Thunder – October 15,1998
By Scott Keith on March 8, 2014
Thunder
Date:
October 15, 1998
October 15, 1998
Location:
Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana
Market Square Arena, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators:
Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Lee Marshall
Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone, Lee Marshall
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
WCW
is in a bad place right now as their last two shows have been very,
very boring. For some reason this show doesn’t exactly instill me
with confidence as Thunder becomes less and less important every
single week. We’re ten days away from Halloween Havoc which still
feels like it’s about a year away given how boring these shows have
been lately. Let’s get to it.
is in a bad place right now as their last two shows have been very,
very boring. For some reason this show doesn’t exactly instill me
with confidence as Thunder becomes less and less important every
single week. We’re ten days away from Halloween Havoc which still
feels like it’s about a year away given how boring these shows have
been lately. Let’s get to it.
Hammer
vs. Sick Boy
vs. Sick Boy
Sick
Boy comes out to no music. They didn’t have 247 generic rock songs
available? Hammer shoves him into the corner to start and tells Sick
Boy not to freak out. Sick Boy takes him into the corner and slaps
Hammer into the corner, earning him an elbow into the jaw. Hammer
clotheslines him out to the floor and hits a nice dive for a guy his
size.
Boy comes out to no music. They didn’t have 247 generic rock songs
available? Hammer shoves him into the corner to start and tells Sick
Boy not to freak out. Sick Boy takes him into the corner and slaps
Hammer into the corner, earning him an elbow into the jaw. Hammer
clotheslines him out to the floor and hits a nice dive for a guy his
size.
Sick
Boy scores with a baseball slide and drops Hammer before putting on a
sleeper. The announcers talk about ANYTHING other than this boring
match. Hammer counters into a sleeper of his own Sick Boy comes out
with a jawbreaker. A middle rope elbow gets two for Sick Boy but
Hammer throws him off the top by the hair in a painful looking move.
Back up and the Flashback (Alabama Slam) is good for the pin on the
sick one.
Boy scores with a baseball slide and drops Hammer before putting on a
sleeper. The announcers talk about ANYTHING other than this boring
match. Hammer counters into a sleeper of his own Sick Boy comes out
with a jawbreaker. A middle rope elbow gets two for Sick Boy but
Hammer throws him off the top by the hair in a painful looking move.
Back up and the Flashback (Alabama Slam) is good for the pin on the
sick one.
Rating:
D. The match wasn’t horrible
but it just wasn’t interesting at all. That’s the problem with most
of the matches on Thunder anymore. I’ve seen far worse matches, but
it doesn’t mean I want to sit through them at all. This was another
double taping so I can’t imagine how bored the fans must be at this
point.
D. The match wasn’t horrible
but it just wasn’t interesting at all. That’s the problem with most
of the matches on Thunder anymore. I’ve seen far worse matches, but
it doesn’t mean I want to sit through them at all. This was another
double taping so I can’t imagine how bored the fans must be at this
point.
Video
on the Horsemen.
on the Horsemen.
We
see clips from Monday with Bischoff trying to keep the Horsemen out
of the arena. By clips, I mean everything that happened, running
about seven and a half minutes total. It’s
becoming more and more clear that they’re just filling stuff in here.
see clips from Monday with Bischoff trying to keep the Horsemen out
of the arena. By clips, I mean everything that happened, running
about seven and a half minutes total. It’s
becoming more and more clear that they’re just filling stuff in here.
La
Parka vs. Konnan
Parka vs. Konnan
Konnan
does his usual schtick followed by the rolling clothesline and seated
dropkick. At least the fans care about the people in this match.
Back up and Konnan decks him with a back elbow but walks into what
might have been a low blow. La Parka chops away and hits a running
clothesline followed by a spinwheel kick.
does his usual schtick followed by the rolling clothesline and seated
dropkick. At least the fans care about the people in this match.
Back up and Konnan decks him with a back elbow but walks into what
might have been a low blow. La Parka chops away and hits a running
clothesline followed by a spinwheel kick.
He
loads up another charge into the corner but runs into two boots,
followed by something resembling a powerbomb from Konnan. La Parka
clotheslines him down but gets rolled up for tow more. Konnan grabs
a bulldog and gets in a slightly low kick of his own before the
X-Factor and Tequila Sunrise get the win.
loads up another charge into the corner but runs into two boots,
followed by something resembling a powerbomb from Konnan. La Parka
clotheslines him down but gets rolled up for tow more. Konnan grabs
a bulldog and gets in a slightly low kick of his own before the
X-Factor and Tequila Sunrise get the win.
