UnCensored is ten days away and the main event will see WCW World Champion Hollywood Hogan defend against Ric Flair inside a barbed wire steel cage match. Flair noted that he’s only in control for less than a month remaining, but I could have sworn that David Flair beating Eric Bischoff on the Nitro after Souled Out had the stipulation that Ric’s power was seemingly indefinite. Yeah, it was on the January 18th Nitro. So, either Ric flubbed or they are dropping that aspect of the angle, which would be kind of baffling.
WCW United States Championship, which is held by Scott Hall and hasn’t been seen since Superbrawl, is likely going to be vacated due to Hall suffering a foot injury. If there was ever the chance to put the title on Booker T and push forward on a major push for him it’s right there for the taking. Hell, I’d even consider putting the title on Rey Mysterio Jr.
Speaking of Rey Mysterio Jr., he declined to join the New World Order on Nitro and was predictably attacked by Kevin Nash and Lex Luger for doing so. It would be shocking for Mysterio to win the feud with the NWO, and I don’t see it happening.
Goldberg hasn’t had a huge focus leading into UnCensored and has mostly been interaction with Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell for a television feud. Goldberg isn’t booked for UnCensored, but luckily for WCW they are deep enough roster wise that it’s not too terrible. Diamond Dallas Page has also been written off television since Superbrawl when Steiner brutally beat DDP to retain the WCW Television Championship.
This edition of Thunder is a live broadcast and could potentially have some developments to the angles. So, lets get into it.
MARCH 4TH —WINSTON-SALEM, NC — LAWRENCE JOEL VETERANS MEMORIAL COLISEUM
ARN ANDERSON CHATS WITH RIC FLAIR
CONTEXT: Backstage, Arn is chatting with Flair about trying to figure out what to say regarding David Flair. Arn thinks he knows Ric better than anyone and he’s stumped. Arn doesn’t understand what’s going on. Ric tells Arn that he’s had to listen to Arn wanting to beat up his son while watching David drive around in a new car while living with him before stabbing him in the back. Ric mentions again having power for twenty more days and has Hogan in the cage. Flair says that David has to live with his decisions because he’s an adult. Flair tells Arn that his agenda means a lot to him and should mean a lot to Arn, too. Flair tells Arn that he’s not going to say he doesn’t love his son and care about him. However, when he was 19 he wasn’t telling his father what to do and steal money from him. Ric tells Arn that David made his decision and if Ric wins the title he’s back on top. The Horsemen will be back on top. Ric refuses to be distracted by a 19-year old kid and a blonde woman. Arn thinks that Ric is wearing a game face to hide the hurt. Flair talks about the parody the NWO has done and they both don’t like it. Flair insists that David will be held accountable for being on the other side of the fight. Arn tells Ric that if his son Barrett did it he wouldn’t be able to put two words together. Flair says the fans roar for him because he’s the best wrestler in the world. Ric thinks David will wake up eventually and admit he made a mistake. Ric tells Arn that their friendship better mean a lot more and reminds Arn that he never left his side.
Bob’s Take: It’s been 25 years and I’m still confused by the angle involving Flair and his power. So, it would appear that it was never said that Flair would get power for an extended period of time. Flair had offered to give back power to Bischoff just to get Bischoff into the ring and shave his head. Apparently the shaving of Bischoff’s hair was worth such a gamble to give the NWO potential power. While Bischoff suffered the loss of his hair in less than a month he’ll have power once again. I’m left sitting here truly finding Flair to be a moron. 0 for 1
MATCH #1: RICK STEINER VS. HUGH MORRUS
FINISH: Steiner picks up the win following a top rope bulldog.
