Original Airdate: January 5, 1998 (taped December 30, 1997)
From New Haven, Connecticut; Your Host is Jim Ross with Michael Cole and Kevin Kelly (hour one), and with Jerry Lawler (hour two)
Steve Austin is hanging out outside of the building, promising to raise hell tonight
Faarooq v Ken Shamrock: Faarooq attacks before the bell, and unloads on Ken, but misses a clothesline, allowing Shamrock a standing dropkick. Clothesline sends Faarooq over the top, and a vertical suplex brings him back in for two. Crucifix, but Faarooq counters with a Samoan drop, and he dumps Ken to the outside for the Nation of Domination to abuse, but they’re reluctant. That allows Ken a small package for two on the way back in, but Faarooq clobbers him with a clothesline for two to cut off the comeback. He dumps him again, but the Nation continues to stand around. Faarooq tries a Dominator on the way inside, but Shamrock counters with a backslide for two, so Faarooq puts him in a chinlock to wear him down. Faarooq with an ugly press-drop for two, and a three-point stance puts Ken on his ass again. Clothesline, but Shamrock counters with a rana, and he makes a comeback, so Faarooq goes to the eyes to cut him off. Kama Mustafa grabs a chair, but accidentally hits Faarooq with it (which seemed to be intentional, and at the behest of WWF Intercontinental Champion Rock), which allows Shamrock the anklelock at 6:09. This was a lot longer than I expected it to be. Afterwards, Shamrock and Rock face off, but Steve Austin shows up to hit both guys with stunners, before departing through the crowd. ¾*
Royal Rumble ad
Jim Cornette comes out, still upset at the state of pro-wrestling, and he’s ready to actually do something about it this week, instead of just ranting. He brings the President and Vice President of the NWA with him, and they’re going to have an NWA North American title match tonight. I like how he’s going on and on about tradition and prestige, when they literally stripped the champion (Reckless Youth, wrestling simulator golden boy) of the belt just so they could crown a new one here
NWA North American Title Match: Jeff Jarrett v Blackjack Windham: This is for the vacant title. Cornette sits in on commentary, and Ross seems pretty excited to call an NWA match again. They measure each other for a bit, as Cornette talks about the history of the NWA, dropping names that no casual fan in 1998 would have ever heard of. Even today, most of those are a mystery to me. Windham with a floatover suplex for two, and gutwrench suplex for two. Jeff fights back, and corners Windham for a ten-punch count, but gets caught in a front-powerslam for two. Windham with a jumping clothesline, but Jarrett is in the ropes at two. Windham stays focused with a superplex, but Cornette comes in to blast him with his tennis racket, and Jeff gets the pin at 3:35. A screwy finish in the first match of this concept… off to a good start, I see. And then, to make them look like even bigger losers, Austin shows up and hits the new champion with a stunner. ¾*
Backstage, Ken Shamrock fumes about what Austin did to him earlier, and swears revenge in the Rumble match
Recon and Sniper v Skull and 8-Ball: Sunny acts as the guest ring announcer, and some moron fan tries slapping her ass on her way to the ring. Jackyl, meanwhile, sits in on commentary. Big brawl to start, settling on the DOA working Recon over. Recon goes to the eyes to shake Skull off, but a corner charge ends in him getting backdropped over the top. The DOA continue to work him over, so Sniper takes a cheap shot, allowing the Truth Commission to turn the tide. Recon misses a flying splash to allow the hot tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! DOA get the pin on Sniper with a DDT at 3:39, but the celebration is short lived, as Kurrgan arrives, wrecking them. ½*
The Twix Rewind is Undertaker and Kane beating up seven JTTS guys last week
DX join us, and WWF European Champion Triple H is gloating about costing Owen Hart the WWF Title last week. His promo work is rapidly improving at this point. Despite being on crutches, HHH challenges Owen to come out and fight him, which draws Owen onto the TitanTron. “This is getting personal,” notes Hart. Just now? He’s giving Hunter a stay of execution, allowing him the time to heal up, just so he can have the pleasure of breaking his other leg, and putting him through the whole process again. This wasn’t a great segment, but it was concise, and had a point
The 1-800-COLLECT Slam of the Week is Vader delivering a flying moonsault on Shotgun Saturday Night
