Original Airdate: October 5, 1998 (taped September 29)
From East Lansing, Michigan; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
WWF European Title Match: X-Pac v D-lo Brown: Right down to business this week, I like it! Brown tries to blitz him, but X-Pac sees it coming, and lands a spinkick. He tries a whip into the ropes, but Brown reverses, and powerslams him to set up a legdrop. Brown with a leg lariat for two, and he grounds the champion in a chinlock, as someone hops the barricade to serve Chyna with papers again. Mark Henry chuckles about it from across the ring, as Brown holds the chinlock so we can let the ringside drama play out. X-Pac escapes with a side suplex to set up an elbowdrop, but D-lo dodges, and delivers a 2nd rope kneedrop for two. Brown with a sidewalk slam for two, and a bodyslam sets up a flying frog splash, but X-Pac dodges. X-Pac throws right hands, and a spinheel kick finds the mark. A jumping clothesline follows, and the champion adds a bronco buster. Cue Henry tripping him up, so X-Pac tries to hit him with a plancha, but gets caught, and posted. That allows D-lo the flying frog splash at 5:20. Well, he had only himself to blame for that one. * ¾
Vince McMahon is at the hospital, chewing out the nurses for bringing him the wrong type of juice
Earlier today, the Oddities played football
The Headbangers v Insane Clown Posse: The Headbangers are out, and they’re sick of the ICP, and challenge them to a match, with the Posse accepting - giving us this impromptu showdown. The Headbangers destroy them in violent fashion, complete with some serious chair shots, until the Oddities finally chase them off at about 2:00. I like this new, more aggressive version of the Headbangers. DUD
Vince is still ornery at the hospital
The nurse returns with the correct juice, and notes that Vince has a visitor. McMahon reminds her that it’s only family, but Mankind makes his way in anyway, complete with balloons and candy. And he promises Vince some ‘female entertainment,’ which ends up being a clown instead of a stripper. Vince is less than impressed, so Mankind introduces another guest - the historically significant debut of Mr. Socko! Vince is even less impressed with that, and kicks them all out. This segment became legendary for good reason, it was incredible. And it introduced Mr. Socko to the world, a character that still endures until this day. Who would have guessed that?
Backstage, Sable gets dolled up
Marc Mero v Vader: Sable is out to do guest commentary, and there’s a woman behind the desk that is really eyeing her up, which we’d later come to know as Tori. Marc sticks and moves, but runs into a bodyblock during a criss cross, and hits the deck like a ton of bricks. Nice spot, nice sell. Mero bails, so Vader chases, but Mero hides behind Jacqueline. Marc shoves her right into Vader’s gut (head first, poor girl, the stench), and Marc tees off. Inside, Mero with a kneelift, and a clothesline follows. Marc with a slingshot splash, but Vader gets his knees up to block, and he delivers an avalanche. Vader with a short-clothesline, and a regular clothesline sets up a splash for two. That draws Jackie in with a dive, but Vader catches her. The distraction allows Mero to recover with a low blow, and a flying shooting star press finishes at 4:10. This couldn’t really get its footing, but it was okay on general principle. Afterwards, Jackie challenges Sable to get in the ring, and Sable accepts, but Mero cuts her off. Sable slaps him after he makes a nasty sexual remark, but Jackie nails her, and pulls out a pair of scissors to cut off a chunk of Sable’s hair. ¾*
Over at the hospital, Vince is refusing to have his temperature taken orally. The signs were always there
Steven Regal vignette
Owen Hart v Edge: Owen comes out in street clothes, and refuses to wrestle, still all broken up over injuring Dan Severn last week. So he forfeits, and walks away, tears in his eyes. This whole angle still feels really icky to me after what happened between Hart and Steve Austin at SummerSlam the year before.
