In this WCW SuperBrawl VIII review, Sting and Hollywood Hogan square off for the vacant WCW title, The Outsiders challenge The Steiner Brothers for the Tag Team titles, and much more.
Let’s jump in!
- Show: WCW SuperBrawl VIII
- Date: February 22, 1998
- Location: Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA
RINGSIDE: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, and Mike Tenay hype what Randy Savage’s potential role could be in the main event.
1. Booker T vs. (c) Rick Martel – TV Title
I had forgotten that Martel actually wound up winning the title. The winner of this one faces Saturn. As usual, the fans absolutely love Booker. The Flock walks out ringside to add to the tension, as Booker is in complete control until he’s thrown outside into the guardrail. Martel works him over and locks in the Boston Crab, but Booker is able to get to the ropes. Booker showcases some great speed and athleticism, and visually, the finish looked awesome with Martel coming off the top and Booker hitting him with the Harlem Sidekick to win the title at 10:33. Huge pop from the crowd, with Saturn quickly hitting the ring as the bell rings to start the next match.
2. Saturn vs. (c) Booker T – TV Title
Of course, the reason Booker won the title is because Martel legit suffered a torn MCL in the previous match, thus leading to the finish being changed. On paper, it looked like a creative way to put Booker over, but it wasn’t the actual plan. Saturn is the aggressor right off the bat, then he hits a flying cross body to Booker on the outside. Booker hits a huge missile dropkick off the top, and Saturn regains the advantage with some impressive offense. What also makes this match interesting is that it’s called on the fly since, once again, it wasn’t the original pairing. They work to the finish, with Booker hitting the Harlem Sidekick to retain the title at 14:23.
BACKSTAGE: Chris Jericho is on the WCW Hotline saying he’s gonna take Juventud Guerrera’s mask.
3. La Parka vs. Disco Inferno
Per Schiavone, this is a feud over dance moves. Go figure. Parka mocks Disco’s dancing early on, and it’s Parka hitting a corkscrew plancha to Disco on the outside. Heenan makes fun of the moonsault name because Heenan had jokes. The crowd is not really into this one beyond the entrances, but Parka does hit a solid suicide dive on Disco. Thumb to the eye of the referee leads to Parka bringing in a chair, but Disco throws Parka off the top onto the chair and its his finisher for the win at 11:41. I put in my notes that “this was a long” match, so that probably tells you what you need to know since it really wasn’t that long in actuality.
ON THE STAGE: Mean Gene Okerlund with JJ Dillon, who announces that Nick Patrick has been reinstated. Patrick comes out and talks about refereeing the main event, but Dillon stops him and says he won’t be the ref for the match. Patrick isn’t happy, and he was pretty good in his role here.
4. Brad Armstrong vs. Bill Goldberg
They are playing up Goldberg’s streak at this point. The crowd immediately starts chanting for Goldberg, and he shows off some incredible power moves on Armstrong. Then Goldberg hits the spear and jackhammer for the easy victory at 2:23. Man, did the fans love them some Goldberg during this run.
5. Juventud Guerrera vs. (c) Chris Jericho – Cruiserweight Title vs. Mask
Jericho refuses to take the belt off, so he starts the match with it on. Terrific stuff. He eventually takes it off after Juvi kicks it, then Jericho plays possum on the outside to try to get counted out. Another great heel move. Tenay notes the importance of losing a mask to a luchador, which also adds to the story. Good back and forth with high-flying offense, as Air Juvi off the top hits Jericho on the outside. Juvi delivers a 450 Splash for the pin, but Jericho had grabbed the ropes. So, the match is restarted and Jericho quickly clips Juvi’s leg. Juvi still on offense and goes for the near falls, but it’s Jericho who counters to the Lion Tamer to force Juvi to give up at 13:29. Great chemistry and great match from these two.
IN THE RING: Jericho grabs the mic and Juvi unmasks with Jericho ripping it off. The camera zooms in on Judi’s face, and the crowd isn’t sure how to react.
6. Steve McMichael vs. The British Bulldog
Schiavone continues to play up the Savage angle, while Heenan hypes Mongo’s improvement in the ring. They brawl to the outside to start as Mongo is in control. Mongo is sporting an arm injury with the story that he can’t do his trademark moves. That leads to Bulldog locking in the submission, and Mongo seemingly quits at 6:10. Afterward, Mongo throws down the ref and says he’s didn’t quit.
