NWK Books Starrcade 1997 and Beyond

[NWK2000]

Chapter 1: Starrcade 1997

We get a video package basically portraying the enigmatic Sting as a dark superhero, watching, moving from building to building on a rainy day. Text informs us that he intends to salvage an empire from ruin, by seeking the run of one man, TONIGHT

A typical thunderous WCW display of pyro is the first thing we see when the camera pans to the arena Tony Schiavone welcomes us to "The Most Important Night in the history of our sport", introducing us to his fellow announcers for the night "Iron" Mike Tenay and Dusty Rhodes. They talk to us about the referee drawing for Sting vs Hogan. They pan to the crowd, where several WCW stars are sitting in a blocked off section of the front row, all easerly waiting for Sting Hogan. Schiavone also tells us that Kevin Nash WILL NOT be here to wrestle the Giant, and with that, the show is underrway

Eddie Guerrero (c) def Dean Malenko for the Crusierweight title in a classic 20 minute match.
-Guerrero has words with both Kidman and Disco Inferno as he heads to the back.

"Rockhouse" hits the speakers and Scott Hall saunters out in a long-sleeved, red, NWO shirt, the TV belt wrapped around his weight. He puts over Washington DC on the mic. He then appears to fly into his usual routine

Hall: You may have heard by now, but we're doin a little survery.
*crowd pops*
Hall: Who here...came to see....Kevin Nash?
*bigger crowd pop*
Hall: Well....he ain't here tonight.

*crowd boos*
Hall: See, unlike your generous old pal Scott Hall, Kevin doesn't think Washington DC is very sweet.

*Crowd boos louder*

Hall: He (pauses to think) He doesn't think, he KNOWS Washington DC is fulla chumps, the biggest chump of them all is that big dummy Giant *pauses to let the crowd pop* Big man, just like when you rolled with us back in the day, Kev was just stringin' you along. He doesn't think you're in his league, or worth his time mang.

Hall flippantly tosses the microphone away, and begins to saunter back up the ramp to his music. However, just as he's about to walk through the curtain, he's knocked onto his back, and begins to crawl away from the curtain. The crowd pops as a pissed looking Giant follows through the curtain. Hall desperately crawls to the middle of the ramp, flipping over from his stomach to his back to beg as Giant wraps a hand around Hall's throat and hoists him up to his feet. Hall thumbs the Giant in the eye, and starts to throw rights and lefts at the stunned Giant, but the Giant hits Hall with a gigantic surprise Scoop Slam. The Giant again, hoists Hall to his feet, but this time, throws the winded Television Champion into the ring. Stepping in himself, The Giant pauses as Hall wobbles to his feet, and calls for the Chokeslam. Hall turns around, only to get Giant's hand clasped around his throat and chokeslamed. Giant's music begins to play, as he takes the TV Belt off of hall, holds it to the camera, and proclaims, "First, I'm coming for this. Then, I'm coming for YOU Nash." dropping the title, and stomping back stage.

Scott Steiner, Rick Steiner and Ray Traylor w/ Ted Dibiase def Vincent, Scott Norton, and "Macho Man" Randy Savage w/Miss Elizabeth
-Savage is replacing Konnan, has to make his entrance seperately from Vincent and Norton,
-Back and forth match, but Savage seems flustered and off his game for the majority of time he's in the ring.
-Scott Steiner pins Savage, who brushes off assistance from his NWO comrades and stomps backstage with Elizabeth


Mean Gene Oakerlund interviews JJ Dillon. He runs down the most heavily advertised matches remaining on the card, Hennig vs. DDP for the US Title, Zybyszko vs Bischoff for the presidency of WCW, and lastly Hogan vs. Sting. He then announces that the referee is Nick Patrick. Gene tells JJ that this could cause a lot of controversy. JJ sats that, if anything happens, the President, who becomes official after the Sting Hogan event can do something about it.

Goldberg def Steve McMicheal
-Mongo attacks Goldberg during his entrance. They brawl aorund the ring for the majority of the match, with Mongo getting the uperhand after a Ric Flair- like back kick to the groin.
- Mongo gets speared off the apron to the floor after throwing Goldberg in and trying to get back in.
-Mongo's back is so hurt he can't hit the Mongo Spike, and gets it reversed into a Jackhammer for the 3


Saturn (w/Raven) def Chris Benoit by knock out, Raven's Rules Match
-Original match was supposed to be Benoit v Raven, but Raven replaced himself with Saturn
-Another great, back and forth match up, the ended in controversy when the Flock jumped and attacked Benoit, leading to an Evenflow from Raven, and then Saturn locking on the Ricgs of Saturn and Benoit being declared unable to continue

Lex Luger def Buff Bagwell w/ Vincent via Torture Rack
-Vincent keeps distracting the ref so Bagwell can do cheap things like rake the eyes and choke him.
-Luger eventually takes out Vincent, allowing Bagwell to take the upperhand.
-The match swings back in Bagwell's favor until Luger mounts a comeback, locks in the Rack, and wins.


