Uncensored 1998 Redo: One Of The Worst Main Events Ever

Uncensored 1998
Date: March 15, 1998
Location: Mobile Civic Center, Mobile, Alabama
Attendance: 7,475
Commentators: Mike Tenay, Bobby Heenan, Tony Schiavone

This hasn’t felt like an important show throughout its build and it still doesn’t as it’s about to start. It’s a double main event with Sting defending the title against Scott Hall and a far bigger match of Hogan vs. Savage in a grudge match inside a cage. The rest of the matches come off as little more than filler. Let’s get to it.

The opening video is just shots of the four guys in the main events. Nothing to see here.

The announcers talk about the main events and Tony suggests that Hall will hand the title to Hogan if he wins it. Heenan: “No one is stupid enough to hand the world title to Hogan.” Make your own jokes.

TV Title: Eddie Guerrero vs. Booker T

Eddie is challenging and has Chavo with him against Chavo’s will. Guerrero stalls to start until he finally gets backdropped down by Booker. A side slam puts him down as well and Booker fires off some forearms. Booker hits a clothesline to send Guerrero to the floor and Chavo shrugs at his uncle. Back in and Booker kicks Eddie down as this is one sided so far. Guerrero runs to the floor and tries to walk out but gets a forearm to the jaw for his efforts.

They head back inside and Booker gorilla presses him down but takes too long going for the Harlem Hangover and gets crotched. Eddie hooks a superplex but Booker comes right back with some forearms to the head. He loads up the ax kick but Eddie dropkicks the knee out to take over. Eddie rolls to the floor to glare at Chavo before going back in to pull on Booker’s leg.

The hold stays on for a LONG time until Eddie gets caught with in the ropes. Back up and Booker hops on one foot for a bit, allowing Guerrero to reverse a whip and hit the slingshot hilo onto the bad leg. Booker rolls to the floor and Eddie goes up top, only to fall off but land on Booker’s leg anyway. As Ventura said, sometimes it’s better to be lucky. Back in and Booker hits a quick flapjack and the ax kick (with the good leg). A spinebuster puts Eddie down but Booker has to bail out of a missile dropkick. The side kick misses and Eddie loads up another superplex, only to be shoved off and missile dropkicked to retain Booker’s title.

Rating: C+. The match was good until Booker just stopped selling the leg at all, which was made even worse by how leg based his offense is. Eddie was doing some great old school heel work here with the using the ropes and stalling to rile up the crowd. This was a good choice for an opener as Booker continues improving week by week.

Chavo smirks a little so Eddie jumps him from behind.

Scott Steiner is chatting on WCW.com. Actually he’s showing off his arms to Lee Marshall and Mark Madden.

Konnan vs. Juventud Guerrera

Juvy lost his mask at SuperBrawl and Konnan gave him grief over it, setting up this match. Konnan is jawing with the crowd and Juvy gets in a kick to the back to take over. Konnan finally gets his hands on Guerrera to stop the speed and we go outside with Konnan in control. Juvy is sent into the steps but he blocks a second attempt to send Konnan face first. He uses the steps as a springboard to take Konnan out as Lodi talks trash from the front row.

Back in and a springboard missile dropkick gets two for Guerrera. Konnan comes right back by dropping Juvy on the top rope before putting on a standing leg lock. I’m sure this isn’t just an excuse for Konnan to stand in one place for a minute and a half. He makes up for it with a wicked release German suplex for two before catapulting Juvy into the corner. Guerrera is thrown across the ring again and Konnan puts on a Boston Crab while also lifting Juvy up by the arms and rocking him back and forth.

The hold looks great but Konnan drops Juvy on his head in a very scary landing. Juventud goes to the floor to remember what planet he’s on as the match just stops. Back in and Konnan picks him up in a fireman’s carry but bends Juvy around the neck in a kind of reverse torture rack.

Konnan loads up a belly to back superplex but Juvy flips out and gets Konnan in the Tree of Woe for some rapid fire kicks. Guerrera tries a rolling cradle but gets caught in a wheelbarrow suplex for two. A powerbomb is countered into a facejam on Konnan but the 450 hits mat. Konnan’s 187 cradle DDT gets two and a modified Samoan drop gets a cocky cover for two, allowing Juvy to roll him up for the surprise pin.

