Original Airdate: September 14, 1998
From San Jose, California; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
Vince McMahon, Undertaker, and Kane are all out as the show opens, but WWF Champion Steve Austin immediately hits the ring. And his pop is tremendous. So Vince is sick of seeing Austin with that title belt, and he’s going to make a guarantee that Steve will no longer have the gold after Breakdown. And he can confidently guarantee that because he’s adding a directive to the match: Undertaker can’t pin Kane, and Kane can’t pin Undertaker to end the bout. Steve responds by going after Vince, but gets creamed by Undertaker and Kane - and he’s unable to fight them both off. This wasn’t a great opening segment, but it served a purpose. Especially since they were out of their usual time slot for the last few weeks, so it makes sense to want to hammer home the main event story points right away
Backstage, Austin throws stuff around, furious
Jesse James v Jeff Jarrett: They actually remind us about the whole lip synching storyline here, which is a nice nod to their own history, something they weren’t always good at in those days. Jeff jumps him to kickstart the match, but Jesse fights him off, and gets a two count. Jarrett wins a criss cross, but loses control quickly, and Jesse delivers a kneedrop for two. Jesse with an inverted atomic drop, and a hotshot into the top turnbuckle leads to an inverted ten-punch count. Don’t see that every day. Jeff with a low blow to shake him off, so Jesse tries a backdrop, but gets blocked. Jeff tries a straddling ropechoke, but misses, and Jesse hits one of his own, so Southern Justice pull him out. That draws Billy Gunn and X-Pac over to brawl with him, and Jeff hits Jesse with a guitar in the chaos - getting the pin at 3:08. This had no flow. ¼*
Backstage, Undertaker and Kane are walking
Backstage, Billy Gunn helps Road Dogg into an ambulance, still suffering the effects of the guitar shot
Backstage, Rock directs the Nation as to where he wants them during his match with Kane, but they give him attitude
Kane v Rock: Rock slugs at him, but runs into a backelbow, and Kane unloads. Big boot, but Rock dodges, and bails to the outside to regroup. Rock manages to sweep Kane from the floor, and he bashes Kane’s leg into the apron a few times, then the post. Back in, Kane catches him with a front-powerslam, and a bodyslam leads to a flying clothesline. “Just like his big brother,” notes Ross. I don’t remember Undertaker doing a lot of flying clotheslines, but maybe that’s just me. It’s not like I watch a lot of wrestling, or anything. Kane misses an elbowdrop, allowing Rock to deliver a floatover DDT, and a swinging neckbreaker gets him two. Kane tries for the tombstone, but the referee gets bumped, allowing Rock to counter to a Russian legsweep. He adds the People’s elbow, but the referee is down, so Undertaker comes in. He chucks Rock over the top, and delivers a beating, but Mankind runs out with a sledgehammer to knock Kane out. Undertaker chases Mankind away, but the damage is done, and Rock covers at 6:10. This was an important match from a storyline point (for both Rock and Mankind’s babyface turns), but it wasn’t much as an actual match. Afterwards, Undertaker calls Mankind out, challenging him to a match later. ¼*
Backstage, Michael Cole catches up with Mankind, who accepts Undertaker’s challenge
Dustin Runnels is out, and still angry that Val Venis hasn’t accepted Jesus into his heart. That draws Val out to unveil his latest film, ‘The Preacher’s Wife,’ which features him in bed with Terri Runnels
Steven Regal vignette. I have no idea what they were going for with turning him into a lumberjack manly man. I honestly can’t remember if it’s one of those deals where we’re supposed to know who he is and pushback against the gimmick, or if they legitimately thought people didn’t know him from WCW
WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Triple H v Owen Hart: HHH works a wristlock right away, but Owen reverses, then hiptosses him. Hunter with a bodyslam, but Owen pops up, so HHH throws a clothesline for two. HHH works another wristlock, so Owen forces a criss cross, and catches him with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Owen with a pair of corner whips, and a backbreaker gets him two. Hart with a gutwrench suplex for two, but Hunter counters a vertical suplex with an inside cradle for two. Owen fires back with a leg-feed enzuigiri for two, and a neckbreaker sets up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. Hart hooks a sleeper, but Hunter manages a side suplex to escape, and both guys are left looking up at the lights. They stagger up, and Hunter throws a series of rights, and delivers a high knee for two. Cross corner whip, but Owen reverses, so Hunter rebounds with a clothesline. Hunter with a kneeling facebuster for two, so Owen throws a spinheel kick. He sets up the Sharpshooter, but gets distracted by Chyna and X-Pac fighting Mark Henry on the outside, and HHH recovers with the pedigree at 5:04. These two always had solid chemistry. Afterwards, Henry throws out a challenge to X-Pac and Chyna for a handicap match later. * ¾
Backstage, Mankind loads up a dumpster with various weapons
Street Fight: Undertaker v Mankind: Undertaker comes in with a sledgehammer, but Mankind slaps on the mandible claw before he can use it. They spill out of the ring to force a break, and Mankind is on him, sending Undertaker into the dumpster. Mankind grabs a ladder, but Undertaker knocks it away from him, and smashes Mankind into the barricade. Undertaker bashes his hand into the steps a few times, and he leans a table against the post, then throws Mankind through it. Inside, Undertaker works him over, and they go back to the outside, where Mankind takes a bump into the dumpster. Undertaker tries breaking his hand with the sledgehammer, but misses, and Mankind is able to fight back with a chair. Undertaker fights him off with a chokeslam as they head back inside, and a tombstone on a chair leaves Mankind for dead. Undertaker isn’t satisfied, and grabs the hammer, but Rock runs in to pull Mankind out. Undertaker chases, and we have a no-contest at 7:37. Undertaker/Mankind has to be one of the biggest hit-or-miss series of matches ever. ¼*
