Written by: Bob Colling
World Championship Wrestling presents Saturday Night
Date: 5/22/1999
From: Cape Girardeau, MO
Matches:
1.) Juventud Guerrera defeated Jerry Flynn
2.) Scott Norton defeated David Taylor
3.) Booker T defeated Bobby Eaton
4.) The Barbarian & Hugh Morrus defeated WCW Tag Team Champions Raven & Saturn by disqualification
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Flynn attacks Guerrera before the bell from behind and delivers several kicks and chops. Flynn nails Guerrera with a spinning heel kick in the corner going over the top to the floor. Juvi avoids a spinning heel kick and tries for a wheelbarrow, but Flynn counters with a savant kick. Flynn misses a heel kick and Guerrera hits a spinning heel kick. Guerrera takes Flynn out with a slingshot crossbody to the floor. Guerrera hits a springboard missile dropkick and signals for the Juvi Driver. Flynn stops Juvi with an eye rake. Flynn tosses Guerrera across the ring and taunts the fans telling them the boos don’t bother him. Flynn drops Juvi with a spinning kick. Flynn continues with a spinning chop to Guerrera’s chest. Flynn misses a boot in the corner and is nearly pinned by Guerrera with a rollup. Guerrera tries for the Juvi Driver, but Flynn counters with a kick. Guerrera counters a powerbomb with a DDT before going to the top. Flynn crotches Guerrera and tires for a middle rope back suplex. Guerrera fights Flynn off and gets footing on the top rope managing to hit the 450 splash for the win. (**. Well, their styles actually meshed well together, I thought. For a moment I thought Flynn was going to get a huge win. Thankfully, that didn’t happen.) After the match, Flynn shoves Guerrera off the middle rope and Juvi hits his face on the ring steps.
2.) Norton shows off his strength advantage by shoving Taylor to the mat early on. Norton shoulder blocks Taylor but misses a clothesline. Taylor fails at a dropkick and is slammed by Norton before rolling to the floor. Norton gets cut off getting back into the ring. Norton crotches Taylor on the top rope and decks Taylor to the floor. Taylor gets some momentum with uppercuts, but Norton drops Taylor with a chop to the chest. Norton hits a short arm clothesline. Taylor continues to fall down after one chop and Norton pulls Taylor up on a cover. Taylor forearms Norton in the corner to drop the big man to one knee. Norton absorbs a few uppercuts and clotheslines Taylor. Norton slams Taylor and plays to the crowd before hitting a powerbomb for the win. (*1/4. I enjoyed some of Taylor’s selling on the chops that really made Norton come across like he had some damaging strikes. I was hoping for something a little more competitive but Norton dominating isn’t the worse thing ever.)
3.) Booker cleanly breaks away from Eaton in the corner to show some respect. Eaton reaches the ropes to break an arm hold. Booker hip tosses Eaton to the floor. Booker clotheslines Eaton but gets sent through the ropes to the floor. Eaton rams Booker into the railing chest first. Eaton plants Booker with a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Booker fights out of a sleeper and nails Eaton with a forearm smash. Booker follows up with a scissors kick. Booker hits a leaping side kick, as well. Booker heads to the top and wins following a missile dropkick. (*1/2. Well, Eaton got his usual neckbreaker in, but that was pretty much it. Just a simple ehancement match for Booker here.)
4.) Kanyon is at ringside alongside Raven and Saturn for the main event as is Jimmy Hart with the challengers. Saturn and Morrus start off the main event. Morrus shoulder blocks Saturn and taunts the fans. Raven enters and is met with a shoulder block, too. Saturn takes Morrus over with a northern lights suplex for a two count. Raven enters to hit a leg sweep/clothesline combo on Morrus. Raven knee lifts Morrus after coming off the ropes. Saturn savant kicks Morrus while Raven hit a side Russian leg sweep. Saturn comes off the ropes and is met with a clothesline. Barbarian works over Saturn with a choke in the corner. Saturn takes Barbarian over with an overhead suplex. Barbarian stops Saturn with an atomic drop and a stomp to the lower midsection. Morrus leg drops Saturn on the groin before going to the top rope. Morrus misses a top rope elbow drop. Saturn tags in Raven. Raven cleans house with strikes on the challengers. Morrus is sent into Barbarian in the corner and gets a steel chair from Kanyon. Raven drop toe holds Morrus onto a steel chair, but Barbarian breaks up the cover. Barbarian and Raven brawl on the floor while Saturn brawls with Morrus. Saturn gets a chair shot by Jimmy Hart. Kanyon prevents a top rope moonsault by Morrus by tripping him on the top rope. That causes a disqualification. After the match, Kidman and Rey Mysterio Jr. enter the ring and hammer away on the champs. That is until Raven plants Rey with a DDT and Kanyon hits the Flatliner on Kidman. Saturn hits a top rope splash onto Rey and Kidman. Did Raven and Saturn start the match as faces and by the end were heels? (*1/4. It’s kinda getting comical that the tag champions can’t get a clean win over a low heel team on the C-level show. The crowd loved the aftermath, though.)
Final Thoughts:
Flynn/Guerrera was solid and David Taylor was entertaining with his over the top selling. Aside from that, this was a subpar episode of Saturday Night.