When you reach your nadir, there’s only one place to go from there and it’s upwards. This week’s show embodies that philosophy in two ways.
First of all, WCW is coming off of their biggest show ever in terms of box office. The apex mountain of WCW in terms of their business was also the beginning of the end from the aspect of their bumbling ways. With the WWF storming back with the buzz of Stone Cold and Mike Tyson, it’s a crucial time for WCW to protect their spot as the leader in the Monday Night Wars.
Secondly, they are trying to build a reputation for their newly annual January show after the inaugural edition became one of the worst wrestling shows of all time. Not having the rebel organization take over the entire event and fill it with biker women and bad matches will immediately help, but they are still competing against the beloved Royal Rumble. I know where my money went this month, but that doesn’t mean they can’t try and erase some of those bad Souled Out memories.
I’ve never seen this show before, so I don’t know the answer to either one of those philosophical questions. Let’s see what happens, huh?
PAY PER VIEW NUMBER 151: WCW SOULED OUT 1998
Written on 5/31/23
THE OPENING HYPE: Eric Bischoff is in a spooky mansion? The story of Kevin Nash versus the Giant is told and there’s something about a $1.5 million bond for their match. This isn’t a great start AT ALL. We go live in Dayton, OH to a sold-out building (it’s small). Tony Schiavone is joined once again by Bobby Heenan and Dusty Rhodes (in a WCW hat and all denim beyond that). Bret Hart versus Ric Flair in a dream match is previewed as well as the WCW Title situation being addressed.
MATCH NUMBER ONE: Juventud Guerrera, Super Calo, Lizmark Jr and Chavo Guerrero Jr vs La Parka, Silver King, El Dandy and Psychosis
BEFORE THE BELL: The face team gets a great pop, but the heels are no slouches in response either. El Dandy is dressed and has the same demeanor as Chris Benoit. I’m so used to seeing fat La Parka as opposed to here where he’s in shape. I also remember a drunk guy at Madison Square Garden complaining about him winning a battle royal during WrestleMania 35 weekend in 2019 (and that weekend’s exploits will house our reference challenge). Speaking of challenge, this match will do that to my new format.
THE BREAKDOWN
MVP/LVP ALERT: You can really see the lack of energy and pep in their step for Chavo compared to the others in this match, so he’s the first LVP. On the flip side, La Parka’s charisma AKA dancing makes him the first MVP. Even as King and Lizmark CHOP THE EVERLOVING SHIT OUT OF ONE ANOTHER.
OUTSIDE THE RING: Mike Tenay naturally joins the team, but they largely just talk about Larry Zbyszko vs Scott Hall later on and Larry having someone in his corner.
HOW GOES IT: The match is almost too fast for itself. Juvi and King both slip up, but respond with a sick mid-match 450 splash and an awesome missed plancha for a face-first fall respectively. After six dives that tear the roof off.
THE GO HOME: As Psychosis is about to make it dive number seven, Chavo ends the fun.
WINNERS: Juventud Guerrera’s Team in 9:30 when Chavo Guerrero Jr pins Psychosis after a Tornado DDT
FINAL WORD: Absolutely no story to it, but who cares? That had incredible action plus…
THE EXTRA STUFF: La Parka hits everyone (including teammates) with chair shots and only Juvi’s was UNPROTECTED. What a badass. The replay has a neat spray paint graphic attached to it. The first internet audio PPV, Boston Brawl, gets advertised and Mean Gene pimps the hotline.
MATCH NUMBER TWO: RAVEN’S RULES MATCH- Raven vs Chris Benoit
BEFORE THE BELL: Still no music for Raven, but he gets a great pop anyway. The whole Flock is with him holding tons of Lodi signs, but they end up being barred from ringside. Raven gets mic time and generates good heat, but I still don’t like his stilted delivery. Benoit gets a great reaction as well because Dayton is HOT. He gets jumped at the bell and the brawl starts on the floor.
THE BREAKDOWN
MVP/LVP ALERT: It’s good to have Bobby Heenan putting in the work again as he puts over the violence and match over very well. On the flip side, Dusty is all over the place, mispronouncing relentless, repertoire and audible.
OUTSIDE THE RING: Schiavone totally forgets the rules to this match and I notice the new WCW/nWo company logo. Besides that, it’s all action.
HOW GOES IT: Raven dominates the start and hits a bulldog on a chair, but gets dropped onto the chair himself and gets beaten all over. His shirt even gets ripped off.
CAN YOU PREDICT WHAT HAPPENS WITH CHRIS BENOIT: It’s been a while, but a totally STUPID flying headbutt onto a chair on Raven’s face UNPROTECTED sure gives you a hint into the future.
