Match of the Day - Kevin Nash - The original streak ender #wcw

Kevin Nash vs. Goldberg - WCW World Heavyweight title match - Starrcade (1998)

Undertaker's streak may be over, but at least he wasn't tasered by Paul Heyman for Brock Lesnar to pick up the unexpected win. How about being tasered by Scott Hall? Well, that's exactly what happened to Goldberg while defending not only his World Heavyweight title but his 173 win streak (despite most of those wins being squashes) here at Starrcade '98.

Goldberg would eventually try to duplicate his streak in the later half of 2000 in order to earn himself a title shot at the World Heavyweight title. Unfortunately, he only made it into the double digits, 35 to be exact, before being defeated in his last match in WCW at Sin 2001.

Match of the Day - The One Warrior Nation is now zero.

The Warrior vs. Hollywood Hogan - WCW Halloween Havoc (1998)

By now you may have heard the shocking news that the Ultimate Warrior has passed away. It's a truly bizarre and tragic event that has taken place only mere days after Warrior's inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and only about 24 or so removed from his appearance on Raw last Monday night.

Warrior and his character he left to the wrestling world will forever be remembered.



While I did not grow up during the time of Ultimate Warrior's major run in WWF  or during the peak of Hulkamania, I did grow up in the time that the Ultimate Warrior was making another return to wrestling, and this time it was in a nWo-heavy World Championship Wrestling. I remember renting WCW's Halloween Havoc '98 at Blockbusters (RIP as well) when I was just beginning to really sink my teeth into all this wrestling business, I didn't really know much about the Warrior at the time, but the cover on the box at the store had Hulk Hogan strangling a man with what looked like cake all over his face and the words "The World's Most Terrifying Wrestling Event" labeled above it. I'm not sure why looking at the cover made me want to watch this PPV immediately, maybe it was the fact that I really needed to find out why Warrior had cake all over his face, but it did.

People may give this Hogan/Warrior match at Halloween Havoc a lot of crap, but for someone who had not seen a lot of wrestling at the time this was a huge spectacle to watch. Also, I did not see the build up to this match which included Warrior appearing in the mirror, a lot of smoke, and, of course, profound Warrior promos, so this was really the first time that I was treated to the likes of the One Warrior Nation (that's nWo backwards).

There will never be another Ultimate Warrior. He is simply unrecreatable. Rest in peace.

Match of the Day - The only light heavyweight title match in WM history

Taka Michinoku vs. Aguila - Light Heavyweight title match - Wrestlemania XIV (1998)

How about some flippy stuff...



In the first and only Light Heavyweight Championship match, Taka Michinoku defends the gold against Aguila, a young masked wrestler from Mexico (who later wrestled unmasked as Essa Rios). These two had previously faced each other in the Light Heavyweight title tournament which Taka would later end up winning to be the inaugural Light heavyweight Champion in WWF. At the time of this match, Aguila was only 19 years old making him the youngest person to ever compete at Wrestlemania!

Match of the Day - The Nash/Hogan vs. Piper/Giant bat match?

Kevin Nash & Hollywood Hogan vs. Rowdy Roddy Piper & The Giant - Baseball Bat on a Pole match - WCW Spring Stampede (1998)

It's the first day of Spring and that can only mean one thing: A Spring Stampede match is in order for today.

This match here is from Spring Stampede 1998, the year I started collecting WCW action figures apparently because every wrestler in this match looks exactly like the plastic form of themselves I had when I was growing up.

Despite the rules of the match, a tag team pole match where anyone who pulled down the baseball bat could use it anyway they wanted, Vince Russo was not working for WCW at this time. Even with the painfully bad "bat switch" towards the end of this match, I must remind everyone, Vince Russo was not working for WCW yet.

If you don't know who Vince Russo is, look up the San Francisco 49ers match, or the Viagra on a pole match, or the leather jacket on a pole match, or the Judy Bagwell on a pole match. The man loved his object(s) on a pole matches. Except for the last one there on the list, the Judy Bagwell one, she couldn't fit on a pole so they used a forklift instead. 

Match of the Day - The one where Taz and Bam Bam Bigelow go through the ring!

