Uncensored ’98

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

Uncensored

March 15, 1998

Mobile Civic Center

Mobile, Alabama

News & Notes: Much like my Living Dangerously review, I have almost no extra notes for this event. They dedicated most of the TV time to individual matches. In fact, I only have one piece of news. WCW announced on Thunder they dropped the over the top rope DQ rule. After all these years, it’s gone! The long national nightmare is over! Okay, on with the review.

The opening video is rather lazy. There is no narration. They included stylized clips of the four competitors in the two main events. We see shots of Savage and Hogan. Plus, there is footage of Sting and Hall. Hogan fights Savage in a cage! Hall faces Sting for the WCW title. It’s WCW/nWo Uncensored!

Tony welcomes everyone to three hours of action. They will lower the cage around the ring. Wrestling’s most bitter feud unfolds tonight. Savage and Hogan battle for supremacy in the nWo! Two men with massive egos will fight. Professor Mike Tenay thinks this is over the edge. (Someone heard the name of the WWF’s May PPV.) Tony thinks the nWo could finally crumble tonight. But they could also be in the driver’s seat if Hall wins the title. Heenan disagrees. There’s a lot of tension here tonight. If Hall wins, he won’t hand the title to Hogan. Nobody is that dumb.

Eddie Guerrero arrives for his bout. He has a reluctant Chavo with him. Eddie orders Chavo to hold the ropes for him. But Eddie leaps over them instead. Then when Booker enters the arena, the commentators sing his praises. Tenay calls SuperBrawl Booker’s break-out performance. Tony says Booker proved the doubters wrong. Meanwhile, Eddie makes Chavo sit at ringside and stalls before beginning.

TV Title Match: Booker T (c) vs. Eddie Guerrero (w/ Chavo Guerrero Jr.)

Notes: Guerrero earned this match by pinning Booker in a tag team encounter. Eddie teamed with Jericho to face Booker & Malenko. They had two of these meetings, but the second was more focused on Malenko vs. Jericho. I’ll discuss it later. Then Booker had a warm-up with Chavo. So Eddie got in Chavo’s ear and gave him advice. But Eddie attacked his nephew when Chavo couldn’t get the job done. This led to a fight between the uncle and nephew on Thunder. If Eddie won, Chavo would have to listen to him and do as he says. However, if Chavo won, Eddie had to renounce his evil ways and honor the family name. Eddie won, so Chavo is now in Eddie’s corner. But he isn’t happy about it.

The Match: Booker catches Eddie with a backdrop, a side slam, and clotheslines. One sends Eddie to the floor. So Guerrero asks Chavo why he isn’t helping. When Eddie returns, he offers a handshake. Booker squeezes his hand and hits a heel kick. Eddie regroups again, but Booker won’t let him rest. He slams Eddie on the floor and rolls him into the ring. But Eddie crotches Booker on the top rope and nails a superplex. Booker fires back with strikes and attempts a scissor kick. Guerrero counters with a dropkick to the knee. This leads to leg work and leg holds. Eddie even lands a slingshot senton onto the knee. Booker bails to get relief, so Eddie does a plancha onto him. Then Guerrero lands a side suplex. But Booker catches Eddie with a flapjack and does a Spinaroonie. He follows with a scissor kick and attempts a missile dropkick. It misses, but Booker lands on his feet. After a hotshot, Booker crotches himself on the ropes with a missed sidekick. This allows Eddie to place Booker on the top rope. However, Booker shoves him to the mat and nails a missile dropkick for the win.

Thoughts: The ending was abrupt, but the rest of the match was solid. I liked this until the finish. Why did they end it like that? No one was hurt. It wasn’t even Booker’s finisher. They must have gone for the surprise factor. I still enjoyed this either way. But I wish it was longer. They were finding their momentum when it ended.

Winner: Booker T (11:08)

Chavo smirks about Eddie’s loss, so Eddie confronts his nephew. Eddie asks who he’s rooting for and shoves Chavo. Chavo shoves him back, so Eddie backs off. But when Chavo turns, Eddie clotheslines him. He then rams his nephew into the rail and slams him. After this, Eddie gives the fans a rude gesture and walks away.

