WWF Sunday Night Heat (August 30, 1998)

 

Original Airdate: August 30, 1998

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Jim Ross, Shane McMahon, and Shawn Michaels

LOD 2000 v Too Much: Too Much attack before the bell, and isolate Animal. They work Animal over, and Brian Christopher delivers a bodyslam for two. They try a tandem suplex, but Animal reverses, and throws a double clothesline. Animal clotheslines Brian over the top, and powerslams Scott Taylor. He sets up the Doomsday Device, but Hawk falls off the ropes, and crashes into his partner. That allows Taylor to topple Animal for the pin at 2:15. Oh man, this. ¼*

Backstage, Steve Austin stomps around

Michaels brings Sable out to try and find out who her mystery partner is going to be for the mixed tag tonight. She won’t give it away, but at least tells us who it won’t be: it won’t be any of the Oddities. Yeah, no one cares

Backstage, Austin is still stomping around, brandishing a sledgehammer 

Dustin Runnels v Gangrel: Gangrel attacks before the bell, but telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a facebuster. Dustin with a dropkick, and he tries a charge, but misses, and Gangrel uses an elbowdrop. Dustin keeps control by dumping him across the top rope, but a criss cross ends in Gangrel powerslamming him for two. Dustin goes to the eyes, and grabs a wristlock, then throws a clothesline. Dustin with an inverted atomic drop and another clothesline for two, but Gangrel comes back with the implant DDT at 2:29. The crowd gave them nothing here. ¼*

Backstage, DX arrive

Val Venis and Mario Lopez are beefing

Jeff Jarrett and Southern Justice run out, attacking Howard Finkel, and shaving off his hair

Backstage, Vince McMahon worries that Austin will attack Undertaker with the sledgehammer when Undertaker arrives at the building, and he plans to take the weapon away from Stone Cold to protect the SummerSlam main event

Vader and Bradshaw v Skull and 8-Ball: Vader and Bradshaw nearly come to blows deciding who gets to start, before Vader ultimately does. Skull manages to hit a powerslam and a pair of legdrops before Vader barrels into him, and Bradshaw tags in. Bradshaw misses a clothesline, allowing Skull a jumping clothesline, and a vertical suplex follows. Bradshaw fights back with a short-clothesline, and he tags Vader, but they accidentally collide during a criss cross, and Vader gets schoolboyed at 1:59. DUD

Backstage, Michael Cole hypes the various merchandise on sale 

We get a look at the Lion’s Den cage, set up in the theater adjacent to Madison Square Garden

Vince and his goons confront Austin, trying to take the sledgehammer away from him, but Austin chases them away

The Nation of Domination are out, but before they can speak, DX runs in to attack them. DX manage to clean house, but Rock is able to clip Triple H’s knee ahead of their match later

Backstage, a hearse arrives, so Austin starts teeing off on it with the sledgehammer

BUExperience: Nothing special, but a good final hype show for SummerSlam.