WCW Fall Brawl 1998 Review

 

Hello and welcome to another edition of Seanomaniac Wrestling Reviews! WCW's Fall Brawl 1998, it was simple really: NWO Hollywwod vs NWO Wolfpac, the losing group should have to split forever. We had months of teasing, months of fights, give us the match that logically should come next right? Wrong! In comes Ultimate Warrior, here we have the first ever three team WarGames Match.... pin-falls are in this WarGames..... winner faces Goldberg at the next pay per view..... What the hell is going on here? Well, let's rock and roll with Fall Brawl 1998

Opening Promo

Stevie Ray is in The WarGames match for NWO Hollywood, you have to be joking me, what is this garbage? It is all about The WarGames, Schiavone talks about how you can win by pin-fall in this year's WarGames. Loud chants for Flair, Flair would return the next night in a very memorable segment. Schiavone goes backstage and Ernest Miller is screaming about something, we do not see who it is. Wow, that was important. Mean Gene has to deal with Chris Jericho, Jericho promises Goldberg vs Chris Jericho tonight on pay per view.

The Dancing Fools vs British Bulldog & Jim Neidhart

After stinking up Road Wild with Public Enemy, we are blessed with the presence of Alex Wright & Disco Inferno. God knows the last time I have seen Bulldog & Neidhart, I think it was that match with Curt Hennig where Rude & Hennig beat the piss out of Neidhart & Bulldog. The two are directionless with Bret being in The NWO for months at this point, doubt Bischoff ever considered reforming The Hart Foundation. Lock-up by Bulldog & Wright, the fans are cheering Wright & Bulldog but I think at least Wright & Disco are the heels.



Right hands by Bulldog, Wright pokes the eye and uppercuts Bulldog. Shoulder block by Wright, military press slam by Bulldog. Tag to Neidhart, tag to Disco. Neidhart shoves off Disco, shoulder block by Neidhart. Neidhart mocks Disco's moves, hammerlock by Disco. Elbow by Neidhart, drop toehold and stomps by Disco. Disco blocks a powerslam and nails a knee lift, Neidhart backs Disco into the corner. Tag to Bulldog, Wright knees Bulldog from the apron, right hands by Wright. Wright dances, Bulldog blocks the monkey flip but eats a massive calf kick. Chops by Wright, Bulldog blocks a corner clothesline and drops Wright with a clothesline. Wright boots Bulldog in the face, tag to Disco.



Middle rope elbow for two, inverted atomic drop by Disco, Bulldog sidesteps Disco. Neidhart has Disco on the floor, stomping Disco. Reverse chinlock by Bulldog, Disco fires up but eats a knee to the ribs. Neidhart & Bulldog are beating up Disco, Disco stomps on Bulldog's toe. Bulldog recovers with a stungun, Neidhart shoves Disco's face into the mat. Hair-pull by Neidhart, Disco is introduced to Bulldog's boot. Tag to Bulldog, scoop slam by Bulldog. Tag to Neidhart who misses a slingshot shoulder block, Disco tags Wright.



Missile dropkick by Wright to Neidhart, Bulldog is back dropped by Wright. Disco saves Wright from The Running Powerslam, double clothesline. Wright tackles Disco by mistake and Bulldog nails a sloppy looking Running Powerslam for the win.



Two people came to work in this match, they were on the same team and that's a shame, the match seems to just go on and on to little reactions from the fans. Neidhart looks unmotivated and Bulldog is half assing it to the max. I feel for Wright & Disco but this match sucks.

 

Winners: Bulldog & Neidhart over The Dancing Fools via Running Powerslam!

Buff Bagwell/Scott Steiner Promo

Scott does not want to face Rick, JJ. Dillon will not be fooled by a forged doctor's note and Scott will have to face Rick tonight.

