Original Airdate: March 30, 1998
From Albany, New York; Your Host is Jim Ross, with Michael Cole (hour one), and with Jerry Lawler (hour two)
Vince McMahon comes out with a brand new WWF Title belt, ready to crown new champion Steve Austin to open the show. I remember being super disappointed when they retired the Winged Eagle belt at the time (which remains my favorite design of all time), but man, that one has grown on me too over the years. And, honestly, swapping out the Hulkamania era designs for updated ones (and with little sentimentality) was the right call. This era was the first to really get out of the shadow of Hulk Hogan, and it needed its own symbols. So, Vince lets Austin know that he’s proud of him, and he’s ready to accept him as his champion, but Steve doesn’t want his approval, and clarifies that he’s not going to allow Vince to ‘mold him’ like he did past champions. Speaking of jumping out of shadows, Steve immediately clarifying that this title reign isn’t going to be another Diesel or Shawn Michaels deal with him kissing babies and such was another major step in the right direction. Vince responds by letting Austin know that he can do thing the ‘easy way or the hard way,’ and you can guess how that ends for him. Great segment, and with that, we’re off to the races
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LOD 2000 v Jose Estrada and Jesus Castillo: Sunny’s LOD outfit is one of her best, and that’s saying something. LOD put this away quickly with the Doomsday Device at 0:35. A quick squash was good booking to reintroduce them to those who missed the pay per view, but they really weren’t gone long enough for the repackaging to mean anything. Not unlike when they made a ‘return’ at WrestleMania VIII, just weeks after last appearing. DUD
Backstage Kevin Kelly reports that Vince has called the police on Austin
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Backstage, Kelly reports that Austin has been made aware that the police are on the way, but said that Vince “doesn’t have the balls” to have him arrested. Say what you will about the WWF’s booking at times during this period, but they hit every note perfectly with Austin
Kurrgan v Chainz: Chainz stupidly tries a standing side-headlock on a guy a foot taller than him, and that ends badly. Chainz tries some clotheslines, but Kurrgan absorbs them, and drills him with one of his own. Avalanche, but Chainz dodges, and manages a big boot. Another, but Kurrgan reverses, and uses a clawhold to pin him at 2:14. DUD
The police arrive out in the garage, where Vince greets them, leading them towards Austin’s dressing room
Jeff Jarrett v Aguila: Jeff rides a horse out, since they apparently have absolutely no idea how to book him for this era. I’m not saying the NWA angle was the best use of him, but was there really no other option besides regressing to his 1994 gimmick? Jeff attacks before the bell, and delivers a swinging neckbreaker. Clothesline follows, as Tennessee Lee sits in on commentary. Jarrett with a straddling ropechoke, and a cross corner clothesline connects. Jeff with a hanging vertical suplex, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Aguila manages a spinheel kick. Aguila with a clothesline, and a bodyslam sets up a flying corkscrew senton splash, but Jarrett dodges. That allows him the figure four at 2:38. This wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t really work. Afterwards, Steve Blackman runs in, attacking Jarrett. ½*
Backstage, the cops haul a defiant Austin off, with Steve trying to attack McMahon even while in cuffs
VInce comes out to explain his decision to the fans, and basically he wants respect! He’s smart! Not dumb, like people says
Backstage, WWF European Champion Triple H is in a mood, and promises a big announcement tonight
Backstage, the Nation of Domination cut a promo on Ken Shamrock. This marks the debut of another new title belt in Rock’s Intercontinental gold. Though it went through some changes over the years, that basic design lasted a very long time. I don’t like it as much as the Hulkamania era version, but it’s another design that’s grown on me over the years
Rock and Faarooq v Ken Shamrock and Steve Blackman: They don’t really make much note of how Faarooq failed to save Rock from Shamrock at WrestleMania, surprisingly. Rock and Ken start, but Rock stalls for a while, before just passing to Faarooq. Faarooq hits him with a powerslam, but a clothesline misses, and Ken puts him down with a series of strikes. Tag to Blackman for a bicycle kick, but Faarooq dodges, and suplexes him. Faarooq adds a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop, but Steve dodges, and sidekicks him. Steve with a snapmare to set up a fistdrop, and Ken tags in with a clothesline. Dropkick follows, and Steve tags in with one of his own for two. They keep control of Faarooq with quick tags, but Shamrock runs into a spinebuster, and Faarooq inches for the tag - only for Rock to pull away from him. Rock walks out, allowing Ken to recover with a belly-to-belly suplex at 4:21. This was actually pretty fun, though it was more about the angle than the actual wrestling anyway. Afterwards, Faarooq calls Rock out to answer for his actions, and Rock actually comes out to face him, but the rest of the Nation break it up before it gets too far. Faarooq isn’t happy about that, so the rest of the group turn on him, Rock officially usurping him as leader. *
