Thunder comes on the air with footage of Gene Bennett's announcement of the matches signed for Starrcade. We then go to the announce table where Joey Styles is with Jerry 'The King' Lawler.
Styles: Welcome to Thunder everyone. I am here with my new broadcast partner Jerry Lawler.
Lawler: It is great to be here Joey. If for nothing else to see Extremely Crappy Wrestling and World Classless Wrestling die.
Styles: That is what you hope is sure isn't fact yet. Tonight we have TV titles, XPW Cruiserweight Title, WWF Tag Team Titles, and the WWF Title on the line.
Lawler: Plus the Eliminators, Edge and Christian, Scott Hall, Scott Steiner, The Great Muta, Mike Sanders and more in action.
Styles: Right now I understand that Mike Tenay is in the back with Scott Hall.
Tenay: Scott tonight you face off with Ron Simmons but what I wanted to ask you about was your attack on former partner and best friend Kevin Nash.
Hall: Hey Yo, you want to talk about Big Kev? We were suppose to be partners. We were suppose to be best friends. Time and time again Kev let me out to dry. Well I think I taught him a little lesson Monday night.
Tenay: Well before we went on the air Kevin asked me to issue a challenge for Starrcade. The two of you in a steel cage. Two men enter and only one leaves.
Hall: That's fine with me.
Tenay: Sounds like we have yet another match for Starrcade. Right now lets get to the ring where Dan Severn and Steve Blackman are awaiting the team of Al Snow and Mick Foley.
Snow and Foley got the win in some strange fashion. The match was a slow match. The end came when Snow gave Blackman a right hand and got the win. After the match we see that Snow had some brass knuckles on his hand.
Team WWF (Al Snow and Mick Foley) defeated Team
Alliance (Dan Severn and Steve Blackman) when Snow pinned Blackman
after a roundhouse right in 0:09:55.
Rating: 1/2*
Psicosis once again retained his XPW TV Title this time over the young Shane Helms. Nothing real great in this match as Psicosis ended the match with his Flying Legdrop.
Psicosis pinned Shane Helms with the Flying
Legdrop in 0:07:05.
Rating: *
(Psicosis retained the XPW TV Title.)
The Eliminators and two of the Minnesota Mafia members did battle. Hennig seemed to have the match won when he gave Saturn the Hennig Plex but Curt didn't see the tag. Kronus came from the top with the 450 for the win. After the match it looked like Curt was about to be hit with Total Elimination when Disqo ran out with a chair. The Eliminators quickly bailed out.
The Eliminators defeated Team Alliance (Curt
Hennig and Rick Rude) when Kronus pinned Curt Hennig with the 450
Splash in 0:07:01.
Rating: **
Lawler: Look at the eliminators run from a dancing fool like Disqo.
Styles: Reminds me of the days of Grandmaster Sexay you baby boy.
Lawler: What? I don't have a son.
Styles: Whatever. Up next it will Jerry Lynn facing Chavo Guerrero for the XPW Lightweight title.
Both men did their best to get the title. Chavo pulled every dirty move possible to keep the title. He hit low blows, held the tights, hooked the ropes and everything else possible. Several times Chavo went for the Brainbuster only to have Lynn counter in some way. Lynn went for a Cradle Piledriver but Chavo countered. Lynn then with for a Tornado DDT only for Chavo to counter with a low blow. Chavo quickly hit the Brainbuster for the win.
Chavo Guerrero Jr. pinned Jerry Lynn with the
Brainbuster in 0:14:53.
Rating: ***
(Chavo Guerrero Jr. retained the XPW Lightweight Title.)
In the back we see Vince McMahon in his locker room. Ray Traylor then walks in.
McMahon: Ray good to see you again.
Traylor: Mr. McMahon I just wanted to let you know that there was no hard feelings on my part.
McMahon: Of course Ray. You are looking good.
Traylor: I am also here to say that I hope you understand that when I take the WWF Title from Benoit.
McMahon: Excuse me?
Traylor: Well the new executive board has given me a shot at the WWF Title tonight. It's nothing personal, its just business.
McMahon: Oh I understand Ray and let me wish you good luck.
Traylor: Thanks.
Ray turns around right into a right hand from Steve Austin. Austin beats the tar out of Traylor and gives him a Stunner.
McMahon: Nothing personal Ray---JUST BUSINESS!
Austin then throws Traylor out the door.
Edge and Christian defeated two of the Natural Born Thrillers in a fine match. Jindrak and O'Haire were in control early on but the experience of E & C shown through. O'Haire went for a superkick on Edge but missed and hit Jindrak. Edge then speared both men and got the win.
Team WWF (Christian and Edge) defeated Team XPW
(Mark Jindrak and Sean O'Haire) when Edge pinned Jindrak with the
Spear in 0:09:32.
Rating: * 1/2
Lawler: WHOO HOO! A big win for the WWF!
Styles: Well that XPW isn't WCW King let me tell you that right now.
Lawler: Well up next we will get a view of the great WCW as Last Call Hall takes on Ron Simmons.
Ron Simmons got the win thanks to some outside interference from Hall's former partner Kevin Nash. Hall was working over Simmons and toying with him when Nash came out. Nash hooked Hall's leg distracting him. Simmons then clipped Hall and hit the Dominator for the win.
