by Logan Scisco
-The video package
raises the big questions for tonight’s main event: Will Kane and the Undertaker work together? Will Mankind be the odd man out? Is Vince McMahon organizing everything? Hopefully tonight we will find some answers!
-Jim Ross and Jerry
“the King” Lawler are in the booth and they are live from Fresno, California.
-Opening
Contest: Val Venis pins “Double J” Jeff
Jarrett (w/Tennessee Lee) with a rollup at 7:51:
This is Venis’s pay-per-view debut and he teases
stripping before Jarrett’s entrance puts a stop to that. Kaientai tries to get a spot at ringside for
the match, but they and Southern Justice are evicted before the opening bell. Yamaguchi-San is allowed to do commentary,
though, and Lawler tries to get more information on what his relationship is
like with his wife. This is a very solid
opener, with Venis pulling several false finishes before running Jarrett into
Tennessee Lee and getting the win. Venis
remains undefeated. Rating: ***
-After the match,
Venis tells Yamaguchi-San that he will never “measure up” to the Big Valbowski.
-Non-Title
Match: D-Lo Brown (European Champion
w/The Godfather) beats X-Pac (w/Chyna) with a Sky High at 8:26:
This is the first of a series of matches that these two
would have in 1998. The European title
functioned as the WWF’s version of WCW’s TV championship during the late 1990s
and it gave someone trying to make a name for themselves like D-Lo something to
do. Ross makes sure we know that D-Lo is
a Certified Public Accountant. The chest
protector gimmick is quite brilliant because not only can D-Lo do more harm to
his opponents if he hits a splash or the Lo Down, but he also does a lot of
damage to himself if he misses those moves.
D-Lo gets the win to continue building him as more than a paper
champion, although he gets an assisted distraction from the Godfather to finish
X-Pac off. These two would go on to have
better matches, but this was still a solid effort. Rating: **½
-Kevin Kelly and
Tom Pritchard let us know from the WWF.com center backstage that the Undertaker
has not yet shown up.
-Terry Funk tells
the audience that the next match is going to be his last for a while because he
is so beaten up. Bradshaw, his teammate
for the next match, is not very happy about hearing this news. Since Bradshaw has had a rough 1998, I can’t
say that I blame him. Besides, it is
pretty lousy to tell your tag team partner that you are leaving the company
right before walking through the curtain.
-Faarooq &
Scorpio defeat Terry Funk & Bradshaw when Scorpio pins Funk with a 450
splash at 6:49:
Scorpio abandoned teaming with Terry Funk to work with
Faarooq and they had wrestled a few matches on Shotgun Saturday Night in the
weeks leading up to this. We get an
entertaining and stiff exchange between the future Acolytes in this bout and
Bradshaw brings his working boots by going to the top rope on several
occasions. Since this match was hastily
added to the card, you might think it’s just filler, but we get some very
entertaining wrestling until an awkward brawling segment at the end. The crowd does not appreciate it, but that is
more of a fault of not giving many of the guys in the match a sense of
direction in the booking than anything else.
After the bout, Bradshaw takes out his frustration on Funk and decimates
Scorpio and Faarooq for good measure. Rating:
**
-Mark Henry pins
Vader with a splash at 5:03:
These two actually have an issue as Henry and Vader
ruined each other’s chances of advancing in the King of the Ring last
month. Their feud has largely been relegated
to Shotgun Saturday Night. This match is
a complete train wreck as Vader is not capable of carrying the younger Henry
and we get awkward combinations of power moves.
Henry kicks out of Vader’s splash off the second rope and then
unceremoniously finishes him with a splash that causes the crowd to moan. It’s just sad to see Vader reduced to the
level of an enhancement talent, especially if you grew up following his WCW
career. Rating: ½*
-Kelly and
Pritchard continue to discuss whether the Undertaker is going to show up on
tonight’s show.
-WWF Tag Team
Champions Kane & Mankind walk out with Paul Bearer. Bearer gloats about how the Undertaker does
not want to face Kane because he wants to keep his main event spot at
SummerSlam. The New Age Outlaws show up
and issue a challenge to Kane & Mankind for the titles tomorrow night on
RAW. When they do not get a response,
they tear into the champions and WWF officials have to separate them. Seeing Billy Gunn and Kane share 50-50
offense in this segment is just so wrong.
-Ross and Lawler
recap Hawk showing up late to save Animal from the DOA on the last edition of
RAW.
-The Disciples of
Apocalypse (w/Paul Ellering) defeat LOD 2000 when 8-Ball pins Animal after a DDT
at 8:51:
With Sunny out of the picture, I no longer have a reason
to care about the LOD. You can sense how
the LOD are past their expiration date by listening to the crowd, as they get
very little reaction for anything in the match.
