Written by: Kevin Kindelberger
WWF Monday Night RAW 3/9/98
They did a lot of angle advancement last week. It was promo heavy but the show did the job and hopefully it continues. I had a feeling Tyson would join DX. JJ’s new gimmick blows and some of the storylines are getting tiresome but it was still entertaining. The ratings dipped a bit to a 3.55 off of 3.5 and 3.6. Nitro got a boost to a near 5.0 off of hours of 5.1, 4.8 and 5.0.
A recap of last week.
Match 1: Farooq and the Rock v. Steve Blackman and Ken Shamrock
Damn is Shamrock over. Farooq and Blackman start and they go back and forth, but Farooq gets a boot to the face and is knocked around. Shamrock gets the tag and he unloads on him but runs right into a spinebuster. Rock gets the tag and he charges in with a flurry of shots and then strikes with the People’s Elbow and Farooq has his boot up in anticipation of Shamrock’s skull. After that Farooq gets the tag and whips him into the ropes and he telegraphs the back drop and gets face planted. Blackman gets the tag and he gets pounded by Farooq and Rock is tagged in and he hammers him in the corner. Rock is whipped into the corner front first and dropkicks him in the back. He rolls up Rock for two but off the whip he gets clotheslined and the crowd is rabid with its “Rocky sucks” chants. Farooq is back in and Blackman is powerslammed and nearly pinned. Blackman drops him and Rock is tagged in but Shamrock gets the hot tag and he goes off. Rock is nailed with a jumping sidekick and then powerslammed. He kicks out at two and is kinda taken over with a hurracarana and Farooq runs over and hits him. And the fans are pissed as the entire Nation enter the ring and assault Shamrock. Blackman is tossed out and Henry beats on him. Rock pushes Farooq back and wants Shamrock for himself and then brags about it and this allows Shamrock to make a comeback and Rock rolls to the floor after the belly to belly. Farooq will not allow the Nation to come down and as Rock heads up the ramp Shamrock stalks him and puts him in the Ankle Lock and Farooq will not allow them to help and a bunch of refs break it up.
*** Fun match. Still teasing the break up but the match was certainly hot with the crowd.
A recap of Tyson and DX last week.
HHH is in the ring and reminds us tonight is stamped X rated and does the parental advisory bit. Chyna got into Owen’s itty bitty head last week and may take it to another level if she wants to. Before he introduces the showstopper and the ladies squeal but then tells us that he cannot be here tonight but then again before he can introduce him HHH shows us the Superkick over and over complete with sound effects. Shawn is at a bar and it is empty and he is chilling; he says hi to Hunter and Chyna and wants to review what happened last week. He is giddy that Tyson is a part of DX. He recaps what he did to Austin last week and that Austin is like everyone else when they come up against HBK. Austin can beat everyone up and get all mad but that is why Shawn is champ because he has done all that Steve has not shown him anything new. He does not lay down for anyone and will take out Austin. HHH tells the crowd to “Suck it” and they bleep out suck! HHH heads over to the announce table Kevin Kelly is ousted. HHH does not think Austin will be showing his face for some time.
There is a camera positioned near a rear door and HHH makes rear end jokes.
Match 2: Owen Hart (c) v. Barry Windham for WWF European Title
Owen gets in HHH’s face and Chyna is right there. HHH tells him to get in the ring and get his butt kicked and the belt is coming back to HHH soon enough.
Owen gets in the ring and still points and yells at HHH. Here we go. They lock up and Barry misses a punch and is tossed. Barry is back up and he knees Owen twice and then suplexes him. Owen hops right back up and they tease a test of strength and Barry runs his shoulder into him, knees him and then drops the elbow. Owen makes a comeback by grabbing the arm and he twists and turns it as the so called technical difficulties continue and Cole apologizes. Owen back suplexes him, pulls him up but is shoved into the ropes and taken off his feet with a flying clothesline. Barry gets a two count, and then tosses him to the floor. Barry heads out, hits him and then rolls him back in. Barry picks him up and slams him getting another two count. Owen tries to fight back but is clotheslined and Barry gets yet another two count. Barry back him into the corner but the whip is reversed into the other corner, Owen walks over to him and off the whip back drops him. He spinkicks him in the head and then mounts and pounds him. He hiptosses him and goes up top and it is missile dropkick time. He goes to turn him over into the Sharpshooter and Cornette gets on the apron and Owen goes for him and Barry slogs after him and is tossed out. Owen runs him into the steps and then rolls him back in. Cornette distracts the ref and Chyna nuts Owen. HHH cackles as Owen is counted out. Bradshaw runs down and beats up Windham before he retreats.
