PPV REVIEW: WCW Spring Stampede 1998

April 19, 1998
Denver Coliseum in Denver, Colorado

There once was a time when World Championship Wrestling pay per views were about as a good as pro wrestling got in North America. 

Sure, there had often been lacklustre main events featuring past-their-prime stars doing the bare minimum to string a match together, but before that, you could more or less always count on a world-class undercard to quite simply tear it up.

Indeed, half the reason that Retro Pro Wrestling expanded to covering WCW pay per views from the formation of the nWo onwards was simply that such shows were an absolute joy to watch.

But as 1998 steamrolled on, shows like Spring Stampede 1998 were becoming less of a joy and more of an absolute chore to sit through.

Questionable booking, stars who clearly couldn't be bothered, utter nonsense from the commentators. Put it altogether, and even the biggest WCW fan on the planet would have a hard time sticking up for the company.

---

---

Still, with every new show I put on, I remain optimistic:

Surely this will be the exception to the rule - the one late-90s WCW PPV that really delivered?

Let's find out together, shall we? 

Trouble is Rife in the nWo

Our show tonight began with a video looking at the recent dissension within the ranks of the New World Order and how that might possibly effect tonight's main event between Macho Man Randy Savage and Sting.

That took us to Mike Tenay, Tony Schiavone, and Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan, who told us that said main event was now no Disqualification.

With that, it was onto our opening contest.

Saturn (w/ Kidman) vs. Goldberg

We were in full Goldberg Undefeated Powerhouse mode here as he looked to demolish a member of the Flock before challenging that group's leader, Raven, for the US title the following night on Nitro.

At this point, Goldberg was at 73-0, with Mike Tenay claiming that most of those 73 wins had been squash matches. It's a good job he didn't say all, because that would be ignoring the competitive match he had with Steve 'Mongo' McMichael back at Starrcade 1997.

This wasn't a squash either, because Saturn basically dominated the bulk of the match with some wicked-looking offence before finally falling prey to a terribly sloppy jackhammer to make it 74-0.
Your Winner: Goldberg

The undefeated streak continued...

Chavo Guerrero (w/ Eddie Guerrero) vs. Ultimo Dragon

The story here was that if Chavo Guerrero won, he could stop being Eddie Guerrero's whipping boy, but if he lost, Eddie would be twice as hard to him.

Quite what the Ultimo Dragon stood to gain from being involved in this was anyone's guess.

The match was as good as you could hope for - not a Cruiserweight classic by any standards, but a perfectly enjoyable match which saw Chavo's refusal to adopt Eddie's 'Cheat to Win' mentality cost him a win.

At one point, Dragon looked to be injured, but Chavo would take advantage of it and ended up in the Dragon Sleeper.
Your Winner: Ultimo Dragon

Afterwards, Eddie berated his nephew, but we cut to Diamond Dallas Page talking to WCW.com before we could see anything happening.

No Time Limit World Championship Wrestling World Television Championship
WCW World Television Champion Booker T vs. Chris Benoit

Both challenger Chris Benoit and Champion Booker T had wrestled to a couple of ten-minute time limit draws on Nitro so today they were given all the time they wanted to let rip, and let rip they did.

From start to finish this was an absolutely tremendous match that looked to have a win for The Crippler when Booker tapped out to the Crossface.

There was just one problem - referee Mickey Jay had been knocked out.

When both ref and champ recovered, the match went the opposite way and Booker T retained the title.
Your Winner and Still TV Champion: Booker T

Afterwards, as the referees helped Jay to the back, Benoit paced around, irate that he should have been the victor.

Ladies and gentlemen, this one was far from over.

British Bulldog (w/ Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart) vs. Curt Hennig (w/ Rick Rude)

What a boring mess this turned out to be.

The idea was that Rick Rude would be handcuffed to Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart to prevent him interfering just as Chyna had been to Sgt. Slaughter at Wrestlemania 14 the month before.

To make sure this went down properly, we had an African American policeman come out and oversee the handcuffing.

In the ring, the British Bulldog worked over Curt Hennig's injured and fully-braced knee in a tedious battle until we saw that Rude had become free and handcuffed Neidhart to the ringpost whilst at the same time The Anvil randomly choked out the policeman until it was revealed that the policeman was actually Vincent...because you know, all black men look alike *eye roll*

Somehow, this resulted in a win for Hennig, though the sloppy ass confusion made it hard to tell how.
Your Winner: Curt Hennig

Post-match, the inevitable 3-2 beatdown ensued.

World Championship Wrestling Cruiserweight Championship
WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Prince Iuakea

Prince Iuakea hadn't been seen on WCW PPV since World War 3 1997, when he was merely an extra body in the sixty-man battle royal.

He'd had his last PPV singles bout a year earlier at Spring Stampede 1997, but now he got a chance to challenge Chris Jericho for the Cruiserweight belt.

Jericho, who was having the run of his career here, stopped on his way to the ring to first quote us some Cheap Trick ("I Want You to Want Me") and then dedicate his upcoming title defence to arch-rival, Dean Malenko, who hadn't seen seen at all since losing to Jericho and getting yelled at by Gene Okerlund at Uncensored 1998.

The match took a while to get going, but when it did it turned into one of the best bouts on the card so far, second only to the Booker/Benoit clash.

After almost capturing the title on several genuinely exciting occasions, Iukea succumbed to the Lion Tamer and this one was over.
Your Winner and Still WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Chris Jericho

Afterwards, Jericho stole Iukea's sarong as a trophy.

Quoth the Shakespeare

Out in the back, Raven talked to Lee Marshall for WCW.com, quoting Shakespeare in a promo that basically can be summed up as Raven promising to hit the Evenflow DDT on Diamond Dallas Page.

Buff Bagwell & Scott Steiner vs. Lex Luger & Rick Steiner (w/ Ted Dibiase)

Prior to the match, Buff Bagwell feigned a hand injury by wearing the worst looking cast of all time and claiming that the match had to be cancelled because of it.

