First WCW Thunder 1-09-1998

Coming from Daytona Beach, Florida. The inaugural episode of Thunder opens with pyro and Tony Schiavone welcoming us.

Commentary team for tonight is Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Lee Marshall. This episode was after the Hogan-Sting controversy from Starrcade 1997, so that'll be the running theme for tonight.

  

Before we get an actual wrestling match, we're "treated" to video of cracks forming in the still united NWO. Hulk Hogan rode in one limo with Konnan and Virgil, while the rest of the NWO were in a second limo.

Cut to Eric Bischoff telling "Mean" Gene that everything is A-ok in the NWO, and finally, Nick Patrick being suspended by commissioner J.J. Dillion.

10 minutes in and it's time for the first match, Chris Adams vs. Randy Savage.

It was a nothing much, Savage worked over Adams with punches and chokes, the fight spills outside and Adams whips Savage into a ring post. Lex Luger boots it down the ring and hits Savage with a chair,rolling him into the ring and giving Chris Adams the win.

After that upset, Hogan and Bischoff have an in-ring segment, taking about three minutes to get there, he flexes and showboats, and does his best Hamlet with a  Sting mask.

They go on and on about the Starrcade finish, Bischoff says Hogan will get his title back and Hogan talks about good looking bikini-clad girls of Daytona Beach. I hear they're usually blonde. 

Second match of the night is Louie Spicolli vs "No, I am not a model" Rick Martel.

After trading hammerlocks, Spicolli nearly runs into Martel's balls in a leapfrog. 

Raven and his flock made their way through the crowd mid-match and take seats almost ring side. 

The finish is Martel hitting a spinebuster and following it up with his Quebec crab for the submission victory. Heenan says that it's much like Jericho's Liontamer.

More Starrcade recap filler: The Giant(without his cigarettes) was scheduled to face Kevin Nash. The story goes that Nash didn't want to job, so he faked a heart attack, or had a heart attack scare, or had heart burn, or just didn't care.

Third match sees Puro action with NWO Japan member Tenzan vs OHARA, who's entrance music sounds like something out of Disney's Mulan.

This match took a backseat to the ever present WCW vs. NWO talk. 

Nothing worth noting. Finish saw OHARA come up short with the pin after a powerbomb, Tenzan hits a shoulder-breaker like move and a diving headbutt for the win.

Cover of Pearl Jam's Evenflow hits and that means Chris Jericho is out next. He claims he's changed and no longer a whining baby, apologizes to everyone, and gives Dave Penzer a new jacket. 

Ric Flair is Jericho's opponent, the multi time world champion is wrestling in the middle of WCW's B-show. He does let Jericho get a lot of offense in early on, bumping big and making Jericho look great.

Flair pokes Jericho in the eye, but ends up eating a dropkick after his corner flop spot.

No one home for the lionsault, letting Flair lowblow Jericho, even telling Charles Robinson to look away before hand.

Jericho eventually comes firing backs with chops, a dropkick, and crisp top rope spinning elbow smash, but only gets a two and immediately taps to the figure four.

Quick shill for the new DDP shirt and we're back, and with MENG! The Rock's "uncle" and former tag partner of Andre The Giant is facing Andre's "son", The Giant(without his cigarettes).

Giant tosses MENG! around like a ragdoll, only taking damage after missing a corner splash, but he eventually hulks up and chokeslams MENG! for the win.

 Time for Bill Goldberg to murder someone, and it happens to be Steve "Mongo" McMichael. Goldberg doesn't have the security team with him or any pyro.

Mongo does a damn tope to start things off. Well, he climbs through the ropes and jumps off at the very edge of the ring, good enough though.

Surprised that Mongo was booked to give Goldberg some trouble. 

After a top rope clothesline and two three-point stance takedowns, Goldberg figures he bumped enough and spears/jackhammers a win.

NWO's Konnan and Buff Bagwell with Virgil vs. The Steiners for the tag-team titles.

Scott's mullet was gone, but his vandyke was present, not part blonde yet though. 

Konnan cartoon bumps during the match, flailing his legs and bouncing while selling on the mat. 

The Steiner retain their titles in a forgettable match, which included Bagwell's phantom neckbreaker.

Commercial break and then it's more recap/filler/this show sucks Dusty's donkey's ass.

The whole Bischoff- Larry Zbyszko match from Starrcade 97' is shown; Larry won.

With that bullshit out of the way, we go to more bullshit with Mike Tenay talking to Zbyszko about his upcoming ppv match with Scott Hall.

Yeah, Hall beats up Ray "Big Bossman" Traylor till Larry distracts him and Traylor rolls Hall up for the win.

Juventud Guerrera vs. Ultimo Dragon for the cruiserweight championship is arguably the best match of the night, but commentary is too busy to talk about what's in front of them.

Juvi Juice wins the match and title after a scoop slam and 450 splash. Not that it matters as we have to go to a Bret Hart-Ric Flair in-ring segment and then Lex Luger vs. Scott Norton.

By this point, I've given up on this episode and was more interested in watching my oldest daughter watch Bob's Burgers.

20 minutes are dedicated to showing footage of Hogan-Sting from Starrcade, Hogan-Sting from the Nitro after Starrcade, and an in-ring segment in which Sting says J.J. Dillion has no guts and Hulk Hogan is a dead man.

Main event was Kevin Nash vs. DDP

I skimmed through it and just wanted to post this Sheamus gif.