Original Airdate: February 2, 1998
From Indianapolis, Indiana; Your Host is Jim Ross, with Michael Cole and Kevin Kelly (hour one), and with Jerry Lawler (hour two)
We open the show with DX’s State of the Union address, a pre-taped segment with WWF Champion Shawn Michaels and Triple H, where they promise to tone down the language… in a segment filled with bleeps over their expletives. This was funny in 1998, and still holds up today
DX come out, dressed as Uncle Sam, and campaigning for the WrestleMania main event to be changed to Steve Austin v Mike Tyson, with Shawn as the special referee. The crowd seems pretty into that one, which I’m not sure was the intended reaction. Steve isn’t impressed, however, and stomps down to the ring to express his displeasure in person. Steve explains that while he, obviously, can beat up Mike Tyson, he wants the title belt, and that’s a higher priority than some pissing contest with Iron Mike. Austin gets the crowd behind his title chase again in an instant here, and I’m pretty sure this whole distraction (which started last week) was just a ploy to sell out the arena than anything else. And it seemed to work, as Ross mentioned that WrestleMania tickets went on sale earlier in the week, and sold out in just minutes
Earlier today, Mick Foley and Terry Funk discuss legacies. Great segment, with both guys knowing exactly how to connect with an audience
Falls Count Anywhere Match: Cactus Jack v Chainsaw Charlie: Both guys bring dumpsters filled with weapons out with them, and Jack wins a chair duel. They slug it out on the entrance stage, where Jack DDTs him for two. Jack suplexes a ladder onto him, then tries suplexing him onto the ladder, but Charlie hooks a small package to block, and they roll down the ramp in the cradle. Into the ring, Jack brains him with a trash can, but then feels badly, and passes the can to Charlie to nail him back. Charlie obliges, and they trade shots with the weapon for a while. The brawl takes them back onto the stage, where Charlie tries a piledriver, but gets backdropped into one of the dumpsters. Jack slaps a mandible claw on him, then climbs onto the TitanTron, and dives with a flying elbowdrop into the dumpster downed Charlie. With both guys in the dumpster, WWF Tag Team Champions the New Age Outlaws show up, and lock the dumpster shut - then push it off the stage! I guess we’re just calling it a no contest at 10:24, since the announcers are basically selling this like a murder has just occured. I remember this being a huge deal at the time, though it looked pretty tame compared to some of the stuff we’d see in the few years that followed. They do a great job of selling it, though, with a bunch of guys (babyface and heel alike) coming out to try and help, a stretcher job, and even the Outlaws standing around with their hands on their hips, looking ashamed. Sunny, never one to shy away from screen time, is in the scene in tears, holding their hands, and bawling. A good angle, though the match itself was definitely not my cup of tea. The segment was super long here, running about a half hour with commercials. ½*
Backstage, the Outlaws think they may have went too far, and their voices are even cracking as they try to speak. They’re close to full on apologizing, when DX rush over to get in their heads, telling them that ‘if it wasn’t them, it would be you.’ This is all very good, with realistic characters, reactions, and motivations
WWF European Title Match: Owen Hart v Billy Gunn: We’re already into hour two here. Owen rushes in to kick start the match, and delivers a backdrop, before clotheslining Gunn over the top. Hart with a baseball slide and a plancha (with Billy nearly failing to catch him), and Owen whips him into the steps out there. Hart with a vertical suplex on the floor, and he puts the boots to Billy on the way inside. Turnbuckle smash rattles Gunn, but Billy manages to snap his throat across the top rope to buy time, and he chokes Owen down. Neckbreaker gets the challenger two, but a dropkick misses, and Hart goes for the Sharpshooter! Gunn goes to the eyes to block, and cross corner whips him to set up a side suplex for two. Gunn hooks a front-facelock, but Hart blocks another corner whip with a springboard bodypress for two. Gunn tries a sunset flip, but Hart kicks out at one, and uses the momentum to counter to the Sharpshooter, so Jesse James runs in for the DQ at 5:35. Afterwards, DX join the Outlaws for a beat down on Owen, and DX encourage them to throw Owen off of the stage as well. The Outlaws nearly do it, too, before officials run out to put a stop to it. Another good segment, with the Outlaws both doing a strong and subtle job of playing up how much DX are influencing them, like kids on the schoolyard. *
