Original Airdate: December 7, 1998 (taped December 1)
From New Haven, Connecticut; Your Hosts are Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler
DX are out, but the New Age Outlaws are not out with them. Triple H calls them out, saying the group needs to know where they stand. That draws the Outlaws down, and they’re wearing suits, and sipping bottled water, since apparently they’ve defected to the Corporation. They declare themselves the ‘New Corporate Outlaws,’ and introduce Shawn Michaels as their liaison. Shawn gets in HHH’s face, reminding him that he’s the ‘founding father’ of DX, and that HHH basically owes him his whole career right now. Hunter tells him that he owes him ‘nothing,’ and reminds him that he literally carried his ass around when he was fucked up, and had no business being a champion. They continue their pissing contest, until Shawn gets the final word: he’s the Commissioner, and he’ll book HHH and X-Pac against Ken Shamrock and Big Boss Man right here tonight
Rock Bottom ad
Backstage, DX fume, but get a game plan together
Jeff Jarrett v D-lo Brown: Jeff kickstarts things, and a corner whip works, but Brown rebounds with a clothesline. Brown adds a 2nd rope clothesline, so Jeff bails, and Debra McMichael tries a distraction. That allows Jarrett to pull Brown to the outside, but Mark Henry is there with a distraction of his own, in the form of a closed fist. Inside, Brown cracks Jarrett with chops in the corner, and a cross corner whip follows, but the charge in misses. That allows Jeff a single-arm DDT, as Cole sends condolences to Jim Ross for the death of his mother. I thought this was when Ross was out due to an attack of Bell’s Palsy. Were they using death as a cover, or did the poor guy go through both things that same weekend? Gosh. Jarrett with a flying bodypress for two, and a Russian legsweep is worth two. Sunset flip, but Brown blocks, so Jarrett goes low. Jeff with a turnbuckle smash, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Brown drops him with a sitout powerbomb. Brown keeps going, as Goldust makes his way down, in a trenchcoat. He flashes Debra, as D-lo cradles Jarrett at 4:17. ¾*
Backstage, Steve Austin rants to Tony Garea, of all people
WWF fragrances ad
This past week, Vince McMahon gave a speech at Oxford University. It’s hard to overstate just how huge pro-wrestling was during this period
The Headbangers v Gangrel and Edge: Mosh and Gangrel start, and Gangrel manages an overhead suplex. Tag to Edge for a double team, so the Headbangers use a cheap shot to send Edge over the top, where Thrasher drops him onto the steps. The Headbangers work him over with combos of their own, until Luna Vachon shows up to attack them for the DQ at 2:05. This was barely a match. That somehow draws Tiger Ali Singh out, but the Oddities chase him and Babu off before they can attack her. ¼*
Somewhere in the basement, Mankind is sad
The Glover Rewind is Austin and Kane dumping Paul Bearer down a manhole last week
Backstage, the Corporation meet with Bearer
Owen Hart v Goldust: Goldust slams him out of the initial lockup, so Owen takes him to the mat, but Goldust reverses a hammerlock. Hart gets into the ropes, and a criss cross allows Owen a spinheel kick. Owen unloads in the corner, and a cross corner whip rattles the ring. Hart with a gutwrench suplex for two, and a bodyslam sets up the Sharpshooter, but Goldust blocks. Owen looks for something else, but Goldust hooks an inside cradle for two, so Hart blasts him with a leg-feed enzuigiri for two. Hart with chops in the corner, but Goldust turns the tables, and cross corner whips him. Goldust misses the charge in, allowing Hart a neckbreaker, and he dives with a 2nd rope elbowdrop for two. Cross corner whip, but Goldust reverses, and throws a clothesline on the rebound. Goldust adds a hip attack, as Jarrett and Debra wander down. Goldust with a bulldog, but Debra flashing ends up distracting Owen, and Goldust cradles at 4:06. *
Backstage, both Austin and Mankind prepare for action via split screen
Earlier this week, the WWF was in London England, and we get a video package of various wrestlers doing touristy things
The Acolytes v Val Venis and Godfather: Godfather decides to offer the hoes to a fan this week, and selects some schlub, who he gives the girls for free. I’m sure the guy they picked was a plant, but they couldn’t have picked a dude who doesn’t look like every negative stereotype of wrestling fans combined? All four guys brawl, and quickly get counted out at 0:55. DUD
Backstage, Austin is marching somewhere
The JVC Kaboom of the Week is Austin hitting Undertaker with a shovel on last week’s show
Austin is out, and promises no mercy for Undertaker at Rock Bottom. That results in Undertaker coming on the PA system, and promising to take Austin’s soul. And, with that note, a giant Undertaker symbol descends from the ceiling, and Undertaker promises to sacrifice Austin on it tonight
Mankind walks around the hallways
