Souled Out ’98

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

Souled Out

January 24, 1998

Hara Arena

Dayton, Ohio

News & Notes: JJ Dillon booked a rematch between Hogan and Sting for the Nitro after Starrcade. They needed to settle the controversy from the previous night. However, Nitro ended before there was a winner. WCW waited until the debut episode of Thunder to show the results. It was inconclusive. Two different refs, including a suspended Nick Patrick, declared each man the winner. Since the match solved nothing, Dillon declared the WCW title vacant! Sting gave up the belt, but he finally spoke first. He called Dillon gutless and told Hogan he was a dead man. Hogan demanded his belt back. He couldn’t understand why Dillon wouldn’t return it to him. Bischoff & Hogan threatened legal action. But the nWo has its own issues. In the wake of Starrcade, members of the faction fought with each other. Savage punched Bischoff. Nash tried to stop him. This led to Savage fighting with Nash. Then Hogan stepped in, but he too scuffled with Randy. The nWo is in disarray.

In other news, WCW is cracking down on rule-breaking. The recent controversy pushed them to make stricter rules. A WCW official named Nick Lambros promised fines for people who pushed too far. He also put special stipulations on Nash vs. The Giant. Lambros wanted to assure Kevin would show up for Souled Out. (I’ll explain more in the match notes.) This didn’t deter the nWo from making DDP’s life a living hell. Dallas had a few US title defenses. But the nWo jumped Page in the parking lot. Dillon & Lambros worried about lawsuits. DDP assured them he wouldn’t do that. Page even signed a waiver to absolve WCW of the blame. All DDP sought was revenge. He didn’t get it because Hogan attacked Page with a crutch. He’s not on this PPV because of the attack.

We open with Eric Bischoff in a Meat Loaf video. Eric stands in his mansion while the wind blows through a window. Footage of The Giant vs. Kevin Nash feud plays on the wall. Nick Lambros made Nash post a 1.5 million dollar appearance bond. But The Giant couldn’t touch Kevin, or he’d forfeit the match and the money. The Giant accepted this offer. He doesn’t care as long as Nash is there. It pleases Bischoff because he’s looking for more souls to buy. Lightning strikes and the camera pans up. Bischoff smiles and says, “Hell hath no fury like Souled Out.” (Is Souled Out a scorned woman?)

Tony Schiavone welcomes everyone to the first PPV of 1998. Fireworks almost drown out his intro. He says the event sold out! (How fitting.) Tony is with Dusty and Bobby. Rhodes appears to be dressed in layers. (Hmm, I wonder why.) He’s also wearing a WCW baseball cap because he’s definitely on WCW’s side. There’s no question about it! Meanwhile, Heenan is back. (He rejoined the commentary crew on Nitro. Bobby claimed he put himself in danger for WCW. He never intended to join the nWo. His colleagues didn’t buy it.) Tony talks with Bobby about The Giant vs. Nash. The Giant came close to hitting Nash, but he didn’t. Plus, there’s a dream match tonight! Bret Hart will face Ric Flair. Heenan sings both men’s praises. He can’t pick a winner. Next, Schiavone talks about the announcement concerning the WCW title situation. (A disembodied hand reaches into the frame while they talk.) Dusty says this will be a gangbuster announcement!

Juventud Guerrera, Super Calo, Lizmark Jr., & Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. La Parka, Psychosis, Silver King, & El Dandy

Notes: This is a consolation prize for poor Juvi. He had a cup of coffee with the Cruiserweight title for two weeks. (I’ll explain that hot potato situation later.) While he held the belt, Guerrera defended it against El Dandy on Saturday Night. Then Mysterio, Super Calo, & Garza defeated La Parka, Psychosis, & Silver King in a six-man tag. A week later, Chavo & Calo fought Parka & Silver King. After the bout, La Parka went crazy with a chair. Juvi, Lizmark, and El Dandy got involved. It led to a wild Lucha brawl.