Juventud Guerrera vs. Konnan

Notes: Konnan mocked Juvi for losing his mask. He said Guerrera wasn’t nWo material. Konnan also claimed Juvi had no heart or courage. (He should visit the Wizard of Oz then!) Then Konnan gave Juventud the ultimate insult. He said Juvi is no longer Raza! Next, Konnan tried to remove Super Calo’s mask, so Juvi stopped this. This led to Konnan attacking Guerrera after a bout. Juvi challenged Konnan, but Konnan said he had to earn it. Juvi needed to beat someone his own size. Konnan picked Scott Norton! Juvi lost, but they still booked the match with Konnan. After this, Konnan tried to remove Lizmark Jr.’s mask. Juventud intervened once more, but he received a beating for his troubles.

The Match: Juvi jumps Konnan with a wheel kick. But Konnan throws strikes after Guerrera misses a dropkick. Juvi answers with a headscissor takeover to the outside and feigns a dive. However, Konnan pulls Juvi to the floor and sends him into the steps. When Konnan moves the steps into position, Juventud vaults into a wheel kick. He also rolls Konnan into the ring and nails a springboard dropkick. So Konnan fires back with a hotshot and a deathlock. Konnan turns Juvi over and adds a front chancery to the hold. After Juvi rallies for a moment, Konnan catches him with a release German. Then Konnan catapults Juvi onto his head! If that wasn’t bad enough, Konnan grabs a Rocking Horse submission. He drops down and folds Juvi onto his neck! (Is he trying to kill him!?) Juvi rolls outside to recover. But Konnan puts him in an inverted rack when he returns.

Next, Konnan tries a super release German. Guerrera lands on his feet and Konnan is caught in a tree of woe! Juvi capitalizes with stomps until Konnan catches him in a wheelbarrow suplex. When Konnan attempts a gut-wrench bomb, Juvi counters into a facebuster. Guerrera follows with a 450. He misses, but Juvi lands on his feet. This doesn’t last long. Konnan boots him and lands The 187 (Cradle DDT). He also hits a version of White Noise. Konnan makes nonchalant covers after both moves and only gets two! Juventud takes advantage of Konnan’s arrogance. He hooks K-Dawg in a crucifix pin for the three.

Thoughts: This started hot, but Konnan slowed the pace. It dragged with Konnan’s weak submission holds. Plus, Konnan almost killed Juvi twice. And Konnan was winded for much of the bout. It wasn’t a good match. Juventud was lucky to escape without an injury.

Winner: Juventud Guerrera (10:21)

Juvi poses on the turnbuckles and tells his dad he loves him. Konnan tries to attack, but Juvi kicks him away. But when Juvi dives, Konnan catches him. He gives Juvi another 187. Then Konnan press slams Juventud to the floor. But Konnan lets him leave.

Next, Gene interviews JJ Dillon. Okerlund didn’t think he’d speak to JJ at a show like Uncensored. However, The Giant made an unusual request and Dillon must address it. He asked them to make the powerbomb legal for his bout. Gene thinks it won’t happen. But Dillon approached Nash’s representatives. They jumped for joy at the news. The Giant was adamant. So for tonight only, the powerbomb is legal! After all, it’s Uncensored. The crowd likes this, but Gene seems worried. He says this is on JJ’s shoulders. Gene also makes St. Patrick’s Day plans to go drinking with Dave Penzer.

Then Malenko and Jericho arrive for their match. Jericho spots a fan’s sign. It says, “Jericho rules!” But Chris rips it in half. He says, “I’m too good to be his role model!”

