Original Airdate: January 4, 1999 (taped December 29, 1998)
From Worcester, Massachusetts; Your Hosts are Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler
We start with a sentimental video about Shawn Michaels, but Vince McMahon pulls the plug on it mid-way through, and storms down to the ring with the Corporation. Vince notes that Shawn has promised to show up here tonight, but that he’s barred from the building, and we shouldn’t hold our breaths, as we’d likely die due to oxygen deprivation. Vince then warns the entire locker room to give Shane a wide berth from here on out, or risk the same fate. As he’s saying this, we see Shawn arriving on the TitanTron, and he makes his way out, as Vince fumes. Vince wants to send the Corporation after him, but Michaels has backup in the form of DX. Shawn notes that his contract as Commissioner is ironclad, and since Vince doesn’t want to be buddies anymore, he’s ready to use his power against him. First ruling: Vince no longer has #30 in the Royal Rumble match, and he’s busted down to #2 - with Steve Austin still #1. Shawn closes the segment by promising a surprise later. This was a good opening segment
Ken Shamrock v Steve Blackman: The WWF Intercontinental title is not on the line. Ken throws fists, but Blackman responds in kind, and wins the exchange. Steve with a roundhouse kick and a standing dropkick, then a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop. Blackman unloads in the corner, but Ken slugs back. Blackman with a cross corner whip to take some pep out of his step, but a criss cross ends in Shamrock powerslamming him for two, as Dan Severn makes his way out. Ken with a vertical suplex to set up a kneedrop, and a kneelift follows. Suplex, but Blackman hooks an inside cradle for two, so Ken throws a clothesline to cut him off. Ken with a cross corner whip, but Blackman reverses, and tags him with a dropkick. That allows Blackman to snap his throat across the top rope, and a backbreaker follows. Bicycle kick, but Ken ducks, and delivers a belly-to-belly suplex. He jaws at Severn instead of going in for the kill, allowing Billy Gunn to sneak in with a rocker dropper. That allows Blackman to hook the leg at 3:24. ¾*
The 10-10-220 Rewind is the finish of the match we just saw
Backstage, Shamrock catches up with Gunn, and they brawl
Mankind is out to talk about his new hobby: kicking McMahon family ass. But, he’d also like a shot at Rock’s WWF Title at Royal Rumble, so he’s ready to play nice. He asks Vince to come out, and McMahon obliges, but doesn’t think he can help him out. Anyway, he doesn’t want a freak like him holding the belt regardless. Especially since he ‘hasn’t paid his dues.’ But, he’s feeling generous enough to give him a Royal Rumble qualifying match against Triple H tonight. Maybe he can get to the title that way. Oh, and by the way, Shane will be the referee for that one
Backstage, Chyna hangs out with a drag queen
Goldust v Mark Henry: Mark knocks him around to start, but Goldust uses speed to frustrate him. Goldust lands a spinebuster for two, but Henry wins a criss cross with a powerslam. Henry with a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop, and a pop-up flackjack sets up a legdrop, but here’s Chyna with her drag queen. That distracts Mark, and Goldust hits him with a matslam. Goldust follows with shattered dreams, and the referee calls a DQ at 3:31. Afterwards, Chyna leads the drag queen to the ring, and reveals that her friend is named Sammy, and offers Mark some fun with ‘her,’ since apparently Chyna isn’t enough to satisfy his appetites. Mark, apparently, can’t tell that this is a man in drag (or, doesn’t mind?), and is very excited at this proposition. This is either a very regressive or progressive angle, depending on where this is going. ¼*
In a dungeon somewhere, Dennis Knight is tied up, and pleading for mercy
Godfather v Test: Godfather doesn’t even offer Test the hoes, which is just rude, frankly. Test unloads on him to start, but telegraphs a backdrop, and gets nailed. Godfather with a shoulderblock, and a bodyslam sets up a legdrop for two. Godfather with a turnbuckle smash, and he unloads in the corner, then hits the avalanche, as Val Venis shows up to observe. Test throws a big boot, and they spill to the outside, slugging it out at ringside. Test manages to whip him into the post out there, so Val runs down to slug it out with Test himself for the DQ at 2:10. DUD
Backstage, DX and Shawn hang out
The Glover Slam of the Week is Mankind beating up Shane McMahon two weeks ago
Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Triple H v Mankind: Shane McMahon is the guest referee here, as promised. Mankind slugs at him to start, so HHH goes for a sleeper, but Mankind shrugs it off by wrenching the arm. HHH responds with fists, and he works a wristlock. Mankind slugs free, and delivers a bulldog to gain control. He tries a headlock, but HHH whips him into the ropes for a backelbow, then delivers a clothesline. Mankind manages to dump him to the outside for a baseball slide, and a clothesline knocks a recovering HHH off the apron. HHH uses a slingshot sunset flip on the way back in, so Mankind tries to hold the ropes to block, but Shane kicks his hands, then fast counts three at 2:52. These two can, and have, had good matches, but this wasn’t one of them. It wasn’t meant to be, though. Afterwards, HHH feels bad that it went down that way, but ‘business is business.’ He does give Shane a pedigree anyway, though, to help make it sting less. So, with Shane already down, Mankind traps him in a mat-based abdominal stretch, and says he won’t let it off until Vince agrees to give him a title match with Rock tonight. Vince is out, and he hates to do it, but has to agree. Oh, and Mankind wants it to be No Disqualification, which Vince is forced to agree to as well. DUD
