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[1998-12-27-WCW-Starrcade '98] Rey Misterio Jr vs Juventud Guerrera vs Billy Kidman / Eddy Guerrero vs Billy Kidman


Loss

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  • 3 months later...

I liked this a lot at first, but it still falls victim to the same things that plague all three-way matches. That said, it's one of the better examples of finding a way to work a match like this without requiring one of the match participants to be laid out for an unrealistic length of time, so I'll give them credit for that. And they do hit all of their spots beautifully. But Rey and Kidman worked so much as a team that Juventud ended up as an outnumbered heel, which doesn't really work. Eddy ends up interfering and trying to help Juventud win, but it backfires and Kidman pins Juventud to retain the title.

 

After the replay, Eddy dresses down both Rey and Juventud in the ring for not getting the job done, especially Juventud. He finally decides that when you want something done, you have to do it yourself. He challenges Kidman to a title match and Kidman comes back out and says there is no time like the present, which isn't exactly what Eddy had in mind. That match is good and has more heat since Eddy is a true heel. Rey and Juventud stay at ringside, with Juventud supporting Eddy and Rey supporting Kidman. I loved Eddy smacking Kidman with his work boot. He is the master. Kidman was put over strong though all of this but the Eddy match I think did even more to really make him look good. Kidman was really fortunate to work with such great guys during this time.

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  • 1 month later...

Triple threat was fun stuff but went on beyond the point where it ran out of steam. The Eddie shenanigans brought it back to life though and I liked the ending. Eddie/Kidman was very good and I liked the improptu match angle, PPVs should throw curveballs like that more often. Eddie was great throughout all of this and this was a very strong overall segment to start the PPV.

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The three way was really good. i thought they cut a nice pace and didn't fall into many tropes of three way matches keeping the action intricate and fluid throughout. I liked how each guy got a chance to shine on a dive to the outside culminating in the SSP Kidman delivered. I also thought the commentary was really good for this match, even Hennan was locked in and interested in the action. Great start to the PPV. (***3/4)

 

The Eddy vs. Kidman match was also really good. Eddy has really stepped up his game the past month and worked a great brawl style here kicking Kidman and knowing he has the stamina advantage. They really pushed Kidman over huge and I liked seeing Rey Jr. cause Eddy's demise. Brain again was great saying that this looked like two construction workers going at it on their breakd. (***1/2)

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  • 4 months later...

WCW Cruiserweight Champion Billy Kidman vs Juventud Guerrera vs Rey Mysterio - WCW Starrcade 1998

 

Juventud Guerrera LOVES Dave Penzer. How do I know this? On his way to the ring, he points to Dave and exclaims "I LOVE YOU!". I have many wants in this world, add partying with Juvy Juice to them. I really liked this triple threat when I almost always hate them, but they definitely went past their expiration point. The heat was just rapidly dissipating towards the end. They could have been gassed. Rey was wearing a huge brace and years of partying may have caught up to Juvytud. I was little worried for the next match with Kidman since he looked fatigued here, but who am I to doubt Kidman? For a little background, Juvy is LWO 4 Life, Kidman is a gringo with their belt and Rey is begrudgingly in the LWO, but undermines Uncle Eddy at every turn.

 

Rey Rey & Kidman foreshadowing their team that would last until the end of WCW team up to take it to The Juice. Juvy is such a funny stooge. Rey hits the nastiest Bronco Buster ever on Juvy. However, when he accidentally forearms Kidman it is on. Juvy is in the background egging them on so they deck him again. Awesome! My favorite spot was probably Rey on Kidman's shoulders ducking a Juvy top rope crossbody and then Kidmamn slamming Rey on Juvy with Rey getting a two count before Kidman yanks him off. JUVY CHOPS WOOOOOOO!!! This match needed more badass Juvy offense. Juventud hits a monster springboard splash to the outside. Two things really separate this from a normal triple threat. First is that everything is organic and sensible. All three men are almost always involved and there are a ton of saves and rhythm breaks. I loved how everyone was going for covers and they using the third man to make all these saves. It stayed true to the spirit of pro wrestling. There are no elaborate spots, it is just people trying to execute their own shit, but then a third man comes and fucks it up. The other is that there is actually a progression of selling by all three men rather than weird I sell for a stretch then I am fine, rinse, lather, repeat.

 

Tony has this badass line, "In essence every man is wrestling a handicap match." I have never thought about a triple threat match like that, but it is so true. I miss Tony! Mike Tenay, on the other hand, is such a putz as he totally falls for Bobby's "Bill is here" joke with an exasperated "BILL WHO?" I had a good laugh.

