Well, the last show of 1998 starts off well enough for me. We discover that Vince is going to fire Shawn Michaels, and that he has something for Mankind. All of Team Corporate go in the boiler room to get him and tell him that he will be fighting Roaddogg for the Hardcore chapionship tonight. However, Val Venis is already slated to fight that match.
Roaddogg vs Val Venis (Hardcore championship)
Val Venis comes out and does one of the better intros he's done in a while: "For now, this leg will be known as Christmas and this leg will be known as New Years. So Ladies, why not visit the Big Valbowski between the holidays?" This match starts, and you will never hear me complain when Jesse James is the first match of the night. The match is pretty standard stuff, when Team Corporate comes out. Test attacks Val Venis and the ref calls for the bell. I'm curious as to why the ref did that in a "no DQ match" but this is the WWF where "anything can happen." DX comes out, and Test and Val are brawling outside the ring. McMahon lets Roaddogg know that he'll be fighting Mankind later for the belt, and i somewhat shudder.
A bloodied Al Snow walks around backstage.
McMahon is talking to Kane while Bricso and Paterson make fun of him behind his back. I'm just waiting for Kane to snap, even though I know it's gonna be chokeslams all around.
Al Snow (with head) vs Edge
Oh my. Al Snow "hasn't washed" since the bloodbath and has shaved head. This is a bit of a disturbing image, but could make for an angle, so we'll see. Edge comes out his old way, with his old music, through the crowd. Isn't that random? (He did that on Shotgun as well.) I don't really see why, but hey, the Brood has never been explained, period. They fight a good match, though for both of their workrates, it could have been a little better. Al gets DQ for repeated shots to Edge with head. Gangrel and Christian come in, and then the Job Squad comes in. I have to admit, there is something funny about Duane Gill coming in to make a save... and I really want to see Blue Meanie fight a damn match.
Dennis Knight is talking to XPac backstage. "He told me to be here tonight".
Sable vs Spider Lady
oooooh Spider Lady! Now, it's rather obvious to me from the start that it's Luna, but not to Lalwer. Yes, yes, that was one of Moolah's costumes, but look at the person IN the damn thing. Anyway, the Oddities pull her off Sable after she gives her a royal ass kicking. (yet another reason to ditch the Oddities) and she unmasks to show them who she is. They still hold her back. Woo! Luna's gonna leave them! As she walks off, she says, "It's about what I deserve." Damn straight, sister! Now go get it!
XPac vs Bossman (European Championship)
Goddamn I hate Bossman. It's that hair. I can't understand it. It distrurbs me. Anyway, XPac makes dow ith what he has to work with and the match doesn't completely suck. Test comes out, but Val Venis snags him outside the ring. They brawl. XPac and Bossman brawl. And it's a DQ for someone.
The video of Vince training for the Royal Rumble is one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I always forget that Vince really does have a hell of a body, and watching Shane pump him up and hearing him yell, "I HATE AUSTIN" was just hilarious. I thought it was a good spot, and hey, Vince got to show off his body/ability in the gym. It's also the first time I haven't completely despised Shane, so, it can't be all bad.
Goldust and Steve Blackman vs Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett (with Debra)
Ugh, more thrown together tag teams. I can deal with Owen/Jarrett, but Goldust is losing some of his mic time (which is so strong) and he and Blackman have no real chemistry as a tag team. I realise it's not like a leading couple thing, but look how NAO get along, and look at Blackman/Goldust. I just can't get into these tossed together tag teams like that. Anyway, the match goes on, and Sevrin comes out, in a neckbrace and chases Owen around the ring. I'm doing a robot voice overdub for the whole scene. Debra steps in to distract Severin, Owen jumps in the ring and gets pinned by Blackman. All in all, I doubt anyone cared much. Goldust needs to find some machissssssmo to taunt.
The Acolytes put Dennis Knight into the trunk of a car. Cole and Lawler are amazed and wonder who told Dennis Knight to be there. (Ummm, Jackal?) and why would tehy do that? (Ummm, to make him an acolyte?) Anyway, here's a little known fact- in some languages, "Acolytes" translates to "the real job squad who can't get over no matter what". Loosely.
