WWF Sunday Night Heat (October 18, 1998)

 

Original Airdate: October 18, 1998

From Chicago, Illinois; Your Hosts are Jim Cornette and Shane McMahon

Bradshaw v Steve Blackman: Bradshaw with a knee to allow him a headlock, but Steve forces a criss cross, and throws a dropkick. Steve with a belly-to-belly suplex to set up a seated backelbow, and a superkick puts Bradshaw on the outside. Bradshaw hustles right back in, but Blackman slugs him. Bodypress, but Bradshaw catches him in a fallaway slam, and adds a big boot. Bradshaw with a bodyslam to set up a pair of elbowdrops for two, and a short-clothesline follows. Bradshaw tries a powerbomb, but Blackman backdrops to block, so Bradshaw turnbuckle smashes him. Bradshaw with a cross corner whip, but Steve reverses, and uses a snap suplex for two. Bradshaw tries a big boot, but Blackman ducks, and lands a jumping backelbow, followed by a bicycle kick at 2:54. Short, but solid, and effective. Afterwards, Blue Blazer shows up, attacking Blackman. *

Earlier today, Paul Bearer was fat

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Golga, Kurrgan, and Giant Silva v Miguel Perez, Jose Estrada, and Jesus Castillo: The crowd is dead silent here. It’s almost eerie. They do wake up for the finish, which sees Golga hit his running sitdown splash at 2:31. Afterwards, the Headbangers run out to attack the Insane Clown Posse, but the New Age Outlaws save. Gosh, how weak are the Oddities that another stable needs to make their saves for them? DUD

Backstage, Bearer continued to be fat

Faarooq v Godfather: Faarooq turns down the ho’s… and, frankly, can’t blame him with those two. They couldn’t do better in Chicago?! Faarooq beats Godfather to the outside, which draws D-lo Brown and Mark Henry out to hang out at ringside. Faarooq hits a boot while trying an avalanche, and Godfather clotheslines him, then delivers a turnbuckle smash. Godfather with a corner whip, but his own charge in gets blocked, and Faarooq bodyslams him for two. Godfather reverses him into the ropes, and delivers a powerslam for two, but a legdrop misses. That allows Faarooq to go upstairs, but Godfather knocks him off, and delivers a shoulderblock at 1:56. They were just going through the motions here. Afterwards, Brown and Henry attack Faarooq… and then beat up Godfather as well, until Rock makes the save. And then Jackyl shows up, whispering something to Faarooq in the aisle. ¼*

Michael Cole catches up with Bearer backstage, who claims he’s just here to enjoy the show, and nothing else. And probably use the toilets, after the damage he did at the catering table earlier

Jeff Jarrett v Scorpio: Val Venis is out to do commentary here, and he decides to talk politics. Oh, fun. Scorpio wins a reversal sequence with a hiptoss, and a dropkick follows, as Goldust’s usher arrives to deliver a gift to Val. Scorpio misses a flying bodypress, allowing Jeff to clothesline him over the top, and he adds a baseball slide, as Val opens the box, finding a gold colored protective cup. He storms off, as Jeff leaps with a flying bodypress for two, and he ground Scorpio in a chinlock. Scorpio escapes, and lands a kick for two, but the referee gets bumped on a reversal sequence. That draws Al Snow out to help him recover, and the crowd loses their shit for him. I do not remember him being that over, wow. Anyway, his presence distracts Jarrett, and Scorpio sunset cradles at 3:43. This was a lot of nothing. ¼*

Backstage, Steve Austin arrives at the building, but gets cut off by the stooges, who send him away from the regular dressing room, and put him with the referees. That’s great, and showing that the referees’ ‘dressing room’ is a literal storage closet is a nice touch

Ken Shamrock is out to collect his new WWF Intercontinental title belt from former champion Triple H, with Mr. McMahon’s stooges overseeing things to make sure there’s no trouble. And, also, to use this as an example for Austin for later, in the Judgment Day main event. So HHH hands over the belt without incident, and then tells Ken to ‘suck it’ from a safe distance. Weak

Backstage, Vince McMahon rolls around in his wheelchair 

Backstage, an angry Shamrock attacks HHH as Hunter gets into his car - smashing HHH’s leg with the car door

Vince is out, and he makes a last minute plea for Austin to cooperate tonight. All he’s asking is for Steve to do what everyone in the crowd tonight does every day of their lives: bend to the will of their boss, and do as they’re told. Great job by Vince here, especially by reminding everyone of the underlying theme of the angle

Backstage, Austin smashes up furniture 

BUExperience: This accomplished everything it needed to.