Chris Jericho W/ Ralphus vs Goldberg

Champion vs champion, tv champion Chris Jericho taking on world champion Goldberg, a battle for the ages except it is not Jericho vs Goldberg. Jericho parodies Goldberg's iconic entrance but gets lost as Jericho continues to be unable to find his way to the arena. Jericho makes it to the stage to receive terrible pyro, cue Jericho tantrum. A fake imitator makes his way to the ring, fans are not happy campers which is understandable, this is on pay per view not Nitro. A silly decision to mock Goldberg who was not scheduled for Fall Brawl.



Lock-up and Jericho shoves down Goldberg, clothesline by Jericho. Suplex and cocky pin by Jericho for two, fake Goldberg Spears Jericho to no effect. Jericho stomps the impostor, slaps him and locks in The Liontamer for the win.



A stupid decision to do on pay per view and an angle that would never have a satisfying conclusion as Goldberg was talked out of facing Jericho, it was a waste of time and the fans responded with bullshit. An accurate representation of WCW at the time.

 

Winner: Chris Jericho over Impostor Goldberg via Liontamer!

Ernest The Cat Miller vs Norman Smiley

The fuck is this doing on my screen, Ernest Miller wanting everyone to call him the greatest and Norman Smiley being the babyface standing up to The Cat? Ok, I will roll with it, Miller tells Smiley that he is a karate champion and Miller asks Smiley to disappear on the count of five. Smiley hammers Miller, headbutt by Smiley. Dropkick and Miller is on the floor, the referee gets in Smiley's way and Miller scores with a big kick. Irish whip into the guard rail, Miller comically chops and kicks Smiley.



Smiley is chopped down, knees to the ribs by Miller. Back suplex by Smiley, leg drop and elbow drop for two. Uppercut by Smiley, Miller begs for mercy. Miller rakes the eyes and sweeps the legs, choke hold by Miller. Miller thrustkicks Smiley, judo like throw by Miller. Smiley drop toeholds Miller, scoop slam by Smiley. Suplex by Smiley for two, Miller shoves Smiley away before Miller nails The Feliner on Smiley for the win.



It was there, it was not good but not awful. Neither man is super established or over, they are both on the bland side with neither being able to lead the other to an interesting match in the slightest way.

 

Winner: Ernest Miller over Norman Smiley via Feliner!

Rick Steiner vs Scott Steiner

After months and months of build, Rick Steiner is able to face Scott Steiner. Scott Steiner had been ducking Rick for months but this is it, this is the spectacular blow-off. They could not possibly not deliver on the promised match could they? They slug it out in the middle of the ring, Rick wins the war. Clothesline by Rick, elbow drop and right hands by Rick. Scott powders to the floor, Rick pummels Scott to the floor and into the crowd. Scott low blows Rick to escape out of a belly to belly while Buff distracts the referee. Rick is bounced off the steel steps and the guard rail, Scott stomps Rick in the ring. Clothesline by Scott, Rick blocks the tiger bomb for a DDT. Rick is on the middle rope, Buff intercepts and is rammed into the turnbuckle.



Scott & Rick brawl in the ring, the referee tends to Buff Bagwell who seems to be hurt. Scott looks concerned for his buddy Buff, the referee is stopping the contest because Buff is in serious pain. Not for the first time tonight, the fans are chanting bullshit. This angle goes on for like ten minutes.



The match is thrown out because a person who was not in the damn match got injured, the match was ruled a no-contest because someone not in the match was injured....... Fuck this stupid company, this makes no sense. It is stupid, this feud is stupid, months they have put this off and you are saving it for another fucking pay per view? Screw you WCW, you are scraping the bottom of the barrel now.

No Contest

(WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match) Juventud Guerrera (C) vs Silver King



What a bizarre first challenger for Guerrera's championship, I guess the idea is to put Guerrera in there that works a similar style. Praying that these two deliver, I have seen enough crap from this pay per view, I need a release. I need a watchable match, Juventud and Silver King shove one another before the bell rings. Chops by Silver King, Juventud chops back at Silver King.



