MAY 27TH — CHARLESTON, SC — NORTH CHARLESTON COLISEUM
MIKE TENAY ANNOUNCES A MAJOR MATCH FOR NITRO NEXT WEEK
CONTEXT: Mike Tenay announces that Sting has accepted a steel cage, anything goes match against WCW Television Champion Rick Steiner to take place next week on Nitro in Houston.
Bob’s Take: I’m almost certain that there will not be a clean finish to the match despite the anything goes stipulation. It’s typical WCW fashion and a major negative that the audience is programmed into thinking the main event will have a lame finish. Sting/Steiner in a cage isn’t the strongest main event for Nitro, but I’m a sucker for cage matches. 1 for 1
MATCH #1: KAZ HAYASHI VS. LASH LEROUX
NOTE: During the match, Randy Savage is shown searching for Buff Bagwell and ends up attacking Disco Inferno and Scotty Riggs in a locker room. Savage isn’t stopping until he finds Bagwell.
FINISH: Hayashi picks up the win following a top rope senton splash
Bob’s Take: It was probably smart to put these two on first on the live Thunder episode compared to putting them on the taped episode. Neither guy has gotten much focus on the primary TV shows, but I’m in favor using lower level Cruiserweight wrestlers on Thunder to get them over and incorporated into the division on a more regular basis. There wasn’t much in the sense of high spots, but it was a fine match. LeRoux reminds a lot of Bagwell in the sense of his focus on character and playing to the crowd. 2 for 2
MATCH #2: VAN HAMMER VS. PRINCE IAUKEA
NOTE: Hammer is now using theme music that had been used by Big Bubba Rogers. MMA fighter Tank Abbott is also shown in the front row during the match.
FINISH: Hammer wins the match following the cobra clutch slam
Bob’s Take: I can see why WCW wants to push Hammer because he does have a good look, but he’s not very good in the ring. It also doesn’t help there are a lot of wrestlers who are better and more deserving than Hammer to be getting pushed on television. This was a boring squash match. 2 for 3
RANDY SAVAGE INTERVIEW
CONTEXT: Mean Gene is in the ring to interview Randy Savage, who of course has his ladies with him. Gene mentions Savage searching for Buff Bagwell backstage. Savage tells Gene that he’s real happy and puts attention on his ladies. Savage is very excited for his date with WCW World Champion Kevin Nash at the Great American Bash on June 13th. Savage turns his attention to Bagwell and says that Bagwell disrespected him. Savage is not afraid of Nash and he’s going to regain the WCW World Championship and there’s nothing anyone can do about it because he’s better than Nash and more macho than him, too. Gene proceeds to ask the ladies who their favorite wrestler is and Madusa says Savage. Miss Madness does the same. Lastly, Gorgeous George says Randy Savage. Savage says he’s going to beat Bagwell up bad, but will have a seat for Bagwell at Great American Bash to watch him regain the title from Nash.
Bob’s Take: There was not a lot of substance to this interview by Savage and it was not good. The ladies were obviously going to say Savage is their favorites, so I’m not sure what the point of that was. Getting Savage vs. Bagwell two weeks in a row on Thunder doesn’t bother me, but there better be a decisive win and I doubt Bagwell would have any chance of going over. 2 for 4
THE CAT PROMO, ISSUES A CHALLENGE TO SCOTT NORTON
CONTEXT: Cat cuts a promo warning Scott Norton to stop putting his fat nose in his business, because he’ll rip him apart. Cat calls out Norton to meet him in the ring. However, Norton doesn’t answer the challenge. Cat issues an open challenge to anyone in the back.
Bob’s Take: I honestly thought Cat was talking about Disco Inferno, but when he said Norton that made me chuckle. 3 for 5
MATCH #3: THE CAT VS. VAMPIRO
NOTE: Vampiro got quite a bit of pyro, which makes it look like Vampiro may be someone of importance for WCW.
FINISH: Ono trips Vampiro allowing Cat to deliver a spin kick to the chest and picks up the win.
Bob’s Take: I’m wondering if someone accidentally hit the pyro on Vampiro’s entrance. I never would have thought that Vampiro would have lost. If I’m a casual fan tuning in I’d be under the impression that Vampiro is a star for the company. Vampiro’s entrance gave him a superstar vibe only to lose to Cat in under three minutes. Bizarre booking. 3 for 6
CHRIS BENOIT CONFRONTS RIC FLAIR IN HIS OFFICE
CONTEXT: Diamond Dallas Page is chatting with Ric Flair in his office saying that he knows Flair will take care of Hogan. Chris Benoit enters the room and tells Flair that Flair only cares about himself and he’s fed up with it. Benoit suggests they go outside, but DDP attacks Benoit from behind as Flair taunts Benoit to end the segment.
Bob’s Take: Flair is selfish, but Benoit did benefit from it until it wasn’t useful for himself anymore. I’m guessing we’re going to get a DDP/Benoit match on Nitro or something. That’s fine by me. 4 for 7
BRIAN KNOBBS INTERVIEW; JIMMY HART OFFERS A SPOT IN THE FIRST FAMILY
CONTEXT: Mean Gene interviews Brian Knobbs on the aisle. Knobbs says it is good to be back in WCW because WCW is wild, crazy, but it is missing one major thing and it is nasty. Knobbs talks about wrestlers claiming to be hardcore, but he was hardcore before it was cool. Knobbs has been nasty for fourteen years and nobody has knocked them off yet. Knobbs wants a piece of Bigelow. Jimmy Hart walks down and tells Knobbs that he’s been listening to what Knobbs has been saying. Hart thinks he should be managing Knobbs. Hart reveals he’s reforming the First Family and says that he’s got Hugh Morrus and The Barbarian. Hart offers Knobbs a spot in the family. Knobbs tells Hart that he’s got to think about the offer. Hart suggests that Knobbs better take the offer before walking off.
