[1998-04-19-WCW-Spring Stampede] Sting vs Randy Savage

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Last few minutes. After a ref bump, Liz runs in and eats a Stinger Splash by accident. Then Hogan runs out and attacks Savage. Sting has Savage covered when Nash come in and attacks Sting with a powerbomb, giving Savage the win and the title. The Sting experiment is over. This whole show has been hotshot to death with all the angles and crazy finishes. The WWF clearly had their attention, which they should, but this is panic mode booking that I don't get at all.

[Zenjo]

Thankfully Sting had forgotten about Savage and Nash costing him the World Title when he joined the Wolfpac 6 weeks after this.

[soup23]

This was sort of a mess and probably the last time Sting was ever presented as the main guy in a promotion. Hogan and Nash seem to have the spotlight and the two guys in the match are there by happenstance. I do get the desperate vibe of this show with multiple title changes and stuff being rebooted heading into the next nights Nitro.

[Migs]

If Hogan v. Nash is being built here, why does it take another year for them to have a singles match? Geez. Would love a dissection of the politics on that one.

 

Loved the way this played on 80s Savage - Liz actually interfering, and then Liz actually taking a physical shot, both things that would never have happened then. Terrible chair shot from Liz, though - looked like she nailed him with the legs of it.

 

Wish Savage had gotten a bit more of a chance to celebrate in the moment of triumph.

[cowboy hats]

Watched the full match completely out of context and...well, it wasn't much of a match. Sting no sells a piledriver moments before looking like he's out cold by a weak Savage chair shot (not as week as Liz's, as mentioned above, though that I can justify that being done to just distract ol' Stinger). Charles Robinson then lays completely motionless for five minutes after eating half a Stinger splash.

 

Hogan pushes Savage off the ropes and assumes his work is done? Because only moments later Nash is out to interfere unrestricted. Big pop for the powerbomb. Hogan comes out with the Disciple to ham it up at the entrance ('that's my belt', etc.).

 

Agree that this and the recap video to open the show makes it seem like Hogan and Nash are the real story.

[Superstar Sleeze]

WCW World Heavyweight Champion Sting vs Randy Savage - WCW Spring Stampede 1998

 

Fun fact: This is the first PPV I ever begged my parents to order because my favorite wrestler, Randy Savage was challenging for the World Title. Oddly, I had no recollection of this match until the end when all the memories came flooding back. It is weird because I still vividly remember the Hogan vs Savage match on Nitro the next night that royally pissed me off as a child.

 

I don't know if it is the face paint, but Sting is just so frigging lame. The complaint seemed to be that Hogan took most of the SuperBrawl match and that is why it sucked, but as I expected Savage would be more giving, but still Sting did not look he gave two fucks. He was just going through the motions and his selling was just dogshit. Savage looked like a car wreck with the huge knee brace and the taped arm. Sting really needs to ditch the trench coat that's the second time sometime has attacked him before he could get it off. I loved Savage selling the punch and then punch through it. That's not someone no selling that is selling how fucking nutzo he is. Savage does his best to wrestle for one between taking bumps over the top rope, selling the arm and then taking back over on offense with good heel offense. Tony gets in one of his more infamous lines about the bales of hay being abrasive and the particulates getting into respiratory tract. He has a point, but man did it sound fucking lame. Sting just randomly stops selling, but not in the way that elicits a crowd reaction because he is hulking up. He will literally just stand up and stand there. It happened at least twice, It is honestly like he forgot how to wrestle. Liz gets in the ring and gives him a chair shot and then all the memories come rushing back. I know something big is going to happen BOOM! Liz takes a Stinger Splash. WOW! Savage is like kthxbai and looks to use the distraction to elbow Sting on the chair, but Hogan interferes. Sting hits the Slop Drop, but here comes Big Sexy to hit the Jacknife and pulls Savage to win.

 

The booking fucked up Sting, yes, but he did not do himself any favors. He was shitting the bed in the ring. Resetting to Hollywood to transition to Goldberg was actually a pretty gutsy and intelligent thing to do. I am going to give WCW kudos for that. Savage tried as he might, but was too banged up to salvage this match. This is neck and neck with the SuperBrawl VIII for shittiest main event match of '98, but I think this one takes it because there was more Sting offense and Hogan's effort in SuperBrawl VIII is to be praised.

[PeteF3]

More run-in-mania, with some nice moments getting completely overshadowed. Liz eating the Stinger Splash was a holy-shit moment that has to play second fiddle to Hogan and Nash interfering. And yes, Hogan's plan didn't really make any sense, as he shoves Savage off the turnbuckle and then leaves the scene like a 1960's Batman villain assuming his work is all done. That's the end of Sting as a superstar main eventer as we're about to hit a big ol' reset button as WCW tries to reclaim its 1996-97 glory.

[TravJ1979]

Horrendous, but I'm repeating myself. I had forgot the title went to Savage before Hogan drops to Goldberg. Sting is done, a joke since Starrcade. Terrible ending made even worse by Disciple and Hogan snarling about Nash and Savage at the entrance. Completely worthless.

[Zero]

WCW is having a stretch of some of the worst finishes ever. Impressive. Sting has been killed dead.