Opinion
Cook’s Top 5: 1998 Wrestling Memories
Steve Cook hits one of wrestling fans’ favorite years, 1998! See if what stood out to Cook is what stood out to you…
Steve Cook hits one of wrestling fans’ favorite years, 1998! See if what stood out to Cook is what stood out to you…
1998 was a pretty great time to be a wrestling fan.
The Monday Night War was in full bloom. Some of wrestling’s biggest stars ever were leading the charge for the WWF & WCW. They were throwing their best out there every single night. As for me, I was 14 years old. I was in the target demographic for all this stuff. I hadn’t gotten jaded quite yet. These were the days you look back on fondly.
We continue my Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration by looking back at the most memorable moments of 1998.
5. That’s Pete Rose!
Up to this point, WrestleMania had always been equally as much about celebrity appearances as it was about great pro wrestling. WrestleMania XIV was no different, featuring one of the legends of my favorite baseball team in a guest star role. It didn’t end too well for ol’ Pete, as he wound up eating a Tombstone from Kane. Rose would return the next two WrestleManias attempting to get revenge on Kane, but had no luck.
Watching this clip takes one back to a different time. You sure can’t joke about the Red Sox not being able to win a World Series now.
4. Goldberg Beats Hogan
WWE has shaped the narrative on this moment through the years to paint WCW in a bad light. There’s little doubt that Goldberg beating Hollywood Hogan in the Georgia Dome could have been even bigger if they built it for more than four days. It could have gotten a huge PPV buyrate. There was also a distraction finish, set up awkwardly by Curt Hennig walking out for no reason other than for Karl Malone to sneak up and give him a Diamondcutter.
I didn’t really care about any of that as a fan. When you watch that moment now, it’s hard to imagine any crowd going that crazy about anything. Maybe it wasn’t on PPV, and maybe they could have jammed more people in that arena, but Goldberg’s win definitely took place at the right time at the right place. Besides, there was a Ratings War to take account of, and we need big title changes to boost that number a decimal point or two.
3. Ric Flair Returns
I wasn’t fully abreast of the developments surrounding Ric Flair and why he was absent from WCW programming for several months during 1998. He was certainly conspicuous by his absence though, and his return to Nitro in Greenville was an amazing moment. It was one of the few moments in 1998 where I managed to stay on the same channel for over ten minutes. It was the culmination of Arn Anderson reuniting the Four Horsemen, this version including Chris Benoit, Steve “Mongo” McMichael & Dean Malenko. James J. Dillon was also there in his role as WCW’s Commissioner.
The highlight, of course, was Flair’s diatribe. He ranted about the greatness of the Horsemen and went off on Eric Bischoff. “FIRE ME! I’M ALREADY FIRED! FIRE ME! I’M ALREADY FIRED!” It was a cathartic moment for people who remembered WCW the way it was back in the day. It was probably Flair’s best promo that didn’t discuss his sexual prowess.
2. Austin vs. McMahon
1998 was the year that Steve Austin officially became the man. His coronation at WrestleMania XIV was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Afterwards, he launched into a full-blown war with the now 100% verified evil Mr. McMahon. We’ve seen the evil owner vs. employee dynamic replicated countless of times since the WWF used Austin vs. McMahon to attain ratings dominance. Every single one has paled in comparison. Austin was perfect as the pissed off employee that wouldn’t take shit from anybody. Vince was at his absolute best during this time period. It was a perfect storm.
1. Hell in a Cell
I’ve seen more brutal moments since. The deathmatch wrestling scene has done all it could to try & out-do anything ever seen on television, and in a lot of ways it has. WWE has had people fall off of higher places. They had Cactus Jack replicate the spots in 2000. But for my money, I’ve still never seen anything quite like Hell in the Cell at the 1998 King of the Ring.
It was one of many moments that helped make Mick Foley’s career. It also set this period of the WWF apart from anything they had produced before, or after. You damn sure never saw Hulk Hogan climbing on top of a Cell, and you won’t see anybody flying off the top or going through it today. It was something that could have only happened in this era. Is that for the best? Probably, but it was certainly memorable.
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Opinion
Chris King: The Wyatt Sicks’ Wasted Potential By WWE
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
Chris King takes a look at the WWE and their wasted potential of Uncle Howdy and the Wyatt Sicks faction.
It’s that time of the year again, folks; it’s unfortunate and downright awful that so many WWE superstars got released today. I’m not going to list all of them, but I am going to talk about one of my favorite factions,
The Wyatt Sicks. Nikki Cross, Joe Gacy, Erik Rowan, and Bo Dallas (Uncle Howdy) were something special. After Bo’s brother Bray Wyatt’s tragic passing, WWE felt like there was a hole that needed to be filled. Wyatt was one of the most creative and brilliant characters, and Bo would be taking over his brother’s concept and bringing it to life. In 2024, at the end of an incredible documentary highlighting Wyatt’s career and struggles, Bo appeared on the screen portrayed as Uncle Howdy. The last time Uncle Howdy was seen on-screen was at the 2023 Royal Rumble, where Wyatt defeated LA Knight in a Pitch Black Match. Howdy jumped off a structure onto Knight.
