WCW House Show 2/20/1998

Written By: Bob Colling

World Championship Wrestling House Show
Date: 2/20/1998
From: Las Vegas, NV

NOTE: This show is not complete as it is missing two matches. They are the following:
Juventud Guerrera/Lizmark Jr. defeated LA Parka/Psychosis in the opener
Ultimo Dragon defeated Chavo Guerrero Jr.
Chris Benoit defeated Raven
Curt Hennig defeated Steve McMichael

First Contest: Lex Luger defeated Scott Hall: Hall does his trademark toothpick spot to open the match. Hall backs Luger into a corner but Luger powers out and shoves Hall down to the mat. Hall works on Luger with a side headlock and keeps the hold on despite Luger’s efforts to counter the hold. Luger slams Hall down to the mat by his hair and backs off. Hall shoulder blocks Luger several times and yanks down on Luger’s arm a few times. Luger drops Hall with a clothesline and slaps the back of Hall’s head a few times. The fans are not cheering Luger, by the way. Hall wants a test of strength but ends up kicking Luger in the midsection. Hall stomps away on Luger several times followed by a few right hands. Hall kicks Luger to the floor and prevents Luger from returning to the ring. Luger finally rolls back into the ring but is stomped by Hall some more. Hall places Luger in the abdominal stretch and begins to use the ropes for added leverage. Luger gets out of the hold with a hip toss but misses a standing elbow drop. Hall covers but only gets a near fall. Luger has a sleeper hold on Hall but Hall counters with one of his own. Luger prevents his arm from dropping three times and connects with a back suplex. Luger punches Hall several times before delivering an atomic drop, three times. Luger signals for the Torture Rack and locks it in. Randy Savage runs down to the ring and Luger ends up putting him in the Torture Rack. Hall saves Luger as DDP runs down to the ring and all four men are brawling in the ring. Luger knocks Savage down and puts him in the Torture Rack while DDP plants Hall with the Diamond Cutter. The referee calls for the bell and awards the match to Luger despite Hall not being pinned or forced to submit. *
After the match, Hall and Savage tease a fight but end up just leaving the ring.

Second Contest: Bret Hart defeated Ric Flair: Hart controls Flair with a side headlock until Flair bails to the floor and grabs a microphone and hopes that Hart doesn’t think he can kick his ass. Hart shoulder blocks Flair and has a wristlock locked in for a few moments. Flair shoves the referee but the referee shoves Flair back several times! Flair controls Hart with a hammerlock but Hart is able to counter with one of his own. Hart maintains the upper hand with a wristlock until Flair pokes Hart in the eyes and delivers several shots, chopping Hart in the corner followed by right hands. Flair snap mares Hart and gets a two count while having his feet on the ropes. Hart punches Flair several times and follows up with a backdrop. Hart punches Flair eight times in the corner before delivering an atomic drop and a clothesline for a two count. Flair is able to low blow Hart in the corner and gets another near fall while using the ropes for leverage. Hart runs into a back elbow from Flair in the corner. Flair heads to the top rope but is slammed off by Hart! Hart head butts Flair and locks in the figure four right in the middle of the ring. Hart gets a few near falls while keeping the hold on Flair. Flair is able to eventually reach the bottom rope and Hart is forced to release the hold. Hart goes to work on Flair’s left leg for a few moments. Hart comes off the ropes and collides with Flair causing both men to drop to the mat. They go to the floor where Flair sends Hart into the guard railing chest first a few times. Flair drops Hart throat first across the top rope while Hart is on the apron to continue his offense. Flair drops Hart with a chop block to Hart’s left leg. Flair delivers a knee breaker and begins to yank on Hart’s leg a few times. Hart uses his free leg to kick Flair on the back of the head and counters a figure four attempt with a roll up for a two count. Hart backslides Flair but isn’t able to get a three count. Flair stops Hart’s momentum with a back suplex for a two count. Flair distracts the referee so he can low blow Hart before locking in the figure four leg lock in the middle of the ring which gets Flair a few near falls. Flair isn’t able to win the bout so he begins to chop and punch Hart in the corner until Hart fights back with a backdrop. Backbreaker by Hart only gets him a two count. Hart leaps off the middle rope connecting with a forearm drop for another near fall. Hart brings Flair back into the ring with a vertical suplex from the apron and locks in the Sharpshooter to win the bout. **1/4

Main Event: Sting defeated Hulk Hogan in a steel cage match: Sting blocks a right hands and begins the match with a flurry of right hands and a low blow in the corner. Sting crotch chops Hogan a few times before continuing his offense in the corner with right hands and ramming Hogan face first into the top turnbuckle. Sting atomic drops Hogan but is stopped after a poke to the eyes by Hogan. Hogan continues his offense with right hands and ramming Sting face first into the corner a few times. Sting blocks being sent into the cage face first but instead sends Hogan face first into the cage a few times. Sting rubs Hogan’s face into the cage and comes off the ropes connecting with an elbow drop. Hogan tries to leave through the door but fails. Sting works on Hogan in the corner briefly to keep the upper hand. Hogan grabs a tag rope, apparently, and begins to choke Sting! Hogan clotheslines Sting and follows up with several quick right hands. Hogan tosses Sting face first into the cage a few times. Hogan punches Sting several times before attempting a vertical suplex which Sting blocks. Sting suplexs Hogan up against the cage and is able to Stinger Splash Hogan, once. Sting goes for another Stinger Splash but Hogan drops down to the canvas and Sting hits the cage! Hogan goes for the cover but Sting kicks out at two. Hogan leaves through the cage door, which isn’t a form of winning the match I guess, but is tracked down by Sting who sends Hogan into the guard railings and face first into the cage. Sting attempts a Stinger Splash on the floor but misses and crashes into the guard railing! Hogan rams Sting into the guard railing and whacks Sting over the back with a chair! Hogan tosses Sting into the side of the cage before rolling Sting back into the ring. Hogan stomps away on Sting along with a few right hands. Sting battles back with a few right hands and two Stinger Splashes! Hogan falls down to the mat and Sting locks in the Scorpion Death Lock! Hogan refuses to give up as Curt Hennig and Scott Hall run down to attack Sting. Sting ducks a double clothesline and knocks both Hall and Hennig down with a clothesline. Sting sends Hennig and Hall into the side of the cage and goes back to the Scorpion Death Lock on Hogan. Hogan quickly gives up! ***

End of show

My Take: Considering this show is missing more than half the matches on it, I can’t judge whether or not the overall show was good or not.

Luger/Hall was awful and I hate the finishes where Luger wins the match after making someone other than the legal man submit. That bugs the hell out of me. I find that to be really annoying. Their match was very boring with the crowd even turning on Luger towards the end of the match.

Flair/Hart was a average match at best. Those two are considered two of the greatest wrestlers of all time but yet I haven’t seen a match involving them where it was any good. Maybe their styles are just not compatable or maybe they just aren’t that good period. I don’t know. I’m sure it has to do more with my taste in wrestling. But, their outing on this show left a lot to be desired.

I actually enjoyed the Sting/Hogan cage match. The crowd was hot for it and they actually put on a good show. I was surprised to see Hogan hang upside down from the cage because that was pretty cool to see, especially at a house show. I would say that this match was one of their better outings. Off the top of my head, I am comparing it to Starrcade 1997 (which had a shitty finish), Superbrawl VIII (nearly identical match to Starrcade) and then Fall Brawl 1999 which if I remember correctly was just horrid.

Again, I can’t give my thoughts on the overall show since more than half of it is missing.

Thanks for reading.