Bob’s Take: I can safely say that nobody cares about Knobbs and nobody cares about a potential reunion between Knobbs and Hart. I like the idea of the First Family forming, and I’d especially like it if Hugh Morrus was seen as the leader of the group. This segment wasn’t very good, though. 4 for 8
KONNAN PROMO
CONTEXT: Konnan talks about how someone you team up with someone they could be an enemy the next day. Konnan took his departure from Wolfpac as his sign to be on his own. However, Konnan thanks Mysterio, Kidman and Nash for their help on Nitro. Konnan says they are out for blood… whether it be new.. or old.
Bob’s Take: Add Konnan into the mix of guys referencing a potential uprising of the younger talent. His logic is a bit flawed regarding his departure from Wolfpac. That kind of delusion can cause problems in the future. Judging by his promo, Konnan and Nash are pals again. 5 for 9
MATCH #4: KONNAN VS. KENNY KAOS
FINISH: Konnan avoids a top rope leg drop and forces the submission with the Tequila Sunrise.
Bob’s Take: Konnan works well with opponents who are smaller than him. I tend to enjoy his 1997 run when he was bullying Mysterio and Juventud as his best run in WCW. Konnan has a couple of spots that garner a crowd reaction, but I find myself a bit bored with Konnan at this point. Kaos is a guy that I tend to enjoy and I’d much rather Kaos get a push than a guy like Van Hammer. 5 for 10
MATCH #5: EVAN KARAGIAS VS. LENNY LANE
NOTE: Lodi came down to ringside to watch the match. Lodi hasn’t been seen on WCW television since March when he lost to Van Hammer on Saturday night. Lodi hadn’t been on Nitro or Thunder since December ’98.
FINISH: Karagais wins the match following a top rope corkscrew splash.
Bob’s Take: These two were put in a much more difficult position than the opening match. They didn’t have an excited crowd getting see live WCW TV action with the first bout. Instead, the audience had been there for over an hour and likely wanted to see something of more substance. They didn’t win over the crowd with a strong reception, but the action wasn’t too bad. I was surprised that Karagias, though. 5 for 11
MEAN GENE CHATS WITH MMA FIGHTER TANK ABBOTT; RICK STEINER CONFRONTS ABBOTT
CONTEXT: Mean Gene is at ringside to talk with MMA fighter, Tank Abbott. Abbott says that Kev brought him down and claims he dropped who he was to get his seat upgraded. Abbott doesn’t appear overly impressed by some wrestlers he’s seen. Abbott says the wrestlers will find out what hardcore is all about when they meet him. Abbott laughs about the shoot-style cage match on Nitro. Rick Steiner comes out and confronts Abbott. Steiner punches Abbott and actually appears to get the better of the MMA fighter until security steps in between them.
Bob’s Take: This segment didn’t go very well for Abbott. His promo wasn’t good. Steiner actually getting a few shots in on Abbott and seemingly rocking Abbott was not something I was expecting. I’d say the segment didn’t add any interest to the cage match on Nitro. 5 for 12
MATCH #6: DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE VS. CHRIS BENOIT
NOTE: In a production error, Benoit made his entrance to Dean Malenko’s music.
FINISH: Late in the match, Benoit puts the Crossface on DDP, but Bam-Bam Bigelow enters to cause a disqualification. After the match, Ric Flair comes out to get some cheap shots. Bigelow and DDP hit a combo Greetings From Asbury/Diamond Cutter to leave Benoit laying.
Bob’s Take: I think it is safe to say that DDP works best when he’s a face and he’s working as an underdog. His offense here was mostly slow and plodding, but he had a couple of moments of compelling offense. Benoit is enjoyable as he usually is and the match overall is solid and one of the better non-Cruiserweight Thunder matches thus far in ’99. The lame finish with Bigelow getting involved is a disappointment, but it’s typical of WCW. 6 for 13
MAIN EVENT: RANDY SAVAGE VS. BUFF BAGWELL
FINISH: Savage chokes Bagwell in the tree of woe and shoves the referee on the floor. Gorgeous George gets in the ring and chokes Bagwell, as well. Nick Patrick, the referee, grabs a chair to threaten Savage, but that gets taken away. Savage loses the match by disqualification
Bob’s Take: It’s a horrible match. Bagwell gets zero offense and I’m not exaggerating. Bagwell got zero offense during the match. To even suggest a young vs. old angle and one of the likely main attractions on the young side gets zero offense is not a good sign as to how that could go. WCW is not ready to invest properly in their younger talent and I think this match proves they are likely staying the course. 6 for 14
Not one a good episode of Thunder this week overall. There were some decent matches highlighting younger lower card wrestlers, but the action involving the top stars lacked worthwhile finishes and the continued habit of sending fans home or ending the viewing experience on TV with a sour taste in their mouth continues.
Tank Abbott got absolutely embarrassed by Rick Steiner in their segment. Steiner made a professional, real fighter look like a fool. I’m certain that was not the goal of the segment. Abbott did not cut a good promo and if he’s involved in the cage match on Nitro that’s not adding anything to the bout.
As much as I enjoy and love Randy Savage at this point in his career he’s doing far more bad than good being presented in the main event picture. His body is so far gone that he can’t compete at the high level I’m accustomed to seeing in the past. It’s kind of depressing seeing him compete in this state.
Thunder 5/27 TV Rating: 2.9
Thanks for reading.