Cruiserweight Title Match: Chris Jericho (c) vs. Dean Malenko

Notes: Jericho added a few more character quirks. He wore Juvi’s mask to the ring as a trophy. Plus, Jericho suggested WCW rename the show to Monday Jericho. But the biggest addition was a new nickname. Since he’s feuding with Malenko, Jericho declared himself the Man of 1004 holds. That’s four more than Dean! (He hasn’t read the list yet. That comes later.) I mentioned Jericho teaming with Eddie earlier. In the second of those bouts, Dean made Jericho tap. Malenko also attacked Jericho after Chris’s bout with Ciclope. So Jericho recruited The Flock to jump Malenko. They beat up Jericho instead. This happened twice because Chris doesn’t learn his lesson. After this, Dean got his title shot early. He defeated what appeared to be Jericho in Juvi’s mask. They declared Malenko the new champ. But wait! It was Lenny Lane in the mask! Jericho swerved Malenko! The real Jericho jumped Dean and put him in a Lion Tamer.

The Match: Dean catches Jericho with takedowns and puts him in mat holds. Jericho screams in pain and throws a fit. Then Jericho almost leaves after tumbling outside on a missed springboard move. Malenko stops the ref’s count to prevent this. When Jericho returns, he catches Dean with a spinebuster. Jericho makes a cocky pin and stomps Malenko. Chris also wears Dean down with holds and a bending backbreaker. Jericho thinks he won and complains to the ref when he says otherwise. Next, Dean blocks a Lion Tamer and scores a few pin attempts. After sending Dean to the floor, Jericho tries a back superplex. Malenko turns it into a pin in mid-air. Then Jericho counters Dean’s apron suplex and almost puts him in the Lion Tamer. When that doesn’t work, Jericho looks for a Super Frankensteiner. Malenko blocks it and turns the move into a Super Gutbuster. However, Jericho blocks Dean’s leg lariat and locks him in the Lion Tamer. Dean almost reaches the ropes until Chris pulls him away. When Jericho sits down on the hold, Dean submits.

Thoughts: The match had a slow pace, but it built to a good finish. Plus, I liked the storytelling and Jericho’s antics. This isn’t their best encounter, but it’s still quite solid. Also, I like where this leads. It begins a great feud.

Winner: Chris Jericho (14:42)

Gene approaches the ring. Jericho thinks he’s there to interview him, but Gene walks past Chris. Jericho looks annoyed. Gene wants to speak with a frustrated Dean Malenko. He says everyone thought Dean would win tonight. The oddsmakers picked Malenko. Gene knew Dean since he was a young man. He even knew Dean’s father. Malenko should have won tonight, but he didn’t. In fact, Dean is 0 for 4 in WCW PPVs. He didn’t win at Starrcade, Souled Out, SuperBrawl, or tonight! (Hey, wait a minute! Malenko only wrestled at Starrcade. What is Gene talking about?) Dean can’t find the words to answer. He opens his mouth to speak, but he stops. Gene calls him a bona fide loser! Then Gene asks, “Where does Dean Malenko go from here?” Dean replies, “Home.” He then leaves the ring. Heenan thinks Malenko quit. (Okerlund lived up to his Mean Gene moniker. This was harsh! But it sets up a great storyline. I’ll allow it.)

Meanwhile, Raven is with Madden and Marshall in the wcwwrestling.com room. He repeats Page and Benoit’s names weirdly. Then Raven speaks about cold revenge on a warm night. It will be icy cold for Page and Benoit when he walks out with the US title. Quote the Raven, nevermore.

Lex Luger vs. Scott Steiner

Notes: Luger took exception to Scott Steiner’s heel turn. Rick is Luger’s friend! He called out Scotty but got Hennig instead. During the bout, a now blond Scott Steiner attacked Lex. After mocking Luger for not being as educated, Steiner compared physiques. Lex may have a million-dollar body. But Steiner will make him suck his meals through a ten-cent straw! Then Scotty backed up these words with a string of victories. He won with a new hold called The Steiner Recliner. It’s a modified Camel Clutch. One of these wins was over Ray Traylor. He too took offense to Scotty turning on Rick. Next, Scotty teamed with Norton to wrestle Luger and Rick Steiner. It ended in a double count-out when Luger and Scotty brawled on the floor. This led to Luger facing Norton. Scott interfered until Rick came to the rescue. Scotty avoided both his brother and Luger’s Rack. (If you’re wondering, they’re holding off on the Rick vs. Scott bout. They want to build to it.)