Curt Hennig (c) w/Horace Hogan def DDP w/ Ric Flair, retains the US Championship
-DDP makes a point of attacking Hennig early with Flair chops, one of which sends Hennig outside of the ring.
-The match swings in Hennig's favor when DDP misses a running clothesline outside the ring during the brawl and runs arm first into the ring post.
- DDP spends the majority of the match getting bost arms worked over by Hennig, Tenay insinuates that this is all to prevent a Diamond Cutter attempt.
-It's at this point that Flair and Horace (who have been shouting at each other all match) get into it. Hennig leaves a prone DDP in the ring to double team Ric Flair with Horace. Flair fights valliantl, but the numbers game, and the use of brass knucks by Horace) alllows the NWO to get the upper hand.
-Hennig enters the ring only to be on thre recieving end of DDP's babyface comeback. He runs through his usual offense, attempts a Diamond Cutter, but can't lock Hennig's head because his arms are too hurt. Hennig rolls DDP up with a School Boy grabbing him by the jeans, and getting the three.
-Hennig Flair struts out of the ring, past a prone Ric Flair with Horace in tow as DDP looks on disbeliefs


Larry Zbyszko def Eric Bischoff w/ Scott Hall via knockout to become the next WCW President (Bret Hart was the special referee) As a result, Zybysko vs. Scott Hall is official for WCW Souled Out 1998

Sting def Hulk Hogan for the WCW World Heavyweight Title
-Hulk Hogan starts the match by powering Sting down in a Test of Strength, but Sting simply boots him in the stomach and punches him square in the mouth, causing the crowd to pop,
-The two go nearly punch for punch for about 5 minutes, but Sting knocks Hogan out of the ring with a dropkick.
-Hogan tries to shove Sting off of a headlock, but can't. Sting peppers him with punches in the headlock. Sting. gets whipped to the ropes, ducks a clothesline, but jabbed in the throat by Hogan, sending Sting down in a coughing heap. Hogan throws Sting outside the ring and poses. This starts the momentum of Hogan using dirty brawling tactics outside the ring.
Sting reverses an Irish Whip outside the ring causing Hogan to hit the guard rail, then follows that up with a guard rail Stinger Splash. Sting backs up as Hogan staggers forward, and throws him into the ring. Hogan rolls up to his knees, begging and pleading as Sting hits him with some stiff looking lefts and rights, all the way back into one of the turnbuckles. As Hogan slowly rises to his feet, Sting backs into the opposite corner. STINGER SPLA-NO! Hogan catches Sting, carries him to the middle of the ring, and hits him with a reverse atomic drop. Hogan drops to his knees at well, catching his breath from Sting's earlier flurry, "THIS IS YOUR HERO? I'M GONNA KILL HIM!" Hogan beckons to the crowd as he goes for yet another chokehold on the prone Sting. Hogan drags Sting up, whips him into the ropes, and hits the Boots. The crowd boos, Hogan poses, they both know what's ahead. BIG LEGDROP! Hogan gets to his feet, smiling arrogantly and making the cuthroat gesture. He leisurely floats into the cover. ONE, TWO, THR-NO, Sting kicks out with authority. Sting springs to his feet. Hogan punches Sting as hard as he can, but to no effect. Scoop slam by Hogan, and STING POPS BACK UP AGAIN. Another slam AND ANOTHER NO SELL BY STING! Tenay excitedly remarks that Sting's eyes have gone wide with an insane fury. Hogan goes for another punch, BLOCKED BY STING! Sting beams Hogan with a punch of his own, causing Hogan to stiffen, and fall backward. Sting turns around, and ecits the ring, rummaging around ringside for something. HE'S GOT THE BAT!. As Sting gets in the ring to face a kneeling Hogan, Tenay remarks that Sting may not be in his right mind. Sting raises the bat above his head as Hogan pleads for his life....and the bat is taken away by Nick Patrick! The crowd boos as Nick goes to put away the bat, LOW BLOW BY HOGAN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE RING! NICK PATRICK DIDN'T SEE IT! Sting falls backward in agony. Slowly, with a joyous smile on his face, Hogan rises to his feet, and runs the ropes, SECOND BIG LEGDROP! ONE, TWO, THRE-NO! AGAIN, STING KICKS OUT! Hogan pounds the mat in frustration, seething with rage. He stands up, and backs Patrick into the one of the corner, shouting indistinctly at him, until the camera picks up one angry phrase, "IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FAST YOU IDIOT!" While the announcers ponder this, the camera focus in on Hogan and Nick's drama, but no one notices that, in the opposite corner, Sting has amazingly pulled himself back up to his feet and is running full tilt at them. STINGER SPLASH ON HOGAN WHICH CAUSES HIM TO BONK HEADS WITH NICK PATRICK! Both men back out of the corner, and Sting grabs Hogan by the head. SCORPION DEATH DROP! Sting gets to his feet, and LOCKS IN THE SCORPION DEATHLOCK! Nick Patrick, who is dazed, but not knocked out, calls for the bell. Some of the crowd erupt in jubilation, thinking that Hogan may have tapped out, while most of the crowd, is hushed. Nick Patrick crawls out of the ring, conferring with Micheal Buffer

