Original Airdate: February 9, 1998 (taped February 3)
From Evansville, Indiana; Your Host is Jim Ross, with Michael Cole and Kevin Kelly (hour one), and with Jerry Lawler (hour two)
The show opens with Sunny doing a Marilyn Monroe impersonation to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Freddie Blassie. Much better than Goldust doing Marilyn Manson last week, I’ll tell you that
Steve Austin hits the ring, still fuming over the attack from DX last week. He wants a piece of WWF Champion Shawn Michaels right now, but instead of coming out, DX show up on the TitanTron, and make fun of him. They tell him to give them one good reason to actually come out, since there’s nothing on the line. Steve then reveals that he’s stolen the WWF Title belt, and he’s holding it hostage, so there’s your reason. Austin with the Winged Eagle belt was an odd look, it’s good that they changed it up after WrestleMania. As much as I love the classic designs made by Reggie Parks, and as much as they’re still my favorites, they belonged to a different time, and would have been a weird fit in the Attitude Era. The Joe Marshall belts were a much better fit. They weren’t as professional looking, weren’t as polished, looked thrown together at times… and that’s exactly what that era was about
The Legion of Doom v Jeff Jarrett and Barry Windham: Sunny acts as the guest ring announcer for this one. Hawk unloads on Windham to start, and a cross corner whip sets up a backdrop. Clothesline follows, and Thesz-press sets up some mounted punches, so Barry tags out. They’re standing in WCW corners tonight, which is rare and odd. Animal knocks Jeff around next, and a jumping shoulderblock finds the mark. That was loose as hell, though. Barry with a distraction to allow Jeff to knock Animal out of the ring, and the heels make with the cheap shots. Inside, they cut the ring in half on Animal, as the announcers keep talking about how important this match is. Why? Hawk gets the tag, and Roseanne Barr the door. Jeff gets Hawk in the figure four, but Justin Hawk Bradshaw runs in to attack Jarrett, causing a DQ at 4:59. This whole NWA thing is totally dead, and LOD looked really bad (even if everyone in the match was trying). ½*
Backstage, DX strategizes about how to get the title belt back. I like that they actually stop to kick the camera guy out, as opposed to later, when everyone just started pretending the camera wasn’t there
Henry Godwinn v Pierre: They slug it out to start, won by Pierre when he rakes the eyes. Pierre unloads in the corner, and a cross corner whip works, but Godwinn rebounds with a clothesline. Pierre fires back with a clothesline of his own, and he dumps Henry to the outside for a dive, as Ross talks about how the WWF has sold out in Houston, but the Rolling Stones show for that same week hasn’t. That seems like a weird hill to pick to die on, considering that tour was the second highest grossing tour of all time at the time (behind only the bands own tour from a few years earlier). Inside, Pierre with a flying splash for two, and a bodyslam sets up a flying somersault senton splash, but Henry rolls out of the way. That allows Godwinn to make a comeback, so Jacques whacks him with a slop bucket. Pierre covers, so Phineas Godwinn hits Pierre with a bucket, and Henry covers at 4:28. They were working hard, and having a decent hoss fight, but the crowd was completely out of it, which hurt things significantly. *
Backstage, Chyna interrupts Los Boricuas card game, recruiting them to help get the title back from Austin (and in Spanish, in a nice touch)
The Western Union Rewind is the DX/New Age Outlaws beatdown of Austin last week
Taka Michinoku and Aguila v Brian Christopher and El Pantera: Aguila and Pantera start, and Pantera dodges a charge, and takes control. They trade off, and Pantera ends up taking a monkey flip over the top, so Brian comes in without a tag, but gets dumped as well. Aguila with a corkscrew suicada onto both guys on the floor, and then as soon as they get back to their feet, Taka hits them with a springboard flying bodypress! Inside, Pantera catches Taka with a spinheel kick, but a flying moonsault misses, and Taka dropkicks him. Tag to Brian, so Take nails him with a spinheel kick as well, and Aguila tags in. He misses a flying moonsault press, and Brian drops him with a Russian facebuster. Brian adds a 2nd rope dropkick, and a German suplex drops Aguila on his head, but Pantera misses a dive, and Taka gets the tag. He runs wild, so Pantera loads up his mask with knux, and blasts Taka with a flying headbutt at 6:30. Solid enough, but it felt like everyone was one a different page at times, and Pantera looked pretty old and creaky. * ½