The Match: Scotty jumps Luger when he enters. He rams Lex into the corner and throws strikes. After a belly-to-belly suplex, they fight to the floor. Scott rams Luger into the rail and the steps. But Luger reverses an apron suplex to the floor and hits a diving axehandle. Lex follows this by whipping Scott over the rail. When they return, Luger nails another axehandle and a Manhattan Drop. Lex follows with a powerslam and attempts The Rack. Scott counters with a low blow and puts Lex in the Steiner Recliner. However, Luger’s legs are under the ropes. This leads to Scotty arguing with Nick Patrick. A frustrated Steiner grabs a chair, so Rick Steiner arrives to stop him. Scotty enters the ring to avoid his brother. This allows Norton to jump Rick and fight with him. It distracts Scott, so Luger nails Scotty with a running forearm to the back of the head. Lex then covers for the three.

Thoughts: They kept it short and explosive, but the finish was weak. I don’t mind the story of the ending. It continues the Scott vs. Rick feud. However, Luger’s running forearm wasn’t great. It makes Scott look weak to lose to that. This isn’t a great way to debut his singles run on PPV.

Winner: Lex Luger (3:53)

A frustrated Scott Steiner decks Nick Patrick. He grabs the chair, but Rick enters the ring. When Scott charges him, Rick backdrops Scotty to the floor. Norton collects him and they retreat. Rick then raises Luger’s arm in victory.

Penzer introduces the US title Triple Threat Match. Raven enters without music while Dave explains the rules. All three men fight at once and falls count anywhere.

Triple Threat Match for the U.S. Title: Diamond Dallas Page (c) vs. Raven vs. Chris Benoit

Notes: Benoit fought Raven on both Nitro and Saturday Night. DDP came to Chris’s aid both times, but Benoit hit Page by accident in the melee. These miscommunications led to a Benoit/DDP rematch. Raven ruined it. So Page fought Hammer and Raven jumped DDP. This time, Dallas hit Benoit by mistake during the scuffle. Meanwhile, Raven explained his issue with DDP. He once mentored Page, but Dallas forgot about him. He became popular, and no longer needed Raven. Raven then claimed it was his master plan to drive a wedge between Benoit and Dallas. Next, Raven got a US title shot. But this ended with Raven, DDP, and Benoit all brawling with each other. Despite these altercations, DDP and Benoit teamed to fight Raven & Saturn. Page and Benoit once again fought among themselves. (On a side note, The Flock also added a new member. The former Yeti joined under the name Reese. He helped attack Benoit.)

The Match: They do a three-way grapple multiple times until the action spills to the floor. DDP nails a slingshot crossbody after Benoit’s baseball slide. Page follows with a swinging neckbreaker and a pancake. But everyone breaks up each other’s pin attempts. This leads to more fighting on the floor. They trade strikes and whip each other into the rail. Then Raven grabs a trash can, but it backfires on him. DDP and Benoit place it on Raven’s head and hit it with crutches. However, Benoit breaks up the pin with a crutch to Page’s ribs. After this, Benoit and Raven work together. They put Page through the Uncensored sign twice. But Chris finds a kitchen sink and uses it on Raven. Raven answers by dumping a table onto Benoit. He then chokes Chris with a velvet rope. (Heenan thinks it’s a snake.)

Raven drags Benoit back to the ring and DDP crawls after them. He takes a while, so Raven grabs a chair. It also backfires on Raven. Benoit gives him a drop toe hold onto it. This leads to a sleeper on Raven. DDP joins to make it a three-way sleeper, but Raven breaks it with a jawbreaker. After a nine-count, Benoit begins rolling Germans on Raven. Page finishes it by suplexing both men! Next, Raven gets one of Lodi’s signs and hits Benoit. It has a stop sign hidden in the middle! The Flock even provides a table and Raven puts Dallas on top of it. Raven climbs for a dive, but Benoit stops him with the stop sign. Chris looks for a superplex, so Page shoves Chris to the floor. DDP then grabs Raven and gives him a diving Diamond Cutter onto the table. (It almost doesn’t break.) This is enough for the win.