Buffer- Ladies and g entleman, I have been informed by Nick Patrick that, due to Sting striking an official *the crowd erupts in boos, the winner of this match by disqualification, and STILL-"
The Monday Nitro theme hits, and out comes Larry Zbyszko, looking like he's about to pop a blood vessel in rage, "NO! WE ARE NOT ENDING THIS NIGHT THIS WAY! THIS MATCH RESTARTS RIGHT NOW, and the Special Guest referee is Bret Hart! RING THE BELL!"
Bret Hart bounds from backstage, jogging as fast as he can up the ramp and to the ring. Meanwhile, Hogan has been progessively clawing his way up with the assistance of the ropes, and Sting hasn't taken his icy stare off of him since the bell rang. STINGER SPLASH IN THE ROPES! ROLL UP! Bret slides in. ONE TWO-NO! HOGAN KICKS OUT! Both men get to their feet, and Hogan waffles Sting with a punch to the jaw . Hogan waits for Sting to climb to his feet, all the while screaming "GET UP HERO!" Hogan whips Sting into the ropes. BIG BOOT-NO, STING BLOCKS IT! He knocks Hogan down, SCORPION DEATHLOCK! The NWO run out from backstage to try and help Hogan, but the WCW guys jump the guard rail and a big brawl insues outside. Meanwhile, Hogan is trying to crawl to the ropes. He's about an inch away....STING PULLS HIM BACK TO THE MIDDLE OF THE RING! HOGAN TAPPED! The shocked NWO members are beaten down at ringside, and the ring floods with jubilant WCW wrestlers, all of whom try to head for Sting in celebration, but Sting quickly exits the ring, only stopping to pose at the top of the ramp with the title. The credits on Starrcade 1997 roll with Tony's infamous call "I'm Tony Schavone and the NWO can bite us."

[Big Red Machine]

So far so good. I really liked the Dusty Finish tease in the main event.

[NWK2000]

(Before I actually go into the episode, I'd like to establish that, in real life Scott Hall wasn't the actual TV Champion going into Starrcade 1997, Disco Inferno was. However, this doesn't necessarily effect my plans for the belt, so it stays as it is.

Chapter 2: 12/29/97 Nitro from Baltimore Maryland

The opening video package, and subsequent pyrotechnics in-ring tell us that we are watching an episode of WCW Monday Nitro. Tony Schiavone welcomes us to a new, era of WCW Nitro, along with fellow announcers Dusty Rhodes and Bobby Heenan. Tony jokingly tells us not to adjust our TVs, because Sting is World Champion. We are told that, in edition to the main event (Television Champion Scott Hall vs. The Giant, title on the line) we are getting some more information on the card based on some things that happened before the program began. We cut away to a backstage segment, the text in the lower left corner indicating "Earlier today".

Konnan and Savage are shouting angrily at each other, while the NWO scatters around them. We seem to be catching Macho Man in the middle of a rant, "...Cause you didn't show up, then I got beat by the damn Stieners"
"Macho, I've been telling you all week, I couldn't find a flight into DC, my flight got cancelled, and I couldn't find another flight with all the holiday travel."
"YOU'RE LYIN!" dramatically shouts Macho, as Miss Elizabeth concernedly comes to his side
"Hey hey, Mach" says a cool voice from off camera, that being Kevin Nash, "If Konnan doesn't wanna wrestle he doesn't wanna wrestle." Nash says as he steps into frame.
It's Scott Hall's turn to step into frame now, "Easy for you to say big man, when your friends get beat up by the guy YOU were supposed to fight last night."
Savage takes this opportunity to take a sucker punch at Konnan. Konnan bobs out of the way, looking to punch Savage in return. Eric Bischoff runs into the frame to get in between the brawlers, yelling "HEY, HEY, BREAK IT UP!"
We abruptly cut back to live TV, where Tony tells us that because of this, it will be Konnan vs Randy Savage by order of Larry Zybyszko, anyone who interferes will be fined and suspended. Heenan scoffs at how old timey the idea of fining and suspending is, before we get our first match of the night.