HHH (with DX) vs Shamrock (with Team Corp) Intercontinental title
For a second there, I thought this was a lumberjack match. Test gets to close and HHH gives him a nice baseball slide to the face. You know, Test is a scrawy as hell guy. I don't like him at all. Shamrock gets the ankle lock on (wow, he like, um, never does that) and HHH grabs the ropes. The match ends in DQ when DX and Team Corporate brawl. Paterson and Brisco get a relucatant Kane in the ring, and he clears the ring, simply by getting in.
Billy is interviewd pre-match and they ask him if things between him and Shamrock are personal. BIlly says Sham has his belt since he won the match, and Shamrock comes over and yells a lot.
Henry and D'Lo come to the ring, and I'm sad to see, again, Henry get the mic time that D'lo deserves. Henry apologises to "my girlfriend, Chyna" for what happened with Terri and Jackie last week, and gets on his knees. Terri and Jackie come out. They tell him to get back on his knees because that's how they like their men. D'Lo: "back up, you glorified ring rats... you better recognise and you're lucky that I'm a gentleman..."
Chyna comes out "You may be a gentleman, but I'm not... I'm telling you for the first time and the last time... look at me when I talk to you... stay away from my man." Terri is long gone from the ring, as Chyna tosses jackie with ease. "Next time, I'm not going to be so ladylike." And then she tells Mark Henry that she'll see him later.
oh maaaaan. One, Chyna fighting over a man? Come on!!! That is SO out of character. and maybe I'm the only one, but I just don't see her with Henry... ah well. what can you do.
Team corp is backstage looking for someone.
they show the '98 in review tape, which is neat.
Team corp is attacking teh Godfather while the hos scream.
Billy is supposed to fight Godfather, and in his intro, he says he's gonna kick Shamrock's ass next time he sees him. But the match becomes
Billy Gunn vs Kane (with Paterson and Brisco)
Shamrock come sin at one point and puts that damned ankle lock submission on. I wish someone would ban him from doing it because I am really sick of seeing it since he got pushed. When he was just amidcarder who fought less, it was fine. But now... ugh. Anyway, Paterson is distracting the ref, so the fight goes on, despite this interference. Kane chokeslams Billy and goes for the pin, but Brisco and Paterson call for another one. When he goes for the third, DX comes out, XPac dropkicks Kane, and that's that.
The Rock comes out for commentary on
Roaddogg vs Mankind (Hardcore Championship)
Now I like the intro as much as anything, but why doesn't he just intro himself as Hardcore champion? I'd rather see that than this weird intro of Billy who's not even there. Ah well. the match is good, and I shudder my way through. Jesse is pretty good at these matches, much more than I was expecting. I sit through the whole thing wishing that "the catchphrase machine" the Rock would just shut the hell up and that someone would call the damn match. The Rock is horrible. He used every catchphrase he has in the past few months, but also, repeated them in the time of the match. Ugh. SHUT UP ROCK! Anyway, Roaddogg takes a nasty bump when Mankind jumps off the seats onto him on a table, but the Rock interferes and gives Mankind a Rockbottom and Jesse gets the pin. I pretty much saw that coming a mile away. After he gets to the ring and gets the belt (it looks like he may have hurt his ribs... i hope not) he says "i don't want it this way, Rock you son of a bitch" and leaves.
McMahon comes out and requests that Team Corporate stays in the locker, and calls Shawn out. He shows some footage from Wrestlemania 14, where Shawn says Vince need him, and that he does not need Vince. he then shows Shawn holding the Corps back when Shane was getting beat by Mankind and XPac. He tells Shawn, "as commissioner, you suck, and you're fired as commissioner."he then tells Shawn he doesn't lay down for anybody, and Shawn responds with a superkick to Vince, and then pulls his suit top off. Team Corporate come in and Shawn gets out of the ring fast. This means a) Shawn is back to fight or b) Shawn is going to get that back surgery and be back in the summer. I'm hoping the former.
and that's all. So what's the final tally? Well, I can NOT complain when I had so much Jesse James to watch. I can't complain when I see Luna royally beat down Sable, even if she didn't get the belt... yet. Chyna looked nice, and tossed jackie, and looked like an Amazon princess doing it, so... again, no complaints. It's amazing how good the shows are sans Austin/Undertaker... I'm surprised, actually. I wonder how this will effect them in the long run? I mean, will Vince realise that he just has a strong product and doesn't need any one star? Or does he know that already?
return to main page
