Thunder Results

February 5th, 1998.
Live/Taped: Live.
Length: Two Hours.
Location: Beaumont, Texas.
Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan and Lee Marshall.

 * The Steiner Brothers situation was recapped.

 * Hugh Morrus pinned La Parka following a moonsault. La Parka attacked
   him with a steel chair after the match.

 * After a brief Bill Goldberg video package, Goldberg beat Jim Powers
   with the Jackhammer. (Match lasted just over one minute.)

 * Buff Bagwell hyped "The Blues Brothers", which followed Thunder.

 * Billy Kidman pinned Juventud Guerrera after a Shooting Star Press.

 * Mike Tenay interviewed Diamond Dallas Page.

 * They ran a "WCW Motorsports" segment hyping the "Hollywood" Hogan
   monster truck.

 * Silver King, Villano IV and Villano V beat Super Calo, Lizmark, Jr. and
   Chavo Guerrero, Jr. Psychosis interfered on behalf of the other heels.

 * Randy Savage's "split" with the NWO was highlighted.

 * The Steiners beat Konan and Buff Bagwell by DQ when Scott Hall
   interfered. Rick Steiner accidentally hit Scott Steiner when he was
   pushed off the top turnbuckle by Hall. The two brothers argued after the
   match. Dusty Rhodes sat in for color commentary.

 * Dan Aykroyd and John Goodman were shown in a taped segment hyping "The
   Blues Brothers", as well as the upcoming new "Blues Brothers 2000"
   movie. They then hyped an appearance by Mean Gene Okerlund on "Dinner &
   A Movie", which airs Friday nights on TBS.

 * Raven beat Marty Jannetty after he escaped from the Showstopper and
   applied a DDT.

 * Tony Schiavone hyped "The Blues Brothers".

 * They aired a video package of the Giant being put out by Kevin Nash.

 * Saturn defeated Disco Inferno with the help of the Flock. Booker T.
   came out to help Disco after the match.

 * Referee Nick Patrick again stated his desire to return to work.

 * Raven hyped "The Blues Brothers".

 * Tony Schiavone hyped "The Blues Brothers" again.

 * Scott Hall came out to do his survey. He then complained about not
   getting his title shot at SuperBrawl. Hall allowed Louie Spicolli to
   wrestle Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart in his place. Neidhart won the match
   about a minute later when Hall interfered. Davey Boy Smith came out to
   make the save. Steve "Mongo" McMichael then came out and attacked Smith.

 * Diamond Dallas Page and Chris Benoit went to no decision when Raven and
   his Flock interfered.

 * Next Monday: Nothing announced.

 * Next week: Nothing announced.

Comments:

No Hogan, Sting, Savage, Piper, Luger, Giant, Nash, Hart or Flair. I look
for this show to draw near a 5.0 in the ratings.

I'm still trying to figure out how a show could simultaneously have several
good matches, yet be almost completely uneventful. Thunder managed to do
it this week. Most every match involving the cruiserweights was very good,
yet the show offered next to nothing in the way of surprises, major plot
developments or even major stars. It was a lot like watching the undercard
of the average WCW PPV: a solid undercard, I'll grant you. I give them
credit for the several decent matches, but overall there was no real reason
to have specifically gone out of your way to tune in this week.

... unless you're a "Blues Brother" fan, apparently. I've always hated it
when the WWF prostituted itself to hype USA Network programming. This here
was just plain terrible. Raven's little plug was the worst. I like the
movie, but TBS and TNT show it regularly enough that this really wasn't any
kind of special occasion (except that Aykroyd and Goodman had taped a few
segments to run during the movie, plugging the new sequel in theaters).

Billy Kidman used a move which was similar to a powerbomb, while Scott
Steiner blatantly used a powerbomb in his match. I've now lost count of the
number of powerbombs that have been used since the move was "banned".

As I warned a week or two ago, Rhodes ended up in the broadcast position. I
doubt it will be an isolated incident.

The fireworks before the main event left behind a ton of smoke, making it
look like they were wrestling in a fog bank. As I feared, the DDP/Benoit
match seems to be setting up a DDP/Raven feud more than giving Benoit any
kind of title push.

This week's show felt a little like going to a big concert, seeing a few
good warm-up acts, then being disappointed when the headliner didn't show
up. I'm sure the workrate freaks and Goldberg marks got their fill, but
those of us who like a more well-rounded show were left out in the cold.