Hammerlock from Juventud, dropkick by Silver King. Silver King and Juventud take truns kicking the crap out of one another, headscissors takedown by Juventud. Springboard hurricanrana by Juventud, clothesline by the champion for two. Silver King gains control after a nice hotshot onto the top rope, tilt-a-whirl backbreaker by Silver King. Shoulderbreaker by Silver King for two, Silver King dropkicks Juventud to the floor. Springboard plancha by Silver King, Juventud looked for a sunst flip but it goes all sort of wrong and Silver King strikes Juventud with a right hand.



Pop-up hurricanrana by Juventud for two, ten punches by Juventud. Missile dropkick by Juventud, two count for the champion. Superkick by Silver King for two, Silver King misses a splash in the corner, Juventud mounts Silver King for an inverted frankensteiner, close two. Silver King counters a Juvi Driver for two, snap suplex by Silver King. Silver King misses a springboard moonsault, Juvi scores with The Juvi Driver and executes The 450 Splash to retain the championship.



Good match, probably better in mind due to the constant stream of crap I have been fed prior to this match, Juventud's reign is off to a good start, Silver King did well to make Juventud look good, that reverse frankensteiner was awesome as was The 450 Splash.

 

Winner: Juventud Guerrera over Silver King via 450 Splash!

(Raven's Rules Match) Saturn vs Raven



Saturn & Raven were best friends, Saturn was unable to put away Kanyon on pay per view which led to Raven turning on Saturn. Saturn battles Raven to disband The Flock, the likes of Riggs, Sickboy and Kidman could be freed from Raven's clutches. On a previous Nitro, Saturn's fingers were broken at the hands of Raven, Saturn had beaten the piss out of Kanyon and broke Kanyon's fingers. If Saturn loses, Raven will have Saturn as his servant but if Saturn wins, The Flock will disband. Also, Kanyon has been handcuffed to a ringpost.



Raven stunguns Saturn to begin the match, stomps by Raven. Corner splash by Raven, running knee lift from Raven. Raven poses and the fans boo The Leader of The Flock. Saturn kicks and slams Raven for two, inverted atomic drop and a springboard crossbody for two. Scoop slam, top rope splash by Saturn for two, Lodi distracts Saturn and Raven nails a huge knee to the ribs. Raven wanted to suplex Saturn to the floor but Saturn batters Raven into the guard rail. Suicide dive by Saturn, Lodi gets up and slams Saturn into the guard rail. Snapmare and middle rope elbow by Raven, another elbow by Raven for two.



Saturn counters a sunset flip for two, clothesline by Raven. Sleeper by Raven, Saturn escapes with a jawbreaker. Raven covers for two, snapmares by Raven but Saturn blocks the third for a backslide. Side Russian legsweeps by Raven with a floatover for two, Saturn catches Raven with a low blow. Raven spears Saturn in the corner, Raven has a chair. Drop toehold on the chair by Raven, Horace, Riggs & Sickboy bring a table to ringside. Kidman is here too, Kidman missile dropkicks Raven. Saturn Death Valley Drivers Raven, referee is distracted with Lodi so Raven has time to kick out! Exploder suplex by Saturn, belly to belly suplex.



Scoop slam and a springboard leg drop, two count for Saturn. Michinoku Driver for two, small package by Raven for two. Saturn trips Raven for a Rings of Saturn, Lodi pulls off Saturn to save Raven. Raven has Saturn, Saturn low blows Raven and crotches Lodi. Referee is crushed in the corner after an Irish whip, Kanyon frees himself after stealing the key from the referee. Flatliner by Kanyon, Kanyon places Raven on top, Kanyon locks himself back in the handcuffs. 1.....2...... Saturn kicks out! Low blow by Saturn, Lodi eats a Death Valley Driver through the table. Raven scores with The Even Flow DDT, Saturn kicks out of the DDT, Raven tries for another DDT but Saturn nails a Death Valley Driver, goodnight it is all over.



