Attendance: 10,620
Hosted by Tony Schiavone, Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, & Lee Marshall
Can WCW follow up a hot Nitro with an equally sizzling Thunder? Who will win the arm-wrestling contest? Will Nash and Konnan prevail against Hall and Stevie Ray? What else does WCW have in store for us?
Opening montage.
Match 1: Wrath versus “Beautiful” Bobby Eaton
Highlights:
- Wrath gave Eaton a cross corner whip followed by a clothesline.
- When he reversed an Irish whip, Wrath fed Eaton a knee to the midsection.
- He dealt Eaton a bicycle kick sending him down to the floor.
- As he made Eaton HIT THE POLE, Wrath mounted the top turnbuckle and launched a flying clothesline.
- He delivered a flying shoulder block and finished Eaton with a Meltdown.
- 1-2-3.
- Wrath won at 2:42.
Rating: DUD
Summary: Showcase match for Wrath.
Video airs of “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.
Thunder is sponsored by Valvoline.
Promo for Halloween Havoc ’98 airs. It will be LIVE on PPV on October 25. Order NOW!
Match 2: “Mean” Mike Enos versus Lenny Lane
Highlights:
- Popcorn, anyone?
- As Enos vaulted him across the ring, he gave Lane a cross corner whip followed by a kick to the midsection.
- He gorilla-press-slammed Lane and landed a pair of elbow drops.
- When Lane played cat-and-mouse with him, he guillotined Enos with the top rope.
- He fed Enos a somersault plancha, returned Enos to the ring, gave him a cross corner whip, and dealt him a bulldog for 2.
- After Enos rebounded with a powerslam, he delivered a hangman’s neckbreaker for 2.
- He annihilated Lane with a stungun for another 2.
- While Lane responded by rolling Enos up, he got 2.
- Enos hit a helicopter slam and pinned Lane at 4:38.
Rating: *
Summary: Showcase match for Enos.
Cinnaburst sponsors the replay.
Backstage, “Mean” Gene Okerlund interviews Big Poppa Pump and Buff Bagwell. Bagwell claims innocence over his involvement at the PPV. HA! Next, BPP rambles until Okerlund informs Bagwell that JJ Dillon will prevent him from accompanying BPP at the PPV. Bagwell can’t believe it. Afterward, BPP cuts a quick promo on his brother Rick while Bagwell mocks Okerlund.
We revisit the PPV when Chris Jericho beat a Goldberg clone much to the dismay of the wrestling public.
More Flair highlights follow.
Match 3: Vincent versus Steve Armstrong
Highlights:
- Who booked this crap?
- Steve fed Vincent an inverted atomic drop, charged, but ate boot.
- When Vincent vaulted him over the top rope to the floor, he launched a clothesline from the apron.
- He rammed Steve shoulder-first into the steps, mounted the top turnbuckle, and dealt him a double axe handle.
- As he delivered a running guillotine, Vincent planted Steve with a single-arm DDT.
- Vincent applied a Fujiwara arm bar, and Steve submitted at 2:38.
Rating: *
Summary: Showcase match for YOUR favorite wrestler—Vincent.
More laughter from Chucky follows.
Fan footage airs, and they LOVE the “Nature Boy.”
We revisit Nitro when Miller wrecks the first match. That won’t make him “the greatest.”
On WCW Saturday Night, you’ll want to miss this one. Sorry, not sorry.
Prior to the next match, Miller grabs the microphone and wastes our time.
Match 4: Ernest “The Cat” Miller versus Rick Fuller
Highlights:
- Miller rammed Fuller’s left arm into the ring post before choking him with a camera cord.
- As Miller tried to end Fuller’s career with a chair, referee Charles Robinson snared it away from him. I hope Fuller bought Robinson a beer afterward.
- Fuller reversed an Irish whip and rammed Miller back-first into the steel railing.
- When he trapped Miller in a bear hug, Fuller sandwiched him against the ring post.
- Miller escaped a second bear hug and sent Fuller shoulder-first into the steps.
- After Fuller slammed him, he mounted the second turnbuckle, leaped, but there wasn’t any water in the pool.
