“Rules Are For Fools”, so proclaims Hollywood Hogan’s 24-inch python!
Scanning through this card, and I’m almost positive that this was the first World Championship Wrestling PPV where I ordered and watched live. I had already become a weekly WCW viewer at this point and ordered this one primarily for the US Championship Triangle match with DDP, Raven and Benoit. Booker T. and Chris Jericho were also favorites of mine along with all the ex-WWF talent that I had recognized from the old SNES games.
This PPV was also most notable for being Dean Malenko’s breaking point in his feud with Jericho.
Immediately after losing his match against Chris Jericho, Dean Malenko ended up getting chastised by Mean Gene Okerlund for being a “bonafide loser” and going 0 for 4 in his PPV matches since Starrcade. Okerlund grilled the visually distraught Malenko and asked point blank, “Where does Dean Malenko go from here?”
“Home.”, Malenko uttered before leaving the ring with his failure to topple Jericho weighing heavily upon him:
Malenko would stay home for two months before making an unannounced, surprise return under a mask at Slamboree 1998 in May. But at this moment, he was a broken husk of a man, and Malenko’s departure led to pure gold through nonstop mockery from a jerkish-little-heel known as Chris Jericho.
That all being said, this show looks like it could still be killer specifically Booker/Guerrero, Jericho/Malenko and that Triangle Match with DDp/Raven/Benoit. It’s been a while since I just sat through a WCW PPV without taking notes or studying matches for whatever — I might have to sit through this one again soon just for old time’s sake.
The WCW Uncensored 1998 card in it’s entirety along with a full photo gallery from the June 1998 issue of WCW Magazine:
- WCW World Television Champion Booker T vs Eddie Guerrero (with Chavo Guerrero, Jr.)
- Juventud Guerrera vs Konnan
- WCW Cruiserweight Champion Chris Jericho vs Dean Malenko
- Scott Steiner vs Lex Luger
- WCW United States Champion Diamond Dallas Page vs Raven vs Chris Benoit in a Triangle Match
- Kevin Nash vs The Giant
- Curt Hennig (with Rick Rude) vs Bret Hart
- WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting vs Scott Hall (with Dusty Rhodes)
- Hollywood Hogan vs Randy Savage (with Miss Elizabeth) in a Steel Cage Match