THE GO HOME: The crazy headbutt is only a two count and there’s a nice suplex countered into the Evenflow DDT. That doesn’t stop the Crippler from locking in his submission and Raven passing out with a smile on his face.
WINNER: Chris Benoit in 10:36 with the Crippler Crossface
FINAL WORD: A darn good brawl that made both men look good.
THE EXTRA STUFF: Kidman runs out, but gets stopped by Dean Malenko and locked into the Cloverleaf. The rest of the Flock run out and get beaten up. Hammer carries Raven out and Heenan puts over his face in the replay so well for the character and story.
MATCH NUMBER THREE: CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE MATCH- Chris Jericho vs Rey Mysterio Jr (Champ)
BEFORE THE BELL: I still hate the fact that Break the Walls Down is dubbed in, but I’m happy we have heel Jericho finally. He has a completely different demeanor in the best way. Rey is champ again and he’s sporting a massive knee brace. Tenay rejoins the team and talks perseverance and injury.
THE BREAKDOWN
MVP/LVP ALERT: Jericho is already doing some amazing character work.
OUTSIDE THE RING: Commentary plays this straight, but there’s plenty on the floor including the steps being used as a platform for an attack by a cocky Jericho, yelling “come on, baby” mockingly.
HOW GOES IT: It’s definitely more punching and ground work than usual because Rey is legit hurt. He still springboards and somersaults somehow, but they play up a smart story here. He even tweaks his knee on a dive fakeout.
THE GO HOME: It comes out of nowhere, but it’s righteous because of how sick it is coming off the top with a submission counter.
WINNER: Chris Jericho in 8:22 with the Liontamer to become the new champion
FINAL WORD: This was a little dry due to moving the story and new character along, but it was still good.
THE EXTRA STUFF: There was no List of Jericho section above because the one thing I didn’t remember was here and it’s his awesome Sally Field impression upon winning. He eggs the boos on while continuing to attack Rey, boosting his MVP odds. He uses an equipment box and steel steps to smash Rey’s knee before abruptly apologizing and storming out. This is a great PPV angle for a fresh heel.
NOT A MATCH, BUT A LONG ENOUGH SEGMENT TO CARVE OUT ITS OWN SECTION: THE WCW TITLE SITUATION
WHAT HAPPENS: Mean Gene is joined by JJ Dillon in-ring to discuss the title that’s been vacated since the Nitro after Starrcade. Dillon is a LVP bore. Roddy Piper joins them and seems lucid before a Bill Clinton girlfriend joke and laying out the current story. Sting enters to a great pop, then Hollywood Hogan joins with Scott Hall and Eric Bischoff. I’m shocked they just didn’t run a triple threat and have Hall take the fall. I’m glad Sting was located here, so Penelope Ford wouldn’t worry wherever she was while I eat Halal Guys (another Mania in NYC reference in the books). Gene and Roddy riff on the length of time Hogan takes to come out and being cheap. After tons of fluff, Piper announces Hall has to wait and Hogan versus Sting II will take place at SuperBrawl for the vacant title. After a brief kerfuffle, Hall gets frustrated and walks out to advance the dissension story. Sting does totally out-of-character-rapid suck-its. This segment fell off a cliff.
MATCH NUMBER FOUR: TV TITLE MATCH- Rick Martel vs Booker T (Champ)
BEFORE THE BELL: Weird funky music means RICK MARTEL is here?!?!?! He looks much younger and better than his last Model run. Booker T is newly solo and newly full-fledged babyface. He wants everyone to raise the roof! Just watching these PPVs mean you miss some stuff more often than not…
THE BREAKDOWN
MVP/LVP ALERT: Both men, especially Martel, are totally YOKED, but don’t do anything egregious one way or another. That said, referee Billy Silverman is ridiculously slow and obnoxious when there’s just a three-minute rest hold going on.
OUTSIDE THE RING: Dusty and Bobby continue to bicker. The commentators mention Martel getting thrown through a glass door on Thunder. WHAT THE FUCK?
HOW GOES IT: They might have wanted to sandwich this one between any of the previous matches. It’s more of a meticulous bout, but not bad. Book is randomly impactful and Martel plays the wise veteran possum for a good two count.
THE GO HOME: The Boston Crab is applied and the crowd reacts, but the champ survives and hits the scissors kick, sidewalk slam and glancing finish.
WINNER: Booker T retains in 10:50 with the Harlem Hangover
FINAL WORD: House show shit, but nothing offensive with it. Good on Martel getting jacked and paid.
THE EXTRA STUFF: Martel takes the title and gives to Booker before raising his hand and shaking. No swerve here? Nice! Well, not from these two because Saturn runs out and attacks Martel. Book makes the save and Saturn yells “stooge” into the camera.
