WWF Sunday Night Heat (December 6, 1998)

 

Original Airdate: December 6, 1998 (taped December 1)

From New Haven, Connecticut; Your Hosts are Kevin Kelly and Jim Cornette

Backstage, Kaientai are all worked up about… something

WWF Light Heavyweight Title Match: Duane Gill v Taka Michinoku: Taka kickstarts the match, and lands a spinheel kick early on. Another kick gets the challenger two, and a bodyslam leads to an elbowdrop. Taka with a turnbuckle smash, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, so Taka redirects with a tornado DDT. That allows Taka to go up for a missile dropkick, but Gill counters the scoop sitout brainbuster into a cradle at 2:18. This had nothing going for it. Afterwards, the Acolytes hit the scene to beat up Kaientai. DUD

Backstage, Steve Austin arrives

Backstage, Michael Cole promises to find out what Austin is doing in the building tonight 

The New Legion of Doom v Too Much: LOD dominate early, and Animal isolates Scott Taylor. He hits a backbreaker, but misses a splash, and Scott dropkicks him into the corner. Droz sneaks back in to clip Taylor, and Animal goes after the leg. Tag to Droz for more work on the leg, and a half-crab finishes at 1:34. There was really nothing to this one. DUD

Backstage, Cole has caught up with Austin, who explains that he’s just here to enjoy the show

The Glover Rewind is Droz working Taylor’s knee earlier. Really worth the rewind, thanks Glover

Backstage, Taylor’s leg is all fucked up

Cole brings Owen Hart out, and an angry Hart says he’s coming out of retirement to teach Steve Blackman a lesson at Rock Bottom

DX arrives at the building, though without the New Age Outlaws 

Backstage, Shawn Michaels holds court with the Corporation 

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Rock, Ken Shamrock, and Big Boss Man v Gangrel, Christian, and Edge: Shamrock attacks Edge to kickstart things, and he lands a leg lariat, but a criss cross allows Edge to throw a spinheel kick. Tag to Christian, but Shamrock quickly takes him down, and passes to Boss Man for a double team. Boss Man biels Christian out of the corner, and a cross corner whip follows, but Christian blocks the charge in. Christian with a flying bodypress for one, and he passes to Gangrel, but Boss Man blasts him with a headbutt. Over to Rock, and he draws immediate heat. Rock goes to work in the corner, and he passes back to Shamrock for a jumping backelbow. The Corporation work Gangrel over, but DX hit the ring to attack them for the DQ at 3:50. The Outlaws hit the ring as well, but they go after the Brood, not the Corporation, and then everyone leaves separately. ¼*

Jeff Jarrett v Mark Henry: Jeff slugs at him, but Mark reverses a corner whip, though misses an avalanche. That allows Jarrett a ten-punch, but he gets reversed into the ropes, and Henry uses a pop-up flapjack. Henry with a legdrop, so Debra McMichael slides in to distract him. That allows Jarrett to grab the guitar, but D-lo Brown steals it away from him, and brains him for the DQ at 1:04. This never even found a gear. Afterwards, Goldust shows up, and challenges Jarrett to a match at Rock Bottom - and if Jarrett wins, Goldust has to strip naked. BUT, if Goldust wins, ‘Little Debbie’ needs to shows us her ‘tasty cakes.’ DUD

Backstage, Austin helps himself to a beverage 

Tiger Ali Singh and Babu v Kurrgan and Luna: Luna attacks Babu to get us going, and wrecks him. She takes him to the outside and they spill into the crowd, Luna still destroying him all the while. And then we just kind of go to commercial and leave it there at 1:13. Okay. DUD

Undertaker v Mankind: Steve Austin has a seat at ringside for this. Undertaker goes after him, so Austin throws a beer in his face, and Mankind attacks. Mankind hammers Undertaker on the outside, and he grabs a chair to whack him with. Again, but the referee intervenes, and Undertaker is able to feed Mankind the steps. Inside, Undertaker hammers on him, but Mankind fights him off in the corner, and lands a running kneesmash. Undertaker dumps him to the outside to buy time, and he follows to send Mankind into the steps again. Undertaker chokes him with some cable, and he lands a big boot as they go back inside. Mankind snaps his throat across the top rope, and he goes up for a dive, but gets caught. Mankind manages to block a chokeslam, and he throws a kneelift. Time for the mandible claw, but here’s Rock for the DQ at 4:56. This was not one of their classics. Afterwards, Austin hops the rail, and brawls with Undertaker, as Mankind goes at it with Rock to close the show. DUD

BUExperience: This barely qualified as a wrestling show. The matches were so short that they wouldn’t have qualified as squash matches in another era, let alone competitive ones. It was entertaining, though.