WCW Thunder 1/29/1998

Written by: Kevin Kindelberger

It is Thunder, let’s roll!

A new Thunder beginning and not as good…

Match 1: Sick Boy v. DDP (c) for WCW US Title
Sick goes after him but is kneed and then they lock up. DDP rolls him up for a quick two and then rolls on top of him and hits him. Sick runs to the floor and paces around. He gets back in the ring and DDP has the arm and puts him in a headlock and then knocks him down. Sick has the leg and ducks the clothesline only to be kneed and then nailed with a spinning side slam. Sick makes a comeback with a springboard dropkick and he goes after the ribs. He stomps him in the corner but lets up and DDP takes it to him but is grabbed and nearly pinned after a belly to belly. Sick Boy argues with the ref and is nearly pinned. He then misses a dropkick. DDP wails away on the head and calls for the Diamond Cutter but gets his knee clipped. DDP grabs him and nails him with the Cutter and it is all over.

Okay. The Flock argues whether or not to enter the ring and decide not to.

Tenay with JJ Dillon and they are discussing Nash and the powerbomb. He fines Nash 50 grand!

Match 2: Jim Duggan v. Meng
They slug it out with Duggan getting the upperhand and out on the floor he tosses Meng into the steel steps. Takes Jimmy Hart’s coat and pounds Meng with it. Back in the ring Meng kicks him in the head and Duggan strolls around the ring but is hit again and again. Duggan fires back and both men are absorbing blows and Duggan misses in the corner and down he goes and Meng chokes him out and applies a nerve pinch. Duggan is up and escapes the hold and they clothesline each other. Jimmy Hart gets on the apron with the 2×4 and distracts the ref and obviously tosses in the board and Duggan catches it and breaks it over Meng. Duggann goes after Jimmy and Meng is up and finishes him with the Deathgrip.

Nice little brawl.

Match 3: Marty Jannetty v. Raven
Marty hammers him and runs him from pillar to post and then kicks him to the floor. Jannetty slide kicks him into the railing, heads out after him and rams his head into the side of the ring only to get run into the post. Raven sets up a chair in the ring and then trips him headfirst into it and wants to run him into the chair but he is bulldogged and then faceplanted a few times and Marty mounts and pounds in the corner ten times. Raven is superkicked and is out cold; Jannetty takes his time and leaps on him fist first but cannot get the pin. Raven grabs him and flings him into the chair and it is DDT time and all over.

Not bad.

Match 4: Yuji Nagata v. Goldberg
Goldberg takes him down twice and Nagata tries to fire back but to little avail. Now he kicks Goldberg repeatedly and wants a suplex but is killed with a swinging neckbreaker and speared and now it is Jackhammer time and it is all over.

The fans erupt.

Recap of issues with Savage and the nWo.

Hall has the mic and it is survey time! He hypes up the Mid-South crowd and this time the nWo gets a far louder pop. He brags about WWIII and he may have been down but he keeps getting up and is coming after the champ. He then introduces Dusty Rhodes. Dusty thinks that this is too sweet. In 1991 corporate America tried to tear down what he build (he said that). He talks about the suits and how they can shove it. They moved him down to color commentating and he got tired of carrying Schiavone! The reason the fans are here is for the nWo and why the wrestlers in WCW are making a leaving and Hall says that when you are in nWo you are for life. Dusty is not done and tells Schiavone that he did something and for Larry there will be no comeback and the same goes for the marks on the Internet. JJ Dillong better not come back and interfere. Dusty tells the Giant that he should not have gotten in the ring with the real giant and finishes that Syxx is too sweet.

Match 5: Disco Inferno v. Scott Hall
Hall attacks him and goes for the Edge but Disco wiggles free and nails him with the Chartbuster. He has the pin but Dusty pulls him out to the floor. After some advice Hall gets back in the ring and just unloads on him with a series of rights. He paintbrushes him, hauls him up and Disco ducks but is caught on the crossbody attempt and given the fall away slam. Edge time and over.

Disco got in some offense but his short push is over.

Tenay calls out Nick Patrick who has been suspended for over a month without pay. He is talking about how different the refs are in their count cadences. He did his normal count and Bret Hart who is not even a ref interfered and it should be him who is suspended. Nick will be back as his lawyers are working on it. He stands by his decision and he wants to ref the rematch so he can show the world he is for real.