Bob’s Take: Morrus has an interesting haircut with a shaved spot across the back of his head, which is something I haven’t noticed before. It’s a shorter match than expected, but I enjoyed the action. These two have similar styles and it translated fairly well. Rick Steiner is a good addition to the undercard and can be valuable there. I don’t see him as a main event act, but the TV Championship scene is the ideal level. 1 for 2
CHRIS BENOIT & DEAN MALENKO INTERVIEW:
CONTEXT: Mean Gene conducted an interview with Benoit and Malenko in the middle of the ring. Benoit gives props to Windham and Hennig for winning the tag titles at Superbrawl and says they beat them by using a page out of their book. Benoit says that Windham spent a lot of time in their backyard before. Benoit says that Windham isn’t aware of their mentality and Windham has crossed the line. Benoit says their desire for gold and revenge has amplified. Benoit talks about the hours looking up at the ceiling and working out in the gym wondering where they went wrong. They will get revenge Horsemen style. Malenko chimes in and says that since Superbrawl the only thing that’s been on his mind has been the gold. Malenko says that Benoit didn’t leap off a cage to jeopardize his career to come up short at Superbrawl. Malenko removes his belt and wraps it around his fist. Malenko says that the belt is what it takes for Windham to win the titles. Malenko reveals that at UnCensored there will be eight guys with eight belts and anyone that goes to the floor will get whipped with the belt. Malenko promises they aren’t leaving Louisville without the tag titles. Malenko proclaims that the Horsemen will have the World Title and the Tag Team Titles at UnCensored.
Bob’s Take: That was a much better interview segment than I was expecting. Benoit delivered his promo well and I felt it helped the feud advance along. The chase for the tag titles is the right move and I hope it ends in a short reign for Windham and Hennig. 2 for 3
MATCH #2: ERNEST MILLER & SONNY ONO VS. AL GREEN —HANDICAP MATCH
FINISH: Ono pins Green following a spin kick while Miller held a knockout Green.
Bob’s Take: Ernest Miller is absolutely getting over as a heel as he generated a pretty good heel reaction from the crowd. Miller has a level of comedy in his act that should make it easy for him to eventually become a fun babyface. The match isn’t very good, but this act is getting over. Ono being ‘undefeated’ is a fine direction to go as it’s annoying enough to get the fans to want to see him beaten up. 2 for 4
PERRY SATURN INTERVIEW
CONTEXT: Saturn makes his way out with a dog collar around his neck and he’s wearing a skirt instead of a dress. Saturn tells Gene that he’s looking at a bald bombshell. Saturn says he’s the original bald bombshell. Saturn thinks that chicks dig a guy wearing a dress. Saturn found out on Nitro that Jericho has a chain fetish. Well, Saturn has a bondage fetish and suggests having a dog collar match at UnCensored with Jericho. Jericho and Ralphus make their way out to join the segment. Jericho agrees that he’s got a fetish, but that fetish is to keep WCW G-rated company and get rid of the R-rated characters. Jericho is going to teach Saturn to ditch the dress. Jericho says that Saturn is nothing more than a crosseyed freak of nature. Saturn says he’ll be so freaky that Marlyn Manson will even say “woah, look at that freak.”
Bob’s Take: The idea of a dog collar match is fine, but the promo didn’t connect to enhance the heat. I think they will have a good match as they have good in-ring chemistry, but the interview aspect of the feud has been lacking for me. 2 for 5
MATCH #3: BAM-BAM BIGELOW VS. PRINCE IAUKEA
FINISH: Bigelow catches Iaukea on a springboard attempt and spikes Iaukea with the Greetings From Asbury Park to win the match.
Bob’s Take: The final fifteen seconds of the match was entertaining, but prior to that this was a chore to get through. There’s no reason to buy into Bigelow in WCW and I know that anytime he’s involved in a meaningful match he’s going to end up losing anyway. It’s incredible to think that Iaukea is a former WCW Television Champion and hasn’t gotten better in the ring,. 2 for 6
MATCH #4: WCW TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS CURT HENNIG & BARRY WINDHAM VS. HORACE & VINCENT — NON-TITLE
FINISH: Stevie Ray made his way out and brawled with Vincent at ringside. Horace is left alone to fight the tag champions. Benoit & Malenko run into the ring and attack Hennig and Windham to cause the match to end in a disqualification.
Bob’s Take: Stevie Ray actually got a decent sized pop for attacking Vincent and that should be a signal that the angle has been working for the audience. I’m not surprised that the match got a DQ finish since both teams are heels and the crowd investment wouldn’t be all that high anyway. 2 for 7
HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN ADDRESSES THE FANS
CONTEXT: Duggan thanks the fans for the reception. Duggan hasn’t been seen on TV for seven months since he was diagnosed with cancer. Duggan gets down onto a knee and does a prayer thanking Lord for allowing him to overcome cancer. Duggan thanks the fans and WCW for supporting him throughout the whole ordeal. Duggan is proud to be part of WCW. Duggan thanks his doctor for removing his kidney and preventing the cancer from spreading. Duggan met a lot of people dealing with the disease and they showed him to never give up. Duggan suggests people go to the doctor if something doesn’t feel right. Duggan hasn’t decided on returning to the ring. If he does return he’s not going to be obscene and he’s going to remain true to himself. Duggan says nobody will keep him away from his goals.
