Thunderstruck - Thunder recap for April 9, 1998

We see footage from this week's Nitro where "Macho Man" Randy Savage is given an IV feed before being placed in the ambulance.

Perry Saturn beats Tokyo Magnum with the Rings of Saturn after applying the move three times in quick succession as if to prove he can apply it whenever he wants. After the match, he tells the rest of Raven's Flock to stay out of the next fight, saying it is his own, then calls out Goldberg. Raven's Flock gets in the ring, but Goldberg clears the ring out and Hammer and Saturn are seen brawling with each other as they make their way to the back.

Prince Iaukea beats Yuji Nagata with a Northern Lights suplex. During the match, Iaukea accidentally lands on one of his knees, and shortly afterwards, Sonny Onoo tries to trip Iaukea from the outside. Iaukea hits Onoo with a double axe handle off the top rope, but Yuji Nagata gets the momentum and goes for the Nagata Lock only to take too much time showboating. Iaukea kicks Nagata away from him, and hits a Northern Lights suplex with a bridge pin to win. After the match, Chris Jericho shows up and says that Iaukea is not a cruiserweight because he is too fat to be one. Jericho says he will bring a scale to the ring later in the evening and have Iaukea stand on it to prove he is a liar, cheater and a fake who is above the 225 lb. weight limit and undeserving of a Cruiserweight title shot.

Raven shows up. He says that for years, he has listened to how Diamond Dallas Page has professed to be the hardest-working man in wrestling. Before he can say much else, a fan jumps the guardrail and tries to pull Raven out of the ring from the outside. Security quickly apprehends the fan, then Raven gets in the ring. He tries to speak again, but the microphone is cut off and he cannot even be heard until the camera near Raven is able to pick up Raven talking about how he had to spend time in Extreme Championship Wrestling and that all DDP had to do was leave his home, knock on his door and ask him for a job. He says that DDP refused to do that because he was jealous of him and how he was a bigger star than him. Raven then says DDP was supposed to be here tonight for a shot at the WCW United States Championship, but every time DDP has to earn something, he never shows up. As he says this, Raven has to switch microphones. Raven then says that when he kicks out of his Diamond Cutter and hits DDP with the Evenflow DDT at Spring Stampede, he will have his revenge.

Tony Schiavone interviews Buff Bagwell. Bagwell says that when he was throwing Lex Luger around a few months ago, he did not get the respect he deserved. He says he is 5-1 against Luger, and he is sick and tired of hearing who the real "Total Package" is. Bagwell then says that at next week's Nitro, he will show Luger why he is buff and why he is the stuff along with why he is "the real Total Package."

"The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit beats Konnan with the Crippler Crossface. During the match, it is announced that there will be no time limit in the WCW Television Championship match between Benoit and Booker T at Spring Stampede.

Rick Rude boots Mike Tenay off the commentary table to guest on commentary for the next match.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan beats Curt Hennig by disqualification after Rick Rude leaves the commentary table and handcuffs Duggan to the top rope from the apron. After the match, Hennig and Rude continue to gang up on Duggan until Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart and The British Bulldog run to the ring. Hennig and Rude head to the back, but not before Rude tosses the keys to the handcuffs into the ring.

Lex Luger beats Glacier with the Torture Rack. During the match, Buff Bagwell is seen lounging on the stage while watching the match.

Kidman beats Psychosis. During the match, Chris Jericho shows up with a scale and standing on the apron, distracting referee Mark Curtis. La Parka shows up and hits Psychosis with a steel chair as he goes for the top rope guillotine leg drop, allowing Kidman to win with the Seven Year Itch. After the match, Tony Schiavone interviews Jericho in the ring. Jericho demands that Tony Schiavone refer to him as the master of 1,004 holds as well as lord and master of all the Jericho and that he not let any of the fans put their hands on him. He then says he has showed up with a scale as promised and calls out Prince Iaukea for the weigh-in. Iaukea shows up and gets on the scale, which reads 218 lbs. Jericho says the scale is not calibrated properly, then hits Iaukea in the head with the scale before putting him in the Lion Tamer.

Scott Steiner beats Disco Inferno with the Steiner Recliner.

Booker T retains the WCW World Television Championship by disqualification against Chris Jericho after Jericho pulls Mickey Jay into the path of Booker T's drop kick off the top rope.

Mike Tenay announces that "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair is not in the building at this time due to inclement weather and will therefore not be interviewed tonight. After an apology is made, Eric Bischoff and Scott Steiner show up. Bischoff tells Schiavone to stop lying, as he, the people, and even Flair all know when he is lying. Bischoff tells Schiavone he can make excuses for Ric Flair, and says Flair is not here because he wakes up every morning, looks in the mirror and looks back at his career only to ask himself why he could not be remembered as the greatest wrestler in history and why he could not be better than "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan. Bischoff says that Flair has to look at the empire as the nWo and ask himself why he could not be the man who built WCW. The show then goes to break.

WHen the show comes back from break, Eric Bischoff is still singing the praises of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan to Tony Schiavone while Scott Steiner is standing in the background. Steiner then says Flair is not in the building tonight because he knew he had to face him and he is running scared. He then calls Flair a coward, then "The Enforcer" Arn Anderson shows up and tells Bischoff that he may be retired, but he isn't dead and he still works for the company, and if Bischoff did not walk around backstage with his nose up in the air, he would know that. He then says Flair is not here tonight for all the wrong reasons, and says that while Flair wasn't a movie star or a bodybuilder, he left a piece of himself wherever he went and he gave the people what they came for. He says that it is all about wrestling, and that all Flair ever asked for in return was a little dignity and respect and to be treated for who he is, as it is better than anything the nWo has going. Bischoff says Flair is garbage, and that he will be treated like it and that he hopes the people remember Anderson as the only person in WCW to come out and defend him. Suddenly, Lex Luger shows up, and Anderson says it is clear he is not the only one. Bischoff teases attacking Anderson, but Scott Steiner attacks Luger and they brawl to the back. Rick Steiner then sneaks up behind Eric Bischoff and hits him with a vertical suplex on the floor near the ramp while Ted DiBiase watches.

Before the next match, Kevin Nash says he has been watching clips throughout the show of "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan in the back and that he has noticed that "everything is hunky-dory when it's Hogan's way," but when someone gets in Hogan's path, "Macho Man" Randy Savage gets run over. He also says that he had Sting beat on Monday night until Hogan was so jealous of the fact that he would be World champion that he had to interfere. Nash goes on to say that he told Hogan how it would be, and that tonight, Hogan will see where the nWo lies and who they are loyal to - him, not Hogan. As for the Bat Match at Spring Stampede, he and Hogan are at a disadvantage, as "Rowdy" Roddy Piper made the match and everyone knows that Piper is "the finest switch hitter in the business." He also tells The Giant that he has not forgotten about him, and that he will take him out once and for all at Spring Stampede. He then says being this big and this sexy is just too sweet. After Rick Steiner shows up for the next match, Nash tells Rick Steiner that he is the one who got in Scott Steiner's head and that the rest of the nWo has showed up to back his actions.

Rick Steiner beats Kevin Nash by disqualification after Konnan gets involved followed by the rest of the nWo. Kevin Nash hits Rick Steiner with the Jackknife Power Bomb, and as WCW security shows up to arrest Nash again, the nWo attacks security. Ted DiBiase shows up with The Giant, who attacks the nWo, to end the show.