Mean Gene Okerlund then came out with JJ Dillon, who brought a doctor in the ring to check it out. Bagwell got so angry at this that he grabbed Dillon with his good hand, thus proving the whole thing to be a ruse.

The match then got underway and was a short and painless affair that ended with Rick Steiner chasing his brother away before Lex Luger lifted Buff for the match-winning Torture Rack.
Your Winners: Lex Luger & Rick Steiner

Out in the entrance way, Mean Gene told us to call the Hotline to find out who was returning to WCW, and with that, it was back to action.

La Parka vs. Psicosis

I can't explain why, but Psicosis was always one of my favourite luchadores, and I enjoyed this match about as much as was possible.

No, it wasn't amazing, and yes, the crowd seemed not to give any kind of a crap, but it was fun for what it was, and ended when my man beat La Parka with a guillotine leg drop...

...which was kind of dumb because Parka was right next to the ropes and could have just reached out for them, but there ya go.
Your Winner: Psicosis

Moving on...

Baseball Bat on a Pole Match
Kevin Nash & Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper & The Giant 

I'll remind you that this was well before Vince Russo started working for WCW.

Kevin Nash and Hollywood Hogan were having issues as the nWo grew further and further apart, but the two looked to put their differences aside as they went up against Rowdy Roddy Piper and The Giant in a tag team Baseball Bat on a Pole match which, though sloppy in places, was a surprising amount of fun.

After a reasonably entertaining battle, Piper retrieved the bat but Hogan threw it away and had The Disciple come out with another one.

Nash held Piper in place for Hogan, but Hot Rod moved and Big Sexy bore the full brunt of the bat to the ribs.

Undeterred, Hollywood went to work on Piper and eventually pinned him.
Your Winners: Hollywood Hogan & Kevin Nash

Afterwards, Nash yelled at Hogan and then set The Giant up for a powerbomb, but Hogan turned on his partner and smashed him across the back with the bat.

No Holds Barred (Raven's Rules) World Championship Wrestling United States Championship
WCW United States Champion Diamond Dallas Page vs. Raven

Raven had been carrying the belt around with him and even came it second, which would make you think he was the champion, but he was in fact the challenger. This was the kind of confusing stuff that WCW did often.

Either way, he and Page had a wild and awesome no holds barred match that truly delivered.

After some fantastic action, Horace Boulder -disguised as a member of the ring crew- gave Raven the assist to give him the title.
Your Winner: Raven

The following night, Raven would defend the belt against Goldberg, and we all know how that ended.

No Disqualification World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship
WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting vs. Macho Man Randy Savage

Compared to the previous no holds barred title match, this was very disappointing, and its rare you'll ever see me saying that about a Macho Man Randy Savage match.

It didn't help that his match with Sting was needlessly overbooked.

At one point, Miss Elizabeth got involved but Savage used her as a shield, pulling her in the way of a Stinger splash.

Officials helped her to the back, but then referee Charles Robinson got squashed too.

Savage went up for the big elbow, but Hogan came up and pushed him off the top, then Nash came down and jackknifed Sting.

Why the referee had to get bumped for this to happen when it was a no DQ match anyway is anyone's guess.

Nash then drapsed an unconscious Savage on top of Sting, dragged Lil Naich over, and three seconds later we had a new Champion.
Your Winner and New WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Macho Man Randy Savage

Afterwards, Hogan and The Disciple beat on Nash and Savage until Scott Norton came to break it up.

---

---

Though there was a lot to enjoy about Spring Stampede 1998, nothing beyond the Raven/Page match was up to the level of recent WCW PPVs.

Yes, some matches were fun, but the company had given us so much good stuff in the past that this whole thing fell short.

There's far worse events in the world, but nothing here -not even Savage becoming Champion- is worth watching.

---

1998 events reviewed so far

1. WWF - Royal Rumble 1998 
2. WCW - Souled Out 1998
3. WWF - In Your House 20: No Way Out of Texas 
4. WCW - Superbrawl 1998
5. WCW - Uncensored 1998 
6. WWF - Wrestlemania 14 

More WCW Spring Stampede reviews

1. WCW Spring Stampede 1997 

Be the first to catch the latest Retro Pro Wrestling reviews by following on Facebook or Twitter @RetroPWrestling.

Read More

PPV REVIEW: WWF Wrestlemania 14

March 29, 1998,
FleetCenter in Boston, Massachusetts.

Though the now-legendary submission match between Bret 'The Hitman' Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin at Wrestlemania 13 is often considered a pivotal moment in the World Wrestling Federation's shift towards the edgier, more adult-orientated product of The Attitude Era, that era didn't officially get started until later that year.

What that means, is that tonight's show was the first Wrestlemania of the Attitude Era.

For this writer personally, it also means exciting news.

It means we're almost halfway there.

Long-time readers may know that Retro Pro Wrestling started off as a challenge I set myself to watch and review every Wrestlemania from 1 - 30, so every time I get to a new one I feel a little bit excited about getting that tiny bit closer towards my goal.

---

---

Anyway, without further ado, here's what happened when the World Wrestling Federation presented their 14th annual Wrestlemania extravaganza.

Tradition is Alive and Well in the WWF

Our introduction this evening told us that because our headliners were degenerate Shawn Michaels and foul-mouthed SOB Stone Cold Steve Austin, it was tempting to think that tradition and traditional values had been taken away from Wrestlemania.

On the contrary, said our narrator, just because Shawn and Austin were edgier, they were still fighting for the same sense of glory and prestige that everyone from Ernie Ladd and Gorilla Monsoon to Hulk Hogan and Andre The Giant had competed for in the past.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, tradition was alive and well in the World Wrestling Federation, and tonight's show would prove that.

Welcome to Wrestlemania

That took us down to the briefest of welcomes from Jim Ross who was, as you guessed, commentating the show with Jerry 'The King' Lawler.

Ross welcomed us as Farooq and Kama Mustafa made their way to the ring for our opening match.

