Taped from Madison, WI
Airdate: October 25, 1998 (taped 10/20)
Attendance: 10,220
Hosted by Michael Cole & Jim Cornette
Can Mankind and X-Pac get the better of Shamrock and Brown? Will Christian retain the Light Heavyweight title? What’s the latest with Mr. McMahon? On the precipice of Halloween, can this episode get any hotter?
Opening montage.
This episode marks Cole’s play-by-play debut in the WWF as Shane McMahon has the night off.
Prior to the opening match, we revisit the PPV when Christian defeated Michinoku to win the Light Heavyweight title.
Match 1 for the WWF Light Heavyweight title: Christian (champion w/ Gangrel) versus “Too Sexy” Brian Christopher (w/ Scott “Too Hot” Taylor)
Highlights:
- Christopher slammed Christian but fell victim to an inverted DDT.
- When Christian reversed a cross corner whip, Christopher leaped to the second turnbuckle, attempted a cross body block, but there wasn’t any water in the pool.
- Christian fed Christopher a spinning heel kick and got 2.
- As Christopher flattened him with a Stroke, he suplexed Christian, floated over, and got 2.
- Christopher attempted a bulldog, but Christian blocked it by sending him crotch-first into the second turnbuckle.
- After he mounted the top turnbuckle, Christian hooked a super huracanrana. Woohoo!
- He suplexed Christopher twice and decimated him with a gourdbuster.
- While he mounted the top turnbuckle, Christian leaped but found the lake dry.
- Christopher mounted the top turnbuckle but missed a Tennessee Jam.
- Planting Christopher with the not-yet-named Unprettier, Christian pinned him at 3:42.
Rating: **
Summary: Showcase match for the new champion.
After the match, Gangrel punks out Taylor.
WWF Survivor Series ’98 will be LIVE on PPV on 11/15. Order NOW!
Backstage, Kevin Kelly interviews the ICP who will wrestle against Kaientai tomorrow night on RAW.
Match 2: Jeff Jarrett (w/ Debra McMichael) versus Golga (w/ Oddities & Insane Clown Posse)
Highlights:
- Before the bell, referee Jim Korderas ejected the Oddities and ICP from ringside.
- Golga reversed an Irish whip and thwarted a sunset flip attempt by SQUISHING Jarrett.
- As he landed an elbow drop, Golga followed with a leg drop, brother.
- Jarrett migrated to the apron and guillotined Golga with the top rope.
- When he mounted the top turnbuckle, Jarrett fed Golga a cross body block for 2.
- Jarrett attempted another cross body block, but Golga caught and powerslammed him.
- After Golga charged, he came up empty and flew over the top rope to the floor.
- Jarrett dealt him a baseball slide, joined Golga, reversed an Irish whip, and made him HIT THE POLE.
- While he mounted the top turnbuckle, Jarrett scored with a flying clothesline.
- He rammed Golga head-first into the top turnbuckle twice to ZERO effect.
- Reversing an Irish whip, Golga delivered a big boot.
- He sent Jarrett into the corner and caught him mid-float-over.
- Powerslamming Jarrett again, Golga caught his Cartman doll when Debra tossed it to him.
- Nevertheless, Jarrett demolished Golga with a Stroke.
- 1-2-3.
- Jarrett won at 3:27.
Rating: **
Summary: Thanks to Debra, Jarrett found a unique way to beat the big guy.
Earlier today, Kelly interviewed the Headbangers who’re pissed about not having had their rematch against the NAO yet.
Prior to the next match, Mosh grabs the microphone and parodies the NAO introduction with his own spiel.
Sunday Night HeAT is sponsored by Twix, WWF The Music: Volume 2, and CRUNCH.
Match 3: Headbangers versus the Disciples of Apocalypse (w/ “Precious” Paul Ellering)
Highlights:
- Mosh attempted a cross body block, but Skull caught and powerslammed him.
- When Skull missed an elbow drop, Mosh mimicked Road Dog with a “shaky-shaky” knee drop.
- He gave Skull a cross corner whip and followed with a senton.
- As Thrasher tagged in, the Headbangers fed Skull a double guillotine across the top rope.
- Thrasher gave Skull a cross corner whip but ate a back elbow on his follow-through.
- After 8-Ball tagged in, DoA dealt Thrasher a double boot for 1.
- 8-Ball delivered an elbow smash, but Thrasher rebounded with a DDT for 2.
- While Thrasher dropkicked him, 8-Ball sought refuge outside the ring and guillotined him with the top rope.
- Thrasher powerslammed 8-Ball but only got 1.
- Tagging in, Mosh got powerbombed by Thrasher atop 8-Ball and got 2.
- DoA illegally switched as Thrasher distracted referee Jim Korderas. SNEAKY!