Taz vs. Bam Bam Bigelow - ECW World TV Championship match - ECW Living Dangerously (1998)

In one of ECW's most memorable matches, the TV champ, Taz takes on the giant journeyman, Bam Bam Bigelow in a grueling brawl at Living Dangerously '98. The most memorable part of the match, of course, is the finish that saw Taz performing his signature Tazmission on a standing Bam Bam Bigelow which leads to Bam Bam falling backwards - sending both himself and Taz under him through the ring!

From what I've read, and heard on Jeremy Borash's ECW documentary, Hardcore Forever, Terry Taylor admits that he saw this classic spot at the time and brought it to WWF where it was redone in the form of Big Show chokeslamming the Undertaker through the ring in 1999.

Here's a better look at Taz and Bam Bam collapsing the ring:

Theme results

Ring Destruction: A big hole in the ring filled with Taz and Bam Bam Bigelow.

Match of the Day - HBK scores a Big Bossman/Mankind ladder match

Big Bossman vs. Mankind - Ladder match for the Hardcore title - Monday Night Raw (1998)

Mankind defends his Hardcore title against the one man 'Shield' for the Corporation, the Big Bossman. During the match, Shawn Michaels, commissioner at the time, provides commentary as well as scores during the match for Mankind's performance a la cue cards. The Rock also happens to makes an appearance in the match.

Theme Results

TLC: Ladder.

Match of the Day - ECW's barbed wire TLC match

Sabu vs. Sandman - Stairway To Hell match - ECW House Party (1998)

Even ECW had their own variation to a simple ladder match going in the late 90's to early 00's. The match was called a "Stairway To Hell" match and was much more like a pole match than a ladder match as the object was to retrieve a weapon hanging above the ring for use, but the retrieval did not end the match. The weapon of choice, of course, was a big ball of barbed wire.

This is ECW's first Stairway To Hell featuring the cane wielding, beer drinking, cigarette smoking, Sandman versus the homicidal, genocidal, and incredibility suicidal, Sabu.

Theme Results

TLC: All of 'em.

Match of the Day - Kid Kash is Chris Jericho's brother?

David Jericho vs. Taka Michinoku - WWF Shotgun Saturday Night (1998)

WWF Light Heavyweight champion, Taka Michinoku takes on a newcomer by the name of David Jericho in a non-title match for the Heat of Saturday Nights, Shotgun Saturday Night. David performed on and off with WWF at house shows and in dark matches until breaking both of his ankles during a match with Too Cool in 1999. After recovering, David, real name David Cash, returned to ECW where he started out and brought with him a new gimmick as a Kid Rock look-a-like. Thus, Kid Kash was born.

 Kid Kash would eventually get a full contract deal with the WWE in 2005, but the David Jericho character did not make a comeback. Apparently WWE already had a "Jericho" on the roster this time and didn't need another one running around.

Match of the Day - Eddie Guerrero challenges his nephew to a hair vs. hair match

Eddie Guerrero vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. - Hair vs. Hair match - WCW/nWo Bash at the Beach (1998)

Eddie and Chavo had quite the relationship in wrestling to say the least. It seemed whenever they were together they were either winning titles as a well tandem tag team or slugging it out. While Eddie Guerrero was Chavo's uncle, their bond, and rivalry for that matter, was much more like a brotherly one. It probably didn't help either that the two were only 3 years apart in age and had been wrestling each other (in front of wrestling crowds during intermission) since they were kids.

This particular match between the two Guerrero's in WCW is one of their best. In the video above, the match doesn't start until after Chavo Guerrero wrestlers Stevie Ray of the Harlem Heat. It might seem strange that Chavo would have to fight two matches in a row, not to mention a large competitor like Stevie Ray first, but this was all part of Uncle Eddie's plan to wear down his nephew for before the official match. The official match was no ordinary match either, it was a hair vs. hair - a stipulation Eddie was no stranger to as he had been on the losing end of such a gambling match back in AAA with Los Gringos Locos. Who loses? Who get's their head shaved? Take a look and find out!

Theme results

Family Feud: Uncle vs. Nephew.

Match of the Day - The barbed wire kickpad incident

Ryuji Yamakawa vs. Katsumi Usuda - BJW vs. Battlearts (1998)

When Battlearts own, Katsumi Usuda took on Big Japan Pro Wrestling deathmatcher, Ryuji Yamakawa in a special BJW versus Battlearts event, Usuda decided to get a little hardcore himself. Part way through the match, Yamakawa grabs some loose barbed wire from under the ring and throws it into the squared circle. Before Yamakawa has a chance to do any damage to Usuda with it, however, Usuda takes the barbed wire and wraps the wiry mess around his kickpad. Usuda then proceeds to kick the living shit out of Yamakawa with it until his opponent is heavily scarred up.