Dean Malenko def Kidman via pinfall
-Kidman emerges from the crowd, with no other members of the Flock in sight, after Malenko makes his entrance.
-The whole theme of the match seems to be Kidman lasting a long time in submission holds or escaping pinning predicaments dramatically. It takes a missed Shooting Star Press and a Underhook Powerbomb to put Kidman down.
-The match goes about 10 minutes.

After the match, Dean is coldly staring down at Kidman, when the announcers note something happening off camera, and Chris Benoit slides into the ring, dressed in his gear and a T-shirt. He shouts something at Dean, pointing for him to leave the ring, then down at Kidman. Dean nods stoically to Benoit, and departs. Benoit grabs Kidman by the T-shirt, pushing him into one of the turnbuckles, holding him there by the T-shirt.
"You'd better tell Raven that, until I get to him, I will dismantle his Flock, one by one. I'm gonna let you walk away so you can tell him. GO! TELL HIM!"
Kidman scurries out of the ring, Benoit watching him run with his hands on his hips, as we go to commercial

Commercial Break

Goldberg def. Mean Mike in under 2 minutes

We cut to Larry Zybyszko's office, where he seems to be happily doing paperwork in a luxurious looking office. There's a knock at the door "Come in." prompts Zybyszko
His happy grin soon turns into a frown, when he realizes his visitors are Eric Bischoff, and Hulk Hogan, "What do you two want?" asks Zybyszko
"What I want you to do old man, is overturn Sting's title victory." says Bischoff with a scowl
"Two things Eric. One, you heard what JJ said. My power went into effect the moment the bell rang after the main event, so I simply restarted a blockbuster match that had reached a controversial conclusion. Any good promoter knows that's the right thing to do. And two, I have all the power, you don't, so watch who you call names. In fact..."
The President of Nitro pauses, reaching into a nearby file cabinent, pulling out a Manila folder with the name "Bischoff" scrawled on the flap.

"I made some adjustments to your contract, now that you're no longer President. I knew you wouldn't be satisfied with any of your old jobs, so I decided to make you an official superstar!"
"Wha-wha?" Bischoff stammers, now an unhealthy shade of white
"I figured you'd like it, now you can put that karate background to use. And I've already signed your debut. Next week, on Nitro, you're going to go head to head with.... THE UNDEFEATED GOLDBERG!"
The only sound that can be heard, (besides the crowd popping) is all of the air leaving Bischoff, groaning like he'd just been punched in the stomach. Hogan finally recovers enough to shout, "WAIT A MINUTE" but Larry cuts him off.
"Gogan, I'm surprised it took you this long to start blabbering. I'll make it up to you buddy. You seem pretty mad about your buddy getting such a high profile match, so next week, I'll let you wrestle anyone you want."
Hogan opens his mouth to say something, but stops, helping a stunned Eric out of the room.

Commercial Break.

The Stiener Bros w/Ray Traylor def Buff Bagwell and Scott Norton by DQ when the entire NWO interferes, jumping The Steiners, Traylor, and Dibiase. Hulk Hogan stands at the top of the ramp and proclaims that his selected opponent for next week is Ray Traylor
The screen is split into two sides. One side shows Lex Luger walking down a hall, and the other shows Greg Valentine walking down a hall. We're informed that it's going to be Luger vs Valentine next.
Commercial Break
Lex Luger def Greg Valentine by pinfall
-It's dominated by Luger in the opening minutes of the bout, until Valentine wriggles out of a powerslam and hits a particularly nasty Chop Block on Luger's right leg. He spends the next few minutes of the match diligantly working over the leg.
-Luger mounts a babyface comeback, eventually locking in the Torture Rack. In the process, Luger accidentally clocks the ref with Valentine's foot, and there's a ref bump.
- Luger's right leg gives out on him, bringing him down to one knee which allows Valentine to break the Rack, slamming Luger's head into the mat in the process. This stuns Luger long enough for Valentine to get a chair from ringside, and start pummeling Luger with it. The camera pans to the ramp, and a group of NWO members, lead by Buff Bagwell, run to the ring. Norton, takes the chair from Valentine and waffles him with it, as the other guys stomp Valentine into oblivion, putting Luger's arm over Valentine. The referee stirs , and regains conciousness enough to count the 3

Just as the NWO start to surround Luger, the lights go out. A spotlight shines on the middle of the ring, and Sting descends down to a massive pop, Sting smacks Bagwell over the head with his trademark bat, and the other NWO members flee the ring. Luger rises to his feet, but sting points the bat at Luger's neck, almost lightly ramming it into his throat. Luger pleads with Sting, looking confused at the recent goings on as he rises up further to a standing position. However, Sting seems to be ingoring him as he's given a mic by a stage hand. This gets a huge pop from the crowd. Luger, meanwhile, shoves Sting's hand away and walks up the ramp