Rating: C-. This was very slow at times but given the injury to Guerrera halfway through it came out better than expected. The ending was perfect as Juvy’s motto was never surrender and he hung in long enough to steal a pin. Konnan could go when he wanted to and he showed off some strength here in a decent match.

Konnan lays out Juvy with another 187 before throwing him over the top.

JJ Dillon makes the powerbomb legal for Nash vs. Giant but it’s one night only.

Cruiserweight Title: Dean Malenko vs. Chris Jericho

Jericho is defending and has been frustrating Dean for months on end. He takes a long time removing the belt here and insists on being called Mr. 1004. Malenko easily takes him to the mat with a drop toehold but doesn’t follow up. Off to a wristlock on the champion but again Dean lets him go. Malenko takes him down with an armbar into a hammerlock before he runs Jericho over with a shoulder.

Back up and they run the ropes a bit until Jericho hits a quick enziguri. He loads up a springboard cross body but Malenko ducks to send the champion to the floor. Jericho starts walking out but eventually comes back and catches a leapfrog into a spinebuster. The arrogant cover gets two and a suplex gets the same before we hit the chinlock. That goes nowhere so Jericho hits the Lionsault for two. As frustration starts to set in, Jericho hits a backbreaker and bends Malenko over his knee.

Dean gets up and wakes up off a chop before firing off a series of forearms and headbutts. A belly to back suplex gets two but Jericho pops up and hits a senton backsplash for two. Jericho hits a running dropkick in the corner but Dean blocks a suplex into one of his own, only to be countered into a reverse suplex from the champion. Dean bails to the ropes to escape the Liontamer and gets some quick rollups for two.

Jericho kicks him off the apron but quickly brings it back inside. A belly to back superplex is countered into a crossbody for two for Dean and Jericho is getting frustrated. Malenko dives to the ropes to get out of the Liontamer again before countering a top rope hurricanrana into the gutbuster for two. Dean tries the leg lariat but gets caught in the Liontamer for the surprising submission.

Rating: B. This was the good match you would expect these two to have with fifteen minutes. Jericho won clean here with a counter into a wrestling hold which makes him look all the more dominant. It was a surprise to see Dean tap out but it gave him a reason to need redemption which is the more interesting story.

Post match Gene comes into the ring as Malenko is clearly shaken up. He rips Dean apart, talking about how Malenko should have won this match and is 0-4 in his last PPV matches. “You are a bonafied loser!” Malenko says he’s going home.

Raven says revenge will be served cold tonight.

Lex Luger vs. Scott Steiner

Steiner jumps Luger as he comes in and pounds away. He suplexes Luger down and sends him to the outside to make sure this doesn’t get interesting. Luger is sent into the barricade but suplexes Steiner off the apron to the outside. Steiner goes over the barricade before going back inside for the standard Luger offense. A low blow breaks up the Rack and there’s the Recliner (just a chinlock as he doesn’t have the arms pulled back) but Luger is in the ropes. Steiner gets a chair but his brother comes down the aisle. The distraction lets Luger hit Scott in the back for the pin.

Rating: D-. Steiner is running from his brother, is yet another lackey in the NWO, had issues against Johnny Grunge on Thunder and now loses his first prominent match to a forearm to the back in less than four minutes. Is it any wonder why it took him another year to get over? The match was junk as Luger continues to spiral into nothing.

Scott Norton comes out and gets beaten up by Rick, setting up the showdown of the brothers. Scott swings the chair but Rick backdrops him out to the floor.

US Title: Diamond Dallas Page vs. Raven vs. Chris Benoit

This is No DQ and falls count anywhere. Page is defending after invading the Benoit vs. Raven feud. It’s a triple lockup to start and now everyone stands around. Another triple lockup brings everyone out to the floor. Page is sent into the steps and the challengers fight in the ring with Benoit getting two off an elbow. Benoit stomps him down in the corner but Page comes back in to break it up. Raven and Benoit head back to the floor so DDP can hit a big dive to take them both out.

