Original Airdate: November 16, 1998
From Lexington, Kentucky; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
Vince and Shane McMahon lead their entourage out, gloating over their master plan, and how well it went off at Survivor Series. After a few good rounds of rubbing our faces in it, they introduce new WWF Champion Rock. The crowd is furious at them all, and it’s wonderful. Rock clarifies that it’s more than just business, it’s personal too: he hasn’t forgotten the ‘die, Rocky, die’ chants. Vince wants to relive the moment on the TitanTron, but instead of firing the video McMahon wants, we see Steve Austin arriving at the building. Austin joins us in the ring, and has some footage of his own: of when Shane promised that Austin would get a title shot the night after Survivor Series. And he intends to collect, or else hold Vince legally liable - complete with having Judge Mills Lane review the paperwork
Six-Man Tag Team Match: X-Pac, Billy Gunn, and Jesse James v Kurrgan, Golga, and Giant Silva: Gunn hammers Kurrgan into the corner to start, but eats a big boot as they criss cross. Billy manages to clip the leg, and he passes to Jesse for a kneedrop for two. Kurrgan fights back with a scrapbuster, and he passes to Golga for a tandem clothesline. Golga with a corner splash, and a bodyslam sets up a 2nd rope elbowdrop, but Jesse moves. That allows a tag to Gunn, and he delivers a rocker dropper for two - Roseanne Barr the door! Shaggy 2 Dope tries diving in, but accidentally hits Golga, and Billy covers at 2:40. X-Pac and Silva didn’t even tag in here. Afterwards, the Headbangers run out to attack Jesse, but get chased off pretty quickly. ¼*
Mankind arrives at the building, losing his shit over losing his spot in the loving McMahon embrace
In Vince’s office, the Corporation plot to take Mankind out, before he can screw up their plans for the main event
WWF Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock is out, and he’s calling Big Boss Man out, upset that Boss Man cost him in the tournament. And, since he doesn’t think Boss Man is man enough, he’ll even put up the title, to sweeten the pot
Val Venis v Mark Henry: A slugfest to start, won by Venis with a clothesline. Val puts the boots to him, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a belly-to-belly suplex. Venis bails, but Henry is on his tail, and rams him into the apron, then the post. Inside, Venis throws right hands, and manages another clothesline. Val with a pair of short-knees into a Russian legsweep, and he adds mounted punches. Mark fires back with a pop-up press-drop, as Chyna arrives on the stage. Looking different. That distracts Henry, and Venis schoolboys at 2:37. Henry brushes it off, since he’s so excited to see Chyna. He offers to take her out to dinner (“no sex”), but she just walks away. D-lo Brown’s reaction to all of this is hilarious. ½*
Backstage, Stone Cold gets himself a drink
In McMahon’s office, Pat Patterson reports that he has been unable to locate Mankind, so Vince sends Gerald Brisco out to get it done
Jeff Jarrett and Blue Blazer v Goldust and Steve Blackman: Jeff and Goldust start, and a criss cross ends in Goldust delivering an elbowdrop, then a clothesline. Jeff tries a backdrop, but gets blocked, and Steve tags in. Jeff fights him off, and lands a dropkick, before passing to Blazer. Steve wins a criss cross with a clothesline, then lands a shoulderblock, and a bicycle kick for the pin at 1:54. Well, that was abrupt. Afterwards, Blackman goes for the mask, but Owen Hart runs in to prevent him from getting it off. DUD
In the office, Brisco reports that he went down to the boiler room, but there were ‘weird noises,’ and he got scared. So Sgt. Slaughter volunteers to do it himself. Frankly, dark noises should fear Gerald Brisco
In the office, Slaughter reports that he couldn’t find Mankind either
Godfather v Steven Regal: Regal takes the offer for the hoes (“I may be from England, but my name’s not Elton John”), and it’s unnerving to hear Regal speaking in a cockney accent. In character, but weird nonetheless. But then Godfather calls him a very bad word (one that implies that Regal is like Elton John), and Regal charges to brawl. They slug it out on the floor, but apparently we’re not getting an actual match. I guess that ho acceptance was legally binding.
