Chris Benoit vs Raven (WCW, 1-24-1998)

WCW Souled Out, Trotwood, OH

This is a request via Ko-fi. It’s a makeup from the disastrous Starrcade ’97 pay-per-view, the show that set WCW on its brutal crawl toward death, where Benoit-Raven, which had been simmering for a bit, was advertised but replaced last-minute by a Benoit-Perry Saturn match, which then had the audacity to not be very good despite being between two good wrestlers.

This is an anything goes match. Raven is out first. He is from The Bowery. He has no music. He does have followers in the Flock, including Kidman, Hammer, Sick Boy, Riggs, and Lodi. Big “Raven sucks” chant. Saturn isn’t here. WCW has ruled that Raven MUST wrestle tonight and that his Flock is barred from ringside. Raven doesn’t react to this news whatsoever. The Flock does.

Raven takes the mic. “Once again, society has tried to make me conform to its rules. They’ve left me all alone. But I’ve been left alone before, for weeks at a time as a child. I was friendless all through school. I don’t need anyone. And Benoit, I don’t fear your pain, I’ll feast on it. Quoth the Raven, nevermore.”

Benoit’s music hits. Decent pop for it. Raven charges Benoit getting into the ring, and dropkicks him down to the floor. Raven goes outside and whips Benoit into the guardrail. He’s showing some real intensity, sends Benoit into the steps now. Benoit rammed into the rail again, this time in the entrance aisle.

Raven puts Benoit back into the ring. Snapmare over, then another. Dusty remembers Benoit in wars all over the building with Kevin Sullivan in the past. Raven staying on top of Benoit, slams his face into the mat. Kneelift to the stomach from Raven.

Another “Raven sucks” chant. Benoit goes for a rollup and gets two. Raven jumps back on him with an elbow and a one count. Raven dumps Benoit to the floor, takes a moment, and follows out. Raven finds a chair and whacks Benoit across the back. Benoit pauses, then goes “AHHHH!”

Heenan: “They heard that back in Canada.”
Schiavone: “And wherever Raven’s from.”
Heenan: “Some tree.”

Raven continuing to dominate the match. Snapmare again back inside the ring. Benoit hit the chair on that one. Schiavone referencing Raven taking Riggs’ eye out with a chair. Raven bulldogs Benoit onto the opened chair. Two count on a cover.

Raven looks around, seeming like he’s trying to figure out what to do next. The bent up chair is put down at mid-ring, Benoit reverses a whip and hits the drop toehold into the chair on Raven.

That’s Benoit’s first offense of the match, and they struggle back up. Benoit chops him, chop again, chop again, chop again. Raven sent off the ropes and just OBLITERATED with Benoit’s patented left arm lariat. Benoit with a snap suplex onto the chair. Two count.

Benoit tears Raven’s shirt off and chops him again. Benoit sets the chair up leaning in the corner, and chops Raven again. And again. And again. Raven falls and slides out of the ring, but Benoit hits a baseball slide dropkick, sending Raven into the guardrail. Benoit follows and tosses Raven into the steps. Paying back the punishment he took earlier now.

Chop and Raven flops down to the floor. Benoit following him as Raven tries to escape the pressure. Raven rolls in and then back out of the ring. Benoit still stalking. Chop, Raven falls and we’re working our way up to toward the entrance stage. Benoit on the ramp and hits another snap suplex.

Benoit now kicking at and taunting Raven, fully in control. Benoit kicks him back down the ramp, then we go back to the ring. Benoit grabs the chair again. Raven down in the middle of the ring, Benoit tosses the chair there and hits another snap suplex, mostly missing the chair this time.

Now Benoit is standing over Raven with the chair, looking around for crowd approval. He puts the chair on Raven’s face and stomps it, then goes out to the apron and runs his thumb across his throat. Diving headbutt onto the chair!

But that knocks Benoit out, too! So both men are down and being counted, despite this being anything goes. Benoit rolls over and pins, but Raven had enough time to recover and kick out, barely.

Raven still down, Benoit staggers up. Heenan takes a shot at the Super Bowl, which is tomorrow. (Broncos 31, Packers 24 in a very good game, for what it’s worth.) Benoit goes for a northern lights, but Raven counters with the DDT!

Both men down and being counted again. The count reaches eight, but Benoit is up first and tries to pin, getting two. Raven up and goes for the Evenflow, but Benoit counters with the crossface! Raven screams through the pain, then starts smiling and laughing. “This guy’s crazy, there’s nothin’ up there in that head, boys!” Arm drops three times and the match is over.

After the match, Kidman comes into the ring, but gets cut off by Dean Malenko, who puts Kidman in the Texas cloverleaf. The rest of the Flock hits the ring, so Benoit releases and he and Malenko fight the Flock. Hammer pulls Raven out of harm’s way and the Flock start to overwhelm Benoit and Malenko, but they turn it around. Malenko hits Sick Boy with a leg lariat to end the brawl.

Benoit’s up in the corner and spots Malenko now, looking on with some confusion. Commentators don’t know why Malenko is here, either. They share a look, then part ways.

Rating: 3.5/5. Very fun clash of styles, even if a bit video game-y with Benoit spamming snap suplexes and Raven the snapmare a little bit. They had an interesting story coming in and it paid off with an entertaining, hard-hitting match that the crowd was into. Nothing super special about it or anything, just very good.