The 10-321 Rewind is Kane tombstoning Pete Rose at WrestleMania
Triple H and Chyna hit the ring, and HHH quickly puts the blame for Mike Tyson on Shawn Michaels, neatly writing Michaels out of the storyline. He notes that this is the start of the next chapter for DX, and with that, introduces X-Pac as the newest member, in what was the first major defection of a WCW guy to the WWF. Yeah, Jeff Jarrett came first, but he wasn’t an nWo guy, and wasn’t immediately given a spot in the top group like X-Pac. His return is treated similarly to Jeff’s, though, as the first thing he does is cut a shoot promo on WCW. This was a big deal. You wouldn’t think so, considering X-Pac wasn’t the most major player in either promotion before this, but it connected with the audience, and also served to turn DX into babyfaces one night after being the biggest heels in the promotion. No small feat
The Bop-It Slam of the Week is Sable powerbombing Luna Vachon at WrestleMania
Val Venis vignette, as the more adult oriented direction forges on
Taka Michinoku v Marc Mero: Taka's WWF Light Heavyweight title is not on the line. Speaking of the more adult direction, before the bell, Luna shows up, challenging Sable (who she calls a ‘slut’ twice) to an Evening Gown match at Unforgiven, which Sable quickly accepts. Taka sneaks up on Marc with a spinheel kick, followed by a dropkick. Mero fights back with a powerbomb, and unloads with jabs, as Lawler starts working himself up about the Evening Gown match. Marc with a pop-up flapjack, and he chokes Michinoku down. Sable protests the cheating, allowing Taka a schoolboy for two, but Mero pops him down low, and TKOs him at 1:35. Afterwards, three men run out of the crowd to attack Taka, in the surprise debut of Kaientai. ¼*
NWA World Tag Team Title Match: The Headbangers v The New Midnight Express: Before the match, Jim Cornette introduces NWA World Champion Dan Severn as the newest member of his stable. Dan immediately looks like a boss, and probably should have been a bigger deal than he ended up becoming. The crowd is completely dead for the actual match here, as they go through the motions, ending in the Express using a cheap shot to put Thrasher down for a rocket launcher at 3:59. This whole angle was death for all involved, and it’s something of a miracle that Bob Holly eventually recovered. No one else did, though. Afterwards, Severn comes in to wreck the Headbangers for fun. ½*
Austin uses his one phone call from jail to call into the show to threaten Vince. Apparently next week will not be a very fun night for McMahon. “I may even make a house call, like I’ve done in the past”
Kane and Paul Bearer come out, challenging Undertaker to an Inferno match at Unforgiven. Yep, another Attitude Era staple, as they up the ante with the style of gimmick matches. This was a good and necessary segment, giving Kane some, ahem, heat back after jobbing to Undertaker the night before
Earlier today, doctors attended to the giant bruise on Chainsaw Charlie’s leg
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WWF Tag Team Title Cage Match: The New Age Outlaws v Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie: This is for the vacant title, held up after Jack and Charlie’s win was invalidated over using the wrong dumpster the night before. Jesse James is wearing JOB Squad t-shirt here, which is I guess where that started. The Outlaws dominate to start, but the babyfaces quickly turn it away, and hang Billy Gunnin a tree of woe off the top of the cage. Gunn fights back by backdropping Jack into the cage, and he produces a pair of handcuffs, locking Charlie to the bars of the cage. That allows the Outlaws to double team Cactus, but Jack fights back with a double DDT, and sends Billy into the cage with a catapult. Jesse gets chucked next, and Jack climbs to the top rope to try a dive, but Billy is on his tail. Jack crotches him on the top, and starts climbing over, when DX show up. X-Pac nails Jack with a chair, and the Outlaws spike piledrive Cactus onto it for the pin at 4:38. Afterwards, the new DX do an nWo-like beatdown to close the show, serving as an official induction of the Outlaws into the group. This was a little messy on the booking side, as the Outlaws were the heels, and DX are kinda babyfaces now, but they’re acting like heels here. Luckily, they’d get all that figured out soon after, which is good because they already had the Nation, and didn’t need another heel stable. Plus, Mick Foley ended up turning heel anyway almost right after this. ¼*
BUExperience: This was a great, great episode, loaded with huge, memorable moments, and lots of good energy.
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