15 Team Battle Royal
Featuring The Headbangers (Mosh & Thrasher), The Godwins (Henry & Phineas Godwin), the Disciples of the Apocalypse (Skull & 8-Ball), Los Boricuas (Miguel Perez & Savio Vega, Jesus and The Other One), The Nation of Domination (Farooq & Kama Mustafa, Mark Henry & D'Lo Brown), Steve Blackman & Flash Funk, Scott Taylor & Brian Christopher, Chainz & Bradshaw, Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton & Robert Gibson), The New Midnight Express (Bombastic Bob & Bodacious Bart), The Quebecers (Pierre Lafite & Jacques Rougeau), The Truth Commission (Sniper & Recon), The Legion of Doom (Hawk & Animal)

This was billed as a 15-team Battle Royal, but really, with random pairings like Bradshaw & Chainz and Flash Funk & Steve Blackman, it was an early example of the 'get everyone on the card' mentality that we've come to expect from modern Wrestlemania booking.

Of course, the highlight was the arrival of The Legion of Doom in their LOD 2000 gimmick with Sunny as their manager.

Sunny looked insanely hot, but Hawk & Animal, who had actually split up and were feuding the week before, looked absolutely ridiculous.

That was the only interesting thing to happen until Hawk & Animal tossed The New Midnight Express out for the win.

Apart from that, this was rubbish.

By the way, did you know that Bob Holly had been with the company since the early 90s but this was his first Wrestlemania and actually only his 8th appearance, his first since his 40-minute showing in the 1996 Royal Rumble?
Your Winners: The Legion of Doom

As a result of their win, Hawk & Animal had earned a Tag Team title shot at the following month's In Your House PPV.

Wrestlemania is Everywhere

Prior to our next match, we got a look at some of the promotional activity taking place in the weekend leading up to tonight's show.

This includes clips from the D-Generation-X public work out, a VIP dinner, and some random thing with Flash Funk.

World Wrestling Federation Light Heavyweight Championship
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Taka Michinoku vs. Aguila

In what was probably his best PPV match to date, Taka Michinoku pulled out all the stops to deliver a brilliant Wrestlemania debut against Aguila.

The challenger was no slouch either, impressing in a very enjoyable effort with lots of innovative spots not usually seen on WWF programming.

After a good back-and-forth battle, Taka landed the Michinoku Driver to retain the title.
Your Winner and Still WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Taka Michinoku

Up next, we went to a pre-recorded segment which may come back to haunt The Rock if he does ever take his idea to run for president seriously.

Gennifer Flowers, whose sole claim to fame was having sex with President Bill Clinton, asked The People's Intercontinental Champion what he would do if he were the leader of the United States.

True to form, the arrogant heel claimed that 'ruler' would be a more fitting term for him than leader, and that he didn't really give a crap about homelessness, health care, or any of that stuff as long as he was alright.

The segment was just that, 'alright.'

Whilst both The Rock and Ms Flowers did their best, the whole thing felt terribly forced and a little bit awkward.

World Wrestling Federation European Championship
WWF European Champion Triple H (w/ Chyna) vs. Owen Hart

The last time we'd seen the European Championship, it had been on the shoulder of Owen Hart at In Your House 20: No Way Out of Texas.

Owen had since lost the belt to arch-rival Triple H, after Hunter attacked Owen's injured ankle and Tim White stopped the match.

So today, we had our rematch, which began with Hunter and Chyna making their way to the ring accompanied by a horrible version of the DX theme, played by the Chris Warren Band.

Chyna and her new boobs were then ordered to be handcuffed to Commissioner Slaughter to prevent her from interfering in the match.

I'm convinced we've seen this play out in another match but for the life of me I can't think which one. Maybe I've just seen this match recently and forgot.

Anyway, this was a solid yet hardly spectacular match which ended when Chyna blinded Slaughter with some powder and low-blowed Owen.

A Pedigree later, and we were done here.
Your Winner and Still WWF European Champion: Triple H

Up next, we got a video package reminding us of the complicated rivalry between team of Luna Vachon and The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust, and Marc Mero and Sable.

If you need a reminder, it basically goes like this:

Marc Mero was jealous of Sable's popularity and had done all he could to demean and embarrass her, including hiring Goldust to dress up as his wife and rub his chest.

Meanwhile, Goldie's Mistress/Manager Luna had decided to hate Sable, and the feeling was mutual, then at some point Mero and Goldust had fallen out, and thus we had ourselves a match.

Mixed Tag Match
The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust & Luna Vachon vs. Marvellous Marc Mero & Sable

As this one got underway, Jim Ross reminded us that this was only the third mixed tag match in Wrestlemania history, with the first featuring Goldust's father and then-current nWo member Dusty Rhodes teaming up with Saphire to take on The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase and Sensational Sherri at Wrestlemania 6.

Honestly, I racked my brains trying to think of the second one but couldn't, and had to Google it. I still can't find it, so I assume either JR was on crack or there was something I'm missing.

The actual match here was supremely enjoyable, with everyone playing their roles to perfection and delivering a surprise highlight of the evening so far.

As the most popular star in the match -and of the entire show up to this point- Sable blew the roof off when she hit Luna with the TKO for the win.
Your Winners: Marc Mero & Sable

Up next, Tennesee Lee, better known as Col. Parker and last seen on PPV at WCW World War 3 1996, introduced Gennifer Flowers Jeff Jarrett, who came out in his country singer gimmick, the very same country singer gimmick he'd ridiculed only a few months before during the big worked-shoot promo he'd made on his big return to the company.

The most puzzling bit, is that it was only a few weeks before that Jarrett had been doing his NWA North American Champion gimmick.

Anyway, Jarrett and Lee were just there to accompany Flowers as she did special guest ring announcing for the next match.

World Wrestling Federation Intercontinental Championship
WWF Intercontinental Champion The Rock (w/ D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, and Mark Henry) vs. Ken Shamrock

In a return match following their previous encounter at Royal Rumble 1998, The Rock defended the Intercontinental Championship against Ken Shamrock in a short but explosive contest that continued Wrestlemania 14's run of quality bouts.