Bob’s Take: Duggan returning from cancer is obviously a good thing. Duggan has been able to remain over with the fans no matter what happens in professional wrestling. It’s honestly an impressive feat. 3 for 8
MATCH #5: WCW CRUISERWEIGHT CHAMPION BILLY KIDMAN VS. CHAVO GUERRERO JR.
FINISH: Near the end of the match, Chavo got a would be three count with his feet on the ropes, but the referee saw it and continued the bout. Kidman manages to hit the Shooting Star Press to retain the title.
Bob’s Take: I thought it was a solid title defense for Kidman. The action was consistent and it followed up from their Superbrawl match fairly well. An enjoyable match as expected and I’m glad that Kidman won cleanly. I wish WCW would focus more on this type of wrestling. 4 for 9
WCW WORLD CHAMPION HOLLYWOOD HOGAN SIT DOWN INTERVIEW
CONTEXT: Hogan talks about the idea of his son Nicholas telling him to stick it like David Flair has done to his father, Ric Flair. Hogan says people look at him and are disgusted. Hogan talks about doing all his vitamin talk for money. Hogan knows that people think he’s a bad guy and not a good person. Hogan thinks that Ric Flair is worse than him and considers Flair to be a rotten piece of crap. Hogan says Ric doesn’t even care about his son David. Hogan can’t believe that Ric doesn’t care about losing his son to the NWO. Hogan is excited about the upcoming match with Ric Flair. Hogan considers Flair to be worst man on the planet. Hogan knows that Flair would love to control the business and remain on top until he’s in triple digits. Hogan will do whatever Flair wants and get in the ring one more time. Hogan wants Flair to quit the business and never come back. Hogan says if Flair can beat him then he can have control of WCW for as long as he wants. Hogan has gotten approval from Bischoff to say that. Hogan believes that Flair will fight harder than ever to get total control of WCW. Hogan says if he wins then we’ll never see Flair ever again. Hogan believe he’s the best professional wrestler in the business.
Bob’s Take: A better promo by Hogan than his live promos in front of the audience. So, now if Flair wins at UnCensored he’ll not only be champion but he’ll have full control of WCW and not have an end date. However, if Flair loses then he’s gone from WCW forever. I feel that is an obvious outcome. Flair isn’t going to go anywhere, right? The promo dragged a little bit longer than it probably needed to, but it was fine. 5 for 10
MAIN EVENT: BOOKER T VS. BUFF BAGWELL
FINISH: Late in the match, Booker accidentally hits the referee with a Harlem Sidekick as Bagwell ducked the attempt. WCW Television Champion Scott Steiner runs down to the ring and whacks Booker with a chair shot. Bagwell ends up hitting the Blockbuster to pickup the win.
Bob’s Take: I found this to be a lifeless main event. Bagwell doesn’t come across as a confident guy in the ring right now, which shouldn’t be a surprise considering he’s returning to action after a broken neck. I’d imagine it would take some time to regain confidence. Steiner getting involved in the finish didn’t surprise me at all. I wish they’d allow Booker T to get proper momentum even if there’s interference. Booker recently pinned Bret Hart cleanly on Nitro and there’s a lack of followup on the momentum. 5 for 11
It’s not a terrible episode of Thunder, but certainly a below average outing. Chavo/Kidman was a solid TV match and Steiner/Morrus was decent for what it was. The rest of the action left a lot to be desired, though. They advanced a couple of feuds, but the Saturn/Jericho stuff isn’t doing much for me at this point.
Hogan’s promo was a lot better, but I hate the stipulation that if Flair loses then he’s gone from WCW. It’s such a played out angle and there’s no chance that Flair is going to be gone from WCW at this point.
Thunder 3/4 TV Rating: 3.6
Thanks for reading.