The Match: Calo and Psychosis start. Psychosis regroups after an arm drag reversal. He then answers with chops. But Calo flips off Psychosis’s chest and catches him with a powerslam. Calo also nails a tilt-a-whirl slam. Next, Silver King and Lizmark fight. Silver King uses clotheslines, kicks, and chops. But Lizmark blocks a bulldog and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. After a Silver King DDT, Dandy and Chavo enter the ring. They trade takedowns and strikes until both men tumble outside. This leads to Juvi and Parka taking over. They fight on the apron. But Parka catches Juvi on a springboard crossbody and struts with him. Juvi answers with punches and a flying dragonrana to the floor. This leads to Psychosis, Lizmark, Dandy, Calo, and Silver King taking turns in the ring. Everyone trades pin attempts and takeovers.

King then gives Calo a springboard wheel kick, a spinning powerbomb, and a somersault leg drop. But Juvi breaks the pin. Guerrera then botches a spinning victory roll. However, Juvi recovers and nails a 450 splash. Parka stops the count and does a sit-out powerbomb. Calo makes the save. Then Psychosis lands a flying leg drop. But Calo prevents a three. Next, everyone ends up on the floor and they take turns diving on each other. Calo nails a flying senton. Dandy follows with a tope. Juvi continues with a vaulting plancha. Then La Parka uses a corkscrew moonsault. Lizmark is last with an Asai Moonsault. This leaves Chavo and Psychosis in the ring. Chavo lands a flying crossbody and a corner splash. He also avoids Psychosis’s splash. This allows Guerrero to do a tornado DDT for the win.

Thoughts: This was a fun opener. It was fast-paced and exciting. There were a couple of shaky moments. But it was still good. They kept it the right length. Matches like this can exhaust you if they go too long. But this was fine. It’s a good way to open the event.

Winners: Juventud, Calo, Lizmark, & Chavo (9:30)

La Parka enters the ring and takes out the face team with chair shots. But then he attacks his own team. After laying everyone out, Parka dances on top of his chair and cups his ear. (Somewhere, Hogan calls his lawyer.) Then Parka struts out of the ring with his chair. They show replays and Heenan tells Tenay to take the lead. But Bobby announces the winner when it’s over. (On a side note, they transition in and out of replays oddly. A CGI hand spray-paints the screen each time.)

Then Tony plugs the first internet exclusive Pay Per Listen! It’s the Boston Brawl on January 31^st! This ain’t no tea party. History begins here! (How well did this event do? I’m unsure I’d pay to listen to commentary without images.)

Gene is at the entrance. He talks about news involving The Pope and Clinton. Gene also plugs the hotline. He saw prominent names in wrestling backstage. Plus, you can get the results on option two! Call the hotline tonight!

Then Raven and The Flock enter for Raven’s match. (Saturn is absent and the announcers notice it.) Raven doesn’t have music yet. He sits in the corner while Dave Penzer announces a ruling from the WCW officials. Raven must wrestle tonight and they barred The Flock from ringside! The Flock is angry, but Raven looks nonplussed. He takes a mic and says society is trying to make him conform again. They left him alone, but it’s not the first time. His parents once left him alone for weeks. (Coming soon, Raven will star in a remake of Home Alone.) He also had no friends in school. This doesn’t surprise the commentators. Raven says he needs no one and he doesn’t fear Benoit’s pain. Quote the Raven, nevermore. Dusty responds, “Quote this Raven. Get the flock out of here!”

Raven’s Rules Match: Chris Benoit vs. Raven

Notes: The Flock attacked Benoit again when he went after Raven. This time, Mongo came to Chris’s aid. It led to Benoit & Mongo facing Riggs & Saturn. The Flock won when Raven hit Benoit with a DDT behind the ref’s back. Then Raven waited for his next strike. He attacked after Benoit had a grueling match with Malenko. Raven used another DDT and Saturn put Chris in the Rings. They tried to do the same after Benoit fought Jannetty. (Yes, Marty is in WCW now.) But Marty helped Chris fend off the beating. Next, Chris invited Raven into the ring after a match with Jericho. Raven declined, but he nailed Benoit from behind when Chris turned. This led to WCW booking Mongo vs. Raven on Saturday Night. Raven refused to wrestle, so Mongo called out Benoit. It led to a brawl with The Flock.