MATCH NUMBER FIVE: Scott Hall w/Louie Spicolli vs Larry Zbyszko w/Dusty Rhodes
BEFORE THE BELL: Hall is announced as a tag champ, but doesn’t have the title with him. Lackey Louie (sadly in his last appearance) trails behind. Larry still has the nWo music, pyro and elaborate introduction. He does the Outsiders point and Dusty gets up from the announce table to join him.
THE BREAKDOWN
MVP/LVP ALERT: The Brain has charged into the lead with this renewed effort by putting over his surprise of Dusty’s involvement, explaining that he thought it’d be DiBiase and claiming that it was his first mistake in 27 years. He has all of my interest because the match is a nothing burger.
OUTSIDE THE RING: Louie gets a cheap shot and it turns the tide, but not in excitement for the match. The crowd randomly chants “Larry sucks” and his stupid selling supports it. A “Hall sucks” chant follows.
HOW GOES IT: Sloppy! The ref is errantly kicked after Larry avoid the Outsider’s Edge and hits a flurry of strikes.
THE GO HOME: Louie gets involved and takes some Dusty elbows, causing the crowd to erupt. He starts unbuttoning his shirt and hits Larry with the elbow. It seems accidental and takes forever to unveil an nWo shirt underneath. Bobby and Tony are stunned into silence, then anger as the bionic elbows get dropped.
WINNER: Larry Zbyszko by DQ in 9:16
FINAL WORD: It seems that the AWA closed for a good reason.
THE EXTRA STUFF: Bobby and Tony won’t talk and Dusty yells into the camera “tradition…bite this!” Schiavone is bad here as he bickers with Bobby and could become an LVP while Bobby strengthens his case holding everything down.
MATCH NUMBER SIX: Buff Bagwell, Scott Norton and Konnan w/Vincent vs The Steiner Brothers and Ray Traylor w/Ted DiBiase
BEFORE THE BELL: I hear the nWo B-Team music in my nightmares. Schiavone has left the announce table, so Heenan wings it solo and kills it by explaining Tony’s dilemma and heartache. He’s sadly back soon.
THE BREAKDOWN
MVP/LVP ALERT: It’s another case of the action suffering for the heel seeds being sowed, but it’s fruitful because it’s the first time we are seeing it on PPV and it’s SCOTT STEINER STARTING TO BE A SELF-CENTERED PRICK BABY! He wanted to start, grabs the fed and hilariously yells all over the place.
OUTSIDE THE RING: Tenay joins the commentary team to bring balance and further analyze Dusty’s turn. I’m glad it’s treated like the big deal it felt like. They do take time to call Future Poppa Pump a glory hound.
HOW GOES IT: Buff gets destroyed, Traylor gets isolated in a shaky exchange with Norton, Konnan impersonates a dog peeing towards Rick and Rick takes the heat while Scott annoys Traylor.
THE GO HOME: After a long beatdown, Rick tags out to technically BOTH Traylor and his brother. On the floor, Ted beats up Vincent and it’s total bedlam. Scott forces himself to be tagged in solely again and somehow doesn’t kill K-Dawg. The following GIF is not from this show, but it will help you get the gist.
WINNERS: The Steiner Brothers and Ray Traylor in 12:19 when Scott Steiner pins Konnan with the Steiner Screwdriver
FINAL WORD: The story was solely Scott Steiner, but that is exciting stuff.
THE EXTRA STUFF: Scott and Buff jaw and pose/almost invite each other in a sense of camaraderie while ignoring their teammates. One more Boston Brawl commercial mentions that the last Red Sox title happened on 9/11. That’s no coincidence.
MATCH NUMBER SEVEN: Kevin Nash w/Hollywood Hogan and Eric Bischoff vs The Giant
BEFORE THE BELL: There’s such a wait and anticipation to this match, yet it isn’t the main event. Giant comes out with the same amount of help as entrance music: STILL STUPIDLY NONE.
THE BREAKDOWN
MVP/LVP ALERT: We can move right along here. The only thing I could point to is Nash’s attempted dive over the top rope that looked rough as shit that Giant catches in a deadlift and smashes into the post.
OUTSIDE THE RING: The commentators put over Giant’s tear down of the ring on Thunder well. Bobby tries to joke and pull Tony out of his funk and gets told to shut up. They have plenty of time for this because there is plenty of time between spots.
HOW GOES IT: This might be the most entertaining plod of all time lol. Giant barely beats a countout after a chair shot from Hogan. I’m always a sucker for a double big boot spot, though!
THE GO HOME: Bischoff gets chokeslammed after providing a distraction. Nash throws hot coffee in Giant’s face, hits a low blow and then the horrific GIF you’ve been waiting for.
WINNER: Kevin Nash in 10:47 with the Jackknife
FINAL WORD: We got through it…kind of?