 

The finish has all the makings of a hot one, but just felt flat the way it was executed. Everyone gets a chance to shine Rey (Top Rope Asai Moonsault, Springboard Rana), Juvy (Juvy Driver) and Kidman (Shooting Star Press to the outside). Eddy wanders down to ringside to ensure a Juvy win and flips the cradle position. Rey dropkicks Juvy, but instead of breaking it up Kidman ends up on top and Rey just does not have strength for another save. Eddy's reaction at ringside is priceless with a great NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I really the liked the finish and this was a very fun match that is a departure from the usual triple threat bullshit. ****


WCW Cruiserweight Champion Billy Kidman vs Eddy Guerrero - WCW Starrcade 1998

 

Eddy cuts a scathing promo berating Juventud and Rey for their loss to a "sissy boy" and that they are morons. Eddy says when you want something done you have to do it yourself and challenges Kidman. However, when Kidman is ready to accept challenge right there and then, Eddy begs off and Kidman calls him a sissy. Eddy was so fucking awesome! "Eddy sucks!" fills the arena. Juventud is in Eddy's leather jacket and is still totally LWO 4 Life, Love it! STOP THE PRESSES! EDDY POWERBOMBED KIDMAN! They work a killer heat segment with Kidman peppering in hope spots and Eddy just bringing the violence (chops) and dickishness (ab stretch with some help from Juvy, but Rey breaks it up twice). Eddy shoves Rey, but then shoves Juvy too, great dynamic. Juvy still holds Kidman for Eddy to punch now that is sickening unwavering loyalty. Kidman starts to really mount a comeback, which leads to an awkward exchange in the corner eventually Eddy gets his workman's boot (steel-toed of course) and wallops Kidman. Eddy tries to put his boot back on and thinks better of it and chucks it at Rey. Eddy then wrestles quarter of the match in one boot and a sock, so badass! Eddy dropkicks the knee in a sock! On a bridging toehold, Rey bops Juvy on the top of the head with the boot and then hits Eddy. Too funny. I notice towards the end of this there is no heat, but I can't figure out why. Eddy has been stellar. The finish much like the last one features some great symmetry between Juvy and Rey crotching their respective enemies. Shooting Star Press and Kidman pulls the improbable task of beating the three best cruiserweights in two straight matches on the same night, quite the feather in the cap. Kidman was fine in his role of selling and hope spots, but this was the Eddy show and we were just on the ride. He was spectacular in this. ***3/4

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  • 1 year later...

Holy shit, this is a slept-upon pair of matches that ended up blowing me away. The triple threat is a lot of fun as they throw in a lot of ambitious and complicated spots that all hit, and avoid most of the 3-way cliches. No triple sleepers, triple suplexes, or guys being out of commission for minutes on end where the match devolves into a series of quickfire singles matches. Rey's Asai moonsault and Kidman's shooting star plancha are the highlights, but there are a lot of nice other touches like Kidman doing a tornado bulldog on Juventud while also dropkicking Misterio--stuff that utilizes the 3-way format without coming off as contrived. The finish is clever, with a bit of bullshit but with Kidman coming off as crafty and resourceful in victory.

 

The Eddy match may be even better, since if you're never big into 3-ways at all and thought the action there may have been contrived or spotty, this tells a much more coherent story. Eddy is fresher, and smarter, and bigger, and Kidman actually wrestles in a way that puts this story over instead of a way to just get all of his shit in. He gets plenty of shit in, but there are lots of moments where all he can do is punch, stomp, and flail away at Eddy. It's the type of thing that Kenny Omega would probably never even think of doing, but that Kidman pulls off well. It's like that point Parv raised about guys whose entire movesets are finishers--I've made the point with Kidman a few times that he's still very good at executing very basic moves. Anyway, Kidman guts out another win with another finish that's satisfying with just a hint of gaga to it. Crotching Eddy on the top rope while also knocking him into Juventud was a nice way to set up a brutal SSP finish.

 

I almost have to evaluate these matches as one since they're so tied in with each other. As a complete package I'd say this is the #2 domestic MOTY behind Austin-Dude Love, and it's a pretty close call on that front as well. Between the go-home Nitro and the opening here, you might think WCW was still on fire as a company.

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  • GSR changed the title to [1998-12-27-WCW-Starrcade '98] Rey Misterio Jr vs Juventud Guerrera vs Billy Kidman / Eddy Guerrero vs Billy Kidman

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