The Match: Raven dropkicks Benoit at the apron. He then whips Chris into the steps and the rail. When they enter the ring, Raven uses snapmares and strikes. Benoit answers with pin attempts off a backslide and a roll-up. But Raven takes Benoit outside again and uses a chair. Raven then brings the chair into the ring and nails a bulldog onto it! He goes for more, but Benoit gives Raven a drop toe hold onto the chair! Then Chris does a snap suplex onto it and rips Raven’s shirt. This exposes Raven’s chest for hard chops. So Raven keeps rolling outside to avoid him. But Benoit chases and nails a snap suplex on the ramp. When they return to the ring, Benoit does more chair-based attacks. This includes placing the chair over Raven’s face and stomping it. Next, Benoit does something incredibly stupid. The chair is still on Raven’s head, so Benoit nails a flying headbutt to it! He almost knocks himself out. Chris recovers for a two count and then stumbles around. This allows Raven to reverse a Northern Lights Suplex into an Even Flow DDT. But he’s too tired to cover. When Raven tries for a second one, Benoit counters into a Crossface. Raven doesn’t tap. He laughs! The pain seems to please Raven. He passes out, and the ref drops his arm three times.

Thoughts: This was a good hard-hitting encounter. Plus, I liked the storytelling. The finish isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But I liked it. This adds to Raven’s character. It’s mysterious. However, I have one issue with the bout. Some spots are hard to watch in retrospect. The flying headbutt to the chair is rough.

Winner: Chris Benoit (10:36)

Benoit won’t release the hold, so Kidman comes to the ring. But Dean Malenko pushes Kidman off the top rope. The rest of The Flock arrives. Benoit & Malenko fight them while Hammer carries Raven’s limp body to the back. Dean then clears the ring and goes face-to-face with Benoit. They give each other a look of respect and leave.

Cruiserweight Title Match: Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. (c)

Notes: Chris Jericho hasn’t had a good month. Mounting losses made him lose his mind. He threw tantrums and ripped Dave Penzer’s jacket. Chris apologized and bought him a new one. But this kept happening. Meanwhile, WCW played hot potato with the Cruiserweight belt. First, Ultimo Dragon won it from Guerrero. Then Juventud Guerrera defeated Dragon. Mysterio was Juvi’s next opponent. But an angry Jericho attacked Rey before the encounter. Mysterio got a rematch and won the Cruiserweight title! Jericho defeated Guerrero to become the #1 Contender. After this, Jericho had a bout with Juvi. He refused to release the Lion Tamer, so Rey came to the rescue. This infuriated an already unstable Jericho. He joined Eddie Guerrero in attacking Mysterio’s knee. They injured him. But Jericho swore it wouldn’t happen again. He lied. Chris attacked Rey once more on Saturday Night.

The Match: A Jericho sucks chant bothers Chris, so he gets in Rey’s face. Jericho mocks Mysterio’s height and shoves him into the corner. Then they trade strikes and clotheslines. Rey catches Chris at the apron and takes him outside with a springboard headscissors. But Rey’s knee buckles on a fake-out. Mysterio slows the bout with a chinlock to recover and gets some pin attempts. However, Jericho turns a hurricanrana into a hotshot. They fight to the floor where Chris uses an underhook backbreaker. Then Jericho vaults off the steps into a jumping knee. Jericho follows with more strikes until Rey tries for a victory roll. His knee gives out again, so Rey does an Unprettier instead. Mysterio also sends Jericho outside and hits a springboard somersault plancha. It hurts Rey’s knee again. But Mysterio hotshots Jericho onto the steps. When they return to the ring, Jericho trips Rey on a springboard. And he hangs him on the ropes. Next, they fight on the top rope. Jericho blocks a Super Frankensteiner and turns it into a Lion Tamer. Rey submits.

Thoughts: Considering Rey had a legitimate knee injury, this wasn’t bad. It could have been better. These two have higher-quality matches in the future. But I still enjoyed it. This did what it needed to. Jericho looked like a jerk. The crowd reacted well to his heel work. They deserve credit for working within Rey’s limitations.