D-lo Brown v Edge: Edge with a rana and a clothesline to put Brown on the outside, and Edge dives after him with a suicide. Edge looks for another follow up, but D-lo drops him into the barricade to block. That allows Brown a legdrop, and he delivers chops in the corner, but Edge turns the tables. Edge with a cross corner whip, but the charge in gets blocked, and Brown drops him with a running sitout powerbomb for two. Brown uses a bodyslam to set up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop, but Edge dodges, and hits a matslam. That allows Edge to go up with a flying bodypress for two, as Terri Runnels and Jacqueline make their way out. Edge with a dive off the top, but D-lo catches him in another sitout powerbomb. He gets distracted by PMS, but as he goes after Terri, she falls off of the apron. She starts clutching her stomach, and yep, we’re doing a miscarriage angle. The match just sort of ends at 4:55, with no result announced. What a miscarriage of justice. ½*
Backstage, the doctors examine Terri
Shane is out, and announces that Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco are booked in a Handicap match against Kane right now. The stooges protest, so daddy Vince shows up, and tells them that, yep, it’s happening, as punishment for their role in not protecting Shane
Handicap Match: Kane v Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco: Shane acts as the referee for this. The stooges beg off, and Pat tries to offer cigarettes, condoms, and finally cash, but Kane isn’t interested. Kane dismantles them, but Shane’s ‘coaching’ annoys him, and he nearly turns on him, until Vince is able to stop him with threats of the asylum. Vince then rules the match over, and awards it to Kane at 1:54. This wasn’t really a match. DUD
Dennis Knight is still all tied up, and the Acolytes show up, telling him that ‘he’ is ready to see Knight
WWF Hardcore Title Match: Jesse James v Al Snow: Snow attacks on the stage during the entrances, and they brawl down to ringside. Snow blasts him with a chair there, and he puts James on a table, then dives with a moonsault off the barricade - only for Jesse to dodge, and Snow to drive himself through it. That gets Jesse two, and James grabs a baking sheet to beat on Al with. They brawl over to the area under the entrance stage, where James hiptosses Al through another table. A slugfest leads them backstage, where Snow throws him into a storage closet, before choking him with a hose. Al throws a box of toilet paper at him, then cracks a broom over his back, before James manages to whack back with a trashcan. Using toilet paper as a weapon reminds me of that scene in Forgetting Sarah Marshall (complimentary). They brawl to the outside of the building, where snow is falling, and James piledrives him through a pallet for the pin at 8:38. This was still somewhat unique at this stage, but the gimmick is getting old, fast. ¼*
Somewhere in the dungeons, the Acolytes drag Knight into another room
Backstage, Shawn leaves to go get his promised surprise, likely ice cream sandwiches. Unfortunately, he can’t get his car open, and the Corporation attack him, giving him a Syracuse beatdown, and leaving him for dead on the hood of his car
WWF Title No Disqualification Match: Rock v Mankind: Rock attacks, and uses a series of fists to knock Mankind to the apron. A series of boots knocks Mankind to the floor, and the Corporation wants to give him a beatdown, but Rock does it himself. Mankind wins a slugfest, but Rock reverses a whip into the steps, and again tells the Corporation to hold back. Rock drops the steps onto Mankind’s back a few times, and a vertical suplex on the floor follows. Rock stops to grab Michael Cole’s headset, and he looks to spit a bottle of water at Mankind as a taunt, but Mankind knocks the water right out of his mouth with a punch. Rock responds by popping him with the ring bell, and he chokes Mankind with some cable. Rock with a uranage through a table, and he rolls Mankind in to cover for two. Rock with a Russian legsweep for two, and a bodyslam sets up the People’s elbow for two. Backdrop, but Mankind counters with a swinging neckbreaker, so Big Boss Man trips him up. That allows Rock to grab the title belt, and he brains Mankind with it for a dramatic two. Rock tries again, but Mankind ducks, and uses a double-arm DDT for two. Mankind slaps on the mandible claw, but Ken Shamrock comes in with a chair to shake it off. Billy Gunn attacks him, and we get a huge brawl with the Corporation and DX. As that goes on, suddenly Steve Austin’s music hits, and the pop for that is insane. And it sustains as Steve marches to the ring, bashes Rock with a chair, and puts Mankind on top at 8:38! The match was nothing special, but as a moment? It doesn’t get much better or more memorable. One of the high notes of the Attitude Era. * ¼
BUExperience: Not everything was great (the drag queen stuff, the miscarriage stuff), but man, the good stuff was really good. This show, and the Mankind title win in particular, stands as one of the definitive moments of the Monday Night War.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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