Original Airdate: December 21, 1998 (taped December 15)
From Spokane, Washington; Your Hosts are Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler
Outside, Vince McMahon gets into his limo, and leaves son Shane in charge for the night - with Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco responsible for his safety. Isn’t that what Big Boss Man is for?
The Corporation are out, but before they can say too much, DX interrupt, and they’re palling around with Mankind now. Mankind awkwardly crotch chopping like Mike Tyson is hilarious. Shane has Shawn Michaels deliver some bad news for DX: the New Age Outlaws won’t get a tag title rematch. BUT, they will get individual rematches with Ken Shamrock and Big Boss Man tonight. And, so Triple H and X-Pac don’t feel left out, they get Rock and Test tonight. Shane then announces that Mankind gets the best of all: he’ll face Shane himself, tonight. Patterson and Brisco flipping out in the background is great stuff. This was a good segment. Relatively short, focused, and set up all the big stuff for the show
Backstage, D-lo Brown is upset that Mark Henry is too busy fooling around with girls than worrying about their match later, but Mark assures him that his personal life won’t interfere with business
Al Snow v Gangrel: Snow wins a few criss crosses early on, and he delivers a series of trapping headbutts. Al adds a leg lariat, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Gangrel uses a powerslam. Gangrel with a trapping suplex for two, followed by a floatover suplex for another two. Snow wins another criss cross with a clothesline, and he takes Gangrel up for a superplex, but gets blocked. That allows Gangrel a flying bodypress for two, but a corner whip fails again. That leads to a reversal sequence, won by Snow with a scoop sitout brainbuster at 2:56. They were having a proper match within the few minutes they had. Afterwards, the lights die, and the Brood attack Snow - leaving him covered in fake blood. * ¾
WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Ken Shamrock v Billy Gunn: Ken with a takedown right away, but Billy is close to the ropes, so it doesn’t go anywhere. Gunn tries a hiptoss, but Shamrock takes him down in a bodyscissors to block, and nearly traps him in a submission again. Ken is toying with him at this point. Billy manages to win a criss cross with a jumping forearm, and he delivers a hiptoss for two this time. Gunn holds an armbar, but Shamrock slugs free. Ken tries a charge, but runs into an elbow, and Billy covers for two. Back to the armbar, but Ken fights into the corner, though Gunn takes a cheap shot on the break. But, he’s a babyface, so it’s cool. Gunn tries a cross corner whip, but Shamrock counters with a short-clothesline, and he sweeps the leg. Ken hammers on the leg, but the referee prevents him from using a chair, which gives Gunn a little recovery time. He tries to fight, but the leg gives out while running across the ring, and Shamrock goes back to work on it. Shamrock with a rana for two, but Gunn counters a suplex with an inside cradle for two. Shamrock shoots back with a fisherman suplex for two, and he goes back to the leg in the corner. Cross corner whip, but Billy reverses, and schoolboys for two. Ken clips the leg to cut him off, but Gunn reverses a victory roll at 8:01! We get a big pop for the title change, which probably influenced Gunn’s later singles push. But, unfortunately for Billy, Shawn Michaels is immediately out, and claims that this was never meant to be a title match, so he doesn’t get the belt, sorry. Shawn doing a Howard Finkel impression is pretty good. *
The PlayStation Slam of the Week is Hawk hitting Droz with his cast on Heat
Hawk is out, and he claims that Droz was pushing drugs to him, which is why Hawk was all messed up for all that time. So, Droz was hooking Hawk up when he was, like, five? That must have been a hell of a thing. So Droz comes out to attack as a manner of refuting the charges, but Animal pulls them apart
Backstage, Terri Runnels and Jacqueline welcome Mark Henry into their love nest
Steve Blackman v Blue Blazer: Blazer sneak attacks while Steve is distracted by guest commentator Owen Hart, and Blazer hits an enzuigiri. Blackman fights him off, but Blazer bails to the outside to avoid getting unmasked, and he manages to sweep Steve down for some stomping. Blazer with a backelbow, but Steve fights back with a backbreaker. He goes for the mask again, but Blazer snaps his throat across the top to block, as Owen spins conspiracy theories. Blackman with a headbutt drop, so Owen trips him up, and attacks for the DQ at 2:23. Afterwards, Blazer and Hart double up, but Goldust makes the save. With Owen neutralized, Steve and Goldust unmask him, and it’s Jeff Jarrett under the hood this time. DUD
In Henry’s dressing room, the ladies shower together, ahead of all the sex. Meanwhile, D-lo nervously waits outside the door, worried that their match is moments away