Winner: Chris Jericho (New Champion) (8:28)

Jericho is quick to celebrate. He wants the ref to raise his hand. But Chris hears the crowd’s reaction and grabs a mic. Jericho calls this the greatest moment of his life. He realized something. The crowd likes him! They really really like him! This makes the crowd boo more, so Jericho’s mood changes. Chris tells them not to boo him. He’ll give them a reason to boo! Chris stomps on Rey and dares the fans to continue. He then tears the brace off Rey’s knee and whips him with it. Jericho throws Rey to the floor and puts Mysterio’s knee on the steps. Then Chris grabs an equipment case and rams it into Rey’s leg. Jericho feels remorse and says he’s sorry as he walks away. The officials carry Rey to the back.

Gene and JJ Dillon discuss the title controversy. They recap the events of 1997 and Dillon’s controversial decision. Then JJ says he consulted with someone about what to do next. It’s Rowdy Roddy Piper! He invites Roddy to the ring. Piper says he made the Hogan vs. Sting match and it was a mess. Roddy feels responsible, so he’ll make decisions tonight. Roddy also accuses Hogan of having more excuses than Clinton has girlfriends. Meanwhile, Scott Hall and Bischoff are complaining. So Piper invites Sting, Hall, and Hogan to the ring. Bischoff comes with them. Gene and Piper give them crap for taking their time.

First, Piper gives Hall credit for winning World War 3. He is the #1 Contender. But there’s no champion. Hall has to take a side step. Then Piper addresses Hogan’s concerns. He teases giving Hogan the belt and says, “NOT!” Roddy announces a rematch between Hogan and Sting at SuperBrawl. His word is final. Hogan demands his belt, so Sting gets in his face. Meanwhile, an annoyed Scott Hall leaves the ring in disgust. Hogan & Bischoff bail once they realize Hall doesn’t have their back. Piper says tradition bit Hogan in the bum. But Hogan is more concerned with Hall’s attitude. Sting gives them crotch chops as they leave.

TV Title Match: Booker T (c) vs. Rick Martel

Notes: Booker T defeated Disco Inferno for the TV title the night after Starrcade. The win elated Booker because he got the belt on his son’s birthday. Then Booker defended it against Prince Iaukea, Disco, and Mortis. Meanwhile, Rick Martel joined WCW. He was looking for a career resurgence. Martel promised to win championships. He defeated Brad Armstrong, Louie Spicolli, and Eddie Guerrero. Then Booker had another defense against Saturn. Perry almost won by cheating. But Martel informed the ref and got the match restarted. All Rick asked for in return was a title opportunity. However, Booker didn’t agree until Martel saved him from an attack by Wrath. Martel soon discovered these actions have consequences. Kidman and The Flock confronted Martel for costing Saturn his victory. They shoved Rick into a glass door. So Rick faced Saturn and beat him.

The Match: They lock up and trade arm wringers, headlocks, hammerlocks, and armbars. Martel uses an O’Connor Roll. Booker blocks and reverses a suplex. Then Booker misses an elbow and does a Spinaroonie. This leads to a Harlem Sidekick and more armbars. After a Martel flurry, Booker uses more holds. Next, they collide on an awkward leapfrog. Martel lures Booker into a trap by pretending he’s hurt. He nails Booker with hard strikes and a gut-wrench suplex. Martel also works on Booker’s back with a spinebuster and axehandles. Booker answers with pin attempts. But Rick returns to holds that focus on the back. Booker rallies again until Martel puts him in a Quebec Crab. The ref breaks the hold once Booker reaches the ropes. Martel thinks he won. This opens the door for Booker to nail a scissor kick and a side slam. Booker then does the Harlem Hangover for the win. (He grazes Martel with it.)

Thoughts: This was a dull match. It wasn’t bad, but it had no heat. And it was slow. The fans don’t care about Martel’s career resurgence. They reacted to Booker’s big spots, but that’s it. I’m glad Booker is getting a push. But this wasn’t great.

Winner: Booker T (10:50)

Booker celebrates, but Martel grabs the belt from the ref. He then hands it to Booker and raises his hand. Booker shakes his hand and returns the favor. But then Saturn jumps out of the crowd and attacks Martel. He drops elbows onto him until Booker returns and runs Perry out of the ring. Saturn calls one of them a stooge as he walks away.