Sting: Now that I've taken out Hulk Hogan, I have begun the process of eroding the NWO cancer cell by cell by cell, starting with whoever the Championship Committee wants me to face at Souled Out, and then you Scott Hall, at Superbrawl, and any other opponent, until the NWO is dead, or I have been bested by another wrestler for my title.
Sting throws the mic away and walks backstage as the show fades to commercial.
Commercial break
As Nitro comes back from commercial, Tony walks us through the highlights of DDP vs Hennig from Starrcade, including DDP getting his arms worked over, failing to synch in the Diamond Cutter, and getting rolled up. The image ends on Ric Flair getting beat up, and left in a heap. Tony tells us that DDP has several sprains in his hands and arms, and won't be back for two months. We pan to Mean Gene Oakerlund standing backstage

Gene: Ladies and Gentleman, please welcome, my guest at this time, a man who, along with DDP, did not have a very good Starrade 1997, the Nature Boy Ric Flair
Ric Flair walks onto camera, wearing a sharp looking suit and sunglasses void of his usual swagger, instead looking rather cross
Gene: Ric Flair, with the injury to DDP, how does that affect your..."
Ric: Who's DDP?
Gene looks rather offended at the question is Ric continues
Ric: See Gene-O, I've heard it from every loser I interacted with from DC to Baltimore, "Nature Boy, ain't it great that DDP stepped in for you after the NWO took ya out?"
Ric rips off his glasses
Ric: That rock n' roll wannabe floosie took my spot, MINE! And he learned, what happens when you mess with somebody like Curt Hennig. And Curt, you yellow-bellied piece of trash, you've only delayed the inevitable. That belt shoulda been mine at Starrcade, but it's gonna be mine at Souled Out."

Ric goes to say more, but Bret Hart walks into the frame. In contrast to Flair, is dressed denim shorts, a leather jacket, and purple sunglasses, his black hair greasy and unkempt.
Ric: Do I KNOW you buddy?
Bret: Yeah, you know me, we've wrestled a few times. And ever since then, it's made me sick thinking of you. You strut around like a rock star , all arrogant, but when a valiant competitor like DDP stands up and fights for you, you spit in their face. I had enough of that crap where I came from, and I'm not gonna put up with it from you.
Flair shoves Hart, Hart shoves Flair, and the two are pulled apart by security as we pan to the ring for our next match

Konnan def Randy Savage w/ Elizabeth via pinfall
The match is literally Konnan and Savage angrily brawling with each other for about 8 minutes. The referee, Nick Patrick, is extremely lax when enforcing the rules.
One of the turning points is when Konnan rams Savage headfirst into the steps outside the ring.
The close of the match sees Savage ram Konnan head first into his own knee. He then heads up top for an Axe Handle, but it's countered by a punch to the stomach upon landing. Savage gets hit with the Cradle DDT for the 1-2-3!
Post-match, Konnan waits for Savage to rise to his feet....and extends his hand. Savage looks at it, and returns the gesture. Elizabeth is waiting for them, and the three walk back together, Savage's arm over Konnan's shoulder

Commercial Break

The Giant def Scott Hall to win the WCW TV Title.
The match is all Giant, that is until The Giant attemps a chokeslam/throw from the top turnbuckle. Eric Bischoff and Kevin Nash come out, Kevin trying to joke around, whoop and holler while Eric looks non-present The Giant takes a moment to glance at them...WHAM, Scott Hall jumps off the turnbuckle, ringing Giant's arm in the process, the pain knocking him down to his knees. From there, Hall works the arm. As this goes on, Eric begins to look more "with it" actually conversing with Giant gains a babyface come back with a series of shoulder blocks.At one point, the referee asks Giant if he's okay to continue, while Hall backs into a the opposite corner. Eric runs down to ringside, stealthily removing the turnbuckle pad from behind Hall's back. Giant charges, Hall moves, and BOOM, Giant slams headfirst into the turnbuckle. This nets Hall 2 1/2 count. Hall punches at Giant's head, Giant grabs Hall with two hands by the throat, and simply tosses him across the ring. Giant staggers deliriously to one of the turnbuckles, positioning himself for a frontward facing turnbuckle moves. Eric attempts to mess with the giant, but Giant simply swats him away. Hall regains composure, and runs full tilt across the ring, hoping that he can catch the slow moving Giant off guard....NO Shoulder Block from the top! 1, 2, 3! NEW CHAMPION
Post match, Giant takes the belt, puts it back down, and hoists Scott Hall to his feet by the throat for the Chokeslam.....WAIT, he puts him between his legs....POWERBOMB! Nash, surprisingly, looks unimpressed, as Giant holds up the TV Title as Nitro closes out.