At one point, the champion blasted his opponent full on in the face with a steel chair, but Shamrock kicked out, slapped on the ankle lock, and won the Intercontinental Championship:
Your Winner and New WWF Intercontinental Champion: Ken Shamrock

Afterwards, Shamrock lost his damn mind and beat up the rest of The Nation then put a beaten and bloodied Rock back in the ankle lock and refused to let go.

Farooq came down, teased helping The Rock but then -because the two had been having a power struggle as of late- decided against it and wandered off.

A gaggle of referees and officials came down, but Shamrock had lost it and just suplexed the crap out of some referees and officials you'd never seen before and were obviously indie workers hired to take the suplex.

Because of Shamrock's insanity, referee Mike Chioda reversed his decision and gave the title back to The Rock.
Your Winner and Still WWF Intercontinental Champion: The Rock

That decision only pissed off Shamrock even further, so he pushed The Rock off the stretcher the EMTs had placed him on, and beat him up some more.

Dumpster Match for the World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championship
WWF Tag Team Champions The New Age Outlaws (Road Dogg Jesse James & Bad Ass Billy Gunn) vs. Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie

Making his first Wrestlemania appearance since Wrestlemania 2, Terry Funk was still using the Chainsaw Charlie name despite dropping all other aspects of the gimmick.

Here, he teamed with Cactus Jack to take on The New Age Outlaws in a no holds barred match in which the only way to win was to dump your opponents in a dumpster and slam the lid shut.

The match was disjointed and disappointing, but did provide a few genuinely cool moments, including that often-replayed spot in why'd Cactus Jack and Bad Ass Billy Gunn got knocked off a ladder and crashed into the dumpster.

The action then spilled backstage, making it the first PPV of the Attitude Era where backstage brawling was part of a match, but actually, the second time in Wrestlemania history where it had happened (the first was Savage vs. Crush at Wrestlemania 10).

There, Cactus dumped the champs onto a wooden pallet. Funk then lifted the pallet using a forklift truck and dumped them into a different dumpster to win the titles.
Your Winners and New WWF Tag Team Champions: Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie

The following night on Raw, it would be revealed that because Cactus & Chainsaw had used the wrong dumpster, their big win was null and void.

Still, it gave us a fun moment on the show, especially with Terry celebrating like he and Jack had legitimately just won a war. Nobody sold emotion like Terry Funk.

Pete Rose Gets Tombstoned

Out next, Howard Finkle introduced Pete Rose, a man he called 'a future Hall of Famer.'

Either Finkle meant the Baseball Hall of Fame, or he knew more about the future of the WWF than any of us realised.

Rose came down and immediately turned heel, ripping into the Boston crowd because their team were bad at baseball.

Rose was surprisingly good as a heel, though not as good as Kane who, despite being the heel in his rivalry with The Undertaker, got a huge babyface pop when he came out and tombstoned the baseball legend.

Kane (w/ Paul Bearer) vs. The Undertaker

This all technically began a year ago, in the wake of The Undertaker's title win at Wrestlemania 13.

In order to manage the champion, Paul Bearer had blackmailed his former charge by threatening to reveal a big secret if Undertaker didn't do everything he said.

Eventually, Bearer revealed that secret anyway, telling the world that The Undertaker had killed his parents in a fire but that his younger brother, Kane had survived.

Kane then made his debut at In Your House 18: Badd Blood by attacking his brother at the end of the first Hell in a Cell match, but Undertaker had refused to fight his brother until Kane locked him in a casket and set it on fire at the Royal Rumble.

After that, it was on, and man was it on.

This turned out to be The Undertaker's best Wrestlemania match so far, though I get that, given previous matches included Wrestlemania 9's Giant Gonzales abomination and a squash against Jimmy Snuka at Wrestlemania 7, that isn't really saying much.

Still, this was everything it needed to be, with Kane matching his brother in every way and pushing The Phenom to his very limits.

Not only did this tell a great story, it also ensured we'd take Kane seriously as a top contender down the line.

After a decent battle that did drag in places, well, you know the ending;

The Undertaker went 7-0.

The streak lived on.
Your Winner: The Undertaker

The Undertaker's celebration was cut short by Paul Bearer, who brought a chair into the ring.

'Taker struck Bearer, but Kane recovers from his loss and beat his brother with the chair before tombstoning him onto it.

Selling the beating like a pro, Undertaker sat up, but staggered weakly to the back.

Respect for The Legends

Prior to the main event, we got a video package where legends Classy Freddie Blassie, Gorilla Monsoon, and The Big Cat Ernie Ladd told us that there were no high-flying moves or 'fancy flashing lights,' in their day, but they still fought with honour and pride and all that good stuff, and respected and cheered for today's current crop of superstars.

A video recapping the rivalry between Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin followed, and then it was onto our main event.

World Wrestling Federation Championship
WWF Champion Shawn Michaels vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin
Special Enforcer: Mike Tyson

Having sided with D-Generation-X in the build up to tonight's event, special Enforcer Mike Tyson came down to a version of the theme music later used by X-Pac.

Meanwhile, Michaels took a moment backstage to dedicate the match to Earl Hebner, who was in intensive care receiving treatment.

Austin was here as the heir apparent, and this one was on.

After an explosive opening, Triple H ran interference, prompting referee Mike Chioda to order both Hunter and Chyna to leave the ringside area.

Down to one-on-one, Michaels and Austin stole the show in a fantastic main event that blew their previous meeting at King of the Ring 1997 right out of the water.

They wrestled in the ring, they brawled on the outside, and at all times they proved why they would both go down as among pro wrestling's all-time greats.

After a long and awesome match, Chioda took a tumble, Austin nailed the Stone Cold Stunner, and Mike Tyson made the three count.
Your Winner and NEW World Wrestling Federation Champion: Stone Cold Steve Austin

Post-match, Stone Cold tossed Iron Mike an Austin 3:16 t-shirt as a show of respect which Tyson raised to the crowd, much to the chagrin of the fallen Shawn Michaels.

The Heartbreak Kid confronted Tyson about his betrayal and even punched him, but the professional boxer hit back and knocked Michaels out cold before celebrating with the new WWF Champion to close the show.