Next, Hall enters for his match with Zbyszko. Louie Spicolli is a little late. He brings up the rear. The commentators call him Hall’s one-man entourage. Zbyszko is next. He points to the announce table and Dusty says he has business to take care of. He drops his headset and joins Larry for his match. Heenan thinks it’s great, but Hall isn’t amused.

Larry Zbyszko (w/ Dusty Rhodes) vs. Scott Hall (w/ Louie Spicolli)

Notes: On the first Thunder, Larry mocked Hall. He mentioned their time together in the AWA. Zbyszko claimed he made Hall cry in the ring. That’s why Hall hates him. Then Larry stopped Scott from using a chair on Ray Traylor. It cost Hall the victory. Next, Scott had a scheduled match with Louie Spicolli. But Louie joined forces with Hall, despite Larry advising him not to do it. Hall & Spicolli beat up Larry and left together. Hall then countered Larry’s AWA comments. He said Zbyszko only won the AWA title because his father-in-law owned the company. This led to Zbyszko getting involved in Hall’s match with Luger. Zbyszko received a beating for his troubles. After this, Hall & Spicolli stole Larry’s golf clubs and broke a few of them. Zbyszko confronted them and attacked Louie. He claimed he wouldn’t be alone at the PPV. Larry was bringing help!

The Match: Hall throws his toothpick in Larry’s face and taunts him. Larry answers with takedowns and they trade arm wringers. Next, they tease a test of strength until Zbyszko slaps Scott. This leads to them exchanging abdominal stretches. Larry gets the advantage. Since Larry keeps taking Hall to the mat, Scott uses a different tactic. He distracts the ref while Spicolli interferes. Dusty chases Louie away. Then they trade strikes and ram each other into the corner. Hall tries his own mat holds, but Larry puts Scott in a deathlock. When Hall reaches the ropes, Scott fires back with slaps to the head and a fallaway slam. (The fans do dueling negative chants at both men. The crowd is split.) Next, Hall tries the Outsiders Edge. But Larry backdrops him and throws more strikes. The ref admonishes Larry and leaves him vulnerable to an attack. When Zbyszko throws more corner punches, the ref steps in again. This leads to Larry spin-kicking the ref by accident. Hall then nails a clothesline, but there’s no ref. While Scott checks on him, Larry plays opossum. He catches Hall in a guillotine choke when Scott falls for it. This draws Louie into the ring. Spicolli attacks Larry to cause a DQ.

Thoughts: This was okay, but it wasn’t great. It exists to set up what happens after the match. After all the build, this was disappointing. It gets even worse when you see what happens next. They spent months building this encounter. You’d think WCW would have more planned for the actual fight. (On a side note, this is the last time we see Spicolli. He passes away from an overdose before the next PPV. Louie was Scott Hall’s friend. His death affects Scott. It feeds his substance abuse problems over the coming months.)

Winner: Larry Zbyszko (by DQ) (8:09)

Dusty enters the ring and dispatches Spicolli with bionic elbows. Larry holds Hall for another one. But Dusty hits Zbyszko by accident. Or did he? Hall points at Dusty and Rhodes removes his shirt to reveal—a nWo t-shirt. Dusty then drops elbows onto Larry while Hall & Spicolli celebrate. This devastates the commentators. Heenan sounds particularly shook. Bobby says Dusty spit in everyone’s faces. Hall & Louie also drop elbows and place Dusty’s WCW hat over Larry’s face. Dusty looks in the camera and says, “That’s tradition. WCW, bite this!” (This turn distracts the commentators for a while. Tony even walks away from the table for a moment.)