1/03/97 WCW Saturday Night results

-Eddie Guerrero def Disco Inferno via pinfall
-Kidman def El Dandy via pinfall
-Scott Norton and Buff Bagwell def the Armstrong Brothers via pinfall.

[NWK2000]

[center 1/05/97 Nitro from Atlanta GA][/center]

We pan to a screen that is labled "Earlier tonight" The setting, the NWO locker room. At the center of what seems like a giant swarm of NWO members is Eric Bischoff, "Okay so, we're clear, if anything happens to me, we all know the plan?"
An almost in unison "YEAH" erupts from the locker room.
"What if we don't like the plan?" Nash asks,
"Yeah! What if we're all sick and tired of takin back seats to your top man Bischoff?" Randy Savage as
"And on top of all that, recruiting them? Are you sure?" asks Bagwell, sounding significantly whinier than the others
"Guys" Bischoff says, calming the room, "I've lead you guys this far haven't I? you guys stick with the plan, the people who need to be eliminated will be."
"Listen to what Easy E has to say, and we'll be swimming in money, more than we already do!" Hogan demands of the room, as the camera cuts away
The Nitro opening and pyro commence as Tony welcomes us to the Georgia Dome for WCW Nitro, with announcers Dusty Rhodes and Bobby Heenan. Tony runs down what's been advertised of the card thus far. Eric Bischoff vs Goldberg, Hollywood Hogan vs Ray Traylor, and the Giant's first title defense against Vincent of the NWO. Tony also tells us that, just added recently to the card, Chris Jericho will face Rey Mysterio for the #1 contendership to the Crusierweight Title, and The Steiners will face the team of Konnan and the Macho Man Randy Savage.

Rey Mysterio def Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio is the #1 Contender
-The two wrestle a typical Crusierweight match, that is until an attempt at the Liontamer results in a rollup victory for Rey Mysterio. -----Post match, Larry Zybyszko appears at the top of the ramp, telling Rey that his match with Guerrero will be one of the matches that headlines the heavily anticipated debut of Thursday Thunder. Rey Mysterio turns around to eat a spinning wheel kick for Jericho as we go to commercial.

The Giant def Vincent for the TV Title via pinfall in 55 seconds when Vincent gets thrown off Giant's back in a sleeper hold and then chokeslammed

Chris Benoit def Riggs in a Raven's Rules match via Crippler Crossface.
-Riggs gets the drop on Benoit initially with weapons, but Benoit regains the upper hand, locking him in the Crossface, knocking him out.

Goldberg def Eric Bischoff via pinfall
-Eric Bischoff initially attempts to walk out on the match, Goldberg grabs him and leads him to the ring, slamming his head on the steps before throwing him back in the ring. This leads to a spear, and then three Jackhammers before the pin. Goldberg heads to the back, as the medical personel tend to Bischoff as we go to commercial break

Commercial Break

We see footage of Eric being loaded into an ambulance, with the Disciple accompanying him, As the ambulance pulls away, the camera flashes to Lex Luger walking down a hall, deep in thought
"Hey! Hey Luger!" shouts Buff Bagwell, jogging up to him
"Go away" growls Luger
"That's how you're gonna talk to a friend? If it weren't for me, Valentine would've dented your skull a few more times with the chair."
"Me and the NWO aren't friends."
Bagwell chuckles to himself, "Let's just say, if I saw a book at a store called, 'How to pick good friends' by you, I wouldn't buy it."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Again, Bagwell chuckles, "Well, Sting's been your buddy for years, and he treated you like a damn dog on Nitro last week. Just think about how the En Dubbyah Oh treats its friends." he says, leaving Luger alone in his thoughts

Konnan and Macho Man Randy Savage def The Steiners when Konnan pins Rick
-The match is very much a standard wrestling match, that is until Scott (The non-legal Stiener) gets into it with Elizabeth who's standing on the apron.
-Steiner eventually gets pissed, drops down from his corner, and begins angrily stalking Elizabeth up the ramp. This draws the ire of Macho Man (also non-legal) who drops down from his corner, and bolts up the ramp to brawl with Scott. Rick, setting up for a belly to belly suplex, on Konnan, sees the melee going on, and is distracted long enough for Konnan to counter into a Cradle DDT, and pin Rick. He hastly runs up the ramp to back up Savage.