Rating:
D+. Again, this was just two guys doing moves to each other for about
five minutes. It’s not a terrible match or anything but there’s just
no reason to care at all about this. Konnan could at least keep a
crowd going well enough and La Parka is always entertaining but
there’s just nothing to see here.
D+. Again, this was just two guys doing moves to each other for about
five minutes. It’s not a terrible match or anything but there’s just
no reason to care at all about this. Konnan could at least keep a
crowd going well enough and La Parka is always entertaining but
there’s just nothing to see here.
Buy
WCW Magazine!
WCW Magazine!
Riggs
vs. Finlay
vs. Finlay
Finlay
hammers away to start but walks into an armdrag. With nothing else
to do, Finlay rakes the one eye he can see, causing Heenan to go into
as many jokes as he can. At least it’s better than hearing about
Hogan vs. Warrior the entire time. Finlay
grabs a quick chinlock but Riggs fights up and dropkicks him down
before they choke each other against the ropes. A
clothesline puts Riggs down and Finlay rams his head into the mat.
hammers away to start but walks into an armdrag. With nothing else
to do, Finlay rakes the one eye he can see, causing Heenan to go into
as many jokes as he can. At least it’s better than hearing about
Hogan vs. Warrior the entire time. Finlay
grabs a quick chinlock but Riggs fights up and dropkicks him down
before they choke each other against the ropes. A
clothesline puts Riggs down and Finlay rams his head into the mat.
We
go outside for more punishment from Finlay including a kick to the
head. Back in and Finlay hammers away with whatever he can think of
and rips the patch off to work over the eye. Riggs blocks a top rope
splash with some raised knees and gets two off a knee drop. A top
rope ax handle misses though and Finlay tombstones him down for the
pin.
go outside for more punishment from Finlay including a kick to the
head. Back in and Finlay hammers away with whatever he can think of
and rips the patch off to work over the eye. Riggs blocks a top rope
splash with some raised knees and gets two off a knee drop. A top
rope ax handle misses though and Finlay tombstones him down for the
pin.
Rating:
D. This was similar to the
first match in that it wasn’t terrible but it just wasn’t interesting
at all. As usual, Riggs continues to be someone who is just there
and could have been any one of about a dozen guys and not changed a
thing. Finlay was his usual hard hitting self but that’s not enough
to carry a six minute match.
D. This was similar to the
first match in that it wasn’t terrible but it just wasn’t interesting
at all. As usual, Riggs continues to be someone who is just there
and could have been any one of about a dozen guys and not changed a
thing. Finlay was his usual hard hitting self but that’s not enough
to carry a six minute match.
Cruiserweight
Title: Kaz Hayashi vs. Kidman
Title: Kaz Hayashi vs. Kidman
Kidman
is defending. Kaz grabs a
headlock to start but misses a spinwheel kick. He comes back with a
headscissors and we get a standoff. Kidman sends him outside and
hits a nice plancha before taking him back inside for some right
hands against the ropes. Kaz backdrops him out to the floor and hits
a nice twisting plancha to put both guys down. Back
in again and Hayashi chops him down a few times before we take a
break.
is defending. Kaz grabs a
headlock to start but misses a spinwheel kick. He comes back with a
headscissors and we get a standoff. Kidman sends him outside and
hits a nice plancha before taking him back inside for some right
hands against the ropes. Kaz backdrops him out to the floor and hits
a nice twisting plancha to put both guys down. Back
in again and Hayashi chops him down a few times before we take a
break.
We
come back with Kidman getting two off a sunset flip but getting kneed
in the head to put Kaz back in control. Kaz misses a moonsault and
gets bulldogged off the middle rope. Kidman puts him down with a
sitout powerbomb but Kaz pops up to break up the Shooting Star. He
breaks it up again and hits a jawbreaker off the top in a nice spot.