Match 6: Saturn v. Booker T (c) for WCW TV Title
Here we go! They lock up and and circle around with Saturn pushing him into the corner and off the break he chops and hits him but misses in the opposing corner and Booker stomps and kicks him into the mat. Saturn is whipped into the ropes and he ducks a blow but is tossed into the corner and runs right into a powerslam. Booker gets two and then misses the back kick and Saturn nails him with an over the top suplex. Booker rolls to the floor and Saturn leaps on him but is then tossed into the Flock at ringside.

Commercial.

Saturn is in command and dumps him back on his head and Booker nearly got his neck buried into the canvas….close one. Saturn gets two but then gets hung up on the ropes and is kicked in the head and nailed with an axe kick. Booker back suplexes him and kicks him in the head again and now the Flock gets on the apron and they are knocked off. Martel is on the apron and Saturn pushes Booker into him and Booker rolls up Saturn for the win. Then Booker is knocked into him again and they have words but all is well.

Decent match but Saturn’s push is all over…..

Match 7: Chris Jericho and Eddie Guerrero v. Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko
Jericho and Malenko circle around one another as the fans chant Eddie sucks and Jericho calms him down and then Malenko puts him in a headlock and runs him over. Jericho shoves him into his corner and tags in Guerrero who hammers Dean only to have him turn it around and then sandwich him in the other corner. Now Eddie chops away at him and catches him with a back elbow. Dean powerslams getting two and here comes Benoit. Jericho is tagged in and he is promptly run over and chopped. Jericho kicks back as they go back and forth, with Jericho coming out on top with a big vertical suplex getting a one count. Jericho gives him a stiff chop in the corner and then another one. Now it is Benoit’s turn, Jericho will not allow himself be whipped and so Benoit just chops and stomps some more. Jericho tries a float over off the whip into the corner but Benoit scopes it out and chops him. However, Jericho grabs him and gets two after a German suplex and now a bodyslam and Lionsault for two. Eddie is tagged in and he is taken down and nearly put in the Crossface and Jericho and Malenko are in the floor as Eddie gets two after a brainbuster. Dean made the save and the double team Eddie who is tossed back and now Benoit is out on the floor taking it to Jericho. Dean has the Cloverleaf nearly applied but Jericho makes the save and missile dropkicks Dean. Jericho is placed on top and they are going at it and Eddie and Chris are on the floor and now Benoit hits the diving headbutt and Crossface on Jericho and Eddie goes for the frogsplash and eats all knees. Jericho immediately submits.

Nice long match.

Tenay is in the ring with Benoit and the former is wondering how happy Benoit is with his current winning streak. Benoit calls this the end of that feud and Tenay reminds him that he has never had a title shot. Benoit does not need gold and all he needs to do is win and the people just need to tune in to watch. He admits that due to his political incorrectness is because of who he hangs out with. DDP is in the crowd and tells Benoit the reason he has never main evented a PPV is because the promoters ignored him and the same thing happened to DDP. It is clear that Benoit is ready for a title match he wants the crowd reaction to a DDP and Benoit match and the crowd responds in the affirmative. DDP tried for crowd control and did an okay job and Benoit does want that shot and it will be on Thunder next week….not the PPV? Oh well.

Match 8: Steiner Brothers v. Konnan and Kevin Nash (c) for WCW Tag Titles
The Steiners are jawing at Nash and he departs the ring and Konnan is starting off as the Steiners confer with DiBiase and Rick starts off. Rick takes him down and Konnan enters the fetal position as he is hammered and then put in a version of the STF and Rick bites him too boot. Rick pulls him up and back suplexes him. Nash comes in and both Steiners clothesline him and Nash retreats to the floor. It is still Rick and Konnan and now the latter is command as he clotheslines him and then stomps away. Nash gets the tag and he gets a pop as he goes after the back and does his knee and elbow offense. He short clotheslines him and tags Konnan back in. He works over the arm and Rick tries to get over to his corner but cannot and Nash is in but he runs into a boot and is clotheslined. Scotty gets the crowd fired up as Rick wants the tag and Buff comes down and pulls him off the apron and they start a posedown! Rick powerslams Konnan, goes for the pin and Nash comes in and cracks him with the belt and the match is tossed. Nash is upset with the ref and gives him a weak looking powerbomb and security comes out. Nash is getting cuffed and it looks like Buff acted like he gave him a fake joint…..and they crack jokes as Nash is led off and we fade….

Final Thoughts: Another solid episode. Not too many long matches but the Benoit tag match and aftermath was really good. Saturn and Booker had a good match too despite Rick Martel still getting an inexplicable push. Marty and Raven also had a good match and Dusty had a decent promo. The Nash powerbomb angle is interesting too, and so far the build to SuperBrawl is looking good and I hope they have a DDP/Benoit match there. And I wonder what is next for Bret Hart.