WCW Thunder 4/23/1998

Written by: Kevin Kindelberger

WCW Thunder 4/23/98

Well let’s see the fallout from that big Nitro….

They recap what happened.

Here comes Hogan. EB is all excited and gives the Disciple the spraypaint and he sprays nWo on the belt. EB has learned that everyone in the Turner organization is scared of Hogan. They tried to hold Hogan back but could not. Hogan declares that it is the same it ever was, and he is not worried about the jealousy in the back who cannot stand that he made wrestling what it was today. He basically says the same about the bookers. The belt never should have left his hands as it was stolen from him. The whole nWo is back together and they are all celebrating in the back but it is too sweet to show on national TV. Here come the ratings too….EB actually mentions that the last quarter hour was a 6.5 (that will not last). Bischoff is not only the boss of the nWo and WCW and if anyone lays their hands on EB they will have to answer to Hollywood and the entire nWo. Hogan continues that he beat that broken down Savage cleanly, and he has broken his spirit, knee and back and now Savage is officially retired from the wrestling world. Once you mess with Hogan whom everyone worships this is what happens.

Match 1: Disco Inferno v. Booker T (c) for WCW TV Title

Booker works him over against the ropes and then launches him with a big back body drop. Booker is relentless as he nails him with a lariat, and after the two count heel kicks him in the head. It is axe kick time. Disco is wallowing against the ropes getting punished and Booker tosses him over the top sending him to the floor. Booker is on the apron and nails him with a double axe. Disco tries to fire back but is run into the post. Booker rolls him back into the ring and Disco grabs his leg and writhes in pain, asking for a break and this allows Disco to kick him and follow up with a piledriver. Booker is clotheslined and he gets a two count and he applies a rear chinlock. Booker is up and rolls him up getting two, Disco comes right back and down goes Booker getting a two count. Booker though fucking kills him with a spinebuster, he runs him over with a forearm shiver. Disco counters with an atomic drop but Booker pancakes him and hits the Sidekick and the missile dropkick finishes him.

**1/2 Not bad.

Match 2: Barbarian v. Prince Iaukea

This is what baffles me about WCW. Prince got that small push. Barbarian gets a random push here and there an now squashes Iaukea with a kick to the head.

DUD.

Recap of the Savage/Hogan match from Nitro.

Match 3: Buff Bagwell and Scott Norton v. Lex Luger and Rick Steiner

Lex mugs and flexes for the camera….looks like a porn version of the Beastmaster. Buff hammers Rick to start, and after ducking a clothesline dropkicks him. Buff flexes and dances like a fool. They lock up again and Buff knees him a couple of times and suplexes him. Buff struts again and Rick is up and hammers him. He hits him with a forearm and takes him up top and tosses him off. He drops the big elbow and Luger gets the tag. He leaps off the middle rope and nails him with an axe handle. Norton though gets the tag as Buff escapes. Norton gets in some offensive, hip tosses him and nearly fucks up the bodyslam. He hits Buff and wants the Rack but Buff hits him from behind. Norton drops him and tags in Buff who chokes him out with his boot in the corner. Norton is back in and he gives Lex a backbreaker, and gets a two count. He slams him but Lex fends him off and they are slow to get up and both get the tag. Rick unloads on both Norton and Buff who is back dropped, both are and Norton breaks up the pin attempt after the belly to back. Luger comes in and takes out Norton and they end up on the floor. Buff is slammed and Rick goes up top. Vincent is going to hit him but Scotty stops him and Rick spikes Buff and it looks like he hit his head. Scotty hits Rick with the chair and puts Buff on him. You can see Buff talking and there is some running around after the match and the wrestlers are around Buff…..something is wrong.

** Okay match but my hands are sweating as it looks like something happened.

After the break Buff is still out and he is talking….now the medics come out. This sucks. Shit they are going to show how it happened and it did happen so fast….they showed more of Scotty hitting Rick with the chair. Fuck….Rick fucked up the bulldog; his arm was not around his head after he leapt and the head slipped out and went forward and then bounced off of him….I mean it bounced forward and then snaps back as it strikes….I do not know how I am going to handle Owen if this bothers me that much.

Heenan spoke with Craig Leathers and it is a cervical injury and they cannot move him until the paramedics arrive. They show another replay.

They go to the Nitro match between Hogan and Savage….

Match 4: Horace Boulder v. Jobber

It is Horace Hogan! He chops away on the poor soul….Horace is a part of the Flock. Um, the fans are chanting boring. Fuck off. It is Evan Karagias and he slingshots into him getting a two count. Horace though recovers quickly and powerslams him and then tosses him back. DDP gets in the ring from behind and Diamond Cuts him. Evan shakes his hand and he eats one too! So does the ref! DDP is not happy and calls out Raven. Raven starts to come out and then stops, turns and departs. DDP tells him he is not running after him and tells him to keep walking like he did on his sister when she needed him. Now about Raven’s mother and how he made her cry. Raven starts to comeback but then leaves and DDP is going to Bang him down the road.

No rating just angle advancement.

Here comes Savage to a waiting Schiavone. Savage is not giving up; he is getting started and is one million percent okay. He basically tells Tony to beat it and calls Hogan scum and Hart is nuclear scum. He calls him a loser and needs to hang out with the other losers (meaning nWo). He is tired of hearing about Bret Hart whining about being screwed for over a year and a half. Bret claims he is the best there is, pause, there was, pause, and the best there will be…..Savage calls him a con man after letting the phrase sink in. He is unproven and the biggest mark for his own publicity and he congratulates him for graduating and he is now on Savage’s hitlist!

Match 5: Mike Enos v. Goldberg (c) for WCW US Title

Enos hammers him right off the bat. He keeps pounding him but Goldberg just glares. Goldberg takes him down by the legs and has him in a submission hold. Enos gets to the ropes and then he is grabbed and crushed with a belly to belly suplex. Goldberg is just mauling him. Enos tries to fend him off but is speared and it is Jackhammer time!

** Squash and the fans just explode.

Match 6: Scott Steiner v. Sting

As Sting gets in the ring Scotty attacks and tangles him up in his trenchcoat as he pounds him. Sting ducks a clothesline and fires back knocking Steiner over the top and to the floor. Sting heads out after him and runs him into the railing and then the steps before rolling him back into the ring. Sting mounts and pounds him in the corner and Steiner staggers out of the corner and Sting rocks him with some more blows until Scotty lowblows him. Scotty’s turn to take the offensive and he chokes him out on the ropes. He hangs Sting upside down in the corner and pulls back on his neck and Vincent joins in the fun. Scotty tosses him across the ring, and butterfly suplexes him. Sting comes back and Scotty runs into a big boot and Sting pounds his head with some rights. He follows up with a Stinger Splash to the back and he turns him into the Deathlock. Konnan comes down and he gets it, nope here comes Norton and now the numbers game takes over and here comes Rick Steiner who chases off Scotty. Here comes the Giant andhe clears out the nWo.

** Decent but more for angle advancement.

Sting has the mic. No Sting you will not get another title shot any time soon….Hogan has it. Every week he fights off all the bad guys like it is a barroom brawl and he feels like he should be buying a round for everyone. He thinks Nash is a comedian and that he is too sweet. He talks about all his jokes and every one has a punchline. Sting has a punchline for him and mocks Nash’s joke on Arn and Sting tells Nash to bring “Chico” and bring the belts and he will bring the Giant!

I am not really sure how to rate this. Most of the show was taking up with Buff. Other than that the show was decent. By the numbers but it looks like Savage is putting off surgery and Sting and Nash are feuding. I will save a bigger intro for Nitro coming up….