- Tossing Thrasher over the top rope to the floor, Skull got backdropped over the top rope to the floor.
- Thrasher rolled up 8-Ball, but Ellering temporarily distracted Korderas.
- Speaking of Korderas, he ultimately got into position and counted the pin.
- Headbangers won at 3:26.
Rating: *
Summary: Heatless tag match with good double-teaming but not much else.
We revisit RAW when Austin kidnapped and humiliated Mr. McMahon. In the meantime, he placed a document in Mr. McMahon’s pocket.
Via telephone, Mr. McMahon refuses to discuss matters, states: “The fans can go to hell,” and hangs up. Did you really expect much considering the circumstances?
2 Cold Scorpio approaches the ring but gets ambushed by the Blue Blazer. When the Blue Blazer locks the Dragon sleeper on him, Scorpio falls unconscious. Blue Blazer retreats backstage having scratched Scorpio’s match from tonight’s show.
Backstage, Kelly interviews Shamrock and Brown. Shamrock wants to destroy Mankind and Mr. Socko while Brown cuts a promo on X-Pac.
After ring announcer Tony Chimel introduces Brown and Shamrock, Kelly interviews X-Pac and Mankind backstage. X-Pac refers to Mr. Socko as “rancid,” but Mankind voices Mr. Socko mocking both Shamrock and Brown.
Match 4: Mankind & X-Pac (w/o Chyna) versus Ken Shamrock & D’Lo Brown
Highlights:
- According to Cornette, Chyna “failed to appear at two court dates” for Mark Henry’s sexual harassment suit; thus, she was arrested last week on
- All four wrestlers were in the ring, and the brawl was ON.
- As the match immediately segued to the floor, Shamrock knocked Mankind sillier, quickly double-teamed X-Pac with Brown, and tossed him into the ring.
- X-Pac fed Shamrock a spinning heel kick, and the Madison faithful informed Brown that he indeed “sucks.”
- When Shamrock reversed a cross corner whip, he ate boot on his follow-through.
- Meanwhile, Cornette listed some participants in the 16-man tournament at the PPV: Rock, Undertaker, and Big Boss Man.
- Shamrock clotheslined X-Pac, and Brown tagged in.
- After X-Pac dealt him a leg lariat, Mankind tagged in, got reversed on a cross corner whip, but exploded from the corner to clothesline Brown.
- X-Pac tagged in, leapfrogged Brown, but ate a Sky High. Brown got 2.
- While Shamrock illegally switched with Brown, he delivered a snap suplex to X-Pac for 2.
- He flattened X-Pac with his own spinning heel kick and tagged in Brown.
- Slamming X-Pac, Brown mounted the second turnbuckle and scored with a fist drop for another 2.
- Brown silenced X-Pac with HIS own spinning heel kick but couldn’t get 3.
- With Mankind distracting referee Mike Chioda, Shamrock illegally switched with Brown again. Nefarious!
- He hammered X-Pac with a back elbow and got yet another 2.
- Tagging in legally, Brown slammed X-Pac, mounted the second turnbuckle, but missed a guillotine leg drop.
- Hot tag Mankind.
- Cleaning house, Mankind inadvertently blasted X-Pac. What’s up with that?
- Mankind realized the error of his ways, but Shamrock hit a belly-to-belly suplex.
- Since Mankind was locked in an ankle lock, X-Pac made the save.
- All four wrestlers were in the ring again, and X-Pac backdropped Brown over the top rope to the floor.
- Launching a plancha, X-Pac splatted Brown on the floor.
- Mankind annihilated Shamrock with a double-arm DDT and unleashed Mr. Socko.
- To a raucous ovation, Mankind applied Mr. Socko to Shamrock.
- However, Shamrock countered with a belly-to-back suplex.
- 1-2-3.
- Shamrock and Brown won at 6:18.
Rating: ***
Summary: Solid tag match where each competitor looked sharp, but Mankind’s obsession with Socko led to his demise.
Following the match, Mr. Socko knocks Shamrock OUT COLD. When Shamrock awakens, he’s totally PISSED OFF.
Conclusion: Entertaining main event to a fun show. Whereas RAW focused more on storyline last week, this episode brought the audience back to wrestling in a good way. Christian’s making a name for himself with Gangrel by his side. Also, Debra as Jarrett’s sidekick isn’t terrible. The Headbangers’ match wasn’t awful, but they need to be on TV to get heat for upcoming battles against the NAO.
On the other hand, I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch this episode.
TV Rating: 4.0
Stay tuned for WCW Halloween Havoc ‘98!
Comments? Suggestions? Send them to me at rsg@rockstargary.com and follow me on Twitter (@rockstargary202).