WWF Hardcore Title Match: Big Boss Man v Jesse James: So this was also going to be non-title, but James goads Boss Man into putting the belt up. Jesse outmoves him to get an early advantage, but Boss Man catches him with a spinebuster. Boss Man with a windup punch, and a cross corner whip rattles the ring. Not quite Bret Hart level, but good nonetheless. James grabs a cookie sheet and whacks Boss Man for two, so Boss Man throws the steps at him to cut that bullshit off. Boss Man with a cookie shot, and they spill into the crowd to brawl. Boss Man puts him through a table out there, then breaks a broom handle over his head for good measure. Back into the ring, Boss Man uses a strap, and he grabs a sack of powder, but Jesse kicks it into his face. Dogg uses the strap now, so Boss Man bails, and manages to dump Jesse into the crowd when James chases. They do another brawl in the crowd, complete with Boss Man using an electric table fan as a weapon. You can’t say this era wasn’t creative. Not just kendo stick after kendo stick like today. Boss Man finds a rope and chokes Jesse down for two, but trying to use a trash can gets reversed. Boss Man fights him off, so Mankind shows up to trap Boss Man in a giant net, and James pins him at 6:55. Just a garbage brawl, but at least it had a storyline and stakes. ½*
Backstage, the ladies are undressing Mark, and want to make a sexual chocolate sundae
Jeff Jarrett vignette. Things piss him off
Backstage, Patterson and Brisco try to talk Shane out of his decision to fight Mankind
Backstage, the ladies tie Mark up
The Acolytes v Bob Holly and Scorpio: Everyone slugs it out, and the JOB Squad get destroyed there. The dust settles on Faarooq and Holly in the ring, and Faarooq tries for the dominator, but Bob slips free, and clotheslines him. Unfortunately for him, Bradshaw is immediately in to nail him, and he blasts him with a big boot. Bradshaw with a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop, but Holly dodges, and tags. Scorpio comes in to try a double team, but it goes badly, and Bradshaw clotheslines him down. The Acolytes with a tandem spinebuster for two, saved by Holly. That allows Scorpio a reverse spinkick for two, saved by Bradshaw, and Roseanne Barr the door! Scorpio takes a bump to the outside, and Bradshaw powerbombs Holly, but things are too out of control, and the referee disqualifies the Acolytes at 3:20. That was kind of random, considering the action in the ring was contained, the brawling on the outside was between the two non-legal guys. The crowd didn’t even give the announcement a reaction there. Just ice cold. ¼*
Mankind v Shane McMahon: This is Shane’s first professional match. Shane throws jabs at the bell, as the stooges beg for mercy on his behalf. Mankind shrugs Shane off with a clothesline, and delivers a double-arm DDT. Mankind brings a chair in, but passes it to Shane, and tells him to make his day. McMahon tees off, but Mankind doesn’t even sell it, and goes to town on the kid. That draws Patterson and Brisco in, but Mankind fights them both off. Mankind hits Shane with a running kneesmash, and he puts the mandible claw on, but Rock saves for the DQ at 3:05. This was just an angle. Afterwards, DX sneak in to back Mankind up, and X-Pac hits Shane with a bronco buster! DUD
WWF Attitude Christmas message, featuring Freddie Blassie was a bad Santa
Outside, Patterson and Brisco worry that they’ve fucked up their holiday bonus
Backstage, D-lo tries to pull Henry away from his love nest, but Mark isn’t coming to the door
Handicap Match: D-lo Brown v The Headbangers: We see that the girls are whipping Mark, and he doesn’t even realize that the match is going on. So, Brown goes it alone, but quickly gets overwhelmed, as Lawler flips out about the fact that the girls had Mark’s nuts in a vise. The Headbangers work him over, and D-lo gets some well timed hope spots in, but ultimately succumbs to a combo at 2:44. This was another one that was really more of an angle than it was a proper match. Afterwards, Henry stumbles out in his underpants, but Brown is furious with him. ¼*
Outside, Patterson and Brisco try to get their story straight before Vince returns. Vince’s limo then arrives, and Brisco immediately blows it
Rock and Test v X-Pac and Triple H: This is Test’s WWF TV debut (he’d worked one dark match in November prior to this). To this day, I don’t get HHH’s opening spiel. “Let’s get ready to suck it?” Shawn bans DX from ringside, but allows the Corporation to stay. But, before they hit the bricks, Vince is out, and says they can stay, in the spirit of the holidays. Rock and X-Pac start, and X-Pac wins a criss cross with a pair of armdrags. Tags all around, and HHH manages to gain control, so Rock takes a cheap shot. That allows Test a big boot, and Rock tags in with a series of right hands for two. The heels work HHH over, but Test misses a charge in the corner, and X-Pac tags in. A spinkick allows him a bronco buster on Test, but a whip into the ropes gets reversed, and X-Pac bumps over the top. Rock is there to send him into the barricade, and he gives him a trip into the post for good measure. That allows the Corporation to take control on X-Pac, and they go to work on their new victim. HHH gets the hot tag, and he runs wild - Roseanne Barr the door! Rock dumps X-Pac over the top so he and Test can double up on Triple H, but Test telegraphs a backdrop, and eats a pedigree! Cover, count, but Rock saves at two. Right then, the lights die, and here comes Kane! But, instead of backing up DX, he attacks them, as the referee throws the match out at 10:23. Afterwards, Kane beats up all the members of DX, thus revealing why Vince allowed them to stay at ringside. ¼*
BUExperience: Entertaining this week, with two solid show-long angles in the Corporation/DX rivalry, and the Mark Henry stuff.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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