Thoughts: This was good fun. The crowd loved it. More specifically, they loved DDP. The bout had some unique sequences. Raven brought a few of his ECW spots. It’s the first non-ECW triple threat that worked. The WWF tried a few, but they fell flat. I enjoyed this.

Winner: Diamond Dallas Page (15:53)

Hammer pulls Raven out of the ring while Benoit looks frustrated. But Chris helps DDP to his feet. The ref raises Page’s hand. DDP can barely stand. Meanwhile, the commentators talk about the remaining matches. Tony reminds everyone the powerbomb is legal in The Giant’s match. We already saw The Giant powerbomb Nash once. Next, Tony and Heenan talk about Savage vs. Hogan. Heenan picks Savage to win.

The Giant vs. Kevin Nash

Notes: The Giant solved his travel woes from SuperBrawl and appeared on Nitro. He vowed revenge on Nash. Kevin would have a bad case of The Giant all over his back. (No, that’s acne.) Meanwhile, Kevin got cuffed again after giving Lodi a Jackknife. Then the nWo gave Rick Steiner a chance to join his brother. When he refused, Nash tried to Jackknife him. The Giant stopped it and gave Nash a powerbomb! When security tried to cuff The Giant, he brushed past them. The Giant also powerbombed Norton, so Dillinger chained The Giant. The cuffs were too small for his wrists. After this, The Giant teamed with Savage and Sting to fight Hogan & The Outsiders. (More on that later.) He also had a handicap bout with the nWo. It ended with The Giant powerbombing Konnan. Dillinger chained him once more and Nash threw coffee on The Giant. This caused The Giant to break free and chase him. (On a side note, The Giant wears a neck brace for this bout. He also still has no music.)

The Match: They shove each other around and Nash evades The Giant’s attacks. Kevin taunts him with karate poses. Then Nash grabs a headlock. But The Giant hits clotheslines and elbow drops. He sends Nash to the floor and lifts him onto his shoulder. Kevin slips out and shoves The Giant into the post. When they return to the ring, Nash focuses on The Giant’s neck. He hits elbows and forearms and chokes Giant in the corner. Next, Nash grabs a sleeper hold, but The Giant elbows out of it. This leads to more forearms from Nash and a Boss Man Attack on the ropes. He then rips off The Giant’s neck brace and does another rope attack. But Nash hurts himself with a headbutt. The Giant capitalizes with his own strikes and signals for the chokeslam. This draws out Brian Adams. He hits The Giant with a baseball bat to cause a DQ.

Thoughts: This wasn’t much of a match. It wasn’t terrible, but they did little. Plus, it ended in a DQ. We didn’t even see a powerbomb after all the talk. I liked their last encounter before the botch. So I had some hopes for this. But it was disappointing.

Winner: The Giant (by DQ) (6:36)

Konnan and Vincent enter the ring and club The Giant until he shoves them. Then Giant headbutts Adams and breaks the bat. He gives Konnan and Vincent chokeslams. When The Giant grabs Adams, Nash breaks another bat over The Giant. Kevin signals for the Jackknife, but he runs when The Giant shows life. The nWo retreats as Penzer announces the winner. The Giant chases them.

Bret Hart vs. Curt Hennig (w/ Rick Rude)

Notes: Bret called out Brian Adams for attacking him. But Hennig attacked Hart during the bout. Curt and Rude beat him until Ric Flair saved Bret. On Thunder, Hennig claimed the nWo chose him to take out Bret for his actions at Starrcade. Then Hennig focused his anger on both Anvil and Flair. Bulldog and Bret intervened in both instances. This led to Bret wrestling Brian Adams. It ended in a typical nWo brawl once Hennig interfered. Hennig also had a bout with Flair on Nitro. The nWo jumped Ric again, so Hart returned the favor. He saved Flair from the beating. After this, Hennig & Adams wrestled Bulldog & Anvil on Saturday Night. Curt won with a Hennig Plex.

