Thunder
Date: July 29, 1999
Location: Mark of the
Quad Cities, Moline, Illinois
Attendance: 6,754
Commentators: Larry
Zbyszko, Mike Tenay
Reviewed by Tommy Hall
It's
another taped show, meaning we're getting a lot of recaps from
Monday's trip back to the mid 80s. We're closing in on Road Wild in
a few weeks which looks like a more logical (well, more than the rest
of the summer) show, albeit far more boring. Maybe they'll let the
wrestling dominate the show and it could be entertaining. And maybe
I'll grow wings and fly through a tree made of locusts and encounter
the Great Potato. Let's get to it.
Tenay and Larry do
their usual intro that we can't see.
We get a LONG video
(same one from Monday), detailing the history between Nash and Hogan.
KISS is coming to Nitro
on August 23.
The
Cat vs. Barry Darsow
Miller
says he can win this in less than five minutes. Darsow takes him
down by the leg to start like a smart guy should. Back up and Miller
goes to the eyes to take over, only to get slammed right back down.
Barry slugs him down as the crowd looks at something off camera.
More hammering ensues until Miller finally gets in a shot to the
throat and chokes in the corner. Onoo gets in a few kicks of his own
but Barry grabs a belly to back suplex for two. The referee argues
with Darsow over something though, allowing Cat to superkick him with
the red slipper for the pin.
Rating:
D-.
So it's heel vs. heel with Barry Darsow being the hope for the
wrestling world? We're definitely in the dark days of a taped
Thunder here and I can't imagine things are going to get much better
as things go on. Miller needs to do something different in his
matches though as this is getting really repetitive.
Goldberg
Crush Em video.
We see Rodman
kidnapping Gorgeous George on Nitro.
Diamond Dallas Page was
on Hollywood Squares.
Buff
Bagwell vs. Erik Watts
They
pose at each other to start as this really isn't waking up the crowd.
Erik takes him into the corner and chokes a lot until Buff grabs an
armdrag. A clothesline puts Watts on the floor before slapping him
in the jaw back inside. Buff fires off right hands in the corner but
gets dropped down into a hot shot. Riveting stuff here people. Erik
hammers away with knees to the ribs and forearms to the back as you
can hear the crowd just dying. A bad looking but still acceptable
standing moonsault gets two on Buff and we hit the chinlock. Back
from a break with the hold still on and Buff's arm dropping twice.
Watts
knees him in the ribs for two and we're back to the chinlock.
Bagwell's comeback consists of a clothesline and cross body for two
before Erik clotheslines him down again. He misses a charge in the
corner though, only to hold onto the ropes to avoid a Bagwell charge.
A Vader Bomb hits feet though and Buff starts his real comeback.
After another barrage of clotheslines and punches, he nails the
Blockbuster and gets the pin, despite Cat running down to try to
break it up.
Rating:
D-.
Oh no they're not trying tonight. This is clearly one of those shows
where it's just thrown together with the hopes that not many people
are watching. Considering that we're over half an hour into this
show and everything new so far has been about a bad midcard feud, you
can tell what kind of a show we're in for.
Bagwell nails Sonny
after bailing from Miller.
Here's the whole
(albeit short) Goldberg vs. Hennig match from Nitro.
This Week In WCW
Motorsports.
Chad Brock will perform
on Nitro, August 9.
Booker
T. vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
Before
the match, Page actually makes Yo Mama jokes about Booker. You think
I can make this stuff up? Bigelow misses an early splash but Booker
charges into a boot in the corner. The big man hammers away, only to
miss the falling headbutt. Booker hammers away but Bigelow swats a
kick away and suplexes him down.
Page
and Bigelow take turns choking until Booker rolls outside so Page can
whip him into the barricade. Back in and Bigelow keeps hammering
away until he misses a charge, allowing Booker to side suplex him as
we take a break. Back with Booker hitting two kicks, drawing in the
Triad for the DQ. The post break stuff wasn't even 45 seconds,
meaning not enough was shown to rate it. It was basically a Bigelow
squash until the break though.