Edge v Gangrel: Edge dives into the ring to kick start the match, and he hits Gangrel with a backdrop from there. Gangrel fights him off, and tries climbing the ropes, but Edge pulls him off the middle with an electric facebuster. Trapping suplex, but Gangrel reverses, and corner whips Edge. Gangrel with a tiger suplex for two, and a bulldog is worth two, but Edge fights him off with a neckbreaker. Edge uses a bodyslam to set up a flying splash, but Gangrel rolls out of the way. Gosh, he dove clear across the ring for that one. Gangrel tries for a DDT, but Edge holds the ropes to block, and he backdrops Gangrel over the top. Edge tries going after him with a suicide dive, but Gangrel sidesteps, and Edge wipes out in dramatic fashion. That allows Gangrel an implant DDT on the floor, and the referee decides to throw out the match at 3:37. This was solid work, but too short to really be anything, and missing a finish on top of things. * ¼
Handicap Match: Mark Henry v X-Pac and Chyna: The referee insists that X-Pac starts the match, but I honestly think Chyna has a better chance. Mark throws X-Pac around with ease, but an avalanche misses, and X-Pac throws strikes in the corner. X-Pac tries a suplex, but can’t get him up, so Chyna comes in for a double suplex for two! X-Pac tries a corner whip, but gets reversed, and Henry follows in with a corner splash. A criss cross ends in Henry delivering a press-drop, but a clothesline misses, and Chyna catches a tag. She spears Mark down for mounted punches, then back to X-Pac for a spinheel kick. X-Pac delivers a bronco buster, so D-lo Brown goes after Chyna. X-Pac saves her, but the reprieve allows Mark to recover, and he powerslams Chyna at 3:22. This was a lot of fun, and the crowd heat was tremendous. *
Backstage, Jacqueline gets ready
The Pennzoil Rewind is clips of the Howard Finkel/Harvey Wippleman Tuxedo match from RAW in January 1995
Evening Gown Match: Sable v Jacqueline: I like how, at this point, they were still trying to keep a hint of class, still calling it an ‘evening gown match’ instead of a ‘bra and panties match’ like it would become later. Sable takes her down, and they slug it out, and I think Jacqueline pops out a few times, because the Network blurs a bunch of shots. Sable with a powerbomb, and she rips the dress off at 1:44. Not much to this one, but there is a plot point after the match, as the camera lingers on the woman we’d come to know as Tori later on in the crowd, starting that angle. DUD
Backstage, Cole catches up with Ken Shamrock, ahead of his title match against Austin. Not much here, just ‘let’s get it on’
WWF Title Match: Steve Austin v Ken Shamrock: Steve charges in to kick start things, but Shamrock holds his own through a slugfest, and lands a leg lariat. Ken adds a clothesline for two, and he takes Austin to the mat in a side-headlock. Steve rolls it into a few pin attempts, then to a vertical base, but Shamrock blocks a side suplex. He takes Austin down in a fujiwara armbar, but Steve quickly shakes it off, and bails to the outside to regroup. Steve sweeps Ken’s leg from the outside, and he bashes it into the post a few times, before coming back in to deliver a clothesline. Austin with a vertical suplex for one, so Steve delivers another suplex for two. Austin with a third vertical suplex, and he pulls Ken onto the apron to nail with an elbow, then back in to cover for two. Steve goes to a mat-based side-headlock, until Ken is able to force a criss cross, when Shamrock wins with a leg lariat. Ken adds a bridging fisherman suplex for two, but a rana gets countered with a powerbomb. Steve adds a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, and a snapmare gets him another two. Steve goes to a chinlock, but Shamrock slugs free, so Austin throws a knee to block him coming out of the ropes. Steve tries for a Boston crab, but Shamrock blocks, so Austin goes for a sleeper instead. Ken reverses, so Austin drops into the corner to shake him off. Up for a superplex, but Shamrock blocks, and dives off the middle with a 2nd rope axehandle - blocked by Austin. They criss cross, ending in Ken hitting a bodypress for two, so Austin goes to the eyes. Steve with another snapmare into another chinlock, but Ken slugs free. Ken runs the ropes, but Steve sidesteps him, and Shamrock takes a bump over the top. Austin follows for a whip into the steps, but Ken reverses, and smashes him into the timekeeper’s table for good measure. Steve tries a piledriver on the floor, but Ken counters with a backdrop, and they go back inside. Shamrock puts the boots to him in the corner, and a cross corner whip works, but following in fails. Steve hammers him in the corner, and uses a cross corner whip of his own, but Ken rebounds with a clothesline. Ken with a vertical suplex for two, and he gets a Boston crab of his own locked. Steve makes the ropes, and catches Ken with a mulekick when Shamrock keeps coming. That allows Austin to stomp a mudhole, but a criss cross results in a double knockout spot. Steve rolls over and covers for two, but Undertaker and Kane come in to attack both guys for a no contest at 12:13. Austin had his working boots on here, and he was working much more like pre-injury heel Austin than his usual brawl focused 1998 matches. And I dug that change of pace! Afterwards, Rock and Mankind run out to back Austin and Shamrock up, and they babyfaces band together to fight the heels off. ***
BUExperience: After a few bad episodes on the out of time slot Saturday shows, this was a great return to form. A good card, and I liked how they set things up as they went along throughout the night. Plus, the main event was an actual wrestling match out of Steve Austin, which you didn’t really see anymore in 1998. Lots to like here.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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