Ron Simmons pinned Scott Hall with the Dominator
in 0:07:45.
Rating: *
Nash: How does it feel Scotty boy? You think you can hang with me? See you at Starrcade friend.
Kronik, the WWF Tag Team Champions, retained the WWF Tag Team Titles over former WCW Tag champion Jaime Knoble and Johnny the Bull, the Young Blood. Kronik really dominated the Young Blood. Finally after Knoble took the High Times Clark ended it by giving JTB the Meltdown. From the back Rick Steiner and Albert hit the ring. The WWF and XPW tag team champions brawled until security hit the ring.
Kronik defeated Young Blood when Clark pinned
Johnny the Bull with the Meltdown in 0:07:01.
Rating: *
(Kronik retained the WWF Tag Team Titles.)
Lawler: Yeah looks like WCW and ECW will survive this battle. Yeah right. As Vince would say, they have no chance in hell.
Styles: Well I think the WWF might lose their Holy Grail tonight as Ray Traylor may very well take the WWF World Title to get some revenge tonight. Vince is the Devil himself isn't he?
Lawler: You better be careful there Joey because Mr. McMahon will be the CEO of this company after Starrcade.
Styles: Lets get to the ring. Tajiri is waiting Scott Steiner. Here he comes being led to the ring by Tylene.
Lawler: Now those are puppies! WHOO HOO!!
Steiner completely destroyed Tajiri. Tajiri got off two kicks and that's it. Steiner ended it with a Frankensteiner. After the match Steiner locked in the Steiner Recliner. The Great Muta ran out and tried to make the save but soon Lex Luger and Sting were in the ring helping Steiner. Both Muta and Tajiri were left laying.
Scott Steiner pinned Tajiri after a
Frankensteiner in 0:01:06.
Rating: **
Jeff Jarrett defeated Val Venis but was injured in the process. Venis hit a plancha. On the outside Jarrett hit the Stroke and Val got counted out. However trainer Michael Martin was called out to help Jarrett to the back.
Jeff Jarrett defeated Val Venis by countout in
0:06:28. Jeff Jarrett suffered a back injury. He will be out for
approximately 4 cards.
Rating: *
Lawler: Looks like Jarrett is hurt.
Styles: Hopefully before the end of the night we will have an update on Jeff. If we don't tonight we will on Saturday Night hosted by Michael Cole and Mark Madden. Right now Sting is taking on Nova.
Sting wrestled like he did fifteen years ago. He was a house off fire and ended the match with the Scorpion Death Drop.
Sting pinned Nova with the Scorpion Death Drop
in 0:02:05.
Rating: * 1/4
Disqo retained his title over former WCW Cruiserweight champ Juventud. Juvi was able to get a near fall with the Juvi Driver but Disqo managed to kick out. Juvi went for a second one but Disqo fought out and hit the Last Dance for the win.
Disqo pinned Juventud Guerrera with the Last
Dance in 0:07:12.
Rating: ** 1/4
(Disqo retained the WCW TV Title.)
Mike Sanders and his Natural Born Thrillers picked up a big win as they took out the Dynamite Kid. DK was as vicious as ever as he had Sanders chest beat red in a matter of seconds. However when the rest of the Thrillers came to ringside DK was distracted. This allowed Sanders to hit a low blow and then the 3.0 for the win.
Mike Sanders pinned Dynamite Kid with the 3.0 in 0:04:47.
Rating: ** 1/2
In a battle of former ECW TV Champions Super Crazy came out on top with his Tornado DDT. Sandman missed a slingshot legdrop which set up the win for Crazy.
Super Crazy pinned The Sandman with the Tornado
DDT in 0:04:51.
Rating: *
In one of the best matches seen in some time Ken Shamrock and Masato Tanaka tore into each other. Both of these men tried for submissions throughout the match. Tanaka even locked in the Ankle Lock on Shamrock. Shamrock managed to duck the Roaring Elbow and take Tanaka down with a leg lariat. He then locked in the Ankle Lock. Tanaka tried to fight out but was forced to tap out.
Ken Shamrock made Masato Tanaka submit to the
Ankle Lock Submission in 0:09:31.
Rating: ****
In another great match Essa Rios picked up a huge upset as he defeated the Great Muta thanks to interference from Lex Luger. Muta seemed ready to win when Luger came out and hit Muta with his loaded forearm. Moments later it was Muta getting hit with a Moonsault for the win.
Essa Rios pinned The Great Muta with the
Moonsault in 0:06:27.
Rating: ***
Benoit managed to retain the WWF World Title in a hard fought match. Benoit early on was able to hit his rolling German Suplexs but Traylor took back over with an enzuigiri. Traylor then went to work on Benoit. He hit a spinebuster a big boot both for near falls. Traylor then went for the Traylor Trash Slam but Benoit countered into a leaping swinging DDT for the win.
Chris Benoit pinned Ray Traylor after a leaping
swinging DDT in 0:08:09.
Rating: *** 3/4
(Chris Benoit retained the WWF World Title.)
After the match Benoit continued the attack on Traylor and locked on the Crippler Cross Face. From the back out ran William Regal for the save. We go off the air with the two champions yelling at each other.