Spring Stampede

Sunday, April 11, 1999, from Tacoma, WA

Juventud Guerrera Jr. pinned Blitzkrieg in 11:08
The winner of this match receives a Cruiserweight Title match on the 4/12 Nitro. Blitzkrieg looked sensational, especially matched against Juvi (one of the best in the world). After Blitzkrieg missed a Sky Twister, Juvi hit a Juvi Driver that Blitzkrieg just barely kicked out of. A “Super” Juvi Driver off the second rope secured the pinfall; these two put on enough spectacular moves to start a highlight reel.

Bam Bam Bigelow pinned Hardcore Hak (w/Chastity) in 11:31
As Bigelow wheeled out a gurney full of weapons, Hak started the brawl in the aisleway. As Bam Bam was prone on the table, Hak leaped off a stagecoach with a back somersault, sending both men through the table. After both men used every weapon imaginable in the ring, Hak dominated most of the offense, including several dives. Bigelow propelled Hak off of a ladder through a chair at ringside; Bigelow sprayed Chastity with a fire estinguisher. Coming off the top rope, Bigelow sent Hak through a table with a Standing DDT, as dangerous looking a move as I’ve seen in a while. An awesome match, one of the best “Hardcore” style matches we’ve seen yet in either WCW or the WWF. Although I’ve seen Hak in better brawls (although I can’t think of many), I’ve never seen him look this athletic. A tremendous effort by both men; Bigelow cemented his reputation as a world class worker.

Scotty Riggs pinned Mikey Whipwreck in 7:15
Riggs is doing his own Rick Rude act, and played the strong heel. After Whipwreck played the human pinball, Riggs connected with a flying forearm off the ropes for the victory.

Konnan pinned The Disco Inferno in 9:14
After Disco chose showboating over maintaining his advantage, Konnan hit a Cradle DDT for the near fall. After a series of exchanges, Konnan hit Disco with his own maneuver, The Chartbuster, for the pinfall. While the action was smetimes slow, the finishing sequence was very effective.

WCW Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio Jr. pinned Billy Kidman in 15:32
A handshake started the match between the WCW World Tag Team Champions; as expected, these two delivered far too many amazing moves for me to do justice to. Rey barely kicked out of a sunset flip off the top rope, but came back with a Bulldog off the top rope. Mysterio finally pinned Kidman after a Frankensteiner off the top rope, ending a series of near falls that can only be described as thrilling.

Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko (w/Arn Anderson) defeated Raven & Perry Saturn in 14:09 when Malenko pinned Raven
Flair ally Charles Robinson was the referee; a “Horseman Sucks” chant started the match, a sign that Benoit & Malenko are beginning to get over as heels. While Arn freely interfered, it was jarring to see Raven in the babyface role. Malenko was prone on a table on the outside, and Anderson helped him avoid a splash through the table. Setting a chair on Raven’s head, Benoit used a Headbutt off the Top Rope to knock Raven unconscious. After Malenko pinned Raven, Malenko & Arn carried a dazed Benoit to the locker room. Busted open hardway, Benoit proved his intensity for the umpeenth time.

US Championship Tournament Finals:
Scott Steiner pinned Booker T in 15:53 to win the vacant United States Title Booker T’s Television Championship was not at stake; a loud “Steroid” chant shook the arena. I wonder who that was aimed at? With the referee unconscious, Booker aimlessly tried to pin the fallen Steiner. Reversing the momentium, Steiner hit a Frankensteiner off the top rope, which Booker just barely kicked out off. Using a foreign object to jab Booker in the throat, Steiner finally put away the tenacious Booker T.

Bill Goldberg pinned Kevin Nash (w/Elizabeth & Lex Luger) in 7:43
In a great maneuver, Nash leapfrogged a Spear that connected with the referee (leaving him for dead). Overcoming a Luger chairshot, Goldberg used a low blow, the Spear, and the Jackhammer to pin Nash. With his one loss avenged, is Goldberg the # 1 contender? Credit goes to Nash for putting Goldberg over clean.

Diamond Dallas Page defeated Ric Flair, Sting, & Hollywood Hogan in 17:24 to win the WCW World Heavyweight Championship when DDP pinned Flair.
A loud ovation greeted Savage, who was accompanied by Gorgeous George, his very attractive real life girlfriend. Bizarro world rules were in effect, with the match ending when any one man was pinned (not necessarily the champion). All four men brawled with each other, and also were sure to break up any attempted pinfalls. After all three men worked over Hogan’s knee, Hollywood was carried to the back for treatment (an angle that only helped the level of the action). Sting delivered an elevated Superplex onto The Nature Boy, but was too stunned himself to secure the championship. Forgetting his “impartiality”, Macho Man hit a Flying Elbowdrop on Flair, which eventually allowed DDP to hit the Diamond Cutter on Flair for the victory.