The Steiner Brothers & Ray Traylor (w/ Ted DiBiase) vs. Konnan, Scott Norton, & Buff Bagwell (w/ Vincent)

Notes: Something is wrong with Scott Steiner. He started ignoring his brother during matches. Scotty opted to win on his own. Rick wanted to pin their opponents with the Steinerizer. Scott did Steiner Screwdrivers and Super Frankensteiners instead. He even refused to tag Rick during some bouts. To make matters worse, The Steiners lost the tag belts back to The Outsiders. This happened despite the nWo in-fighting. It only added to Scotty’s frustrations. He left Rick out to dry against the nWo. Ray Traylor had to save him from beatings. Rick even fought Norton & Vincent in a Handicap Match because Scotty was absent. When Scott was late to save his brother, Rick stared him down. But they didn’t fight. Rick had no issue in saving Scotty from the nWo. But Scott shoved his brother because of it. Scotty was more worried about having a pose-off with Buff Bagwell. No one knows what to make of Scott’s behavior.

The Match: Rick gives Scott a taste of his own medicine. He makes Scott stand on the apron while Rick starts with Buff. They trade shoves, arm drags, and hammerlocks. Then Rick mocks Bagwell’s posing. Rick also catches Buff with a powerslam and some Steinerlines. Next, Rick and Ray make frequent tags. They ignore Scott. Both men use strikes and holds. Rick rips at Bagwell’s face. Bagwell finally tags Norton after poking Traylor’s eyes. Konnan punches Ray from the apron. Norton uses a powerslam. Konnan follows with strikes and chokes. But Rick returns after a double clothesline between Norton and Traylor. He cleans house with backdrops and Steinerlines. However, Vincent trips Rick and Scott Steiner complains to the ref. (He also moves to Traylor’s side of the ring to sneak a tag. It annoys Ray.) Meanwhile, Norton & Bagwell control Rick with a backbreaker and chinlocks. Konnan even uses mat holds, submissions, and rolling strikes. He continues until Rick avoids a corner charge and nails another Steinerline. When he reaches for a tag, both Ray and Scott tag him at once. Scotty ignores the ref and hands out Steinerlines and suplexes. This includes a Dragon Suplex to Konnan. The ref accepts Scott’s involvement once Traylor officially tags him. It allows Scott to hit a Steiner Screwdriver for the win.

Thoughts: It was okay. This was more about continuing the Scott Steiner storyline. They accomplished that goal, so I can’t hate it. The match won’t win any awards. But it did its job. Plus, Rick Steiner was amusing. This was passable storyline work. The problem is, the commentators spent half the time talking about Dusty.

Winners: The Steiners & Traylor (12:20)

After the match, Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell have another pose-off. Rick & Traylor complain, but Scott tells them to leave him alone. Ray asks if Scotty will be a team player. Scott ignores him. Even DiBiase doesn’t understand what’s happening. Scott leaves without them.

Then Tony plugs the Boston Brawl again. This leads to Nash’s entrance. Bischoff & Hogan accompany him. Tony says Hogan paid for Nash’s appearance bond. So Hogan has an investment in this bout. Meanwhile, The Giant still doesn’t have music. But he gets some pyro. (How has WCW not given him a theme? They have an endless supply of stock music.)

Kevin Nash (w/ Hollywood Hogan & Eric Bischoff) vs. The Giant

Notes: The Giant came to DDP’s aid when the nWo attacked him. It led to a brawl with Nash. WCW booked Nash vs. The Giant again. But this time they had a caveat. Lambros didn’t buy Nash’s excuse for Starrcade. Nash had to post a 1.5 million dollar appearance bond. However, The Giant couldn’t touch Nash before Souled Out. If he did, he would forfeit the bout and Nash would get the money. Nash used this to his advantage. He antagonized The Giant by throwing hot coffee into his face. Nash also interfered in The Giant’s matches. But Nash has his own issues. He scuffled with Randy Savage while trying to calm him. Savage was so angry, he couldn’t decide to beat up Luger or Nash. Savage even refused to work with Nash during a tag match. Hogan tried to play peacemaker, but it ended with Hogan and Savage in each other’s faces. The in-fighting led to Savage shoving Hogan into Nash. Kevin then stumbled into The Giant. But The Giant remained firm. He refused to attack. The Giant ripped the ring post out of the ground instead. The ring collapsed.