Check it out!

Match of the Day - Regal refuses to be squashed by Goldberg?

Steve Regal vs. Goldberg - Monday Nitro (1998)

Ah yes, the age old tale of Lord Steven Regal stiffing Goldberg in what was supposed to be a normal Monday Nitro Goldberg three minute squash match. The result: Regal's first release from WCW.

As it turns out though, the bookers actually told Regal to have a real rasslin match with Bill to show that the big green former football player could actually wrestle. Unfortunately, Goldberg was just not ready for such a match and the whole thing ended up looking like one big convoluted shoot fight. Goldberg looks surprised when Regal takes him down to his level because, well, he genuinely was. Regal, in the end, wasn't stiffing anybody but himself... 

As for Regal's first departure from WCW, that was all Regal's doing. Regal was having a lot of problems with drugs at the time and left the WCW to coupe with his "demons". After a short stint in WWF where he was given a hardhat and the moniker of a real man's man, Regal checked himself into rehab before one more WCW run.

Song of the Day - Smith & Jones Forever

Silver Jews - Smith & Jones Forever from American Water (1998)

One of my favorite songs and the last song that Silver Jews ever performed live.

Finals week is finished! 

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Chris Jericho vs Fandango of the 90's, Disco Inferno

Chris Jericho vs. Disco Inferno - WCW World Television Championship match - Monday Night Nitro (1998)

Fifteen years before Chris Jericho lost to Fandango in the ball-room dancer-turned-professional wrestler's debut match (at WrestleMania, no less), Chris Jericho had no trouble putting away the "disco never died" enthusiast, Disco Inferno here in this match on Nitro for the TV title.

Looking into it, I checked to see if there was ever a time that Disco upset Jericho just as Johnny "Fandango" Curtis had at WrestleMania this year. I was unsuccessful at finding such match, so I decided that this match above was the closest that Disco ever got to defeating the brash and arrogant World TV champ.

The video above also features the Nitro Girls, a high school gym teacher throwing a Nitro Party for his students, Mike Tenay unaware of what was going on and unable to answer The Brains simple question of who his (Tenay's) role model growing up was, and Jericho speaking in German for a split second.

Remember: Disco Inferno vs. Fandango WMXXX. I got a lot of money riding on it. It's going to happen.

Other WrestleMania XXX prodictions: Antonio Cesaro vs. Bork Lesnar vs. Steel Steps.

Match of the Day - Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie take out the trash at WM14!

Here's another great gimmick match from 90's era WrestleMania:

Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie vs. The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn & Road Dogg) - first ever Dumpster match for the WWF tag team championship - WrestleMania XIV (1998)

Oh yes, the dumpster match!

After Chainsaw Charlie AKA 53 year old Terry Funk and his tag team partner, Cactus Jack were sent for a ride in a dumpster courtesy of the New Age Outlaws on Raw, the hardcore legends were certainly looking for revenge. So, what better way to get their revenge than by taking on the two young punks, Billy Gunn and Road Dogg, in a special match featuring the very same type of trash container that Foley and Funk almost had their careers come to a crashing end in when they were pushed off the ramp on Raw 2 months prier. Despite the titles being on the line in this match, this wasn't about winning the gold for the hardcore legends. No, it was all about punishing Gunn and Road Dogg and then taking out the trash...

The result: Chainsaw Charlie and Cactus Jack do end up taking out the trash big time with the help of the trusty forklift! But because they used a dumpster in the backstage area rather than the designated one for the match, the New Age Outlaws lobbied for the titles to be dropped. So, the next night on Raw the titles were contested in a cage match with the two teams from the dumpster match facing off one last time. The match ended with the New Age Outlaws getting their titles back thanks to the help of their new brotherhood: D-Generation X!

And yes, Mick Foley does take a huge bump, this time in the form of a ladder spot into the dumpster. There was no need for the ladder in this match other than for Foley to take a nasty bump from a high place once again.