7. Chris Benoit vs. (c) Diamond Dallas Page – US Title
This is a mutual respect angle with these two. Tenay, the great commentator that he is, reveals that DDP ordered a Best of Benoit video to prepare for the match. So awesome. Lots of counters and hard slaps leads to more physical offense from both men. It’s Benoit who tries to wear down DDP with various submission moves, and they work to DDP hitting a superplex as both try to regroup. Benoit locks in the crossface, but DDP quickly gets to the ropes. Benoit then hits the rolling German suplexes for a near fall. Reversal from there, and DDP hits the Diamond Cutter to retain the title at 15:47. Another great match.
RINGSIDE: Schiavone announces that The Giant won’t be at the show due to flight issues. Tenay then talks about Nash’s powerbomb being banned after the Souled Out match. They show the video with another replay of the brutal powerbomb.
8. Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) vs. Lex Luger – No DQ Match
The fans are into Savage here. The storyline involved a mystery conversation between Luger and Savage on a recent episode of Thunder, as the announcers tease a pact between the two. Luger’s ribs are taped, and he starts favoring them early in the match. Lots of “Luger Sucks” chants to prove that the nWo is still very much over. Savage spits on Luger, so I’m not sure about that pact. Heenan ponders that Savage has something on his mind. They brawl into the crowd, as Savage almost goes after a fan while climbing the guardrail. Luger puts Savage in the Torture Rack, but Liz pushes Luger. Here comes the nWo, but both Luger and Savage fight them off. Luger racks Savage again and the referee rings the bell to give Luger the victory at 7:26. However, you never see the finish live as the camera is on Hogan and the nWo, because of course it is.
9. The Outsiders vs. The Steiner Brothers – Tag Team Titles
Dusty is out with Hall and Nash for this one. Another survey says poll from Hall, and those are always fun. You can already see the heel tendencies with Scott Steiner, with Heenan also bringing it up. Rick takes it to both Hall and Nash, then the Steiners do their trademark pose. And then comes the turn, as Scott decks Rick and suplexes him. Meanwhile, Dusty posts DiBiase on the outside. Rick manages to kick out at two, with Scott distracting the ref as Hall goes for the Razor’s Edge. Unfortunately, he can’t get Rick up, so he has to do it again. He finally hits it and the Outsiders win the titles at 4:18. Scott throws out the referee afterward.
10. Sting vs. Hollywood Hogan – WCW Title
Sting charges the ring to start the match, which is exactly what should’ve been done at Starrcade. Hogan starts walloping Sting with his belt, and as a note, Charles Robinson is the referee. Hogan in control early with a variety of illegal moves. He chokes out Sting with his jacket, then he destroys Sting in the aisle. There are apparently countouts but no DQ in this particular match, which is interesting. Sting with absolutely zero offense five minutes into the match, but he finally hulks up and starts going at Hogan with the weight belt. Hogan retreats, and Sting chokes him with the belt. They fight into the front row, with Sting missing a splash onto the guardrail. Hogan then hits Sting in the back with a chair. However, Sting regains momentum by hitting the Stinger Splash and locking in the Scorpion Deathlock, but Hogan gets the ropes. Another splash attempt, and it’s Hogan who pulls the ref in the way. Patrick runs out to count, but Sting kicks out at two. Hogan is pissed Patrick didn’t fast count, so Patrick pulls at Hogan’s hair. More near falls with Hogan in control. Sting fights back, but Hogan hits a low blow. Sting back on offense as he hits two Stinger splasher and goes for the deathdrop, but Hogan kicks Patrick. And now in comes the nWo. Sting fights them off, but Savage hits Hogan with something. Then Sting just pins Hogan to win the title at 16:33. Once again, this does absolutely nothing for Sting, and it was an overbooked finish to protect Hogan.
Blake’s Take on WCW SUPERBRAWL VIII
- Best Match: Chris Jericho vs. Juventud Guerrera
- Show MVP: Booker T
- Overall Rating: 6.5/10
- Thoughts: The main event was another overbooked mess that did Sting no favors, but a decent undercard brought up the show’s rating. That was essentially the story of WCW in this era. There was a lot of nWo stuff on the card, but there was no denying the group was still very over at this point. It’s also worth noting that Booker looked like a huge star.
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