The Match: They get in each other’s face and trade shoves. Then The Giant takes control with a back suplex, an elbow drop, corner squashes, and a boot choke. Nash regroups and returns with knees, forearms, and clotheslines in the corner. But The Giant returns that favor and beal tosses Nash! Kevin answers with a surprising leapfrog and clotheslines The Giant out of the ring. Then Nash dives onto him! But The Giant catches Kevin. (He almost missed him, but they saved it.) The Giant rams Nash into the post and rolls him inside. However, Hogan nails Giant with a chair. It almost leads to a count-out. Kevin continues with some Boss Man Attacks and elbows. But both men go down to a double big boot. After crawling for a two-count, Nash throws punches in the corner. The Giant turns it into a Manhattan Drop. He follows with headbutts, punches, clotheslines, and a big boot. (The Giant points at Hogan after this.) Bischoff senses trouble and distracts The Giant while Hogan grabs the ref. The Giant chokeslams Eric into the ring. But the distractions allowed Nash to grab a pitcher of coffee. He throws it in The Giant’s face and nails a low blow. Nash then does a Jackknife and—OH MY GOD!! He dropped The Giant right on his head!! Kevin rolls him over and covers for a three.

Thoughts: Until the botched ending, this was good. It was a solid big-man bout. They had some impressive spots. I didn’t expect Nash to bust out a leapfrog and a dive. Plus, they did a good job building to the finish. It’s a shame Nash slipped on the powerbomb. The Giant dodged a bullet. He’s fine, but WCW runs with the storyline. It was a scary moment. You could hear Nash apologizing as he covered him.

Winner: Kevin Nash (10:47)

Hogan poses while Nash converses with The Giant. Heenan is worried on commentary because The Giant’s legs haven’t moved. Then the trainers come to check on The Giant. But they stick with the storyline. They bandage The Giant’s scalded eyes. Meanwhile, Hogan & Nash help Bischoff to the back.

Next, they show a commercial for SuperBrawl VIII. A man enters DDP’s tattoo parlor. He says he has to have a tattoo. A lady says it’s an original, like the WCW title. Everyone wants it. But only one man can have it. Tune in for SuperBrawl on February 22^nd.

Bret Hart vs. Ric Flair

Notes: Bret and Flair expressed a mutual respect for each other. Ric even appreciated what Bret did at Starrcade. However, Ric was pissed because Bret claimed to be the best. Bret wasn’t the best there is. That’s Ric Flair! Ric had a newspaper article to prove it! Then Ric confronted Bret to his face. He dared Hart to say his catchphrase. Bret did, so Ric lost his cool. Bret reminded Flair he beat him in the WWF. Flair said he held more championships than Bret. Next, they had another confrontation on Thunder. Ric dared Hart to say his catchphrase again. He did and Flair called it the stupidest thing he’s ever heard. This pissed off the debuting Jim Neidhart. He challenged Ric to a match. But Flair used brass knuckles and put Anvil in a ringpost Figure Four. Bret made the save.

The Match: They trade headlocks, shoulder blocks, and takedowns. Bret gains the advantage. Hart even uses a Figure Four until Ric reaches the ropes. Ric regroups, so Bret suplexes him back into the ring. He then returns to mat holds, which frustrates Flair. He slaps and shoves Bret. Ric fires back with punches and chops. Bret counters with a sleeper hold. But Flair takes control after a sneaky low blow. Flair continues with more chops, holds, and strikes. However, Bret catches Ric with a swinging neckbreaker and a bulldog. He then focuses on Flair’s leg. It almost leads to a ringpost Figure Four, but Ric avoids it. An angry Flair returns the favor with some leg work. But Bret rolls him up when Ric tries for a Figure Four. After a close count, Bret argues with the ref. This allows Ric to do a chop block. Flair has control until Bret slams him off the top rope. Then Bret starts his routine, so Flair counters with chops. Bret drops his straps and dares Ric to do more. Bret absorbs them, finishes his routine and does a superplex. Hart then applies The Sharpshooter for the win.

Thoughts: This was a solid bout. They’ve had better matches in the past. But this was still quite good. My only complaint was the finish was abrupt. There wasn’t much build to it. Other than that, I enjoyed this. But they apparently went long. Randy Savage wasn’t happy about it. This cut into the time for Luger vs. Savage.