Theme results:

WrestleMania: WMXIV

Match of the Day - DX take on The Oddities w/The Inane Clown Posse

D-Generation X (Billy Gunn, Road Dogg, & X-Pac) vs. The Oddities (Kurrgan, Golga, & Giant Silva) - Raw is War (1998)

I know, I know, ICP again? Well, at least they're not wresting this time. Wouldn't that be something, though?

Psych! It would be awful.

I'm not going to lie, The Oddities, consisting of Kurrgan (the really big guy that fought Sherlock Holmes in the first RD Jr. series), Giant Silva (the 90's Great Khali if Great Khali could wrestle even a little), and Golga (a smaller John "Earthquake" Tenta under a gold mask and a love for Cartman) along with D-Generation X had my favorite entrance music of this time. I was young...

Not too long after this, Shaggy and Scoob... I mean... Violent J, would turn their backs on The Oddities and side with an even more off-color team, The Headbangers (Mosh & Thrasher).

Match of the Day - Owen Hart fights Ken Shamrock in his own house!

Owen Hart vs. Ken Shamrock - Stu Hart's Dungeon match - WWF Fully Loaded: In Your House (1998)

The Black Hart takes on The World's Most Dangerous Man in the closest thing to home field advantage in this 1998 gem from Fully Loaded. Not only was this match held in Stu Hart's "Dungeon" where many great superstars learned the way of wrestling, it was also a submission match featuring the referee duties of Dan Severn just to add to the uniqueness of this forgotten match.

Wrestling fans always heard about this Dungeon, but few had ever seen it. Turns out this training facility once operated by the Hart family was just a basement with a tarp over the ground. Guess all those stories about how tough and enduring the Dungeon was - adding in the Stu Hart screaming in your face factor -  were pretty accurate.

Theme Results

Non-ring: Stu Hart's Dungeon

Match of the Day - It's Time! It's Time! It's... Paul Bearer Time!?!

Kane vs. Vader - Mask vs. Mask - WWF Over The Edge (1998)

Kane and Vader go mask to mask in this match that marks Vader's decline into jobber status. After losing to Kane even after using that wrench that came with a lot of Kane action figures back in the day to wear the big red monster down, Vader gives a very unforgettable speech about making the biggest mistake of his life and then proceeded to call himself "a big fat piece of shit" before storming off into the back.

Since Kane had previous destroyed Vader's face with that very same wrench we see make its return in this match, Vader had to get surgery on his face, therefore giving this who mask versus mask stipulation a little more believability considering Vader usually ditched his mask halfway through every match anyways.

After Vader loses his classic face mask to Kane's tombstone piledriver, Paul Bearer puts the sweaty jockstrap looking face wear and announces into the camera that, "It's Time! It's Time! It's Paul Bearer Time!" after The King jokingly says Paul Bearer's line moments beforehand. The mask was never seen again on Paul Bearer's ugly complexion known as a face again and neither was Paul Bearer Time.

Vader did however reappear wearing his signature face mask again after this match but the lose at the hands of Kane here at Over The Edge 1998 was really a metaphor for losing his career, since, like I mentioned above, this was really Vader's last match before becoming a glorified jobber and losing to all the young up-and-comers from Mark Henry to Bradshaw to Edge on Sunday Night Heat (his last televised match in the WWF).

Match of the Day - The one where Mankind wrestles in a tux

Hardcore Wednesday:

Mankind (c) vs. Ken Shamrock - First ever Hardcore Title match Raw (1998)

In Mankind's first defense as the Hardcore Champion, a title awarded to him by Mr. McMahon, against Ken Shamrock the Intercontinental champ at the time, Mankind, believing he was now corporate material dons a new tuxedo for this fine occasion.

Of course, like Ken Shamrock who uses his own body as a weapon, Mankind uses much of his attire to attack Ken Shamrock in this anything goes, falls count anywhere match.

All in all, this is a good introduction to the hardcore title. While there wasn't a lot of weapons and gimmick-y hardcore stunts pulled (other than Mankind beating Shamrock with his own shoes), this match and it's hardcore-ness relies heavily on the fact that these two characters are hardcore themselves. Both were also deranged which helped a great deal as well.