The Match: They grapple to a stalemate. But then Bret takes Curt to the mat with multiple headlock takeovers. Hennig pulls the hair as a counter. Rick Rude also interferes to stop Bret’s momentum. He trips Hart. Then when Bret grabs a Sharpshooter, Rude punches him behind the ref’s back. This allows Curt to work Bret’s leg. Hennig kicks the knee, jumps on it, and wraps it around the post. Rude helps do the same. It leads to a Figure Four and Rude gives Curt leverage. But the ref catches them and makes Hennig break the hold. This opens the door for Bret’s comeback. He crotches Curt on the ropes and begins his routine. Hennig counters by whipping Bret into a sternum bump. Curt follows with a Hennig Plex, but Bret kicks out at two! When Hennig complains, Bret runs Curt into Rude and does an O’Connor Roll. Hennig reverses with a handful of tights, but he still only gets a two! Next, Bret rolls through a sunset flip and locks in a Sharpshooter. Hennig taps before Rude can save him.

Thoughts: This was good, but it’s nothing compared to their past encounters. It felt like a standard Bret/Hennig match. I won’t say they went through the motions. But it’s close to that. This was still solid action, and I didn’t mind it. However, you expect more from these two.

Winner: Bret Hart (13:51)

Rude jumps Bret and attacks him in the corner. Hennig grabs a chair while Rude whips Bret around the ring. Rude then nails a Rude Awakening and Curt hits Bret with the chair. Hennig poses over a fallen Hart. He also threatens the ref before posing with Rude.

WCW Title Match: Sting (c) vs. Scott Hall (w/ Dusty Rhodes)

Notes: It appeared Hall would get his long-awaited title shot on Nitro. But Scott disguised himself as Sting and attacked the Stinger before the bout. Savage and Luger came to Sting’s aid. Then Hall cut a promo on Sting. He said Sting sat in the rafters for a year while he wrestled every night! Sting countered by mocking Hall’s usual survey. Sting’s survey said Hall is a dead man. Next, Hogan & Hall fought Sting & Savage. It ended in chaos. Sting fought off Hall, Vincent, and Konnan until The Giant joined the fray. This led to the aforementioned Sting, Savage, & Giant vs. Hogan & The Outsiders bout. (I’ll discuss it before the main event.) In return for helping him, Savage wanted a WCW title shot. Sting obliged, but Hall ruined it by attacking Sting.

The Match: They have a tug-of-war over the belt and trade punches. Hall regroups and then uses arm wringers. Sting answers with a clothesline, but Hall pokes the eyes. Hall continues with a chokeslam and mocks The Giant. But Sting fires back with a facebuster, strikes, and a dropkick. Hall tumbles out of the ring and regroups with Dusty. This leads to Rhodes distracting Sting. Hall capitalizes with an apron clothesline, a discus punch, and a corner clothesline. He also nails the fallaway slam and more strikes. Next, they collide and Sting falls onto Hall’s crotch. But Hall distracts the ref while Dusty enters the ring. Rhodes tip-toes around and drops an elbow onto Sting! (That made me laugh.) Hall gets two when he covers! A frustrated Scott slaps Sting until Sting hulks up. Sting nails a Manhattan Drop and a Stinger Splash. Then he puts Hall in a Scorpion Deathlock, but Dusty distracts Sting. Hall takes advantage with punches. But Sting whips him into the corner and takes out the ref by accident. So Dusty tosses brass knuckles to Hall. He uses them and only gets another two because the ref is groggy. That didn’t work, so Hall signals for the Edge. However, Sting slips behind him and hits a Scorpion Death Drop for the victory.

Thoughts: This wasn’t bad. It was a little basic, but it had some fun moments. Dusty sneaking around the ring amused me. Plus, the crowd was hot for the finish. This was enjoyable, but not thrilling. For a WCW title match, it didn’t live up to the hype. It also doesn’t help it didn’t close the show.

Winner: Sting (8:28)

Sting collects his belt and does crotch chops at Dusty. Rhodes reacts with disgust. The replay shows Mark Curtis making an amusing face during his ref bump.