That was great, I am shocked WCW could lay something out so well on pay per view, it feels like years since I have seen something that fun from this company. They had that crowd in the palm of their hands by the end, some fantastic false-finishes, Saturn looked like an absolute beast, it was great stuff. Exciting and dramatic to a tee, great professional wrestling from Saturn & Raven.

 

Winner: Saturn over Raven via Death Valley Driver!

Curt Hennig W/ Rick Rude vs Dean Malenko

The two had a cage match on Nitro, it ended in a no contest. Hennig had been on a downward slope since joining WCW, with the exception of one match with Bret, it looked like Hennig had nothing left to offer in the ring. In that cage match, Arn Anderson saved Malenko and this set the wheels in motion for The Four Horseman returning. Such a backward feud with the first match being a steel cage match and now we have a singles match.



Malenko pummels Hennig before Hennig powders, Malenko dropkicks the knee of Hennig. Rude is taken out by Malenko, Hennig's leg is sent into the ringpost. Hennig blocks the corner clothesline, Hennig tries a scoop slam but Hennig's leg gives out on him. Malenko grabs a hold on Hennig's leg, chops by Hennig. Malenko headbutts the leg, more stomps to the leg by Malenko, Malenko's Texas Cloverleaf is blocked, headscissors stomp by Hennig. Malenko trips Hennig and works the leg, shin breaker by Malenko. Rude pulls Hennig to the floor, Malenko attacks Rude & Hennig.



Hennig begs for mercy, Malenko dropkicks the knee. Leg lock by Malenko, Rude drags Hennig to the ropes, Malenko goes after the knee once more. Back suplex by Malenko, Rude whacks Malenko when Malenko runs the ropes. Forearm shot by Hennig, Hennig Plex fails due to Hennig's leg. Malenko scores with The Hennix Plex, Rude makes the save and the match is thrown out. Here is Arn Anderson, Anderson gets stomped too.



You redo the match on pay per view and you give us the same finish as the cage match. Nothing was resolved, nothing was advanced. I will let it pass for Hennig's selling as he hobbles up the ramp due to the leg work put in by Malenko.

 

Winner: Dean Malenko over Curt Hennig via DQ!

Scott Hall W/ Vincent vs Konnan

If you thought faking a career ending injury was in poor taste, have a look at this entrance as Scott Hall's alcoholism is turned into a storyline. Beer in hand for Hall, Hall stumbles around the ring and cannot climb the turnbuckle by himself. Hall is buried by Schiavone on commentary, this is a little disgusting considering what would happen to Hall in the future. But to make fun of someone's addiction and turn it into an angle, no WCW, bold WCW.



Hall runs from Konnan to begin the match, toothpick to the face by Hall. Lock-up, Hall works the arm, shoulder thrusts by Hall and some slaps to the back of the head. Clothesline by Konnan, Konnan tells Hall to suck it. Top wrist lock by Hall, Konnan pulls down Hall by the hair. Slap by Konnan, rolling clothesline by K-Dawg. Hall is stomped between the rings by Konnan, Vincent is talking trash with Konnan. Konnan saw Hall coming from behind, clothesline by Konnan. Hall powders, Hall kicks Konnan in the gut before applying a surfboard. Konnan eventually reverses the hold before Hll backs the referee into the corner and executes a low blow for two.



Fallaway slam by Hall for two, abdominal stretch by Hall who takes a drink while applying the hold, Hall also uses the ropes for leverage. Abdominal stretch by Konnan, Hall counters with a hiptoss, Hall misses three elbows. Clothesline by Hall, fans are more interested in ejected fans. Back superplex by Hall, Hall calls for the finish. Hall asks for a drink instead, Konna recovers for a K-Factor in The Tequila Sunrise. Hall taps out and Konnan wins the match.



That was long and boring, even Hall could not make that entertaining. Hall losing to Konnan too, did not see that one cominf. Guess that big match with Nash is not a top priority for the comapny but yes, this was sad to watch and the match did little to make me want to see more of Hall, they should have put him in rehab.