Later down the line, Hardcore title defenses in WWF became a lot more of a quick and easy treat for the audience. Especially with the introduction of  weapons and the 24/7 rule that was later adapted to the title, things got a little more easier for wrestlers who weren't naturally brutal or straight-up "hardcore" like Mankind and Ken Shamrock were. It is still always fun to watch all the interesting twists and spots wrestlers pulled when the 24/7 - or just the fact that they could go anywhere to win it - rule was around.

Good stuff.

Match of the Day - Jericho steals Flair's Thunder

Chris Jericho vs. Ric Flair - WCW First Thunder (1998)

Much like a match I soon wish to share with you all (Hart/123Kid on RAW), this match features the well respected, crazy - yes crazy - but seasoned veteran and multi-time champion, Ric Flair taking on the young, brash, but highly gifted semi-rookie, Chris Jericho. And what's right about this situation rather than, say, the Lawler/Helms match in '06 is that Flair (along with Bret Hart) not only had a knack for putting younger talent over but also making it look as if he could actually be beaten by his opponents even with all the experience and big names/fights under his belt. Lawler all the while, didn't do so much for Gregory Helms and their small feud which just ends with The King of Memphis jumping off the top rope and seemingly squashing the young talent.

Another key difference to Jericho/Flair's situation and the Lawler/Helms is that Chris Jericho was bond for greatness and it should have come sooner with the resume that Jericho already had before WCW and right up until 1998 when he finally started to receive a push (in the form of bigger gold i.e. the TV title). I'm not saying that this match put Jericho over completely, no Jericho had to do that on his own, but this is just another one of those great new vs. old matches that actually works. Stuff like Kidman vs. Hulk Hogan where we are expected to root for the guy still trying to stay on the top of mountain even though he passed the torch onto another guy in 1990, just rattles my bones.

Anyways here's a match from the very first Thunder - WCW's Smackdown before Smackdown came along and stole their ratings. The original Thunder program had some sort of Legend of the Hidden Temple/aggro crag theme with a big rock-made titantron with flash-y lights and fog. At least, that's how I remember it...

Also enjoy the classic WCW commentating of this time.

Those were the days

Match of the Day - Scott Hall/Zbyszko + Dusty Rhodes's heel turn

Scott Hall w/Louie Spicolli vs. Larry Zbyszko w/Dusty Rhodes - WCW/NWO Souled Out (1998)

While Scott Hall and Larry Zbyszko's many encounters can be noted all the back to when a very "green" Hall was trying to break out in the wrestling business in the 80's, this particular feud in WCW all began in 1997 when Zbyszko, a commentator at that time, was often on the butt-end of many nWo and Hall jokes and pranks including a segment on Nitro where Hall and his one-man entourage, Louie Spicolli stole Larry's golf clubs and broke them in the middle of the ring.

At first, Larry Zbyszko turned down the offer to face Hall at the end of 1997, but after being "nailed" by Hall and the nWo along with "Easy E" Eric Bischoff on countless occasions, Larry gave in and at Starrcade '97, Zbyszko took on Eric Bischoff in a match where if Bischoff won, he got control of Monday Nitro, but if Larry won, he could finally get his hands on Scott Hall in a match whenever he wanted. Zbyszko would eventually win his bout against Bischoff thanks to the special guest ref, Bret Hart, therefore setting up a match with Hall at Souled Out '98.

Despite Scott Hall often criticizing Larry Zbyszko for being a slow competitor, Larry took it to Hall pretty fast in their match together. It even looked like Larry had it won via submission until Louie "Rad Radford" Spicolli came in to try to help his buddy out (causing the DQ) - luckily for Larry though, Dusty Rhodes was at his side and came in to deliver Spicolli with three atomic elbows (Spicolli sold them like a champ). Rhodes looked to deliver another elbow, this time to Scott Hall, but Hall moved out of the way and Rhodes lit up Larry with the elbow instead. Rhodes didn't seem too upset about what he had done however as he removed his WCW cap and shirt to reveal .. dun dun dun... a black and white nWo shirt!

Thus heel Dusty Rhodes was born! WCW bite that!

Aftermath: Rumor has it that another Larry Zbyszko epic was in the works just after this match... this time against Scott Hall's goon, Louie Spicolli at Superbrawl. Unfortunately, Louie Spicolli passed away a little less than a month after Souled Out and the match never went on.

As for Rhodes and his new role as a heel, he would then manage Scott Hall and the returning Kevin Nash before leaving WCW for a short stint in ECW. Remember that?