Winner: Bret Hart (18:06)

Michael Buffer introduces the third and final match of the triple main event. (If they’re all main events, why did Buffer only announce this one?) The most he says about this fight is the two men despise each other. It’s not important enough to warrant an epic introduction. Savage seems pissed during his entrance. He orders Liz to move faster toward the ring. Both Buffer and the commentators call Randy the most dangerous man in the sport. Tony wouldn’t want him on his hockey team. Meanwhile, Buffer looks annoyed. He has to move to avoid Luger entering the ring.

Lex Luger vs. Macho Man Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth)

Notes: Luger wrapped up his feud with Bagwell and turned his attention to Savage. Lex beat Randy with a roll-up, so Savage snapped! The nWo tried to calm him, which led to in-fighting. Then Luger attacked Savage on the first Thunder. He cost Randy a match against Chris Adams. Since Luger used a chair, Dillon reversed the decision. They had to follow WCW’s new strict rules! Lambros had enough of the shenanigans. He fined both men. This angered Savage, but Bischoff offered to pay his fine. Luger also wasn’t pleased. He wondered where these rules were when Savage cost him a victory at Starrcade. Luger was thankful Sting had his back during this feud. It didn’t seem WCW had it. Meanwhile, the fines didn’t stop them from interfering in each other’s bouts. But Savage couldn’t decide who he wanted to attack more. He wanted Luger, Nash, and even Hogan! Everyone is at each other’s throats!

The Match: Randy stalls, so Luger chases him. Savage uses Liz as a distraction and drops Luger on the guardrail. When they head into the ring, Savage attacks with axehandles, clotheslines, and strikes. Randy also argues with the ref and distracts him. It allows Liz to choke and trip Luger. Lex has enough and gets in Liz’s face. Randy takes advantage with a knee to Luger’s back. It sends Luger to the floor where Savage nails a flying axehandle. Then Liz slaps Luger and lures him into another trap. But this time, Lex gains the advantage. Lex and Randy fight in and out of the crowd. Lex drops Savage on the rail and rams him into the post. He then returns Randy to the ring and nails running clotheslines. This draws out Scott Hall, but Hogan stops him. He advises Hall not to interfere. Hall ignores him. When Scott climbs on the apron, Luger rams Savage into Scott. Luger then catches a rebounding Savage in The Rack for the victory.

Thoughts: This wasn’t great. They rushed it because of the limited time. But something tells me it wouldn’t have been better if it were longer. Why was this the main event? Out of the three big matches, it had the weakest build. Bret/Flair should have ended the show. My guess is they wanted to set up the post-match antics to close the event.

Winner: Lex Luger (7:07)

Hogan attacks Luger, and the nWo joins him. Everyone stomps Lex until Sting comes to the rescue. Sting cleans house with punches and kicks. Luger hands out punches. Then Sting brawls with Hogan while Luger puts Nash in The Rack. After Sting knocks Hogan down, he puts him in the Scorpion Deathlock. Tony says WCW rebounded at the end of Souled Out. It made them feel good. The nWo is in disarray. They help Hogan to the back while Sting and Luger stand tall. Tony says goodnight.

The Good:

• The opening match was fun.

• I liked the storytelling of Raven/Benoit.

• Chris Jericho’s heel work was great.

• Nash/Giant was good until the botched finish.

• Bret/Flair was good.

The Bad:

• The Jackknife botch.

• Dusty Rhodes’ nonsensical heel turn.

• The disappointing Luger/Savage main event.

Performer of the Night:

I’m going with Chris Jericho. This heel turn does wonders for his career. We’re seeing the early stages of it. But it gets even better.

Final Thoughts:

This show had good action. Nothing was outright terrible. But it had almost no stakes. This was one of the weaker cards WCW booked in some time. Nothing felt like a proper main event. Plus, the WCW title is in limbo. It was a throwaway show with some solid matches. It also doesn’t help this show highlights some of WCW’s booking issues. They will plague the company throughout the year. The nWo has clearly jumped the shark. Dusty Rhodes’ heel turn is a prime example of it.

Thank you for reading. My next review is the WWF’s No Way Out of Texas: In Your House. Look for it next Sunday!