Original Airdate: December 28, 1998
From Albany, New York; Your Hosts are Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler
Backstage, the Corporation arrive, with Vince McMahon promising to fire everyone who fucked up last week - including Shawn Michaels. They then go into the boiler room to look for Mankind. They drag him out of a dark corner, and Vince promises him a shot at the WWF Hardcore title tonight… as punishment, because the champion is his buddy. Shane quickly tells Vince that Shawn had already booked Jesse James defending the Hardcore title against Val Venis, and Vince is none too pleased about that
WWF Hardcore Title Match: Jesse James v Val Venis: Jesse tries attacking, but Venis fights him off. Jesse fires back with a series of punches, and he manages a backdrop to set up a kneedrop for two. Val shoots off a rotating spinebuster to set up mounted punches, and a cross corner whip works, but the charge in doesn’t. Jesse bootchokes him as the Corporation show up at ringside, and Venis hits a Russian legsweep. But, before he can follow up, Test comes in to bulldog Venis for the DQ at 2:03. The Corporation beat down Val, but DX come out to make sure they don’t get Jesse. But then Vince shows up, and he ‘gets’ him - booking him against Mankind for the title again later. Plus, the rest of DX will be punished in various matches tonight as well. The match was nothing, as they were basically just treading water before the run in finish. DUD
Backstage, Al Snow is still covered in blood from last week, and flipping out. Nothing a firehose shower wouldn’t fix
Backstage, Vince fills Kane in on his role in breaking DX tonight. And, if he doesn’t comply, it’s back to the insane asylum for him
Al Snow v Edge: Al is all fired up, and wins a slugfest at the bell. They spill to the outside, where Al whips him into the post, but Edge manages to put the boots to him on the way back in, and land a leg lariat. Snow no sells, so Edge slugs at him, but Al throws a clothesline. Al with a bodyslam to set up a flying moonsault, but he’s not satisfied, and grabs a chair. Edge grabs him with an electric facebuster before he can use it, however. Edge goes up with a flying elbowdrop, but Al dodges. Snow heads him into the corner with headbutts, but then grabs Head, and starts beating Edge until the referee has to call the DQ at 2:45. Not a great match, but it had a story point. Afterwards, the Brood run out to save Edge, but the JOB Squad are on their tail, and both factions brawl. ½*
Backstage, WWF Women’s Champion Sable stretches
The Glover Slam of the Week is Sable powerbombing Jacqueline at Survivor Series. ‘Of the week?’
Backstage, X-Pac hangs out with Dennis Knight
WWF Women’s Title Match: Sable v Spider Lady: A random fan hits the ring to give Sable flowers, before getting removed by security. That’s the start of the Tori angle, and it’s very, very obviously an angle. The acting is atrocious here. Spider attacks from behind, and pounds Sable down, before beating on her with a belt for the DQ at 0:50. The Oddities run out to make the save, and Spider is revealed as Luna. DUD
Backstage, the Oddities nurse Sable
WWF European Title Match: X-Pac v Big Boss Man: X-Pac uses his speed to avoid getting cornered, but a rana attempt gets him powerbombed. Boss Man with a turnbuckle smash and a cross corner whip, and the challenger works a bearhug from there. X-Pac goes to the eyes to escape, but a corner dropkick misses, and Bossman delivers an inverted avalanche. A punch gets Boss Man two, and he grounds X-Pac in a chinlock from there. X-Pac fights free, but a bodypress gets caught in a backbreaker. Boss Man with a headbutt, and he unloads with some mounted punches, but misses a flying splash. That allows X-Pac to make a comeback, and he lands the bronco buster. That draws Test out, and the distraction allows Boss Man to hit a big boot. Val Venis runs out to attack Test, so Boss Man goes to the outside to back Test up, and the referee decides to call a DQ at 5:04, despite Boss Man being the one doing the attacking on a guy not in the match. Okay. ½*
We get a pre-taped segment with Shane training Vince for the Royal Rumble match. Vince screaming “I hate Austin” while chugging raw eggs is great stuff
Backstage, we await Shawn Michaels’ arrival. Maybe not monitoring a door clearly marked ‘exit’ would be a start
Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett v Goldust and Steve Blackman: Jeff and Goldust start, and a criss cross is won by Jarrett with a powerslam for two. Goldust fires back with a clothesline, and an atomic drop slam follows. That allows Goldust to set up for shattered dreams, but Owen distracts him, and Jeff recovers with a single-arm DDT. Tag to Owen for a tandem clothesline, and Hart hammers Goldust in the corner. Dropkick, but Goldust dodges, and tags. Steve comes in with a backbreaker, but an elbowdrop misses, and Hart throws a leg-feed enzuigiri, then a spinheel kick for two. Hart with a neckbreaker for two, and a spinebuster sets up the Sharpshooter. That draws Dan Severn out, and even though he’s in a neckbrace, it’s enough to scare Owen into releasing the hold. Hart backtracks away from Severn, and Blackman schoolboys at 3:25. ¼*
Backstage, Triple H and Chyna are walking towards the ring
