Taped from Sacramento, CA
Airdate: September 20, 1998 (taped 9/15)
Attendance: 10,591 (sold out)
Hosted by Jim Cornette & Shane McMahon
What happens when DX encounters Owen, Jarrett, and Brown? What’s the latest between Venis and Dustin? Why’s Snow here? Will the Brothers of Destruction annihilate this episode? You can try to cool off, but the HeAT is on!
Opening montage.
We revisit the PPV when Kane disfigured Mankind who was lying in a dumpster. Next, we revisit RAW when Mankind returned the favor by striking Kane in the back.
Match 1: Mankind (w/ the Rock & Ken Shamrock) versus Dustin Runnels
Highlights:
- Due to what happened last week on RAW, Runnels slumped in the ring in a despondent way.
- Mankind fed him a back elbow, and Runnels took a powder.
- When Mankind joined, he nailed Runnels from behind.
- Meanwhile, backstage, Mr. McMahon congregated with the Brothers of Destruction.
- Runnels rebounded with an uppercut and clothesline but succumbed to a double-arm DDT.
- As he planted a Mandible claw onto Runnels, Mankind won at 2:39.
Rating: *
Summary: Showcase match for Mankind.
Since Runnels remains in the ring, Val Venis emerges and rags on him about Terri. He introduces his latest video—How Terri Got Her Groove—where both Venis and Terri terrorize Runnels emotionally.
Backstage, Michael Cole interviews the Brothers of Destruction. Undertaker has “no lost love for (Mr. McMahon” yet cuts a promo on Austin. When he addresses Rock, Mankind, and Shamrock, Undertaker promises pain as well as to destroy DoA tonight. Kane informs Austin: “Our destiny will be your demise.”
Suddenly, Mankind infiltrates the area and attacks Undertaker. Kane tries to assist, but Rock and Shamrock more than even the odds against the Brothers of Destruction. Before the segment ends, Shamrock congregates a meeting between Mr. McMahon and a locker.
Backstage, Mr. McMahon chastises Mankind and advises Rock, Shamrock, and him to “leave.”
Match 2: Luna (w/ the Oddities & Sable) versus Jacqueline (w/ “Marvelous” Marc Mero)
Highlights:
- Jacqueline ambushed Luna before the bell and fed her a back elbow.
- As she gave Luna a cross corner whip, she ate boot on her follow-through.
- Luna face-planted Jacqueline and got 2.
- When she dealt Jacqueline a swinging neckbreaker, Luna mounted the second turnbuckle and launched a pumphandle splash for 2.
- She gave Jacqueline a cross corner whip but came up empty on her follow-through. In fact, she wrenched her knee.
- After Jacqueline wisely hooked a figure-four leg lock, Luna submitted at 2:21.
Rating: *
Summary: I understand it’s Luna’s job to both train and make Jacqueline in the ring, but I don’t agree with the booking. Luna deserves better.
After the match, Sable screams at Jacqueline to return. Jacqueline re-emerges and challenges her to a wrestling match on RAW. Sable accepts by putting Jacqueline in her place.
Rock, Shamrock, and Mankind have left the building.
Prior to the next match, HHH performs his spiel while Road Dog cannot due to his throat injury. Gunn tries to take over but botches it. We also revisit RAW when Jarrett damaged Road Dog’s throat to defeat him. Following that, we see Henry’s powerslam of Chyna.
Match 3: DX (w/ Chyna & Road Dog) versus Owen Hart, D’Lo Brown, & Jeff Jarrett (w/ Southern Justice)
Highlights:
- Brown fed Gunn a back elbow but got reversed on a cross corner whip.
- When Gunn gorilla-press-dropped him, he dealt Brown a Rocker Dropper.
- Tags were exchanged on both sides, and X-Pac both leapfrogged and hip-tossed Owen.
- As HHH tagged in, he planted a high knee to Owen for 2.
- Jarrett put a knee into his back, but HHH demolished him.
- After Owen destroyed HHH with a DDT, Jarrett tagged in.
- Oddly, some production miscues kept happening throughout the match.
- Jarrett countered a back drop attempt with a swinging neckbreaker that didn’t look crisp. More on this later.
- While Brown tagged in, he slammed HHH and followed with a leg drop.
- He baited both Gunn and X-Pac into the ring distracting referee Mike Chioda.
- In the meantime, the heels broke the wishbone on HHH. SNEAKY!