- Miller scored with a Feliner and pinned Fuller at 3:01.
Rating: DUD
Summary: Showcase match for Miller.
After the match, Miller declares himself the “greatest” again.
More highlights of Flair air.
Match 5: Curt Hennig (w/o “Ravishing” Rick Rude) versus Norman Smiley
Highlights:
- Hennig fed Smiley a knee crusher, applied a leg bar, and hooked the top rope for leverage. SNEAKY!
- When Smiley attempted a back drop, Hennig countered with a Hennigplex.
- 1-2-3.
- Hennig won at 3:53.
Rating: ½*
Summary: Showcase match for Hennig.
Have we eaten enough vegetables tonight? All WCW has been serving is SQUASH. If I wanted to review squash matches, I’d reflect upon WCW Saturday Night.
Snickers sponsors the replay.
More video airs of Flair.
Prior to the next match, Hall grabs a microphone and performs his survey. The Lexington sheep supply him with an “n-W-o” but cheer for the Wolfpack. Woohoo!
Following a commercial break, Nash and Konnan make their entrance WITH PYRO and run down their catchphrases.
Match 6: Kevin Nash & Konnan versus Scott Hall & Stevie Ray (w/ Vincent)
Highlights:
- Upon making his entrance, Hall brought his beverage of choice.
- The bell rang, and a large paper airplane flew into the ring. HA!
- As Hall stumbled into the ring, Stevie Ray convinced him that he’d start.
- Konnan fed Stevie Ray a somersault clothesline followed by a seated dropkick.
- When he gave Stevie Ray a cross corner whip, Konnan ate boot on his follow-through.
- Stevie Ray clotheslined and slammed Konnan before tagging in Hall.
- After Konnan countered an abdominal stretch with a drop toe hold, he paint-brushed Hall.
- Speaking of Hall, he reversed an Irish whip allowing Stevie Ray to put a boot into Konnan’s back. How dastardly!
- While Konnan rolled up a lackadaisical Hall, he got 2.
- He hooked an inside cradle for another 2.
- Rolling over to the ropes, Hall took another sip of his elixir.
- Hall reversed an Irish whip and attempted an Outsider Edge.
- Countering with a back drop, Konnan leapfrogged and rammed Hall face-first into the mat.
- Hall staggered to the point where he hung upside-down with his feet caught on the top rope.
- Although Stevie Ray helped his partner not land on his head, he’s “not working with no lushes, man.”
- The bell rang, and Stevie Ray and Hall were counted out.
- As a result, Konnan and Nash won at 7:35.
- BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Rating: **
Summary: To say this was the best match of the night says A LOT about this episode. In case you didn’t notice, Nash NEVER tagged into the match.
We revisit Fall Brawl ’97 when Hennig turned on the Horsemen and SQUISHED Flair’s head in the cage.
Following a commercial break, we revisit Nitro and Flair’s return. Check out my Nitro reflection for all the excitement.
Fourteen minutes later, we return to Thunder.
Match 7 (arm-wrestling): The “Enforcer” Arn Anderson (w/ Dean Malenko) versus the “Boss” Eric Bischoff (w/ Buff Bagwell)
Highlights:
- Arn prepared to wrestle right-handed, but Bischoff insisted it be left-handed.
- For those unaware, the career-ending surgery Arn endured in ’97 repaired his neck but left some limitations with his dominant left arm.
- Arn agreed, but Bischoff tricked him by substituting Bagwell in his place.
- When Bagwell reminded him that like Arn he’s left-handed and suffered a serious neck injury, he teased Arn about his inability to make a comeback.
- Arn promised Bischoff that the next time they saw one another, “it’ll be with a tire iron in my hand.”
- As Bagwell won quickly and decisively, he and Bischoff celebrated.
Rating: NONE
Summary: You knew they couldn’t let the Horsemen have their cake and eat it too.
Conclusion: What a pathetic show. Numerous enhancement matches, a tag match with a dubious countout, and that farce of an arm-wrestling match. Do yourself a favor, and avoid this…
Stay tuned for WWF Sunday Night Heat 09-20-98!
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