Steve Blackman v Tiger Ali Singh: Tiger attacks before the bell, and beats Steve down with his flagpole (literal). A kick misses, allowing Blackman a series of strikes, and a corner whip rebounds Tiger into a rotating spinebuster. Steve with a turnbuckle smash, and he snaps Tiger’s throat across the top rope. Blackman with a snap suplex to set up a pointed elbowdrop, and he adds a fistdrop. Blackman with a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop, but a backdrop gets blocked, and Tiger pounds. Blackman with a knife-edge chop, and he adds a jumping shoulderblock. Blackman lands a bicycle kick for the pin at 2:20. That finish felt out of nowhere. Even the announcers seemed surprised. Afterwards, Blue Blazer runs out, but trips on his way down the ramp. That allows Blackman to attack him, but Owen makes the save. ¼*
Mankind enters Austin’s dressing room
Stone Cold has a feature in the latest issue of Rolling Stone magazine
Mark Henry v Droz: They slug it out, and Henry wins it with a clothesline. More punching, and another clothesline keep Henry in control, but he misses a charge, and takes a spill to the outside. Droz follows to hammer on him out there, and he lands a three-point stance. Droz whips him into the steps, and rolls him in to cover for two, as Chyna shows up. Droz with a jumping backelbow, and a jumping shoulderblock follows, as Chyna gets onto the apron. Droz thinks she wants to hit Henry, so he holds him, but Chyna nails Droz instead, and Mark splashes him at 3:25. This was really bad, and would have been embarrassing even on an indie level. -¼*
Backstage, the Corporation strategize
Stone Cold website ad. I still can’t believe that was an actual thing
No Holds Barred Match: Ken Shamrock and Big Boss Man v X-Pac and Triple H: Boss Man has the nightstick in hand as the bell rings, but X-Pac doesn’t back down. Boss Man decks him, but a clothesline misses, and X-Pac throws a spinkick. Tag to HHH, and he hammers Boss Man, then corner whips him, followed by a clothesline on the rebound. They spill to the outside, where HHH feeds him the barricade, then whips him into the steps. X-Pac dives on him for good measure, so Shamrock heads over, and everyone slugs it out. Ken bodyslams HHH on the ramp as Boss Man tosses X-Pac into the post, but Boss Man misses a charge with the steps out there. Shamrock tries a suplex on the ramp, but HHH reverses, and things heads back inside. DX double up on Shamrock in the corner, and a corner clothesline from HHH sets up a bronco buster from X-Pac. Boss Man nails X-Pac to break it up, and he adds a spinebuster for two, as the referee restores order. Boss Man presses X-Pac across the top rope before grabbing a chinlock, as Shawn and the Outlaws make their way down. The Corporation work X-Pac over, but HHH gets the hot tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! Shawn pulls down the top rope to send X-Pac crashing over the top on a criss cross, and he tosses Shamrock a chair to finish HHH off with. Billy Gunn wants to do it himself, but then whacks Shamrock with it for the DQ at 8:08. In an ‘anything goes’ match. The Outlaws then rip off their suits to reveal themselves as still part of DX, in the most telegraphed non-turn imaginable. *
Backstage, DX gloat about their ruse
Backstage, Austin comes back to his dressing room, where he doesn’t find Mankind, but does find his gifts: a trash bag full of beers!
Rock Bottom ad
Rock and Undertaker v Steve Austin and Mankind: Every belt has it’s ‘ideal’ holder - the guy who just ‘looks right’ with it. And Rock with the Big Eagle is a perfect match. Triple H was, too. Mankind doesn’t wait for Austin to come out, and gets beat up trying to fight both heels at once. Undertaker feeds him a big boot, but here comes Austin! Rock charges him on the ramp, but gets tackled, and Austin delivers mounted punches out there. They brawl over to the entrance set, as Mankind keeps Undertaker busy at ringside. Rock and Austin brawl into the crowd as Undertaker and Mankind slug it out in the ring, and Undertaker delivers a chokeslam. Rock and Austin get back to the ring, and the referee restores order, with Undertaker in control of Mankind. The heels work Mankind over, until Steve just gets tired of it, and comes in to brawl. Undertaker cuts him off, and they spill to the outside to fight, as Shamrock and Boss Man show up to attack Mankind for the DQ at 8:22. Hot characters, hot angles, dull match. Afterwards, with Mankind handcuffed to the ropes, the Corporation beat him down, as Undertaker and Austin brawl through the crowd. Undertaker knocks Austin out, and with Steve unconscious, Undertaker places him on that symbol from earlier. Some druids shackle him to the symbol, and they effectively crucify Austin - though they’d be quick to point out that it’s a ‘symbol,’ and not, technically, a cross. The crowd didn’t even really care. ¼*
BUExperience: Some strong final pushes for Rock Bottom, and generally a solid show, but hardly a must see.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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