Outside, the Acolytes stuff Dennis Knight into the trunk of a car. At least it’s a Ford Crown Victoria. A Carolla would have been a bitch
WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Ken Shamrock v Triple H: Ken with a takedown right away, and he hammers on Hunter. They get into a slugfest, and Hunter manages an inverted atomic drop to win it, then delivers a neckbreaker. Shamrock wisely bails to avoid getting covered, and Ken manages a slingshot to get control on the way back in. Shamrock tags the challenger with a backelbow, as Cole goes on a weird tangent about how the WWF supports ‘freedom of expression,’ before announcing that they retain the right to confiscate signs in the crowd. Shamrock tries a suplex, but HHH counters to a gourdbuster, then takes Test out with a baseball slide. That allows Shamrock to recover, however, and the champion clips the leg. Ken goes to work on the leg, but Hunter catches him with a high knee. HHH hammers into the corner, and a kneeling facebuster finds the mark. That draws Big Boss Man onto the apron, but HHH knocks him off. That buys Shamrock the time to recover, however, and he gets an anklelock on. HHH manages to make the ropes, but Ken won’t release the hold, so the referee disqualifies him at 6:36. That draws DX in to save, met by the Corporation for a big brawl. Kane doesn’t get involved, so Pat Patterson and Gerlad Brisco force him in to save for the Corporation. ¾*
The 10-10-220 Rewind is Billy Gunn pinning Ken Shamrock last week
Backstage, Kevin Kelly catches up with Gunn, who promises to take the title off of Shamrock for real next time. That draws Ken over, and they shout at each other
Mark Henry and D-lo Brown is out, and Mark wants to apologize to Chyna for his escapades with Terri Runnels and Jacqueline last week. But, instead of getting Chyna out, that draws Terri and Jackie out. They talk shit, and Brown tries to stand up for his boy, but here comes Chyna! She shoos PMS away, and calls Mark her ‘man.’ Jackie tries getting in her face, it goes badly
Backstage, the Corporation go on a tear, searching for DX
Video package with a look back at 1998. Yeah, I can see why they’d want to relive that year. At the time, it probably felt like ‘this is as good as it’s going to get.’ And, in some ways, it was. This was a lengthy video, running several minutes
Backstage, the Corporation beat up Godfather
The ‘exit’ door remains monitored for the entrance of Shawn Michaels
Billy Gunn v Kane: This is scheduled as Gunn against Godfather, but since Godfather was taken out, Shane McMahon subs Kane in. Billy tries sticking and moving, but gets clobbered. Kane with a big boot, and he drops Gunn front-first across the top rope, then dives off the top rope to knock him off. Kane with a backdrop, but a second one ends in Gunn landing a rocker dropper. Gunn clotheslines him over the top, but Kane lands on his feet, and reverses Billy into the apron. Kane goes back in, as Shamrock sneaks out, and puts Gunn in the anklelock. Inside, Kane delivers the chokeslam, but Patterson and Brisco want another one before he covers. Kane obliges, but they’re still not satisfied. Kane sets up a third one, but DX run in at 3:58. ¼*
Backstage, Shawn Michaels arrives
WWF Hardcore Title Match: Jesse James v Mankind: Rock is out to do guest commentary for this one. Jesse hammers away early on, but Mankind gets control as they spill to the outside, and he smashes Jesse’s face into the ramp. Mankind with a vertical suplex on the entrance stage, and he grabs a table, which he suplexes onto James for two. Back to ringside, James whacks him with a cookie sheet, as Rock struggles on commentary. The more I’ve seen incredible promo guys struggle while doing commentary, the more I’m convinced that it’s a very different skill. Inside, Jesse uses a Russian legsweep on a chair for two, but a backdrop gets countered with a piledriver for two. Mankind with another piledriver, this time on a chair, and he adds a legdrop with Jesse’s head sandwiched between the chair and the cookie sheet. It gets two. They brawl into the crowd, and end up fighting over to the A/V area. Mankind dives off of the steps with an elbowdrop through a table, but Rock runs over, and drives him into the floor with a uranage. That allows a battered James to cover at 10:10. I’m already sick of these hardcore matches. After the bell, Jesse realizes what happened, and is furious. ½*
Vince is out, and calls Michaels out for his public firing. Vince shows footage on the TitanTron on Shawn holding the Corporation back while Mankind was having his way with Shane last week, and tells Shawn that he’s fired. Michaels responds by superkicking the boss, and he dances around, until the Corporation chase him off. Not a great segment here, especially after spending the whole show building to it
BUExperience: This wasn’t a bad episode by any means, but it was really heavy on the Corporation/DX stuff. Again, not bad, but it didn’t feel like it had as much variety as I’d like. You could say that it was focused, but it felt more like straining to fill time with the same guys over and over, rather than deeply focused storytelling.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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