-Post match. Scott hits Savage and Konnan with T-Bones. Meanwhile, Buff Bagwell and Scott Norton run in through the crowd and attack an already downed Rick. By the time Scott has finished dispatching of Konnan and Macho, shakes his head, and runs up the ramp. Bagwell and Norton hastily retreat away. Scott tends to his brother, but his face betrays disappointment as we go to commercial break

Commercial break



Hulk Hogan vs Ray Traylor never gets started, because within the first five minutes of the match, Rick Rude hands Hogan a pipe, and he wacks Traylor in the head with it. Dibiase gets in on the action breifly with the Million Dollar Dream on Hogan, but gets hit with the pipe by Rude. Hogan grabs a mic
Hogan: After all the abuse we've had to put up with, from me losing the World Championship because of our crooked president, to my buddy Eric being thrown to the wolves, well we're tired of it brothers! We're going to put a stop to it by suing Billionaire Ted and the WCW for all they're worth!

A worried J.J Dillion runs down to ringside, grabbing a mic
JJ: Hulk, I think it can go without saying that your little group, the New World Order, has caused us enough shenanigans, but that's beside the point right now. How can we prevent a lawsuit?
Hulk: By giving in to a few demands
JJ frowns, but sighs
JJ: Name them
Hulk: It all pertains to Souled Out my man. First, I want a match against Sting, for the title, best two out of three falls. I also want Bagwell and Norton to get a shot against The Steiners for the Tag Titles. I want Nash vs Giant to be a no DQ match.

JJ: I was actually planning to make a few announcements about Souled Out myself. And while that all sounds good, I have a few proclamations of my own. In edition to what was said, Chris Benoit will fight Raven in a Raven's Rules Match. Also, Bret Hart will go one on one with Ric Flair
*The crowd pops*
JJ: In addition, Lex Luger will go one on one with Curt Hennig for the United States Championshjp, just so he can get all the bad blood against the NWO out of his system. How does all of that sound?
*Hulk ponders this for a moment*
Hulk: I'm sure we can forget about this lawsuit for now if that's what's going to go on at Souled Out.
*Hulk and JJ share an uncomfortable handshake, Hogan leaves the ring to the NWO theme as Nitro ends.*

Updated Souled Out 1998 Card

WCW World Championship
Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting (c)
Best 2/3 Falls

WCW United States Championship

Curt Hennig (c) vs. Lex Luger

Bret Hart vs Ric Flair

WCW Tag Team Championship

The Stieners (c) vs Buff Bagwell and Scott Norton

WCW Television Championship

The Giant vs Kevin Nash

Chris Benoit vs Raven: Raven's Rules

[Bulletclubfan2014]

Just my opinion but the tag champs probably shouldn't be losing to a brand new team when they've got a title defense on PPV coming up in a couple weeks But other than that I can dig it

[NWK2000]

Just my opinion but the tag champs probably shouldn't be losing to a brand new team when they've got a title defense on PPV coming up in a couple weeks But other than that I can dig it

Not so much a brand new team, as they're all NWO. Plus, Scott and Rick weren't working in tandem, so they would've made Konnan and Macho look bad if they'd lost to half a tandem.

[Bulletclubfan2014]

Just my opinion but the tag champs probably shouldn't be losing to a brand new team when they've got a title defense on PPV coming up in a couple weeks But other than that I can dig it

Not so much a brand new team, as they're all NWO. Plus, Scott and Rick weren't working in tandem, so they would've made Konnan and Macho look bad if they'd lost to half a tandem.

It just makes them look weak going into a tag title defense against a higher level team than the guys they were beaten by

[Big Red Machine]

Just my opinion but the tag champs probably shouldn't be losing to a brand new team when they've got a title defense on PPV coming up in a couple weeks But other than that I can dig it

Not so much a brand new team, as they're all NWO. Plus, Scott and Rick weren't working in tandem, so they would've made Konnan and Macho look bad if they'd lost to half a tandem.

It just makes them look weak going into a tag title defense against a higher level team than the guys they were beaten by

Why not? If the angle is that they're not getting along, then this sells the fact that the titles might well be in jeopardy on the PPV. Also, no matter what the result of the title match is, you now have contenders set up.

[Bulletclubfan2014]

Didn't say anything about The Steiners not getting along

[NWK2000]

Not so much a brand new team, as they're all NWO. Plus, Scott and Rick weren't working in tandem, so they would've made Konnan and Macho look bad if they'd lost to half a tandem.[/quote]
It just makes them look weak going into a tag title defense against a higher level team than the guys they were beaten by[/quote]
Why not? If the angle is that they're not getting along, then this sells the fact that the titles might well be in jeopardy on the PPV. Also, no matter what the result of the title match is, you now have contenders set up.[/quote]

The "Steiners aren't getting along storyline is in its infancy. And the point I was trying to make to Bullet was that it was Rick and Konnan alone in the ring. I figured that either man could win in a one on one situation, plus, Scott's anger cost them the match.