Hayashi gets two off a spinwheel kick Sonny Onoo comes out. Kidman
dropkicks him out of the air but gets caught in a quick hurricanrana
for two. A German suplex gets two on Kidman and Sonny is shaking his
head. Kidman slams him down and hits the Shooting Star for the pin.
come back with Kidman getting two off a sunset flip but getting kneed
in the head to put Kaz back in control. Kaz misses a moonsault and
gets bulldogged off the middle rope. Kidman puts him down with a
sitout powerbomb but Kaz pops up to break up the Shooting Star. He
breaks it up again and hits a jawbreaker off the top in a nice spot.
Hayashi gets two off a spinwheel kick Sonny Onoo comes out. Kidman
dropkicks him out of the air but gets caught in a quick hurricanrana
for two. A German suplex gets two on Kidman and Sonny is shaking his
head. Kidman slams him down and hits the Shooting Star for the pin.
Rating:
C+. It was good but nothing we
haven’t seen done better by Juventud. Kaz was yet another name on
the very long list of cruiserweights that could be inserted into a
match with the bigger names and have a good match. Some of the spots
were good here and while it wasn’t a great match, it was about ten
times better than anything else tonight so far.
C+. It was good but nothing we
haven’t seen done better by Juventud. Kaz was yet another name on
the very long list of cruiserweights that could be inserted into a
match with the bigger names and have a good match. Some of the spots
were good here and while it wasn’t a great match, it was about ten
times better than anything else tonight so far.
Sonny
beats up Kaz post match until Kidman makes a save.
beats up Kaz post match until Kidman makes a save.
We
get clips from Nitro with Buff and Scott having their argument.
get clips from Nitro with Buff and Scott having their argument.
Chucky
clip. I would love to hear that being pitched to Dusty Rhodes and
Ric Flair.
clip. I would love to hear that being pitched to Dusty Rhodes and
Ric Flair.
Hogan
vs. Warrior video.
vs. Warrior video.
Here’s
Ernest Miller to challenge anyone to fight him. He talks a lot of
trash until a “fan”
comes into the ring and is allowed to stand behind him until Miller
lays him out. Security takes the guy away.
Ernest Miller to challenge anyone to fight him. He talks a lot of
trash until a “fan”
comes into the ring and is allowed to stand behind him until Miller
lays him out. Security takes the guy away.
Chavo
Guerrero Jr. vs. Prince Iaukea
Guerrero Jr. vs. Prince Iaukea
Chavo
rides Pepe around to start and dances a bit before we get going. A
shoulder block puts the Prince down and we get more dancing. Chavo
pounds away in the corner but gets caught by chops and a dropkick.
Iaukea sends him to the
floor and it’s time to talk to the horse. Chavo waves Pepe at the
Prince and talks to it some more before heading back inside for a
test of strength.
rides Pepe around to start and dances a bit before we get going. A
shoulder block puts the Prince down and we get more dancing. Chavo
pounds away in the corner but gets caught by chops and a dropkick.
Iaukea sends him to the
floor and it’s time to talk to the horse. Chavo waves Pepe at the
Prince and talks to it some more before heading back inside for a
test of strength.
They
trade some nice counters until Chavo armdrags him down into a
chinlock. To keep up the comedy, Chavo gives the Prince a wet willy
to the indifference of the crowd. Iaukea reverses into a chinlock of
his own, sending Chavo off to talk to Pepe. The Prince grabs the
horse and Chavo begs for mercy, only to blast Prince in the back of
the head.
trade some nice counters until Chavo armdrags him down into a
chinlock. To keep up the comedy, Chavo gives the Prince a wet willy
to the indifference of the crowd. Iaukea reverses into a chinlock of
his own, sending Chavo off to talk to Pepe. The Prince grabs the
horse and Chavo begs for mercy, only to blast Prince in the back of
the head.
Chavo
slams Iaukea down and rides the horse around before peppering him
with some European uppercuts. Prince comes back with a quick cross
body for two and a victory roll for the same. Guerrero
gets a knee up in the corner and goes up for the tornado DDT and the
pin.
slams Iaukea down and rides the horse around before peppering him
with some European uppercuts. Prince comes back with a quick cross
body for two and a victory roll for the same. Guerrero
gets a knee up in the corner and goes up for the tornado DDT and the
pin.
Rating:
C. This was much easier to sit
through as it at least had something entertaining to it. I’d much
rather watch a not very funny comedy match than a boring wrestling
match and it was much easier to sit through this. Chavo and the
horse are getting a bit tiresome but at least it’s not Finlay vs.
Riggs.
