WWF Survivor Series 1998

By 1998, the WWF was resurgent – finally finding the overarching storyline they needed to overtake WCW with Steve Austin v Mr. McMahon – and in the fall, Mr. McMahon won a major battle in his endless war against Stone Cold, getting the WWF Title off of him. Unfortunately for him, his plan (kayfabe) to put the title on The Undertaker or Kane had failed when Austin interfered – leaving it vacant – and compelling the formation of a fourteen-man single elimination tournament (known as, The Deadly Games) to declare a new champion. McMahon lined up his troops – determined the night end with the title on Corporate stooge Mankind – while Steve Austin and newly christened ‘People’s Champion’ The Rock prepared for the obstacles McMahon would throw on their way to the title.

From St. Louis, Missouri; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.


Opening Deadly Games First Round Match: Mankind v Duane Gill: Gill is a jobber (who would go on to relative fame doing the Goldberg parody 'Gillberg'), and is here personally introduced by Mr. McMahon, with much fanfare - the idea being that this hand selected winner Mankind will be able to easily beat him. Mankind slaughters him on the way in, and a double-arm DDT finishes quickly at 0:30. Barely even a match, but a good bit of storyline. DUD.

Deadly Games First Round Match: Jeff Jarrett v Al Snow: Brawl on the floor to start, and Snow throws a somersault bodyblock off of the ring steps. Slingshot legdrop back in, but Jarrett catches him with a stungun. Snow Flair flips out, and tries a flying legdrop - but misses. Jarrett with a dropkick for two, but Snow with a crucifix for two. DDT gets two, so Snow nails him with Head (his best friend – a mannequin head) for the pin at 3:31, and to advance against Mankind. Too short to properly develop, but they tried with the time they were allotted - working a nice, fast paced match. *

Deadly Games First Round Match: Steve Austin v The Big Bossman: Bossman had recently returned to the WWF as McMahon's hired bodyguard, and is here as Austin's first Corporation obstacle. He tries to jump Austin in the aisle, but gets whipped into the ring steps, and caught with the Thesz press inside. Bossman blows him low to turn the tide, and works the back. Chinlock (seriously? You're a mercenary, there to make sure Steve Austin doesn't advance (or, like, kill him, if possible), and the best you can come up with is a chinlock?), but somehow Austin fights out. Bossman responds by whacking him with the nightstick, and he unloads for a disqualification at 3:20 - allowing Austin to advance - but inflicting damage in the process. This was more angle than match, but that's still no excuse for going to a resthold in a three minute match. DUD.

Deadly Games First Round Match: Steven Regal v X-Pac: This was during Regal's super weird first run through the WWF - where he played a construction worker. He would be back in WCW within a year. X-Pac throws the lightning kicks to start, and hits a side suplex for two. He hits a pair of baseball slide legdrops, but gets crotched off of a blind charge. Regal ties him up on the mat, so X-Pac tries a sunset flip, only to have Regal slingshot him - into a face plant, instead of the corner. Regal with a gutwrench suplex, and he ties him up again with a mat-based headscissors. X-Pac wrestles out again, throwing more kicks, but another blind charge misses, allowing Regal to hit a double-underhook superplex for a series of two counts. Regal tries to tie him up again, but walks into a spinkick, and a dropkick to set up the Bronco Buster. Suplex, and he heads to the top rope, but Regal dumps him to the floor. They get into it out there, and the referee counts them both out at 8:10 - giving Steve Austin a bye, and infuriating Mr. McMahon. You'd think this would be a gigantic style clash, but they actually worked a nice match with Regal fighting to keep the high flying X-Pac on the mat. ¾*

Deadly Games First Round Match: Goldust v Ken Shamrock: Shamrock (another member of McMahon's Corporation) jumps him coming in, and unloads on him with a series of kicks. Russian legsweep gets two, and Shamrock goes to a chinlock. Is that all they taught these guys at Corporation Camp, or something? Vince came out, yelled, 'just do WHATAMANEUVER!' and then mimed a chinlock? Goldust reverses a suplex, and hits a bulldog. He gets caught with a rana, however, and Shamrock belly to belly suplexes him into the Anklelock for the submission at 5:56. First truly dull match of the night, as these two just went through the motions. ¼*

Deadly Games First Round Match: The Rock v The Big Bossman: The Rock is scheduled to face Triple H here, but he's injured, so Mr. McMahon's Stooges shuffle Bossman in as a last minute replacement. One of the big angles going into the show - aside from 'keep the title off of Austin' - was that McMahon had a problem with The Rock (who was becoming increasingly popular, and adopted the moniker 'People's Champion'), stating that if he was a man of the same people who supported Austin, McMahon would see to it that he wouldn't get the WWF Title either. Bossman charges in all hot and bothered, but The Rock quickly cradles him for the pin in 0:04 – advancing to face Shamrock. DUD.