THE EXTRA STUFF: Bobby’s verbal reaction and Hollywood’s physical reaction say it all. Hulk claims he taught Nash that move and it sure looked like it. Nash looks exhausted and trainers comes out to check Giant’s eyes and neck. Bobby expertly calls the replay and shows concern so well. A lame SuperBrawl commercial has DDP at a tattoo parlor. Why is he not on this show?
MATCH NUMBER EIGHT: Ric Flair vs Bret Hart
BEFORE THE BELL: Ric is rocking a sweet gold robe. Bret’s screechy theme just plain sucks. Fire Jimmy Hart. He gets a surprisingly tepid pop compared to Flair. It just looks and feels wrong. The commentators try and set the stage as a big deal. Bret still gives his glasses to a kid in the front row and it’s an ugly kid, too. It might be that guy in a Rasta hat that jumped him at the Hall of Fame.
THE BREAKDOWN
MVP/LVP ALERT: Surprisingly nothing from either of these legends because they look rigid with one another at times and there’s a long feeling out process, but Billy Silverman still looks like a dweeb checking the time to allow Flair time to hit a low blow.
OUTSIDE THE RING: The ring post Figure Four is put over huge and it’s teased, but ultimately blocked. Bret did lock in a regular one very early on.
HOW GOES IT: This has a good flow and their styles compliment each other well. Sure, Bret probably hates all of the chops, but it’s still good. There are plenty of shoves, slaps and Flair antics. Bret’s leg becomes the focus and he hits a desperation enziguiri, but winds up in the Figure Four anyway.
DOES RIC FLAIR SUCCESSFULLY JUMP OFF THE TOP ROPE: NOPE! After Bret turned the Figure Four, Ric tries to fly and gets thrown off.
THE GO HOME: Bret steals one more thing from Sting and no sells the chops before starting his usual sequence and earning a decisive victory.
WINNER: Bret Hart in 18:05 with the Sharpshooter
FINAL WORD: Professionals and legends doing their thing. I’m glad I finally saw that hidden gem. At least Bret’s in-ring debut was solid.
THE EXTRA STUFF: Bret loves drawing “WCW” in the air with his finger, doesn’t he? Why was that not the main event?
MATCH NUMBER NINE: Randy Savage w/Elizabeth vs Lex Luger
BEFORE THE BELL: Michael Buffer is already in the ring and hilariously says Snickers before redundantly wasting time. God, I hate him. He may earn last minute LVP again. Savage’s pyro is out of control. Lex has supremely cooled off. Buffer’s body language tells us he doesn’t want to be there.
THE BREAKDOWN
MVP/LVP ALERT: Despite this being the main event, nobody is doing anything to earn anything close to this besides Michael Buffer just sitting there watching.
OUTSIDE THE RING: Schiavone mentions Macho being the lynchpin in the current nWo problems. He’s on Hall’s side against Hogan and Nash. Interesting. Also, on the outside, Elizabeth keeps getting involved. She’s blindsided Lex and continues to cheat.
HOW GOES IT: Elizabeth is the only one working! This show is on Saturday because of the Super Bowl the next day. A brawl in the crowd finally puts Luger on top.
THE GO HOME: Back in the ring, Lex hits the forearm and calls for the Rack. Hall and Hulk come out, but Hulk stops Hall from helping. Macho collides with Hall and this stupid main event is already done.
WINNER: Lex Luger in 7:06 with the Torture Rack
FINAL WORD: This only main event because of the story and post-match. It certainly isn’t because of the match they had planned because that was barely a match.
BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE: The New World Order is out to attack Lex right away. Sting makes the save and batters everyone. Hulk is put in the Scorpion Deathlock and Nash is put in the Rack. Is this just a Nitro now? The heels retreat and Tony signs off of this emotional night.
THE LAST IMAGE: Sting
THE WRAP UP
FINAL MVP of PPV: This was a throwback performance by Bobby Heenan with some added maturity and emotion to boot. It was good to have an reinvigorated Brain. There are some future legendary heels looming, however…
FINAL LVP of PPV: Chavo Guerrero Jr got bailed out by my sheer hatred and lack of understanding why Michael Buffer is getting paid. He’s a waste of time and space.
MY FAVORITE MATCH: Bret Hart vs Ric Flair
MY LEAST FAVORITE MATCH: Lex Luger vs Randy Savage
FINAL THOUGHTS: This was a good rebound show from Starrcade built on the nWo dissension, future heels and singles stars getting showcased and great action as always from the undercard. This show is what they needed and what they sadly won’t keep doing. For now, they are still #1 and this show righted the ship enough in the short term. MULLET RECOMMENDS
NEXT TIME: Of all of the famous In Your House shows, No Way Out might have become the most famous and persistent one. We tackle the first one in Texas.