Would You Go To This Show? Volume Twenty

For the first time in this series I’ve decided to look at three shows that took place on the same day. It was during the peak time to be a professional wrestling fan as ECW, WCW and WWF were all doing great numbers and providing memorable moments each week. I picked a random day and each company ran a show. So, now it is time to decide… Would You Go To This Show?

The date is September 11th, 1998.

WCW – Cincinnati, Ohio
Attendance: 13,338
1.) Kanyon defeated Evan Karagias
2.) Meng defeated Hugh Morrus
3.) Ernest Miller defeated Billy Kidman
4.) Stevie Ray defeated Steve McMichael
5.) Diamond Dallas Page defeated Curt Hennig
6.) Sting & Kevin Nash defeated WCW United States Champion Bret Hart & Scott Hall
7.) WCW World Champion Goldberg defeated The Giant

At first glance, the show didn’t look all that strong but the more I looked at it, it doesn’t look so bad. I’ve always liked Kanyon and have found him to be very entertaining in WCW. His match with Karagias probably wouldn’t amount to much since Karagias was never all that great. Meng vs. Morrus could be a decent little brawl. It kind of blows my mind that Kidman would lose to Ernest Miller on a house show. I suppose that shows where Cruiserweights stood in the company. That could be another decent enough match and Miller is capable of getting some great heel heat.

Stevie and Mongo would likely be a disaster. The final three matches are triple main event worthy promotion, in my opinion. They are rather strong matches with some of the top guys in WCW. DDP/Hennig had just happened less than a year ago at Starrcade and Hennig had been working well in the ring since his injury earlier in ’98. The tag match is interesting since Nash and Hall had split and their interaction would be fun to see. Sting and Hart would likely be the best stuff in there. Lastly, the main event with Goldberg and Giant hadn’t happen on television yet, where Goldberg beat him in less than two minutes. It would be a larger than life main event and the visual of a Jackhammer to Giant live would be quite the scene to see.

I think this is a strong show for a WCW house show. It’s a show I’d attend, but I’ve got two more shows to look at.

ECW – Altoona, PA
Attendance: 1,000
1.) Super Nova & Blue Meanie defeated Tracy Smothers & Little Guido
2.) Sal E. Graziano defeated John Kronus
3.) Spike Dudley defeated Sal E. Graziano
4.) Jerry Lynn defeated Mikey Whipwreck
5.) Chris Chetti defeated Danny Doring
6.) Tommy Dreamer defeated Jack Victory
7.) Chris Candido defeated Lance Storm
8.) ECW Tag Team Champions Sabu & Rob Van Dam defeated the Dudley Boys

The first three matches for this show are not interesting at all. The opening tag match would likely just be a dance-off between Meanie and Smothers. They normally just do comedy stuff that isn’t all that entertaining. Then, the usual Spike beats the big guy in ten-seconds. That’s all rather played out to me. Lynn vs. Whipwreck would likely be the first good match on the show. Chetti is an underrated talent in ECW but Doring is usually hit or miss during this time. Dreamer/Victory is probably the typical ECW brawling match that the show always needs to feature. It kind of feels like a waste for Dreamer to work a match with Victory. Storm/Candido is a draw since they are always having good matches against each other. Lastly, the main event is pretty strong for ECW, but for the house shows I’ve already covered, they don’t necessarily deliver great matches.

There is a lot of top level talent missing from the show including Taz, Shane Douglas, and Justin Credible. There are a few matches that could be good, but it’s not strong enough for me to actively seek out. I’d skip this one for sure.

WWF – Calgary, Alberta
Attendance: 14, 017
1.) Eric Francis fought Joe Sorts to a draw in a boxing match
2.) Scorpio defeated Dennis Knight
3.) Tiger Ali Singh defeated Dustin Runnels
4.) Faarooq defeated Mark Henry
5.) X-Pac defeated Jeff Jarrett
6.) The Rock defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Triple H by disqualification
7.) Owen Hart defeated Ken Shamrock
8.) WWF Tag Team Champions Road Dogg & Billy Gunn defeated Skull & 8-Ball
9.) Val Venis defeated Miguel Perez
10.) WWF World Champion Steve Austin defeated Kane, Mankind and the Undertaker

I’d be lying if I said I knew who the guys in the boxing match were. There seems to be a trend with having a boxing match on their Calgary shows. I don’t know why, but the idea of Scorpio and Dennis Knight in a singles match is intriguing to me. That’s probably because Knight was fairly decent in the ring before his Mideon role. It kind of blows my mind that Tiger Ali Singh would get a win over Dustin Runnels. I have zero interest in Tiger and would probably use that as a bathroom break or food break. Faarooq/Henry feels like it’s just kind of there. From the fifth match to the main event, this is a strong card. Pac/Jarrett would be the first good match, I’d imagine. Owen/Shamrock is intriguing. Outlaws are wasted against the team of Skull 8-Ball, so the rest of the show isn’t really strong. Venis and Perez feels like a filler match before the main event. The main event is a huge four way with the top four acts in the business. I’m sure it would be wild and a lot of fun to watch.

I’d say it’s a good card and there are some strong matches on the card. I’d attend this show.

When it comes down to which of the three I’d attend, I’d probably go to the WWF show. WCW has a solid card with their final three matches being the most interesting. WWF just seems to have a better card and matches that would likely have better work rate. So, WWF wins this one.

Which show would you go to?

Thanks for reading.