Next, they show a commercial for Spring Stampede. The narrator compares Goldberg and the WCW wrestlers to a bull. This April, the biggest and baddest compete. There’s no bull! (What? But I saw one in the commercial!) Tony says the event happens on April 19^th in Denver. Heenan thinks the bull was Zane Bresloff in a cow costume. (Zane is a WCW executive.)

Then Michael Buffer introduces the main event. It’s a power struggle for control of the nWo inside a cage. Two will enter, but only one will exit. Someone shines a laser pointer in Buffer’s eyes as he says his catchphrase. After this, the cage lowers over the ring. Hogan shakes and tests the cage when he enters the arena. Savage enters next. Buffer claims Randy wants to be the kingpin of the nWo.

Cage Match: Hollywood Hogan vs. Macho Man Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth)

Notes: Hogan claimed Savage attacked him with a ten-foot crowbar at SuperBrawl. (That’s a typical Hogan exaggeration.) So Hollywood challenged Savage to a Cage Match. Both men vowed to kick each other out of the nWo. Hogan then mocked Savage’s marriage woes and made suggestive accusations about Liz. (I’m surprised Savage allowed this.) Savage countered by claiming he slept with Linda Hogan. Meanwhile, Randy won National Lampoon’s Man of the Year award. Hogan questioned this. How can Randy be a real man? He lived in Hogan’s shadow his entire career! This led to the nWo attacking Savage after multiple matches. So we got the six-man tag I mentioned earlier. Hogan pinned Randy after an almost unrecognizable Ed Leslie attacked Savage. (They haven’t named him yet, but they call him The Disciple later. He hides his identity behind shades and a thick beard. But it’s definitely the old Booty Man.) On Thunder, Hogan jumped Randy during his fight with Sting. Sting pulled Savage to safety by his rappelling cable.

The Match: Hogan throws strikes and chokes Savage with his own bandanna. Then Hogan nails a big boot and tries to ram Randy into the cage. Savage blocks it each time. After Hogan misses an elbow drop, Savage rallies with axehandles, punches, and chokes. Hogan also blocks getting rammed into the cage. Hollywood then answers with his weight belt. He whips Randy with it and chokes him. But Hogan misses the leg drop. This allows Savage to grab the belt and return the favor. Randy lays into Hogan with the weight belt! Hogan bleeds after Randy rams him into the wall. However, Hogan answers with a backdrop into the side of the cage. He bounces Randy’s head off the wall until Savage is bleeding too. Next, they fight out the door and onto the floor. Hogan whips Savage into the rail and returns him to the cage. But Randy reverses Hogan into the wall and climbs to the top! Randy lands a flying axehandle off the cage! So The Disciple comes to interfere. He takes out both referees and dares Savage to come down off the cage wall. Hogan & The Disciple threaten Randy until Sting repels into the ring! It seems the sides are even. Savage looks thrilled. The four men stand-off. But then—Savage clotheslines Sting and gives him a piledriver. Randy then spits on a confused Hogan and leaves. Hogan yells at Randy. He says Savage works for him, like it or not. Tony says goodnight as the show ends without a winner.

Thoughts: This wasn’t good. It was mindless brawling and had no finish. The action was punching, whipping, and ramming each other into the cage. It wasn’t interesting. Then the non-finish killed it. What a disappointing main event.

Winner: No Contest (15:20)

The Good:

• Booker/Guerrero was good, despite the abrupt finish.

• Jericho/Malenko was solid and had good storytelling.

• The US title triple threat was fun.

The Bad:

• The awful main event.

• The WCW title match didn’t close the show.

• Konnan/Juvi.

Performer of the Night:

I’m giving it to Dean Malenko. He had a good match. And he showed a surprising amount of emotion in the post-match interview. Plus, this sets up great stuff.

Final Thoughts:

While this had some good action, much of it fell flat. The dud of a main event didn’t help matters. WCW turned their world title and the champion into an afterthought. Hogan is more important right now, and that’s bad. The stretch from March to May already feels like filler for WCW. They aren’t helping by putting on something like this. It’s a shame. I feel bad for Sting.

Thank you for reading. My next review is the WWF’s WrestleMania XIV. Look for it next Sunday!