Backstage, Ken Shamrock warms up
The 10-10-321 Rewind is Steve Austin busting into the arena on a zamboni last week
Backstage, Michael Cole catches up with Owen as he’s leaving the building, but Hart refuses to speak to him
Kane v Ken Shamrock: Ken tries striking from a distance to gain control early on, but gets nailed with a big right from Kane to slow him down. Backelbow, but Shamrock dodges, and grabs the leg for a takedown. Kane quickly fights him off, so Shamrock tries a bodypress, but gets caught in a backbreaker. Kane with a cross corner whip, and he hammers Ken in the corner, but misses a big boot. That allows Ken a dropkick, but a rana gets countered with a powerbomb. Kane with a variety of chokes, and a short-clothesline gets him two. Another clothesline, and a bodyslam gets Kane two. Kane goes to a modified chinlock from there, but Shamrock slugs free, so Kane throws a knee, and adds an elbowdrop for two. Back to the chinlock, but Ken escapes again, so Kane throws the big boot, as Undertaker makes his way out. Another big boot, but Shamrock ducks it this time, and clips the leg. Ken makes a comeback, and he manages the rana this time, but Kane pops right back up. Ken goes for the arm, but Kane blocks him with a short-clothesline, and he heads to the top. That draws Undertaker onto the apron, and he ‘accidentally’ shakes the top rope to crotch Kane. That allows Shamrock a belly-to-belly superplex for the pin at 7:10. This was rough. ½*
Backstage, Val Venis is making movies with Terri Runnels
Val Venis v Gangrel: Gangrel wins a criss cross to start, but a second one goes Val’s way with a rotating spinebuster. Val with a pair of short-knees into a Russian legsweep, and he adds mounted punches. Backdrop, but Gangrel blocks, and delivers a trapping suplex for two. Val shoots back with a schoolboy for two, and a big boot follows. Cross corner whip, but Gangrel reverses, and manages a backdrop on the rebound, then throws a clothesline. Edge shows up at ringside to confront Christian (billed as his ‘brother’ at this point), so Gangrel leaves the ring to attack Edge - getting counted out in the process at 2:36. There wasn’t much to this one. Afterwards, Goldust’s movie usher is out, handing Val a gold envelope. We don’t get to see what it says, but Venis looks shocked by whatever it is, and Goldust comes over the PA system, promising to see Val next week. Val acts allterrified by this, but didn’t he just trounce Dustin a few weeks ago? Just because he puts on a gold bodysuit, suddenly he’s a threat? I hate shit like that. ¼*
Back at the hospital, Vince is now complaining about the nurse’s ‘non gentle’ touch, and demands a new nurse. But after she gets him something for the pain
Jeff Jarrett v Al Snow: They trade off early, won by Al with a series of trapping headbutts, punctuated by a clothesline. Another clothesline dumps Jarrett over the top, and Snow follows. He grabs a chair, but Jarrett knocks it away from him, as Sgt. Slaughter shows up to talk to the referee. Al manages to send Jeff into the barricade, and he springboards off of the chair to hit Jeff with a leg lariat. Al gets distracted by Slaughter’s presence, allowing Jarrett to blast him with the chair from behind, and Jeff feeds him the steps for good measure. Inside, Jeff throws fists, but Al responds in kind, and adds a leg-feed enzuigiri. I always find it endearing how proud JR sounds every time he says ‘enzuigiri.’ Al with a bodyslam, and he goes to the top, but Slaughter shakes the ropes to crotch him, and the referee calls a DQ at 4:18. Well, it worked for Undertaker, you can’t blame him for trying. ½*
Backstage, DX make their way through the hallways
Jesse James v Mark Henry: Billy Gunn is still not back in the fold, so Road Dogg has both tag belts, and brings a blow up doll out to ‘represent’ Billy. Not exactly doing a great job of trying to patch things up there. In a nice touch, Tori is still sitting behind the announce desk, despite the Sable segment being long over. They used to be much better about that sort of thing. Meanwhile, Lawler has gotten a hold of the paper Chyna shredded at ringside earlier, and he’s pieced it together: Henry is suing her for ‘sexual harassment.’ Jesse sticks and moves early, but gets caught in a powerslam, and Henry corner whips him. Listening Ross and Lawler discuss what constitutes sexual harassment - in 1998 - is worth the price of admission here alone. ‘She stuck her ass in his face!’ ‘And you call that sexual harassment?’ And the crazy part is that Ross said the second line! Chyna comes out to confront Henry, allowing X-Pac to sneak in and attack, and James pins Mark at 3:37. This was a total ‘nothing’ as a match, it was all about the various storylines. And that’s fine, considering it’s TV. DUD
Backstage, Rock is looking annoyed
Back at the hospital, Vince is calling out for more juice, but instead of a nurse with his juice, he gets a ‘doctor’ with his ‘ass kicking’ - specifically Steve Austin dressed up as a doctor, and going to town. This whole segment is tremendous, and Vince opting for tighty whities makes it all the more hilarious and perfect
Undertaker v Rock: Undertaker rushes in and goes to work, drawing D-lo and Mark out for support. That allows Rock to clothesline Undertaker over the top, and he follows, whipping Undertaker into the steps out there. Kane heads down as they go back inside, which distracts Rock enough for Undertaker to chokeslam for two. Brown and Henry decide to leave rather than interact with Kane, and Undertaker works a chinlock. Undertaker continues to work him over in dull fashion, and a big boot gets him two. Ropewalk forearm, but Rock blocks, and comes back with a swinging neckbreaker for two. Rock with a Russian legsweep to set up the People’s elbow, but no cover is made. Undertaker cross corner whips him, but the charge in gets blocked, and Rock unloads. Undertaker tries another corner whip, but Rock reverses this time, and the referee gets bumped in the process. A criss cross leaves both men looking up at the lights, but Undertaker is up first. He tries a whip into the ropes, but gets reversed, and Kane whacks Undertaker with a chair as he hits the ropes! That allows Rock to deliver the uranage, but there’s no referee to make the count. Rock goes to revive him, but Undertaker recovers in the meantime, and delivers a tombstone on a chair. Cover, and the groggy referee counts three at 12:50. These two never had any chemistry, and never would have any. Two great talents that just couldn’t click. ¼*
BUExperience: Everything with Vince at the hospital was absolute gold, with people who understood their characters, and knew how to get mileage out of everything they did. The rest wasn’t especially important, but everything had a direction, and I was never bored. And, anyway, you can’t fill the whole episode with giant hit segments, then nothing sticks out. A good episode by any metric.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
