WCW Saturday Night - 11/21/1998
This will be quick, because I've got a brand new flu and am going to celebrate
by renting some movies from my local Blockbuster. Whip ass.
WHAT WORKED
Juvi's recent hot streak cools just a tad against the underused Super Calo, who
doesn't seem to be making the transition to US pro style as well as the better
showcased luchadores. Nothing here to complain about, but not as great as some
will lead you to believe. Still, at least Calo looked credible here in case
they decide to use him more than once a month for three minutes.
Kaos and Johnny Swinger are in this column on guest passes, going .5 on the old
Worldwide Cult scale. Kenny has decent powermoves and all that, although the
gas is starting to take its toll on his stamina (and his psychology was never
that developed to begin with, so he's on his way to becoming an uncarryable
load). Swinger showed flashes of real competence here; I'd like to see him feud
with Kidman to develop further. as they take the focus of Billy for a while and
move the belt between EDDY, Juvi, Rey, and La Parka for a few months. But I
don't see the aforementioned happening.
Rey and Kidman go for a while and look pretty good. Rey didn't seem as affected
by the knee as he's been lately, although I guess I have to concede that the
brace is more than a prop. LWO run in at the end where The Latino Jesus tells
Rey to participate in the screwjob beatdowns or get smacked down. I couldn't
agree more.
Cowboy Chris Jericho of Casper, Wyoming gives another keeper of an interview,
in which we discover that Bobby Duncum's gimmick is from the seventies and that
Jericho is the greatest TV champ of all time. It's hard to summarize comedy.
Okerlund interviews Guido Kidman, who's pissed at Juvi because Juvi won't
return his 2 Unlimited tape and because Juvi sold Kidman some bad ecstasy.
Billy's going to take that cruiserweight belt, because the chicks aren't on his
tip when he doesn't have it, and Billy's not a happy man when he's not screwing
some tweaker waitress from Manassas.
Cowboy Chris Jericho, with Ralphus, wants you to want him. And who wouldn't? He
does that old Flair thing of making a generic stiff -- Kendall Windham -- look
legit for a few minutes. I was almost fooled. Before the match, we get a
sublime shot of some morbidly obese guy in a Wolfpack shirt eating a bushel of
popcorn.
WHAT DIDN'T WORK
Mike Tenay in a plaid shirt with a priest's collar.
Horace gets all methodical on Southern Boy Steve Armstrong, working about as
stiff as Estelle Getty after a crying jag. Bonus points for Horace again using
the vertical suplex as a finisher -- can't wait to see Malenko job to it.
Onoo and Miller come out and do their schtick, and then the fiery Shiryu comes
out and gets planted by the double-tough Cat. Then Perry 'Silence=Death' Saturn
comes out and saves Kaz's bacon, looking too sweet in a beret and a leather
jacket. This was just too damned predictable to be anywhere but here, to quote
Mona Simpson.
Bam Bam gets a recap. Fat Tony makes some room on the bandwagon by getting off.
A 2.7 in the overrun simply doesn't lie.
Scott Steiner's got the hookup -- for another DUD power wrestler squash. He
uses Lenny Lane here to establish his character, and the more I see Scott
Steiner in his roided-out male slut persona, the more I think about what a
colossal failure the persona is. It's not just that Scott's about as witty and
spontaneous as a laundry ticket. It's not just that Scott's catchphrases aren't
particularly hip. It's more that I can see Val Venis on USA doing a similar
shtick with more energy, life, and originality, and it's just pitiful that
Steiner's reduced himself to this point.
Wrath just toys with Villano V. Wrath doesn't sell swinging neckbreakers. That
flurry of offense from V did nothing to Wrath. Whee.
Konnan and Vincent.
DDP and Stevie Ray.