They also do not care about the DOA’s constant cheating throughout the
contest. Ellering’s excited attempts at
interference are laughable as he continually whiffs in his attempts to make a
difference. It takes forever for Animal
to get the hot tag and Skull does eat a Doomsday Device, but the match
continues a little longer and the DOA do an illegal switch and win. You would think that the LOD would have that
scouted based on the numerous times they have faced the DOA up to this
point. The WWF gave this way too much
time and after this bout the LOD, DOA, and Ellering should have been cut loose
for good. Unfortunately, this feud
continued! Rating: DUD
-Vince McMahon and
his stooges come out and McMahon says that he is not to blame if the Undertaker
does not show up. Instead, he points the
finger at Steve Austin based on his provocations of the Undertaker. McMahon reads the “card subject to change”
addendum on the programs that the crowd bought before the show and announces
that Austin’s “suitable replacement” for tonight’s main event if the Undertaker
no shows is the Brooklyn Brawler.
Forgetting about this sixteen years later, I cracked up pretty hard at
this, especially because the Brawler comes out screaming “I’m ready” and is all
amped up.
-Hart Family
Dungeon Match with Dan Severn as Special Guest Referee: Owen Hart defeats Ken Shamrock with a
crossface at 4:54:
This is the first extensive footage of the famous Hart Dungeon
on television. It appeared in some video
packages before this show, but we actually get a match that takes place in
it. Shamrock walking down the steps to
the basement is like something out of a C-level horror film. This is a submission match and they work a
quasi-UFC/WWE style that I am sure was not taught in the actual Dungeon by Stu
Hart. I am more amazed that they managed
to work a five minute match within the confines of the Dungeon than anything
else. However, since this Vince Russo we
need some type of ref bump, so sure enough that happens with Severn getting
knocked loopy, thereby allowing Owen to hit Shamrock with a dumbbell and then
tapping Shamrock’s hand on the canvas when Severn awakes to win. Seriously, they booked a screwjob for this! Finish aside, this was a fun change of pace,
but I can’t get past some of the ridiculousness of the contest like Shamrock’s
head going through some drywall and Owen swinging off pipes. Rating: **
-Two-Out-of-Three
Falls Match for the Intercontinental Championship: The Rock (Champion) wrestles Triple H
(w/Chyna) to a time limit draw at 30:00:
This match has a caveat on the traditional
two-out-of-three falls format as there is a mandatory one minute rest period
between falls. The WWE’s current
creative team should be forced to rewatch this DX-Nation feud and realize how
you can go about making a secondary title important. Ross and Lawler hyping the thirty minute time
limit is a clue of where this match is heading, especially since that time
limit was not discussed in the build to the match. Sure enough, after both men’s factions
interfere at various points and after exchanging falls, with the Rock winning
the first after a Rock Bottom at 20:20 and Triple H winning the second after
Chyna DDT’s the Rock on a chair at 26:34, the time limit expires. This is deemed as the first “classic” between
the Rock and Triple H, but most of the heat on the match comes from
interference (five run-ins!) and not from the two participants. Also, they really struggled to continue the
match with unique moves after the twenty minute mark. It felt like this was a fifteen minute match
drawn out to thirty minutes. Their
Judgment Day Iron Man match in 2000 would fix these problems and because both
men’s characters had reached another level, it was a much better match. Rating: ***
-After the bell,
the Nation and D-Generation X brawl, with DX standing tall in the ring.
-Kevin Kelly and
Tom Pritchard inform us that the Undertaker arrived during the Intercontinental
title match.
-A video package
hypes the bikini contest between Sable and Jacqueline.
-Bikini
Contest: Jacqueline (w/Marc Mero) beats
Sable by disqualification:
Before the contest, Dustin Runnels issues a prayer. Why that did not produce a feud with Jerry
Lawler, the WWF’s resident pervert is beyond me, but I guess Runnels feud with
Val Venis made the same point.
Jacqueline has a wardrobe malfunction by dancing too much in her
bikini. Sable goes without a top and
wears body paint, which she says was not what Vince McMahon wanted. That’s not a bikini, though, so she loses by
disqualification. Seriously, a
disqualification in a bikini contest!?!?
-After the contest,
McMahon walks to the ring and covers Sable.
This McMahon-Sable angle is not making any sense in light of existing
storylines.
-A video package
chronicles the events leading up to the main event for the WWF tag team titles.
-WWF Tag Team
Championship Match: “Stone Cold” Steve
Austin & The Undertaker defeat Kane & Mankind (Champions w/Paul Bearer)
when The Undertaker pins Kane after a Tombstone at to win the titles at 17:27:
This is the first time that the WWF tag team titles are
on the line in a pay-per-view main event since In Your House 3 in September
1995. I really feel bad for Mankind as
the odd man out in this main event angle, but he was actually able to
capitalize on that later for his late 1998 run.
The Undertaker and Kane are skittish about contact throughout the match,
lending some credence to the view that they are working together, but the
Undertaker reluctantly agrees to hot tag in and fight Kane late in the
match. You see, we are back to the “tag
team partners that do not like each other” that has been an Austin staple since
he first won the tag team titles with Shawn Michaels in the summer of
1997. I do not like the WWF champion
holding the tag titles to build their feud since it weakens the overall tag
division, so the result of this match was rather silly. The crowd was into this, but it was really an
extended RAW main event. That said, what
did you expect from a throwaway pay-per-view before SummerSlam? Rating: **
The Final Report Card: Despite achieving an all-time record buyrate
for In Your House shows, this was the very definition of a middle of the road
pay-per-view. Outside of the LOD-DOA
debacle, there was nothing that was awful about this show, but there was also
nothing really great or memorable aside from Sable’s moment, and that was
lessened when she later did Playboy.