Out in the parking lot, Kane stalks around, beating up random passerby
In the office, McMahon pumps Boss Man up for his match with Shamrock
The Glover Rewind is Shane screwing Austin at Survivor Series
WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Ken Shamrock v Big Boss Man: Boss Man charges in, but Ken stomps him. Ken with a backelbow and a roundhouse kick, and the champ grabs the nightstick, but the referee intervenes. That allows Boss Man to clobber him, and he adds some ropechokes. To the outside, Ken fights him off, and a cross corner whip rebounds Boss Man into a clothesline as they head back inside. Ken tries going to town in the corner, but Boss Man fights him off, and delivers an avalanche, then a corner clothesline. Boss Man with a spinebuster for two, but a corner splash misses, and Shamrock dropkicks him out of the ring. Ken follows with an axehandle from the apron, but Boss Man chokes him into the corner on the way inside. Ken turns the tables, but the referee gets bumped, and he throws the match out at 3:59. This was energetic. Afterwards, Vince comes out, and gives Ken a sales pitch to join the Corporation. McMahon is incredible in this role, and it can’t be overstated how integral he was to the WWF’s success during this period. No one else could have played that part like he did. Shamrock accepts, and the Corporation has its newest member/champion. ¾*
Outside, Kane is still causing trouble
The New Legion of Doom v Gangrel and Edge: LOD kick start the match, and things settle on Droz and Gangrel. Droz dominates, but Gangrel goes to the eyes, and passes to Edge. They double team for a while, but Droz catches Edge with a powerslam for two, as Hawk comes out. Animal tags in with a powerbomb, as Hawk starts climbing the TitanTron. That distracts LOD, and they abandon the match at 2:15. This was just treading water, ahead of the angle. So Hawk climbs to the very top of the Tron, and is threatening suicide over being replaced by Droz. Even Paul Ellering comes out as they try to talk him down, but he isn’t going for it, so Droz climbs up to try his hand. Literally, as he tries to ‘grab’ Hawk, but ends up shoving him off! It’s left ambiguous as to whether he was trying to save or kill him, and Hawk falls behind the screen, so we don’t actually see him fall/land. And then the segment just sort of ends. DUD
Backstage, Hawk is sent off in an ambulance. So, I guess he’s still alive, then
Michael Cole brings WWF Women’s Champion Sable out, and she dedicates her new title to the fans, but Shane comes out, and thinks she should dedicate it to Vince, since he ‘made’ her. Well, this all would feel a lot more shootish a few months later
Rock warms up in his dressing room
The MediEvil Slam of the Week is Vince turfing Mankind at the end of Survivor Series
Down in the boiler room, all three stooges look for Mankind - and they wear football helmets and pads, just in case. And then find him, when Mankind pops out, and beats up all three of them - pads and all
Backstage, Austin is walking
WWF Title Match: Rock v Steve Austin: Vince comes out to personally do the ring announcing. Austin charges in, and wins a slugfest. A criss cross ends in Rock bailing, but Austin chases him up the ramp, and hits him with a clothesline. Back in, Steve uses a snapmare to set up a pointed elbowdrop for two, and a vertical suplex sets up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two. Backdrop, but Rock delivers a swinging neckbreaker to block, and puts the boots to his challenger. To the outside, Rock clotheslines him over the barricade, but Austin wins a slugfest in the first row. Back to ringside, Rock blocks a chair shot, and pounds Steve down on the floor. Steve tries a piledriver on the floor, but Rock backdrops him to block that, and the crowd is just wild for all of this. Vince had to know he had his WrestleMania main event here. Rock adds a clothesline before taking things back inside, where he slaps on a sleeper. Steve quickly shakes him off, but Rock catches him with a backelbow, and a bodyslam sets up the Corporate elbow. Rock grounds him in a chinlock from there, but Austin fights free. Clothesline, but Rock reverses for two, as Mankind runs out to go after Vince. Boss Man cuts him off, as Rock gets another chinlock on, and Shamrock comes over to help Boss Man deal with Mankind. Austin escapes the hold and wins a slugfest, but Rock blocks the stunner. Uranage, but Austin blocks, and lands the stunner - only for Shamrock to pull the referee out at two! Austin takes him out, but as he turns his attention back to Rock, Undertaker hits the ring - blasting Austin with a shovel for the DQ at 8:02! This was pure chaos for eight minutes, and the heat was off the charts. ** ¼
BUExperience: Hardy great wrestling, but this flew by. So many twists, so many great bits, so many incredible characters interacting. They were firing on all cylinders here.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.