That, ladies and gentlemen, was the last time we'd see Shawn Michaels compete for the company before the name change to WWE, and also the last time we'd see the famous Winged Eagle title defended.

---

---

And so the first Wrestlemania of the Attitude Era was officially in the record books, and if the whole of that era could match this one show in terms of quality, then fans were in for an absolute treat over the coming months and years.

From top to bottom, this was a highly enjoyable show, with only the tag team title match and parts of Undertaker/Kane feeling a little underwhelming.

Sure, the Attitude Era had officially started in the wake of the 1997 Survivor Series (at least it had if you believe WWE's version of events), but tonight we saw the dawning of the Age of Austin, and things were about to get very, very interesting.

---

1998 events reviewed on Retro Pro Wrestling.

1. WWF - Royal Rumble 1998 
2. WCW - Souled Out 1998
3. WWF - In Your House 20: No Way Out of Texas 
4. WCW - Superbrawl 1998
5. WCW - Uncensored 1998 
6. WWF - Wrestlemania 14 
7. WCW Spring Stampede 1998
8. WWF - In Your House 21: Unforgiven
9. WCW Slamboree 1998
10. WWF - In Your House 22: Over The Edge
11. WCW Great American Bash 1998 
12. WWF - King of the Ring 1998
13. WCW - Bash at the Beach 1998 
14. WWF - In Your House 23: Fully Loaded 
15. WCW - Road Wild 1998
16. WWF - Summerslam 1998
17. WCW - Fall Brawl 1998
18. WWF - In Your House 24: Breakdown
19. WWF - In Your House 25: Judgement Day 
20. WCW - Halloween Havoc 1998
21. WWF - Survivor Series 1998
22. WWF - Capital Carnage 1998
23. WCW - World War 3 1998
24. WWF - In Your House 26: Rock Bottom

More Wrestlemania Reviews: 

1. Wrestlemania I
2. Wrestlemania II
3. Wrestlemania III
4. Wrestlemania IV
5. Wrestlemania V
6. WrestlemaniaVI
7. Wrestlemania VII
8. Wrestlemania VIII
9. Wrestlemania IX
10. Wrestlemania X
11. Wrestlemania XI
12. Wrestlemania XII
13. Wrestlemania XIII
14. Wrestlemania XV
15. Wrestlemania XVI
16. Wrestlemania XVII
17. Wrestlemania X8
18. Wrestlemania XIX

Be the first to catch the latest Retro Pro Wrestling reviews by following on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter @RetroPWrestling.

Read More

PPV REVIEW: WCW Uncensored 1998

March 15, 1998
Mobile Civic Center in Mobile, Alabama

For wrestling fans growing up in the late 1980s, there was no hotter feud, no story better laid out than the union -and later separation- of Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage. 

After Savage triumphed in a never-ending tournament at Wrestlemania 4 to become our new World Wrestling Champion, he and former champion Hogan would form an alliance known as The Mega Powers.

As two of the biggest stars on the planet, it seemed that nothing could get in the duo's way. Nothing, of course, besides the champion's own ego and rampant jealously.

Convinced Hogan was out to steal his woman, Miss Elizabeth, Savage turned on Hogan, and at Wrestlemania 5, The Mega Powers finally exploded.

To this day, it remains one of wrestling's best-loved stories, so it's little wonder that, years later, World Championship Wrestling would look to recapture that same magic by pitting Hogan and Savage in a long-awaited rematch.

---

---

That rematch was tonight, but with both men past their prime,  not to mention WCW's reputation for making some rather questionable booking decisions, would The Mega Powers explode once again, or go out on a whimper?

Let's get down to Mobile, Alabama to find out.

The Mega Powers Explode Again

Our show tonight began with an edgy looking intro that highlighted the main event rivalry between Hollywood Hulk Hogan and his nWo teammate, Macho Man Randy Savage.

The World Heavyweight title match, pitting champion Sting against Scott Hall, was also featured, but mainly as an afterthought.

From there, Tony Schiavone, Iron Mike Tenay and Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan told us that tonight's main event would be a cage match. Brain also implied that Scott Hall beating Sting for the world title later might cause some tension between him and nWo leader, Hogan.

With that, it was onto our opening match.

World Championship Wrestling World Television Championship
WCW World TV Champion Booker T vs. Eddie Guerrero (w/ Chavo Guerrero)

A few days earlier, on WCW Thunder, Eddie Guerrero had faced his nephew, Chavo Guerrero Jr. with the stipulation that, if Chavo won, Eddie would have to renounce his evil ways and go back to being a respectful guy, but if Eddie won, Chavo would basically have to be his Virgil.

Chavo lost, and so came out here to watch his uncle challenge Booker T for the TV title in a tremendous opening contest.

Though it lacked the drama and intensity that many of WCW's PPV openers had displayed in the past, Eddie vs. Booker was great fun and set a perfect tone for the rest of the show.

After a good effort, Booker pinned Guerrero to retain the title he'd won just a month earlier at Superbrawl VIII.
Your Winner and Still WCW TV Champion: Booker T

Afterwards, Eddie lambasted his nephew for not helping him out then kicked his ass to boot.

Special Challenge Match
Konnan vs. Juventud Guerrera

By 'Special Challenge Match,' WCW basically meant 'Match.'

The story here was that Konnan felt Juventud Guerrera had let the luchadores down by losing his mask to Chris Jericho at Superbrawl VIII, but Juvi thought Konnan had abandoned the luchadores anyway by joining forces with the nWo.

Thus we had ourselves a match, and a pretty decent one at that.

Yes, a lot of Konnan's offence, which was supposed to be 'unique' and 'innovative' just looked sloppy and terrible, but the effort was there and for what it was, this one turned out to be fine.

Setting the WCW precedent of 'lose your mask, get a push,' Juvi rolled up K-Dog for the big win.
Your Winner: Juventud Guerrera

Not that he looked like a winner for very long - Konnan quickly recovered, splattered his rival with a cradle DDT, then hurled him out of the ring.