Triple H and the Rock, as well as Shamrock and Owen, would go on to have
better, more memorable contests at SummerSlam.
If you are looking to burn some time, this is as decent a card as any to
watch, but do not expect anything fantastic.
Attendance:
9,855
Buyrate:
0.9 (+0.31 over previous year)
Show Evaluation: Neutral
Just randomly re-watched this show with some friends a few weeks ago. Holds up pretty well, the Yamaguchi-San/Val Venis stuff is still funny.
ReplyDeleteAh, the wacky mismatched partners win the tag team titles gambit. Russo sure knew how to overdo it.
ReplyDeleteYeah. That angle gets a lot of flack, but if you just look at it as something obviously silly it is good comedy.
ReplyDeleteJacqueline in a bikini > Sable topless. End of thread.
ReplyDeleteChoppy choppy his pee pee happens on the next RAW I believe.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, the WWF's insightful metaphorical exploration of the Japanese salary-man's search for meaning and identity in a culture that demands the strictest of loyalty throughout the ruthless, unending workday.
ReplyDeleteOr it was the WWF's usual broad racism, I forget which.
I like your style of review. Tells the story of the match/what works or didn't work. Much better than the play by play with little opinion thrown in and a random star rating.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I appreciate it.
ReplyDeleteI really like the video package before the main event.
ReplyDeleteI still don't understand how John Wayne Bobbit was able to save Val Venis from Kaientai by turning off the lights when they were about to choppie choppie his pee pee. Did he live down the street from the arena? Did he hop on a quick flight? I'm looking way too much into this.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he's a big politics fan, and was chatting it up with Val that night?
ReplyDeleteThis was the show that got me hooked for life on pro wrestling. I'd flicked back and forth between Raw and Nitro, showed on Friday night's here in the UK for a few weeks, but the WCW ppvs weren't on TV while WWF ppvs were free on satellite. Somewhere between Rock's infinite cool, Sable's breasts and the intrigue around the brothers of destruction, it blew me away and that was that. 16 years later I'm still watching for better or worse.
ReplyDeleteSWERVES!!!11, On a Pole matches, Wacky Tag Team Titlists Who Hate Each Other, and frequent title changes.
ReplyDeleteThe Four Horsemen of Russo.
Owen and shamrock worked very well together in all these ufc style submission matches. Owen was the only one that could do that kind of match with shamrock and it not be boring as shit imo.
ReplyDeleteEw. Always thought Jackie was gross. Her implants were way too big.
ReplyDeleteThis was very entertaining for a throwaway show. I don't see a thing to complain about.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad wasn't a fan of me watching wrestling.
ReplyDeleteThen he saw this show and for some SABLE reason, he was OK with it after that.
D-lo Brown still puzzles me, because he got good fast, then got bad just as fast in the space of about 18 months.
ReplyDeleteI think worse than being punished for the droz incident, the blow to his self confidence destroyed any chance of maintaining a high profile career. Which is a shame because he was decent and had potential as an athletic power house with personality.
ReplyDeletePlus his theme music was boss.
Agreed. He seemed like he was headed for good things and that music was pretty awesome
ReplyDeleteSeconded. Not good at all
ReplyDeleteI remember reading the results of this in a WWF Magazine that hit news stands in about late September....
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming that The Undertaker was heavily fined for arriving so late to a PPV.
ReplyDeleteThird. Never thought Jacqueline was attractive at all.
ReplyDeleteI'll second this, Logan. You are one of my favorite reads.
ReplyDeleteShamrock and Owen's Lions Den match the following month at Summerslam was way better.
ReplyDeleteD'Lo is one of those great memorable midcard guys that every fan remembers fondly, and you kind of need in a successful wrestling company. He was never due for a Main Event push, but it still sucked just how badly he faltered after the Droz incident. Granted, he was always pretty sloppy with that Powerbomb of his.
ReplyDeleteMiss Jackie may not have been the best looking WWF chick, but she had a great rack.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the Dungeon match on this show, it was different and both guys worked well together. The Lions Den match at SS98 is a forgotten gem and maybe Shamrocks best match ever.
ReplyDeletemy dad was super curious about seeing that Sunny/Sable Raw swimsuit issue
ReplyDeleteyeah his self confidence was shot to hell after the Droz incident
ReplyDeleteThey weren't just racist about broads, they were racist about dudes too!
ReplyDeleteMy Dad was similar. He seemed a lot happier with the whole "my son enjoys watching sweaty men in their tights" deal. In addition to my interest in wrestling, ho ho.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping they bring him in to be a part of the new NOD 2014.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot about Tits
ReplyDeleteVJ playing the anti-smark: NOT trolling.
ReplyDeleteSaying Jackie > Sable = Trolling, level: EXPERT.