 

Winner: Konnan over Scott Hall via Tequila Sunrise!

WarGames Match

Unique WarGames, three teams, it can end at anytime and it can end with pin-falls. The NWO Wolfpac are over like rover but I am disappointed to never see that Nash vs Hogan match. DDP starts with Bret Hart, this is going to be good. Two people who have been booked poorly during 1998, DDP should have beaten Hogan at the last two pay per views while Hart joining The NWO never made a bit of sense.



Hart tees off on DDP in the corner, shoulder thrusts by DDP and a side headlock, shoulder block by DDP for two. DDP slaps Hart and unloads on The Hitman, belly to belly suplex by DDP for two. Hart blocks The Diamond Cutter, DDP is dropped on the top turnbuckle, DDT by Hart. Hart chokes DDP with his boot, DDP waffles Hart in the corner. Backbreaker by Hart, headbutt to the groin by Hart. Small package by Hart for two, discuss clothesline by DDP. The third man enters and it is the most worthless entrant, it is Stevie Ray.



Stevie Ray stomps on DDP, DDP double clotheslines Hart & Stevie Ray. Stevie Ray chokes DDP, inverted atomic drop by Stevie Ray. Sting is entrant number four, I am stunned at how over Sting is depsite the jets being cooled on Sting at the start of the year. Sting beats the piss out of Stevie Ray, Sting squashes Stevie Ray against the cage, Stevie Ray dodges the third Stinger Splash. Number five is Roddy Piper, Piper hammer teammate DDP because the world championship opportunity is on the line. Piper bites the head of Stevie Ray, Piper is biting and eye-poking everyone. Number six is Lex Luger, Luger is here in jeans because it's Luger damn it.



Hart & Luger fight which the announcers say it is a big deal as they were tag team partners on Nitro, The Wolpac seem to be working together. Kevin Nash is number seven, crowd is going nuts, knees in the corner by Nash to Piper. Hogan comes out early to mess up Nash, Luger racks Hart but Hogan is taking out everyone with a foreign object. It looked like Hart was going to battle Hogan but hired gun Stevie Ray makes the save. Hogan Leg Drops Nash, the ring fills with smoke as it looks like The Warrior is coming. Hogan beats the piss out of The Warrior, hold on a second. There is more smoke, Hogan has Warrior's coat, where is The Warrior?



The Warrior is in the ring, right hands to Hogan and Stevie Ray, Hogan leaves the cage. Warrior destroys Stevie Ray, I guess Hogan does not want that world championship opportunity. Everyone is apparently dead in the ring, nobody is moving. Hogan must have killed everyone with that slapjack. Warrior kicks his way out of the cage and hammers Hogan in the aisle way. Security breaks it up even though it should be fine, they are both in the match. DDP nails Stevie Ray with a Diamond Cutter after Sting pulls down Bret Hart.



Trash, trash I am telling you do not watch this match. Hogan murdered everyone, I am not kidding. The likes of Sting and Nash who were super popular were killed by one shot in the back by Hogan, they never got up. It is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen and then, DDP shoots up to Diamond Cutter Stevie Ray to earn the opportunity, sure who gives a shit that DDP pinned Stevie Ray, it is freaking Stevie Ray. That match was lauaghably bad, sums up this pay per view pretty well.

 

Winner: DDP over Stevie Ray via Diamond Cutter!

That was WCW's Fall Brawl of 1998, another god awful from WCW. Business might still be good but this show is a joke, you have two awful angles in Bagwell's fake injury which was in really bad taste and makes Rick Steiner look like a moron and you play up Hall's alcoholism by making his character a drunk and that's why he loses matches. Classy stuff from down south, Raven vs Saturn was great and the only thing worth your while from this pay per view, that main event was a shit-show with Hogan killing everyone and making everyone look second rate in comparison. Congrats to DDP on getting a main event but he did so in the least impactful way possible.