Dillon Makes the Powerbomb Legal

After Kevin Nash dropped The Giant on his head like a sack of crap at Souled Out 1998, the powerbomb had been banned, but apparently, The Giant had asked for it to be allowed just for tonight.

Out in the entrance way, J.J. Dillon told Mean Gene Okerlund that, because this was Uncensored, he and the WCW Executive Committee had acquiesced to Giant's request, and the move would be allowed later.

World Championship Wrestling Cruiserweight Championship
WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Dean Malenko 

This was during the time that Chris Jericho was doing his famous 'Man of 1,004 Holds' gimmick in his heated rivalry with Dean Malenko.

Whilst we didn't get to see anywhere near that many holds today, we did get to see a very good Cruiserweight match with lots to enjoy.

Following a long battle, Jericho locked on the Lion Tamer to win the match.
Your Winner and Still WCW Cruiserweight Champion: Chris Jericho

Post-match, a really angry Gene Okerlund proved why they call him 'Mean Gene' when he came to the ring and yelled at Malenko for a good few minutes, even straight out calling him a loser.

'Where does Dean Malenko go from here?' asked Okerlund.

'Home,' replied The Ice Man.

I swear down, Gene could be a real asshole sometimes.

Raven is Ready for DDP and Krispin Wah

Out in the back, Raven spoke to Mark Madden and Lee Marshall for WCW.com and told them that he was going to beat Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Benoit when they met for the US title later on in the show.

Scott Steiner vs. Lex Luger

At Superbrawl VIII, Scott Steiner had turned his back on brother Rick Steiner in order to join the nWo and set up his transformation into Big Poppa Pump.

That meant a meeting between the Steiner Brothers was sure to be a big thing, but instead of booking that, they put the younger Steiner, now with bleached blonde hair and goatee, in a match with Lex Luger instead.

As matches go, this one wasn't bad, but it was easily the worst thing on the card up to this point.

After some rather nondescript action, Scott Norton and Rick Steiner both ran in, and Luger pulled a three-count from the resulting confusion.
Your Winner: Lex Luger

Afterwards, the two Scotts attacked but got beat up by the one Total Package and the one Dog Faced Gremlin.

World Championship Wrestling United States Championship Triple Jeopardy Match
WCW United States Champion Diamond Dallas Page vs. Raven vs. Chris Benoit

What a match, seriously.

A three-way, no holds barred, falls count anywhere match for the ages, this one combined ECWesque hardcore brawling, hard-hitting wrestling, and some unique spots including a three-way collar-and-elbow tie-up and the biggest three-way German suplex you've ever seen.

A truly awesome match that only got better and better as it went on, this one ended when DDP hit the Diamond Cutter on Raven from the top rope to win the match.
Your Winner and Still WCW United States Champion: Diamond Dallas Page

Post-match, Hammer dragged Raven from the ring whilst Chris Benoit showed his respect for the champ by helping him up.

Whilst the ring crew cleaned up following that wild brawl, the announcers took the time to hype our remaining upcoming matches.

Kevin Nash vs. The Giant

The Giant came to the ring wearing a neck brace, still selling Nash's Crapknife Powerbotch from Souled Out.

Yet rather than be scared of the huge, pissed off monster out for revenge, or even taking him seriously, Kevin Nash decided to goof around for a while until Giant clobbered him with a decapitating clothesline.

From there, the match was actually pretty good from a storytelling standpoint, with Big Sexy working over the injured neck of his opponent but The Giant using pure rage to fight back.

Just when it looked like he might have a big win, however, Brian Adams hit the ring and attacked him.

Vincent, Konnan, and Scott Norton then ran in for NWO Beatdown #5012, but a pissed off Giant beat them all up and sent them packing.
Your Winner via Disqualification: The Giant

Up next, we got a hotly anticipated King of the Ring 1993 rematch.

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

Unfortunately, Curt Hennig vs. Bret Hart in 1998 didn't quite live up to the match they'd had five years earlier, nor did it stand up to their memorable passing-of-the-torch classic at Summerslam 1991, though that was partly due to the story they were trying to tell.

That story was that Bret had to overcome not only a talented wrestler in the former Mr Perfect, but also the aggressive Rick Rude, who ran interference throughout.

Still, this was a decent outing that ended when Hart reversed a roll-up and slapped on the Sharpshooter.
Your Winner: Bret 'The Hitman' Hart

Afterwards, Rude destroyed Hart, even breaking him with the Rude Awakening, then he and Curt celebrated.

World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship
WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting vs. Scott Hall (w/ Dusty Rhodes)

Scott Hall had earned his title shot by winning World War 3 1997, then aligned himself with Dusty Rhodes when The American Dream helped him in his rivalry with Larry Zybysko.

Tonight, he got that shot against reigning champion Sting in a match which had none of the big-time, main event feel you'd expect from a PPV world title match.

That's to take nothing away from the competitors. Both did their best to deliver an entertaining contest, but WCW had focussed the entire show on Hogan/Savage and made this seem like an afterthought, so it came off more like a mid-card Nitro bout than a top-level title match.

Anyway, Sting got the win after reversing the Outsiders Edge into a Scorpion Death Drop for the three count.
Your Winner and Still WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Sting

As the cage was put into place for our main event, we got a promo for next month's Spring Stampede, which compared Bill Goldberg to a baby cow and showed us some guy riding a rodeo bull.

Cage Match
Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Macho Man Randy Savage

And so, in our big Wrestlemania 5 rematch, we got nWo vs. nWo for the first time in a big-time cage match.

This wasn't on par with that Mega Powers explosion, but it was one of Hogan's better pay per view main events in a long while.

Still, that's not actually saying much as long stretches of this nearly out yours truly to sleep (and not in the way Roddy Piper had put Hogan to sleep in his last cage match at Halloween Havoc 1997).

As if that wasn't bad enough, the ending was confusing and disappointing.

Savage climbed the cage ready to drop the Elbow, but The Disciple appeared and pulled Hogan out of harms way.

Savage climbed down for a showdown with Hogan and Booty Disciple Barber Man, but then Sting, who had been in something of a loosely-formed alliance with Savage in recent weeks, descended from the rafters.

