WWF Sunday Night Heat (January 17, 1999)

 

Original Airdate: January 17, 1999 (taped January 12)

From Beaumont, Texas; Your Hosts are Kevin Kelly and Shane McMahon

The Corporation are out, and Vince McMahon is looking very different tonight, in a polo shirt, and not even a jacket. Anyway, they are getting their ducks in a row ahead of next week's Royal Rumble, and Vince confirms that Chyna will indeed get the #30 spot in the Rumble match. But, Vince wants to make it clear that he would have killed her, if he wasn’t such a gentleman. But, since he is, he didn’t… though he still wants to assert his dominance by challenging her to an Arm Wrestling match tonight. Meanwhile, Shane gets a call on his headset, and runs into the ring to reveal that Shawn Michaels has just booked Rock against Kane for RAW tomorrow, from whatever remote location he’s commissioner’ing from

Backstage, Rock fumes about the Kane match, but Vince tells him to cool it, because McMahon will handle it

Gillberg v Tiger Ali Singh: The WWF Light Heavyweight crown is not on the line here. ‘Cause Tiger is fat. Gillberg tries a spear right away, but bounces off of Tiger, and Singh puts the boots to him. Tiger with a powerbomb, but Gillberg nearly reverses a vertical suplex, before getting toppled for the pin at 0:53. DUD

Backstage, Michael Cole tries to get dirt on Mark Henry and Chyna’s relationship, but Mark rebuffs him

Backstage, Shane flirts with Luna

Mark Henry v Scorpio: Mark is good and mad, and just throws Scorpio around. Mark with a clothesline, and Scorpio should stay down here, that is an angry man. Instead, Scorpio manages to sweep the leg, and he throws a flurry of fists. Scorpio with a corkscrew kick for two, but a handspring backelbow gets blocked, and Henry uses a pop-up press-drop. That draws Chyna out, and she tells Mark he has twenty four hours to make a ‘decision.’ About what, isn’t made clear. Anyway, that allows Scorpio to cradle at 3:05. ½*

The 10-10-220 Rewind is Jesse James getting a bloodbath on RAW 

Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett v Gangrel and Edge: Jeff and Edge start, and Jeff uses a flapjack, but gets reversed into the corner, and Edge bulldogs him. Edge with a powerbomb for two, and he passes to Gangrel. Gangrel gets into trouble right away, which allows Owen to tag in, but Gangrel reverses a cross corner whip, and delivers a backdrop on the rebound. Gangrel with a powerslam for two, so Jeff takes a cheap shot from the apron, and Owen spinheel kicks him for two. A double team backfires, allowing Edge to tag in, but here’s Jesse James to brawl with Gangrel. That allows Hart and Jarrett a combo at 3:07. ½*

Backstage, Vince arm wrestles Pat Patterson, as a warmup 

Mankind/Rock hype video for the Rumble

Backstage, Vince arm wrestles Gerald Brisco next

Backstage, Cole catches up with Goldust, who is lounging around with Head, who he has tarted up to look like him

Goldust v Godfather: Speaking of ‘tarted up.’  One of the hoes gets dragged underneath the ring right away, and Al Snow emerges, dressed as her. Meanwhile, Goldust hits Godfather with a sitout matslam for two, but he notices Snow stealing Head, and Godfather schoolboys at 0:50. This was barely a match. In fact, I’m making a judgment call: it wasn’t a match. DUD

Backstage, Patterson and Brisco have moved on to arm wrestling each other to determine the top stooge, but Vince breaks it up

The Glover Slam of the Week is the finish of the Corporate Rumble match on RAW

Another video of Shane training Vince for the Rumble match. This is a replay of the one from RAW, but these never get old

Arm Wrestling Match: Vince McMahon v Chyna: Vince wears a baggy sweatshirt to avoid ‘intimidating’ Chyna, in another ‘gentlemanly’ act. Shane is against this match, and brings out Luna to take his dad’s place, but Sable attacks her in the aisle, keeping her out of things. So, with that gaga out of the way, they get down to business, but, of course, Vince plays mindgames. Chyna’s hands are oily. Her nails are too long. Chyna stays focused, through it all, and wins once they hook up. That sends the Stooges into a rage, and they fight over who can get revenge for Vince, so Chyna offers to arm wrestle them both tomorrow on RAW

BUExperience: This was a skippable episode, with barely any wrestling at all, but not a boring one, at least.