Michael Cole calls in from the hospital, where doctors are working on Foley and Funk
Marc Mero v Mosh: Mero chews Sable out for ‘stealing his spotlight,’ and sends her to the back, before bringing out Goldust (as Marilyn Manson) to watch his back. Between this and all the Clinton/Lewinsky references this week, this episode is like the ultimate 1998 time capsule. Mero attacks from behind, and backelbows Mosh down. He dumps Mosh to the outside for Goldust to attack, but Thrasher chases him off. Inside, Mero with a sitout powerbomb, and he unloads in the corner. Cross corner whip, but Mosh reverses, and delivers a powerslam. Backdrop follows, and a dropkick finds the mark. Ten-punch count, so Goldust interferes, but Mosh fights him off. He hits Mero with an avalanche, but gets distracted by Goldust again, and Marc delivers a low blow to set up a schoolboy at 2:25. ½*
Barry Windham and Bradshaw cut dueling promos via split screen. Insert WrestleMania V ‘explode’ joke here
Tiger Ali Singh is crazy rich, but wants to be the ultimate fighter. I guess that’s one way to try and beat WCW: steal from Must See TV
Faarooq v Chainz: Faarooq attacks before the bell, but a cross corner whip backfires, with Chainz rebounding with a clothesline. Powerslam follows for two, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Faarooq matslams him. Faarooq with a vertical suplex for two, so he works a reverse chinlock, but Chainz makes the ropes, and delivers an electric chair. Splash looks to follow, but Faarooq lifts his knees to block, and then corner whips him to set up a clothesline for two. Chinlock, as Cole calls in from the hospital with another update. Faarooq with a bodyslam to set up a dive, but it misses, and Chainz hammers him. Kama Mustafa tries to help, but ends up tripping Faarooq up, and Faarooq gets counted out at 3:34. They were trying here. Afterwards, the Nation nearly come to blows, but Farrooq ultimately cools everyone down. ¾*
The Western Union Rewind is Kurrgan wrecking some jobber on Shotgun Saturday Night
Jeff Jarrett and Barry Windham v Flash Funk and Justin Hawk Bradshaw: Jeff attacks Bradshaw from behind, but Hawk fights him off with a big boot, and passes to Flash. Funk tries a bodyslam, but Jeff reverses. He stops to strut, allowing Flash to come back with a dropkick, and he adds a jumping clothesline. Tag to Bradshaw, but he wastes times going after Barry, and the Rock ‘n’ Roll Express attack Flash. They leave him unconscious on the floor, as Bradshaw still somehow manages to stay in control of the match in the midst of all that. He works Jeff over, so the Express trip him up, and that allows the heels to turn it around. They work Bradshaw over, but he blocks a tandem backdrop attempt, and feeds Jeff a clothesline at 6:04. This dragged on for too long. Afterwards, the NWA gang up for a beatdown on Bradshaw, with Funk still out, and unable to save. ¾*
WrestleMania XIV ad
Wink Collins comes out to announce to the live crowd that WrestleMania sold out in just ninety seconds - a new WWF record. No idea if that’s true or not, but it was definitely a hot ticket. The funny part is, I was so tired of the promotion after Montreal that this period was probably the nadir of my years as an active fan (1994-2001), though I would come around again after ‘Mania. Kane comes out to give Wink the tombstone treatment, but Vader comes out to make the save with a fire extinguisher
Steve Austin is having a drink of water ahead of his match
Meanwhile, Jesse James takes a bath with a cup of water
Jesse James v Steve Austin: Austin stomps Billy Gunn on his way to the ring, and then feeds Jesse the steps and the announce table when James goes after him. Inside, but Gunn runs in, and there’s a quick DQ at all of 0:29. DX hit the ring as soon as the bell sounds to help gang up on Stone Cold, and we get yet another beatdown on the show tonight. This one is the source of the famous image of Austin, tied in the ropes, looking wild eyed as Shawn taunts him with the title belt. The beat down continues, until Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie - still in hospital gowns - make the save! This was just an angle - but a good one! DUD
BUExperience: This was a pretty major episode, with lots of big and memorable angles, even if the actual wrestling was pretty terrible
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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