Why he had to do that when he'd just walked down the aisle earlier in the show is beyond me.

Anyway, we then got a standoff, but Savage clotheslined Sting and stormed off, claiming that even though he had never liked Hogan, he was still nWo 4 life.
No Contest

That was dumb and a poor ending to a poor match.

---

---

If it wasn't for the main event, WCW Uncensored 1998 would get almost universal praise from an in-ring standpoint.

Not every match was a five star gem, but almost everything before Hogan vs. Savage ranged from decent to solid, whilst the three-way US title bout is a must see.

You know, I used to be sceptical when people would say that WCW pay per views had great undercards with terrible main events, but the more I watch, the more I see just how true that is.

Here's to Spring Stampede.

---

1998 events reviewed so far

1. WWF - Royal Rumble 1998 
2. WCW - Souled Out 1998
3. WWF - In Your House 20: No Way Out of Texas 
4. WCW - Superbrawl 1998

More WCW Uncensored reviews 

1. WCW Uncensored 1996
2. WCW Uncensored 1997

Be the first to catch the latest Retro Pro Wrestling reviews by following on Facebook or Twitter @RetroPWrestling.

Read More

PPV REVIEW: WCW Superbrawl VIII (1998)

February 22, 1998
Cow Palace, San Francisco, California.

Throughout 1997, WCW had set the wrestling world on fire and claimed their throne as the undisputed kings of the industry with a year-long build-up to Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Sting. 

Billed as The Match of the Century, the battle -which took place at Starrcade 1997- had been so brilliantly promoted that there was seemingly no way it could fail.

Yet fail it did, at least creatively.

Whilst the show had been a rousing financial success for World Championship Wrestling, the awkward and confusing finish to Hogan vs. Sting, coupled with poor matches and bizarre booking decisions on the undercard made Starrcade 97 a creative disaster the likes of which they would never truly recover from.

Not that they wouldn't try.

Tonight, as WCW presented us with Hogan vs. Sting II, the company would try to correct course and convince us that yes - they still deserved their place at the head of the wrestling mountain.

---

---

Here's what happened when WCW went into damage-repair mode at Superbrawl VIII.

The Battle Continues 

Our intro tonight recapped the story of Hogan and Sting's rivalry, and how the whole thing was more about the bigger picture - the epic war between World Championship Wrestling and the New World Order.

That took us to our commentators for the evening, Tony Schiavone, Iron Mike Tenay, and Bobby 'The Brain' Heenan, who all told us just how vital tonight's main event, one of five title matches on the show, actually was.

Speaking of title matches, we had one coming up next.

World Championship Wrestling World Television Championship
WCW World Television Champion Rick Martel vs. Booker T

This was originally supposed to be Booker T defending the TV title against Saturn, but after Rick Martel had gotten the better of Booker on Nitro, we'd had a little switch around.

Instead, the two would meet one-on-one in a rematch of their earlier meeting at Souled Out 1998, with the winner then going on to face Saturn later on in the show.

Though not on par with some of the all-out classics that WCW had used to kick off their show in the past, it's probably not very fair to go comparing this one to anything else.

Instead, let's  just let it be what it was, which is a very solid opener.

After a good battle, Booker T reclaimed his title.
Your Winner and New WCW Television Champion: Booker  T

Immediately afterwards, Saturn rushed the ring and it looked like our second TV title match was going to happen immediately.

World Championship Wrestling World Television Championship
WCW World Television Champion Booker T vs. Saturn  

Wearing street clothes and sporting more hair than I ever remember him having, Saturn beat Booker black and blue.

The resulting match didn't really have any heat but was perfectly fine until it began to drag on and on.

Seriously, this one felt like it went on forever and actually became a chore to watch at times.

After a long, long fight in which he mostly got his ass kicked, Booker T hit his Big Kick Thing that I've forgotten the name of to retain the title.
Your Winner and Still WCW TV Champion: Booker T

Backstage, Chris Jericho spoke to Mark Madden and Jeff Katz about his Cruiserweight Championship  Title vs. Mask match later on in the show.

La Parka vs. Disco Inferno 

As Disco Inferno made his way to the ring, Tony Schiavone commented on how ridiculous it was that, with a full-scale WCW/NWO war going on, Disco and La Parka would be feuding over dance moves.

Alas, they were, but I'm not saying that was a bad thing.

Whatever reason they used to get in the ring together, Disco Inferno vs. La Parka was actually far more entertaining than you'd expect.

A good, see-saw battle with plenty to enjoy, this one ended with La Parka bringing a chair into the ring but getting thrown off the top rope onto it.

A Chart Buster later and this one was over.
Your Winner: Disco Inferno 

Out in the entrance way, we got the obligatory 'Mean Gene Okerlund interviews JJ Dillon' segment.

This time, Dillon told us that Nick Patrick had been reinstated following his suspension in the wake of Montreal II at Starrcade 97.

To be fair, he should never have been suspended in the first place given that any idiot could watch that show and realise that Patrick never actually delivered the fast count he was so accused of.

Anyway, Nick, who has to be my favourite referee ever, came out and was thrilled about being reinstated, even going so far as to thank his friends, fans, and loved ones for their support.

He was, however, less thrilled to learn that he wouldn't be the referee for Hogan vs. Sting II later on in the show, a piece of news which upset him so much he started ranting about his missed back pay.

Patrick was golden here, with far more natural charisma than even some of the men he refereed for over the years.

Brad Armstrong vs. Bill Goldberg

Bill came. Bill saw. Bill conquered.

This was your typical Bill Goldberg Super Squash Special, albeit with the added bonus that Brad Armstrong was reasonably entertaining in his few minutes as cannon fodder.
Your Winner: Bill Goldberg 

Moving on...

World Championship Wrestling Cruiserweight Championship Mask vs. Title Match
WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera 

At his heelish best, Chris Jericho was the ultimate brat here, even refusing to take the title belt off and trying to wrestle whilst wearing it until Juventud Guerrera kicked him in the midsection and the belt winded him.

After that, we got a fantastic Cruiserweight match that proved to be the best thing on the show so far.