[Bulletclubfan2014]

O ok that' makes sense then

[NWK2000]

1/08/98 Thunder from Daytona Beach, FL

The opening theme for Thunder plays, techno music played over thunder clap sound effects, showing highlights of exciting WCW matches in the past 3 months. Sting's unmistakeable face comes into focus along with the title graphic, as we pan to the arena. Tony Schavone talks to the viewers about how TBS has always been the hub for wrestling action, but now we have even more in this new era. The announcers are Lee Marshall and Bobby Heenan alongside Tony. Tony runs down the card, telling us the backstory for a few of the matches tonight.

-Ric Flair has demanded a match with a technically sound competitor to prepare him for Bret Hart. JJ Dillon has selected Bobby Eaton
-Originally scheduled to be Chris Jericho vs Dean Malenko, the match has been changed from Dean Malenko vs Ultimo Dragon because of Chris Jericho attacking Rey on Nitro.
-Rey Mysterio vs Eddie Guerrero for the Crusierweight Title
-Chris Benoit meats Sick Boy as he continues to desimate the flock
-Bagwell and Norton take on Harlem Heat
-And, in our main even tonight Scott Steiner takes on Macho Man Randy Savage, who is livid that Steiner harassed his wife.

Dean Malenko def Ultimo Dragon via submission
We get a brief backstage segment of Macho Man kicking in doors around the arena, looking for Steiner

[Goldberg def Micheal Wallstreet in under 30 seconds./b]

We get another backstage segment, this time of Rey Mysterio warming up, he's interrupted by Jericho
Jericho: Hey, can we talk?
*Rey eyes him skeptically*
Rey: Sure
Chris: I just wanted to apologize for hitting you after our match Monday. I heard you'd be partially main-eventing Thunder and I got so angry I just attacked. I deserve being pulled from Thunder, and I can only hope I can redeem myself in your eyes in the future.
*Rey thinks about it*
Rey: Yeah man, everyone deserves forgiveness, even you.
*Jericho frowns, Rey goes to say something else.
Jericho: No no, I know what you mean, it's fine...it's fine...
*Jericho walks off camera as we go to commercial break*

Norton and Bagwell def Harlem Heat when Bagwell pins Booker
-Stevie Ray is knocked off the turnbuckle and injures his leg. He is assisted to the back.
-Booker fights valliantly but is overcome by the odds.

Commercial Break
Juventud Guerrera, Super Caló, Lizmark, Jr. and Chavo Guerrero, Jr. defeated La Parka, Psychosis, Silver King and El Dandy in an 8 man Lucha Rules Tag Match. LA Parka lays out everyone with a chair afterwords

Mean Gene Oakerlund interviews Lex Luger. Gene asks him about the bizarre behavior of the NWO towards him. Luger says he doesn't know what to make of it all. The Giant interrupts, saying that if he gives in to the NWO, he won't hesitate to beat him senseless, maybe even for the US Title, if Souled Out goes his way.


Ric Flair def Bobby Eaton via Figure Four
-Bret Hart appears at the top of the ramp as the match begins, arms crossed, watching the match.
-Ric showboats for a lot of the match, stopping to mock Bret Hart's si gnature poses.
-Post match, Ric Flair goads Hart into coming down to the ring. Mongo McMicheal treis to ambush Hart from behind, but Bret is ready for it and the two brawl. Security pulls the two apart, and eventually Flair when he gets out of the ring and tries to get cheap shots on Hart.


Commercial break

Chris Benoit def Sick Boy in a Raven's Rules match. The rest of The Flock is in the crowd.
-Benoit knocks out Sick Boy with the crossface rather easily, but the Flock makes no move to interfere.

Rey Mysterio def Eddie Guerrero for the Crusierweight Champion, new Champion
-Rey and Eddie wrestle a classic luchadore match for 10 minutes. Eddie gets the upperhand and goes up for the Frog Splash. Kidman and the rest of the Flock jump the guard rail, distracting Eddie. Eddie knocks down the majority of the Flock. This gives Rey enough time to jump to the turnbuckle and hit a Top Rope Frankensteiner, getting the pin.
-Post match, Rey is thrown from the ring by the Flock, and Eddie is assaulted, particularly by Kidman, who Lee Marshall explains has been angry at Guerrero for a while now. Chris Benoit runs down to the ring and clears it of the Flock, helping Guerrero to his feet.

Scott Stiener vs Macho Man never gets started, as the camera pans to them fighting in the back. Savage gets the upperhand at first, until Steiner slams Savage into a wall. Savage falls to the floor, and Steiner locks in the camel clutch, and doesn't let go. Rick tries to pry Savage free, shouting, "That's neough!" as well as Konnan. In the background, you can see Buff Bagwell smirking and nodding as the first episode of Thunder ends.

WCW Saturday Night 1/11/98 results

-Chavo Guerrero def LA Parka via rollup.
-The Giant def Micheal Wallstreet for the TV Title
-Lex Luger def Bobby Eaton via Torture Rack.