Deadly Games Quarter Final Match: The Undertaker v Kane: As noted in the introduction, these two were competing for the title when it was vacated, so they acquired a bye into the quarter finals. Continuing the theme tonight, 'Taker jumps him coming in, and they slug it out, spilling to the floor. Kane dominates, but gets stungunned on the rail, and 'Taker plants him into the steps. Inside, 'Taker clips the knee, and hooks a leglock. Figure four, but Kane shoves him off, so 'Taker just keeps stomping the knee. Kane starts no selling, however, and catches him with a flying clothesline for two. Chokeslam, but Paul Bearer (with the Undertaker at this point, for those Bearer tracking) gets involved, and 'Taker tombstones him to advance at 7:16. A very punchy-kicky chapter in the endless Undertaker/Kane wars. ¼*

Deadly Games Quarter Final Match: Mankind v Al Snow: Snow is a house of arson coming in, trapping Mankind in the corner, and dropkicking him to the floor. Snow tries to dive off of the rail at him, but Mankind counters with a stungun onto a chair. Inside, Snow catches him with an enzuigiri, and tries to give him Head, but takes a side suplex, and Mankind busts out Socko (which had recently debuted, in the buildup to this show) for the Mandible Claw at 3:55 – advancing to face Steve Austin. Well paced, if too short to properly build into anything. ½*

Deadly Games Quarter Final Match: Ken Shamrock v The Rock: They actually wait for the bell to start (!), and Rocky catches him with a clothesline, only to quickly miss a blind charge. Shamrock with a well executed snap suplex for two, but he runs into a lariat, and they spill to the outside. Shamrock reverses a whip into the steps, and slams him on the floor. Inside, Shamrock with a leg lariat, and a Russian legsweep gets two. Chinlock (do you want him to get kicked out of the Corporation?), and Bossman makes his way down – looking to make sure Shamrock puts this away. Rock powers out, but Shamrock throws a rana, and hooks the Anklelock to finish. Rock struggles for the ropes, and hits a tornado DDT. People's Elbow gets two, so Bossman tries to get involved, but Rock gets hold of the nightstick, and advances to face the Undertaker at 8:20. These two worked a bunch of matches against each other in 1998 - this being towards the end of the cycle - and they certainly had a rhythm, though the match was limited by time constraints. ½*

WWF Women's Title Match: Jacqueline v Sable: Mr. McMahon sends out son Shane to referee, as Shane had fallen out of his favor by siding with Austin in the war, and Vince demoted him back to referee as part of his punishment. Jacqueline jumps her coming in, but gets caught with a TKO quickly, only to have Marc Mero (Sable's husband, jealous of her success – both kayfabe and not) break up the pin. She smacks him around on the floor - powerbombing him for good measure - but that allows Jacqueline to jump her again. Jacqueline tries a powerbomb of her own, but gets backdropped, and Sable hits her powerbomb again to win the title at 3:14. This was pretty much the peak of Sable's hotness, as she would get the cover of a blockbuster edition of Playboy shortly after, and then fall out with the WWF. She is currently married to Brock Lesner. ¼*

Deadly Games Semi Final Match: Mankind v Steve Austin: Immediate slugfest won by Austin, and he rips Mankind's suit jacket off (he had been wearing a suit during all of his matches, trying to properly dress the part of Mr. McMahon's Corporate Champion), drawing out Mr. McMahon himself for a seat dangerously close to the timekeeper. Thesz press, but Mankind bails during the Stunner attempt, regrouping with the Stooges. That lures Austin into the aisle, and Mankind backdrops him on the floor. Inside, Mankind hooks a reverse chinlock (he went to advanced Corporate Camp), but Austin slugs his way free, only to get posted. Mankind with a double-arm DDT onto a chair for two, and he tries a piledriver, but Austin backdrops him. Stunner, but McMahon leaps into the ring to take out the referee before he can make the count. Another stunner draws in Vince appointed referee Shane McMahon - there to really stick it to dad and count the pin with the authority he gave him - but he dramatically stops at two, and flips Austin off! Austin predictably loses it, going after Shane, and in the chaos the Stooges nail Austin with the chair, allowing Mankind to get the Shane counted pinfall at 10:27, and advance to the finals. Disjointed brawl for the most part, but the angle surrounding it was fantastic - with the details of McMahon's evil plan hatching, paying off a lot of the stuff built up going into the show, as well as leaving room for a later blowoff, when Austin would come for revenge. *