For what it's worth, this was the second Cruiserweight title vs. Mask bout in the last six months, with the first one being Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. at Halloween Havoc 1997.

This match may not have been as good as that all-time classic but it was still great in its own right.

At one point, it looked to have ended with a win for Juvi when he did get the three count but Jericho had his hand on the rope.

Afterwards a few more minutes of exhilarating action, Jericho slapped on the Lion Tamer and Juvi lost both the match and his mask.
Your Winner and Still Cruiserweight Champion: Chris Jericho 

Afterwards, Juvi teased the big reveal that, under his mask, he was actually a handsome pretty boy.

All the while, Jericho acted like a complete prick, goading both Juvi and the crowd and proving why he was one of the most entertaining acts of the late 1990s.

Steve 'Mongo' McMichael vs. The British Bulldog

In 1993, The British Bulldog had enjoyed a brief run as one of WCW's biggest main event stars.

Five years later and he was back in the company, this time as a mid-card act that would struggle to find anything meaningful to do for the duration of his run.

At least he had something of a feud going on here with Steve 'Mongo' McMichael, as the two had a rivalry which led us to a mediocre match.

After several minutes of so-so action which saw Mongo hurt his arm, Davey Boy slapped on an armbar and won the match.
Your Winner: The British Bulldog

Afterwards, an irate Mongo McMichael shoved the referee over and stormed off backstage, complaining that he never actually gave up.

World Championship Wrestling United States Championship
WCW United States Champion Diamond Dallas Page vs. Chris Benoit

Making his first US title defence since beating Curt Hennig for the title on Nitro, Diamond Dallas Page put the belt on the line in a very good face vs. face match.

After a truly tremendous effort from both champ and challenger, a dramatic finish saw Page get the three count to retain.
Your Winner and Still WCW US Champion: Diamond Dallas Page

Heading back to the announcers, Tony Schiavone told us that despite earlier promising us that The Giant would be here, problems with his flight meant that he wouldn't.

He also told us that, after Kevin Nash had dropped Giant on his head like a sack of shit at Souled Out 1998, The Jackknife Powerbomb had been banned.

A brief video then showed us that happening at Souled about just in case we'd missed it.

No Disqualification Match
Macho Man Randy Savage (w/ Miss Elizabeth) vs. Lex Luger 

I don't want to say that WCW were running out of ideas at this point, but Lex Luger came out doing the bandaged-ribs gimmick that Diamond Dallas Page had only just finished doing.

Of course, the bandages -required after Luger had been beaten up by the nWo - were a natural target for Macho Man Randy Savage, who lay into his opponent despite the announcers suggesting that the two may have called a truce because they'd been spotted 'having a conversation' backstage.

Tonight, there was no truce - just a passable though immediately forgettable no DQ match in which nothing interesting happened until the finish.

Luger got Savage up for
 the torture rack, but Miss Elizabeth interfered to save her man, at which point the nWo B-Team (Scott Norton, Buff Bagwell, Virgil, and Brian Adams) all ran in.

Both Luger and Savage then sent the nWo packing, at which point Hogan came down and told his men to leave Savage because he wasn't family and that he (Hogan) was glad Savage had been beaten.

Because he had been beaten by Luger's torture rack, but we were too focussed on Hogan to notice.
Your Winner: Lex Luger

Time for one more match before our main event.

World Championship Wrestling Unified World Tag Team Championship
World Championship Wrestling World Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott Steiner w/ Ted Dibiase) vs. The Outsiders (Scott Hall & Kevin Nash w/ Dusty Rhodes)

The 'unified' here was a bit of a stretch here as the titles being unified were the real WCW tag titles held by The Steiners and the fake ones The Outsiders had introduced after they lost the real ones.

It didn't really matter anyway, because about a minute into the match Scott Steiner turned on Rick Steiner and joined the nWo.

Ladies and gentlemen, Big Poppa Pump was born.

A minute later, Hall hit the Outsiders Edge, and this one was over.
Your Winners and New WCW Tag Team Champions: The Outsiders

Afterwards, Steiner handed The Outsiders their titles and celebrated becoming the newest member of the New World Order.

World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship
Match for the Vacant Title
Hollywood Hulk Hogan vs. Sting

It was once The Match of the Century, now it was The Rematch to Make Up For How Horrible the Match of the Century Had Been.

As Hogan matches go, this one was on the more entertaining end of the scale, but still, don't expect Malenko/Guerrero flashes of technical Wrestling brilliance.

What you did get was a weird match that was basically all Hogan. Until the finish happened, Sting was just a body that was there in the same way that Brad Armstrong had been for Bill Goldberg earlier.

At one point, Charles Robinson got squashed by Sting, prompting Nick Patrick to run in and shock Hulk by refusing to make a fast count.

Hogan continued to dominate anyway and cut off every bit of offence Sting made.

Eventually, Sting made the big no-sell comeback and hit Hogan with the Scorpion Death Drop, but Hogan kicked Nick on the way down.

An NWO run in ensured but Sting cleaned house and made the pin anyway.

A three count later and we had a new, undisputed  World Heavyweight Champion.
Your Winner and NEW WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Sting 

Afterwards, Sting took a can of spray paint left by Savage in the NWO run-in and sprayed WCW on Hogan's body.
Ladies and gentlemen, that's the finish we should have got at Starrcade.

Had the company done that in the first place, things might have worked out very differently for them, but only time would tell whether the damage-repair job carried out tonight had been enough.

As for the rest of the card, there was a lot to enjoy, particularly Page/Benoit and the Mask vs. Title bout, though this wasn't a bad show overall and is certainly worth a casual viewing.

---

More SuperBrawl Reviews

• WCW Superbrawl VI (1996)
• WCW Superbrawl VII (1997)

1998 events reviewed so far

1. WWF - Royal Rumble 1998 
2. WCW - Souled Out 1998
3. WWF - In Your House 20: No Way Out of Texas 

Be the first to catch the latest Retro Pro Wrestling reviews by following on Facebook or Twitter @RetroPWrestling.

Read More