Back in again with Chris taking over and hitting a top rope splash for two on Raven. Page and Benoit slug it out to the floor but Raven dives over the top to take them both out for two on each. Page sends Benoit into the barricade but Raven charges into both of them again. Raven is whipped into the barricade and it’s Page vs. Benoit for a bit. Raven goes up by the set and comes back with a garbage can but Benoit puts it over Raven’s head so the other guys can beat on it with crutches. Benoit takes over with a crutch shot to Page’s back as they’re up by the entrance.

A trashcan to Page’s bad ribs has him in trouble and a suplex on the ramp has the ribs in even more trouble. Benoit and Raven team up for a few seconds to send Page through an Uncensored sign. Chris pulls out a kitchen sink of all things to hit Raven in the head but Raven throws a table at his head. Raven comes back with a velvet rope to choke Benoit but Chris whips Raven through the table. Page is still down as the other guys head back to the ring.

Benoit chokes Raven with the velvet rope but Raven hits him low to change momentum again. Now it’s chair time but it’s Raven taking the drop toehold into the metal. Page is slowly crawling back to the ring as Benoit whips Raven into a chair in the corner to send him to the floor. Back in and Benoit puts on a sleeper but Page comes in to put one on Benoit at the same time.

Raven hits a jawbreaker to put everyone down. Why Benoit’s leg being on Page isn’t a cover I’m not sure. Chris gets up and rolls the Germans on Raven but Page gets up to German suplex both guys at the same time. The challengers both knock Page down and Lodi hands in a stop sign to crack Page in the head. Now it’s a table as Benoit stands around. Raven puts Page on the table but Benoit cracks Raven in the head with the sign. Benoit takes Raven to the top for a superplex through Page through the table but Page knocks Benoit to the floor and Diamond Cuts Raven “though” the table to retain.

Rating: A-. This was a wild brawl before the wild brawl became the norm in wrestling. Benoit and Raven did most of the work here as Page laid up by the sign but that’s to be expected. The match was fun though and was exactly what it was supposed to be: a big ECW style battle (with a bunch of ECW spots) on a mainstream stage.

The announcers talk for a bit.

Kevin Nash vs. The Giant

The powerbomb is legal for this match. Giant is finally in wrestling gear again but still has the neck brace. They pose at each other to start before Nash does some kung fu. Kevin actually grabs a headlock but gets clotheslined down with ease. They fight to the floor with Giant being sent into the post as we continue to do nothing of note. We’re three minutes into the match and Nash finally hits some elbows to the neck to pick things up a bit.

Nash does his foot choke in the corner and puts on a sleeper. After wasting some time with the hold it’s a running crotch attack to Giant’s back. There goes the neck brace but another crotch attack is countered with a low blow. Giant fights up and shoves Nash down before loading up the powerbomb….and Brian Adams comes in for the DQ.

Rating: F. To recap: Nash no shows Starrcade, nearly cripples Giant at Souled Out, and STILL won’t do the job here. His upcoming reward? His own stable to fight the NWO while becoming one of the top faces in the company. It’s amazing how ridiculous this stuff is becoming and it’s only March of 1998. The match was horrible too with neither guy moving above a snail’s pace.

The NWO C team comes in for the beatdown but Giant fights them off and cleans house. Nash of course gets to hit Giant in the back with a ball bat but Giant gets up. No damage to Big Kev of course.

Call the Hotline!

Curt Hennig vs. Bret Hart

Feeling out process to start with neither guy doing much in the opening few minutes. Bret grabs a headlock and takes it to the mat. After nearly two minutes in the headlock Hennig is thrown to the floor for a council with Rude. Back in and Bret gets a quick Sharpshooter but Rude comes in for the unseen save. The Robinsdale Crunch starts the leg work on Bret’s knee and it immediately goes into slow gear. Hennig cannonballs down onto the leg and wraps it around the post a few times. Rude gets in a wrap around as well as the fans aren’t interested at all.

Somehow we’re six minutes into this and I haven’t left out a single bit of “action”. Hennig whips him across the ring by the hair and puts on a figure four and Rude cheats a bit. Bret makes the ropes but gets hit low to slow him down again. Back to another leg lock to waste more time before Hennig is thrown into his crotch against the post spot. Bret gets two off a bulldog to set up the Five Moves of Doom but Hennig sends him chest first into the buckle. The PerfectPlex gets two and they trade rollups for two. Hennig tries a sunset flip but Bret rolls through into the Sharpshooter for the submission.