Kane and Paul Bearer come out to burn Vader in effigy. In the form of a literal clock with Vader’s picture on the face. See, because ‘Vader Time.’ Yeah, I think I prefer Kane better when he just wrecks stuff
The Footaction Slam of the Week is Rock hitting Tom Brandi with a urnage on Shotgun Satruday Night
Rock and Faarooq v Ken Shamrock and Chainz: Faarooq jumps Chainz to kickstart the match, but he runs into trouble on a corner charge, and Ken tags in to pop him with a jumping backelbow. Ken hammers him with strikes until Faarooq tags out, but Shamrock stays on Rock with a leg lariat, followed by a clothesline. Rock hides out in the corner to buy time, and he passes to Faarooq. Ken armdrags him before passing back to Chainz, and the Nation of Domination quickly trip him up, allowing the heels to turn the tide. Chainz fights Faarooq off long enough for the hot tag to Shamrock, and Roseanne Barr the door! Ken hits Faarooq with a rana and puts him in the anklelock, but Rock absolutely blasts him with a chair, and Faarooq scores the pin at 4:15. Did Rock ever deliver a safe chair shot? Shamrock was looking good here. ¾*
Highlights of this past Thursday’s WrestleMania XIV Press Conference in New York City, where Vince McMahon announced Mike Tyson’s official involvement (enforcer in the main event), and we get great promos from both champion Shawn Michaels, challenger Steve Austin, and Tyson playing his part absolutely perfectly. This whole angle had money written all over it, and everyone was firing on all cylinders here. No wonder this was the turning point for the WWF in the Monday Night Wars
Backstage, Chyna and the Boricuas tear it up, looking for Stone Cold
Steve Blackman v Recon: Recon hammers him to start, but Steve skins the cat to avoid getting tossed over the top, and throws a dropkick. Meanwhile, Jackyl descends from the ceiling on a literal pulpit, cutting a promo as Blackman control the match with his boring offense. Apparently the WWF is engaged in a systematic ‘schmear’ campaign against him. Recon with a legdrop for two, as we all ignore the match to watch Jackyl. Who has nothing interesting to say, by the way. And not only nothing interesting, but the same not interesting trash over and over again as he kills time. Steve tries a slingshot sunset flip for two, but misses a bodypress. That allows Recon a corner whip, but Blackman reverses, and delivers a Russian legsweep. Jackyl is still talking, by the way. And apparently he’s distracting the workers too, as they start repeating spots for no reason. Or, maybe it’s just Jackyl’s influence? Recon misses a dive, allowing Steeve a hold for the submission at 4:28. The match was just background noise for what was a legitimately terrible, terrible segment. ¼*
WWF Tag Team Champions the New Age Outlaws come out to joke around about nearly killing Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie last week. Whatever guilt they were feeling last week is a memory now, and in fact, they even decide to reenact the dumpster ride - complete with Jack and Charlie mannequins. Both guys were great here, loose and funny
Backstage, the joint search for Austin continues. Steve waits until the Boricuas go into a room, and then chains the door shut to trap them!
Goldust v Thrasher: Goldust is still doing his Manson thing this week, unfortunately. They measure each other to start, and Thrasher gets control with a backdrop. Clothesline sends Goldust to the outside, and Thrasher hits him with a springboard backelbow on the way back into the ring. Goldust goes low to shake him off, and a clothesline of his own finds its mark. To the outside, Goldust drops him across the guardrail, and leaves Thrasher out there for Luna Vachon and Marc Mero to abuse. Inside, Goldust uses a bodyslam to set up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop, but Thrasher ducks another clothesline, and throws a bodypress for two. Clothesline, but Thrasher ducks again, and delivers a matslam, so Luna trips him up. That draws Sable out to get in Luna’s face, and the distraction allows Thrasher to schoolboy Goldust at 4:28. ½*
DX hit the ring, and demand Austin return the title belt. Steve is quick to come out, so the Outlaws back DX up, and Steve is suddenly cornered. Chyna steals the title belt back, and Austin is badly outnumbered - when suddenly Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie cut a hole in the mat, and even the odds! Great way to finish the show ahead of the pay per view
BUExperience: Not everything going on in the promotion at this point was a slam dunk, but the good stuff was really good, and it made for a very quick two hours.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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