Post
match the Triad triple teams Booker until Stevie Ray comes out with a
chair. After some trash talk, Booker says he wants his brother back
but not with that NWO shirt on. Stevie throws it into the crowd and
Harlem Heat is back. My goodness we actually had some storyline
development on this show.
Here's
everything related to Hogan/Sting/Sid/Nash from Nitro, including the
FULL main event. This eats up about half an hour, not counting
commercials.
Road Wild ad.
Chris
Benoit/Perry Saturn/Dean Malenko vs. Diamond Dallas Page/Kanyon/Ric
Flair
This
is the main event people and we have about fifteen minutes left in
the show. Flair and Benoit get things going but Page gets in a cheap
shot. Everything breaks down for and the good guys clear the ring
(of course). We settle down to Saturn vs. Kanyon with Saturn getting
knocked down and cradled for two. He comes right back with a low
blow and middle rope forearm (nice one too) before snapping off a
German.
Here's
Benoit for a backdrop and two before he drop toeholds Kanyon down,
allowing his partners to drop an elbow apiece. Dean comes in for his
leg lariat as the young guys take over. Page breaks up a belly to
back suplex though and it's a double tag to Saturn and Flair. It's
Saturn taking over and hammering away in the corner until Kanyon gets
in a cheap shot, setting up a Russian leg sweep off the middle rope
for a nice spot to take us to a break. Back with Page Rock Bottoming
Saturn before it's off to Kanyon for a reverse powerbomb out of the
corner.
Page
comes back in with a front facelock, setting up the required missed
tag thanks to a Flair distraction. Page knocks Benoit and Malenko
off the apron before stomping on Saturn, only to miss a splash. The
hot tag brings in Benoit to face Kanyon as the Canadian starts
cleaning house. Flair and Kanyon are rammed together and the dragon
suplex puts Kanyon down again. The Swan Dive connects on Kanyon and
everything breaks down. Bigelow's top rope headbutt hits Kanyon by
mistake but Asya gives Flair an object to knock Benoit out, giving
Kanyon's unconscious body the pin.
Rating:
C+.
Not bad here but it came at the end of a worthless show. However,
it's yet another loss for the youth movement which is more or less
done at this point. This worked well enough for the most part and
was a decent enough main event, but I was done with this show a long
time ago.
Shane Douglas comes out
post match and says they're taking WCW back. Maybe winning a match
would help.
Overall
Rating: D-.
You could also go with a rating of “Nitro” because that's what
this show is about. Thunder has become a two hour version of WWF
Metal or Jakked with mostly recaps and matches that don't mean a
thing. Harlem Heat reuniting will be covered on Nitro and didn't
need to be here, especially on a show this worthless. Over a third
of the content on this show was spent on recaps from Nitro and
another third was dedicated to Bagwell vs. Cat. Let that sink in for
a minute.
Remember to check out my website at kbwrestlingreviews.com and head over to my Amazon author page with wrestling books for under $4 at:
http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6
Yikes. An opener of Cat vs. Barry Darsow?
ReplyDeleteDid like the red slipper gimmick. That was amusing.
I just want to point out...it's "The Mark of the Quad Cities". I only know this because I used to be the hockey announcer there for three years (when Calgary's AHL affiliate was in town).
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the Quad Cities. I'll bet a young Seth Rollins came from just over the state line to see this live. God knows why he still decided to become a wrestler.
ReplyDeleteUGH ever since I read this review it's been come on ride the train, ride it up! Lousy Quad Cities and their DJs.
ReplyDeleteWatts could hit a standing moonsault?
ReplyDeleteWell hit is probably a stretch but he got close enough.
ReplyDeleteDid he get more air on the moonsault than his dropkick?
ReplyDeleteYeah, though to be fair I've seen four year olds that could beat that.
ReplyDelete