Rating: D. Take ten minutes off this and it’s a great match. The problem is it’s not even fourteen minutes long. It was clear that neither guy was interested in doing much until the very last bit. Those two minutes or so were better but the rest was WAY too dull to sit through. Bret didn’t care at all and it appears to be mutual from WCW.

Rude destroys Bret post match with the Rude Awakening and some chair shots.

WCW World Title: Scott Hall vs. Sting

There’s no recap due to there being nothing in this story to recap. Hall won a battle royal four months ago and Sting hasn’t had a big defense yet. Dusty is in Hall’s corner to keep that idea going a little while longer. Sting easily slugs Hall down to start and it’s time for a breather. Back in and Hall fires off the driving shoulders but gets punched to the corner. A hiptoss is countered and Hall chokeslams him down but stops to mock the Giant.

Sting comes right back with some right hands and Hall is knocked to the floor again. The champion goes out to get him but a trip from Dusty is enough to let Hall take over with a clothesline. Back in and the discus punch puts Sting down and the fallaway slam gets two. Sting comes back with a right hand and the falling low blow spot.

With both guys down, Hall distracts the referee so Dusty can hit the Bionic Elbow. Sting starts no selling punches and hits the Stinger Splash but a Dusty distraction leads to a ref bump. Some brass knuckles get two for Hall but the Outsider’s Edge is countered into the Death Drop to retain Sting’s title.

Rating: D. Hall was given no chance coming into this match and had no chance in the match. This could have been a decent Nitro main event but it has no business as the co main event of a pay per view. It felt like a modern World Heavyweight Championship match as we were just waiting for the real main event. The match was basic stuff but not very interesting.

The cage is lowered.

Hollywood Hogan vs. Randy Savage

Hogan pounds away in the corner to start and chokes Savage on the mat. The big boot gets two as the fans think Hogan sucks. Hogan chokes even more as this is already boring me to death. Savage comes back with left hands before choking Hogan with I think tape. Hogan whips him with the weightlifting belt but Savage avoids the legdrop. Now it’s Savage with the belt before sending Hogan into the steel so hard that the cage is afraid to move.

Hogan goes into the cage again as the fans are almost silent. Savage is backdropped into the cage and slides down in a nice visual. Back to whipping with the belt before Hollywood gets two off a belly to back suplex. Savage is rammed head first into the cage a few times for two as this continues to be horrible.

Now, for a change of pace, let’s go to the floor to make the cage entirely pointless. Also, let’s make sure to keep the cage in between the camera and the wrestlers so we can barely see anything. They head back inside and Savage sends him into the steal before popping up. Apparently they’re both bleeding but we’re on a wide shot so it’s almost impossible to see.

Savage goes up top for a double ax from the edge of the cage for two. It’s elbow time but Disciple runs out to break in and pull Hogan away. Savage is on top of the cage and begs Savage to jump but Savage climbs down instead. Sting repels down and we get a ridiculously long staredown, as Hogan and Sting look at each other for well over a minute….and Savage turns on Sting. Hogan doesn’t know what’s going on as Savage leaves to end the show. The match is a no contest because that’s how you end a pay per view.

Rating: F. Hall and Sting are off the hook now for their bad match. Their match was bad, but this was a full on embarrassment. Hogan and Savage moved like 85 year olds out there with the “violent” parts looking more like kids mimicking wrestling moves. So after somehow looking like geriatrics and children, the ending didn’t exist and the post match (I think?) stuff makes little to no sense. Such is life in WCW.

Overall Rating: C. The divide on this show really is distinct. The first half of this show (bad four minute Luger vs. Steiner match aside) is really solid stuff with a great three way and some other good to very good stuff in the midcard. After the three way it’s all downhill though as the wheels come off again. The main event gets a huge amount of the blame here as it’s not only long but horrible. Hart’s match was long but just boring and the title match wasn’t all that bad. The main event was one of the worst matches I’ve ever seen and didn’t even make sense. The whole show isn’t terrible but stop before the cage match.

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