Deadly Games Semi Final Match: The Undertaker v The Rock: 'Taker takes him to the outside right away for some abuse, and inside 'Taker dominates with chokes and punches. Blind charge eventually misses, and Rocky drops him like a Samoan. DDT, as Bossman joins us again - still looking for revenge on the Rock for McMahon. People's Elbow, but Bossman trips him up, and UT goes for the chokeslam. Kane runs in (missing his cue, and hitting the ring late) however, and decides to chokeslam Rocky himself, to cost his brother the match by disqualification at 8:23 - advancing the Rock to face Mankind for the WWF Title. You might not think by reading the description that it was over eight minutes long, but, oh yeah, it was. This was all kick-punch (and choke!) until the overbooking began - but unfortunately, they did it with a distinct lack of intensity. DUD.

WWF Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match: The New Age Outlaws v The Headbangers v Mark Henry and D-lo Brown: Triple Threats change from time to time, but the rules here basically allow one man from each team in at a time, and tags must occur to switch off. Kind of a combination of a Triangle and Tornado match. Why they all start with the letter 'T' though, I'll never know. Billy Gunn and D-lo Brown start, with Billy quickly missing a blind charge, allowing D-lo a spinkick. Mosh tags, and hits a springboard press on D-lo for two, leading to the Outlaws running in to clean house - but Jesse James gets caught with a powerbomb. He takes the brunt of the abuse from both teams, but they eventually turn on each other, and Billy Gunn gets the tag. He's a house of arson, and everyone tries to hit their finishers until Billy puts Mosh away with a piledriver at 10:10. This felt more like a videogame than an actual match. Not technically bad - as they worked more than a few nice spots in - just very dull and poorly organized. ¼*

WWF Title Deadly Games Final Match: Mankind v The Rock: They fight over the initial lockup, going to a couple of stalemates, before the Rock catches him with a clothesline. Mankind bails to the floor, but the Corporation isn't there for him, and Rocky follows. It's still fucking Mankind, though, and Rocky loses that confrontation - ending up in the Corporation chinlock back in the ring. That draws out Vince and Shane McMahon - taking up position by the timekeeper's position - as the combatants spill the floor. Rock with a suplex out there, and he gently 'drops' Mankind over the rail, into the crowd. Dude, this is the guy who just flew off the top of the Hell in a Cell less than six months before this. I think he can take a proper over-the-rail bump. Inside, Rocky with a chinlock (hmm...), but Mankind fights out with the Cactus clothesline. He unloads with a chair, but an attempt on Rocky with the steps allows the People's Champion to brutally retaliate. Mankind catches him with a mule kick, however, and tries the chinlock again, but Rocky seems to have mastered it, and hits a DDT. To the outside again, Mankind tries another Cactus elbow - this time off of the 2^nd rope - but Rocky dodges him, and he flies through the announce table. Inside, that sets up the People's Elbow for two, but Mankind catches him with the double-arm DDT to come back. Mandible Claw, so Rocky counters into the Rock Bottom - but it only gets two. Rock with a random Sharpshooter, and Mr. McMahon forces the timekeeper to ring the bell - in the WWF's first and best allusion to the Montreal Screwjob - and The Rock wins his first WWF Title at 17:10. Afterwards, the McMahon's celebrate with the Rock, as it becomes clear what the master plan was all along. Mankind doesn't understand why Mr. McMahon would do that do him, but it turns out he was just a pawn in McMahon's endless mind games with Steve Austin - but he would never allow him to represent him as his champion. That completes a brilliant double turn - and leads to Mankind becoming the disgruntled worker, going after McMahon and the Rock for months. Match had no flow - another in a series of disjointed messes on the show - but was the payoff of a brilliant angle. ½*

BUExperience: While certainly not the best show, wrestling-wise, it does stand as one of if not the prime example of extravagant, grandiose Vince Russo Attitude Era booking style – the height of head writer Vince Russo’s powers. Again, as a wrestling show, there are better examples of Attitude Era’s wrestling with a heavy focus on angles (King of the Ring ’98 jumps to mind), but if you lived through this time period, you likely fondly remember this one for all the wild twists and turns in the plot, in the days before it took a turn to hyperbolic booking.

I’m not sure how a modern observer would react to the show, though it is certainly a great way to grasp what the Era was truly like – far superior to any Official WWE DVDs with various cronies narrating vignettes about it. It also features tons of marquee matches (albeit bad ones) between most of the guys the WWE constantly navel gazes as the best ever (Undertaker/Kane, Mankind/Austin, Rock/Undertaker, Rock/Mankind) – it’s like a mini DVD set all its own. *