Owen Hart v Savio Vega: Lawler notes that Stu and Helen Hart produced ‘more tragedies than Shakespeare,’ except for Owen, who ‘turned out alright.’ That one feels icky now. Hart with a Thesz-press into mounted punches right away, and a corner whip leads to a ten-punch count. Another cross corner whip rebounds Savio into a backdrop, and Hart goes upstairs with a flying dropkick, as DX show up on the entrance stage. That allows Savio to attack, and a spinkick knocks Owen over the top. Vega rolls him back in to hammer on, but Owen finds a schoolboy for two during a criss cross. Savio cuts him off with another spinkick, however, and he works a chinlock. Hart uses a jawbreaker to escape, so Savio tries another cross corner whip, but Hart springboards with a bodypress for two. Miguel Perez distracts him to allow Savio to knock him back to the outside, and he gets triple teamed out there. Another referee ejects them, just as Savio misses a corner splash, and Hart is able to make a comeback. Spinheel kick sets up the Sharpshooter, but Savio apparently thinks he’s a real star, because he doesn’t submit, even after quite a while. Finally, Hart lets off, and then just finishes with a rollup at 4:06. Why kill Owen’s finisher like that, especially if he’s going over anyway? Afterwards, Savio and his boys get revenge, and deliver Hart to DX for HHH to slap around. *
Paul Bearer shows up, sporting a really weird hairstyle this week. Apparently, Kane has left him after what happened last week, and he’s distraught. He makes a public plea for Kane to come home
In the locker room, Austin beats up Mark Henry
Marc Mero v Tom Brandi: Some guy in the crowd has a sign (written on a pizza box) that notes that ‘Sable is so hot hot.’ Noted. Mero hides behind Sable, and suckers Brandi into a cheap shot. Inside, Marc uses fists of fury, and a clothesline finds the mark, as the crowd gets on Mero’s case by chanting for Sable. Marc goes upstairs, but Brandi shakes the ropes to knock him off, and unloads a ten-punch. Brandi with a 2nd rope bulldog for two, so he takes Marc into the corner for chops, and a backelbow knocks Mero to the outside. He takes Sable out on the bump, and then yells at her about it, of course. That allows Brandi to attack, but he wastes time checking on her, allowing Mero an axehandle from the apron. Marc sends him into the steps for good measure, and delivers a TKO on the way inside - only for Austin to show up and hit him with a stunner before he can get the pin. Brandi is spared, so I guess that means Marc gets the DQ win at 3:49. This wasn’t particularly interesting, and Brandi looked pretty bad, but man, Sable and Austin are over huge. Huge. ½*
Goldust v Flash Funk: Goldust’s appearance this week makes Roddy Piper’s at WrestleMania VI look tasteful by comparison. I’m honestly surprised this didn’t get cut on Peacock. Funk doesn’t find it funny either, and blitzes him at the bell, beating on Goldust until Goldust falls out of the ring and flops. Goldust recovers and delivers a fistdrop, followed by a pointed elbowdrop. Flash comes back with right hands, and a reverse spinheel kick gets two. Flash with a side suplex to set up a dive, but Luna Vachon pushes him off the top for the DQ at 2:34. This was total junk. Which is a shame, since these two could probably have a pretty good match, given some time, and fewer gimmicks. Afterwards, Vader runs in on Goldust, ahead of their Royal Rumble showdown. DUD
Steve Blackman video package
The New Age Outlaws v The Headbangers: The Outlaws' WWF Tag Team title is not on the line. Billy Gunn starts with Mosh, and he immediately powers him into the heel corner for a double team. Thrasher dives in with a flying clothesline on both champions to save, and the Headbangers clean house. The dust settles back on Gunn and Mosh, and Billy grabs a standing headlock. Mosh forces a criss cross, so Billy tries a dropkick, but misses. That allows Mosh an armdrag into an armbar, but Gunn fights free long enough to tag. Unfortunately for Jesse James, he ends up in the same predicament. Tag to Thrasher for a tandem gourdbuster, as the Godwinns show up on the stage to watch. That distraction allows the Outlaws to turn the tide, and Billy side suplexes Thrasher. The Outlaws work him over, and an ugly sequence with both guys trying dropkicks ends leads to the hot tag to Mosh - Roseanne Barr the door. The Headbangers go for the Stage Dive, but it misses, and Billy topples Mosh at 4:49. This was nyet good. Afterwards, Chainsaw Charlie shows up again, chasing the Outlaws away with his chainsaw. ¼*
Don King offers pre-taped comments, announcing that Mike Tyson is still in negotiations to appear at WrestleMania XIV. Apparently, they are close to a deal, and Don is very, very excited
WrestleMania XIV ad
We take a look at clips of the Hell in a Cell match in order to promote the Shawn Michaels/Undertaker match for the WWF Title at the Rumble
WWF Champion Shawn Michaels joins us to call Undertaker out, and, of course, he’s super respectful and kind in his requests. So a bunch of druids wheel out the graffiti covered casket from last week, and Shawn expects Triple H to be inside, but he gets Undertaker instead - the Dead Man dragging Michaels into the casket with him as the show goes off the air
BUExperience: This was an okay show, though it felt like the segments were really repetitive, with some sort of run-in/attack after literally every single match. It’s not a bad booking device, but mix it up a little bit.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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