- Owen delivered an inverted atomic drop and clotheslined HHH for 2.
- Tagging in, Brown fell victim to a face crusher.
- Hot tag X-Pac.
- Upon flattening Brown with a leg lariat, X-Pac suplexed him for 2.
- All six wrestlers were in the ring, and chaos erupted.
- With all the shenanigans, Canterbury jumped into the ring and disintegrated X-Pac with a Meltdown.
- Brown mounted the top turnbuckle and uncorked a frog splash.
- 1-2-3.
- Brown, Owen, and Jarrett won at 5:53.
Rating: **
Summary: Chicanery by the heels dismantled DX. What also dismantled DX was that HHH, on that swinging neckbreaker, tore his MCL. HHH wouldn’t wrestle again for ten weeks.
Following the match, Mark Henry emerges and destroys HHH in the aisle.
Remember those “technical” difficulties earlier? That’s due to Al Snow’s presence in the production truck. Despite all those difficulties, there wasn’t any TV snow.
Match 4: Edge versus Taka Michinoku (w/ Mr. Yamaguchi)
Highlights:
- As the bell rang, security approached the production truck.
- Edge fed him a spinning heel kick, but Michinoku escaped a powerbomb.
- When Edge demolished him with a Downward Spiral, he pinned Michinoku at 0:35.
Rating: DUD
Summary: Showcase match for Edge.
Afterward, Kaientai attacks Edge until Gangrel joins the melee. He slams Yamaguchi sending both him and Michinoku to the floor. As Kaientai flees, Gangrel informs Edge: “You will come home.” He must enjoy the hair band Cinderella.
Inside the production truck, security handcuffs Snow and escorts him from the truck.
Following a commercial break, Snow stands on a set of steps as the Sac-town faithful adorns him with praise. Commissioner Slaughter stands in the ring while the Sac-town faithful chants “we want Head.” When Slaughter calls him every name in the book, he advises Snow that he’s “banned from the (WWF).” Snow laughs because Head “sneezed up (his) butt.” HA!
If Snow wishes to appear for the WWF, Slaughter declares he must face him in a boot camp match tomorrow night on RAW. Snow wants to know what his prize would be should he win, and Slaughter laughs in response. In turn, should Snow win, Slaughter will reinstate him. Before Snow can leave, Slaughter hammers him from behind and applies a crossface since it’s impossible to hook a cobra clutch on someone who’s handcuffed. How dastardly!
Match 5: Brothers of Destruction (w/ Mr. McMahon) versus Disciples of Apocalypse (w/ “Precious” Paul Ellering)
Highlights:
- McMahon joined the broadcast table for this match.
- When the bell rang, a brawl ensued, and 8-Ball clotheslined Kane over the top rope to the floor.
- DoA double-booted Undertaker, and Skull got 2.
- As Skull reversed an Irish whip, Undertaker fed him a flying clothesline.
- Kane tagged in, reversed a cross corner whip, and dealt Skull a sidewalk slam.
- After Kane mounted the top turnbuckle, he launched his own flying clothesline.
- He gave Skull a cross corner whip but ate a back elbow on his follow-through.
- While Kane responded with a corner clothesline, he gave Skull another cross corner whip but ate another back elbow.
- Both wrestlers delivered big boots knocking each other down to the mat.
- Tagging in, 8-Ball got reversed on an Irish whip and ate a boot to the back of the head from Undertaker. Evil!
- Kane chokeslammed 8-Ball but only got 2 thanks to a save by Skull.
- With all four wrestlers in the ring, Undertaker and Skull fought to the floor.
- Undertaker rammed Skull shoulder-first into the steps, but 8-Ball piledrove Kane.
- Jumping onto the apron, Undertaker guillotined 8-Ball with the top rope.
- Kane no-sold the piledriver and tombstoned 8-Ball.
- 1-2-3.
- Brothers of Destruction won at 4:01.
Rating: **
Summary: Showcase match for the Brothers of Destruction.
Conclusion: Whereas Thunder is a supplement to Nitro and most inconsequential, HeAT is the prelude to RAW. Angles get advanced, the PPV gets shilled, and RAW is set up on a platter for the viewer. The only things that HeAT cannot do is promote the sexuality and adult language due to its timeslot. At this point, HeAT is a recommendation prior to watching RAW until otherwise noted.
TV Rating: 3.6
Stay tuned for WCW Monday Nitro 09-21-98!
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