C. This was much easier to sit
through as it at least had something entertaining to it. I’d much
rather watch a not very funny comedy match than a boring wrestling
match and it was much easier to sit through this. Chavo and the
horse are getting a bit tiresome but at least it’s not Finlay vs.
Riggs.
Bride
of Chucky ad.
of Chucky ad.
WCW
Mastercard ad. 1998 was a strange time.
Mastercard ad. 1998 was a strange time.
Video
on Page vs. Goldberg. You know, a wrestling match. I know you’d
rather see ads for movies and credit cards but they had to fit this
in there somewhere.
on Page vs. Goldberg. You know, a wrestling match. I know you’d
rather see ads for movies and credit cards but they had to fit this
in there somewhere.
Here’s
Page for his weekly chat. Page is all fired up for the title match
and is jacked up tonight. He’s happy just being himself instead of
being undefeated with all the pressure on him. Page has two words
for Goldberg: Diamond Cutter. Again, simple stuff here.
Page for his weekly chat. Page is all fired up for the title match
and is jacked up tonight. He’s happy just being himself instead of
being undefeated with all the pressure on him. Page has two words
for Goldberg: Diamond Cutter. Again, simple stuff here.
Stevie
Ray vs. Dean Malenko
Ray vs. Dean Malenko
Here’s
your main event. Dean yells
at Vincent and Ray gets in a cheap shot to take over. A big boot
sends Dean to the floor and Ray throws on a bearhug as we take a
break about a minute in. Back
with Dean getting sideslammed and put in a chinlock with a knee in
his spine. Dean fights up
but gets elbowed down and put right back in the hold.
your main event. Dean yells
at Vincent and Ray gets in a cheap shot to take over. A big boot
sends Dean to the floor and Ray throws on a bearhug as we take a
break about a minute in. Back
with Dean getting sideslammed and put in a chinlock with a knee in
his spine. Dean fights up
but gets elbowed down and put right back in the hold.
Malenko
fights up again and gets a quick belly to back suplex but Stevie
powers him into the corner. Stevie whips him across but Dean jumps
to the top for a missile dropkick of all things. He loads up the
Cloverleaf but Vincent comes in for the DQ. Too much was in the
commercial but this was your usual NWO main event.
fights up again and gets a quick belly to back suplex but Stevie
powers him into the corner. Stevie whips him across but Dean jumps
to the top for a missile dropkick of all things. He loads up the
Cloverleaf but Vincent comes in for the DQ. Too much was in the
commercial but this was your usual NWO main event.
Scott
Norton comes in to help with the beatdown but the Horsemen run out
for the save. Arn says the NWO is trespassing here in Horsemen
country and if they want a war, the Horsemen are going to win. Flair
says that Bischoff is just an abuse of power and the Horsemen aren’t
afraid of subpoenas. Malenko survived a beating like that because
he’s a member of the most elite group in wrestling. Dean says he’s
ready for any member of the NWO because that’s what a Horseman does.
Flair promises to take Bischoff’s job and run this company, prompting
Heenan to suck up even more as the show ends.
Norton comes in to help with the beatdown but the Horsemen run out
for the save. Arn says the NWO is trespassing here in Horsemen
country and if they want a war, the Horsemen are going to win. Flair
says that Bischoff is just an abuse of power and the Horsemen aren’t
afraid of subpoenas. Malenko survived a beating like that because
he’s a member of the most elite group in wrestling. Dean says he’s
ready for any member of the NWO because that’s what a Horseman does.
Flair promises to take Bischoff’s job and run this company, prompting
Heenan to suck up even more as the show ends.
Overall
Rating: D+. It’s still not a
good show and not a show that you need to see, but this was far
easier to sit through than most of these shows. Just throwing a pair
of watchable cruiserweight matches out there was such a breath of
fresh air tonight and gave you the break from all the boring matches
that you never get on Thunder. I’m not going to think about this
show again five minutes after it’s over, but at least I wasn’t
miserable sitting through it.
Rating: D+. It’s still not a
good show and not a show that you need to see, but this was far
easier to sit through than most of these shows. Just throwing a pair
of watchable cruiserweight matches out there was such a breath of
fresh air tonight and gave you the break from all the boring matches
that you never get on Thunder. I’m not going to think about this
show again five minutes after it’s over, but at least I wasn’t
miserable sitting through it.
Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with wrestling books for under $4 at:
http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6
Comments are disable in preview.