This post-credit scene sparked so much speculation and excitement that Wyatt’s brother would carry on his legacy and possibly debut the faction that was Wyatt’s concept. On the June 17th episode of Monday Night Raw, The Wyatt Sicks made their dramatic debut ,destroying the backstage area as well as “murdering” Chad Gable. It was such an iconic arrival for Howdy as he made his menacing walk from the back into the audience who were chanting “Holy Shit.” The Sicks and American Made (Chad Gable and The Creed Brothers) battled for months, with The Sicks being victorious. On the September 9th episode of Raw, The Sicks defeated them, with Howdy getting the win with Sister Abigail.
The following year, The Sicks would move over to Friday Night SmackDown, and it seemed like WWE had a plan in place. They would win the tag team championships from The Street Profits and start to look dominant. Now, what should have happened next is Howdy should have won the United States title. The Sicks could have held all the gold over on the blue brand, but it never happened. The Sicks entered into a never-ending feud with The MFT’s (Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, Tonga Loa, JC Mateo, and Talla Tonga.) It started off exciting, and the WWE Universe was red-hot for their interactions.
After months of repetitive matches and The MFT’s stealing their lantern, the feud grew tiresome and boring. Even Tama asked Solo why they are still holding onto the lantern, as it was destroying them as a whole. Finally on the SmackDown before Mania, Tama
gave the lantern back to Howdy against Solo’s wishes. Please explain to me why both factions fought almost every single week instead of just having one final blowoff match at WrestleMania.
It should have been either a massive street fight or a falls count anywhere match on the grandest stage of them all. Instead, it turned into a meaningless week-after-week extravaganza that benefited no one. The MFTs won the rivalry, and The Sicks don’t even work for WWE anymore. This was the same criminalized creative process that Wyatt dealt with during his first run in the company.
We’ll never know how much of a dangerous force The Wyatt Sicks could have been in the WWE. For all their careers’ sake, I hope they stay far away from the company for as long as possible. Every superstar that was cut deserves better!
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Opinion
Chris King: Bloodline Saga: Is This the Right Call For WWE?
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Chris King questions the WWE’s logic in setting up Jacob Fatu as the next challenger for World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is once again World Heavyweight Champion after his dominant win over CM Punk at WrestleMania 42. On the following night on Monday Night Raw, The OG Bloodline came back together as a well-oiled machine as The Usos stood side by side with Roman. With the WWE Universe asking who would be the first to challenge “The Tribal Chief,” Jacob Fatu shocked the world by answering the call.
Fatu is running hot after his impressive win over Drew McIntyre and feels like he is ready to become the new world champion. This bloodline segment ended Raw, and it picked right back up on SmackDown with even Solo Sikoa and the MFTs involved. This is now two shows that have been centered around The Bloodline saga, and it’s made me question whether or not WWE should be retelling this story.
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, The Usos, and Solo Sikoa) ran WWE for over four years as Reigns’ henchmen, doing his dirty work to retain his title. Even though Roman has declared he doesn’t want Jey and Jimmy to serve him, it sure seems like WWE are spinning their wheels. Fatu could add a whole new chapter into the story, even if he’s not able to beat Roman at Backlash. “The Samoan Werewolf” could be forced to do the same thing as Jey did all those years ago and fall in line.
In my opinion, I feel like Fatu should be challenging for the Undisputed WWE Championship because that’s a title I feel like he should win. I understand standing up to your blood and trying to prove you’re the best, but I don’t think this is the right move. It feels like 2022 all over again, as The Bloodline is the central focus on both shows. If Fatu doesn’t win, what happens to all his momentum he’s been building over the last two years?
Why did WWE make this the best choice for storyline purposes? Why couldn’t creative have come up with a different challenger for Roman? There are so many other superstars that could challenge The Tribal Chief, such as Rusev, Bron Breakker, Gunther, or even a returning Sheamus.
I just can’t help but question WWE’s logic here, and it kind of reminds me of all the times The Shield reunited. Could WWE be pushing the same storyline too many times here? Could the WWE Universe get tired of this rinse and repeat cycle of The Bloodline Saga?
Are we about to see all the weekly episodes solely focused on The Bloodline again? Will it be cinema… Yes. Is there still money in The Bloodline… Yes. Was it the right call? That’s to be determined!
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SUNDAY - 30 Mindless Minutes
CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS
Attitude Of Aggression Podcast: The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history) Unidentified History (Ufology) & Game Gone Wrong (Game of Thrones Universe)
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