** 1/2 Okay match. More angle advancement. Oh shit, I see why the match moved slow as Owen turned his ankle and it I mean really turned it and that looked fucking painful.
Sable is going to be cuffed tonight as is Luna later tonight.
Austin will be here soon.
Lawler is in the back nervously interviewing Bearer and Kane. He is assured he will not be beat up. He mentions the Undertaker and Bearer does not want to talk about him but rather talk about Vader and they show his black eye and bandages around his head. He brings up UT again and the benches start opening and closing and Bearer is getting pissed and it keeps happening and Bearer and Lawler flee with Kane left staring down. Fucking lame.
Oh and it is not technical difficulties of course….the Undertaker and his “magic” powers.
Match 3: Aguila v. Brian Christopher
Lawler is still spooked. Brian goes right after Aquila and runs him into the corner then into the other one. Brian grabs him from around the waist and tosses him back but Aguila lands on his feet and kicks him in the back. Aguila sends him to the floor and then tosses him out on the other side. He strikes with a corkscrew planch and now a moonsault off the ropes, and it turns into a DDT into the grating. I wonder if Brian was supposed to try and catch him. More technical issues. Aguila goes for a handspring elbow but is giving the mic check and then he piledrives him. Aguila rolls to the apron and is suplexed back in and covered for two. He pulls him up and gives him a neckbreaker, and giggles for his dad who tells him to finish him but he tosses him to the floor. He gets onto the apron and Brian connects with his sunset flip powerbomb, kind of muffed as Aguila held onto the ropes too long. Brian goes up top as Aguila is back in the ring and the latter leaps up and armdrags him off and then missile kicks him in the back. He strikes with a hurracarana and Brian is put in a bow and arrow. Lawler gets on the apron and is pulled down but Taka gets destroyed by Lawler. Aguila goes up top and Lawler shoves him off and the ref catches him and the match is tossed.
**1/2 Another shitty ending but the match was still fast paced.
Brian powerbombs Aguila and Taka dropkicks him into Lawler.
A WM moment with Andre the Giant winning the WM II Battle Royal.
Here comes Austin! He arrives at the arena and just heads to the ring. He has the mic, and he has a little video and he is a bit pissed off. Vince came out and claimed that Tyson was the baddest man on the planet and that is old. Austin wants to see him say that and then rewound and showed again. He sees it as an insult and the fans heartily agree. He is prepared to sit in the ring for two hours until Vince comes out and sets it straight. Austin would like a cold beer because he is going nowhere and calls Vince a yellow bastard. He tells JR to sit down before he stomps a mudhole in him. He threatens to drag him to the ring; here comes Brisco and Lanza and Austin threatens to beat them up if they get in the ring and they better bring Vince out. The fans start an Austin chant. Austin sits in the chair and now Slaughter comes down to a chorus of boos. Austin hopes this is a rib. Austin orders that jackass to bring out Vince. They show Vince looking befuddled in the back. Austin knows he will not be suspended because WM is right around the corner. He is going to beat Slaughter’s ass and then Vince’s. Vince is shaking his head in the back refusing to go to the ring.
Commercial.
More official WWF employees are at ringside and sent to the back with a threat of bodily harm. Vince finally comes down and Austin is made sick because Vince followed Tyson around like a puppy blowing smoke up his ass. Vince has insulted him for the last time. He gets in Vince’s face and wants Vince to say to his face that Tyson is the baddest man on the planet. Vince stutters that it was a figure of speech. Austin calls his finger a figure of speech. He asks Vince if he wants him to become the champ and Vince will not answer. The fans answer “Hell Yeah” when asked. Vince agrees with them, and Austin wants to hear it from him. He wants Vince to hit him first because Austin would lay him out. He rips Vince’s coat and knows he will not be suspended. He better get out of the ring or get his ass kicked and he counts down from ten. Vince leaves and calls him a sonofabitch and that he will pay for what he did. Austin calls him yellow again. Austin goes on about kicking Shawn’s stringy haired ass and will keep knocking him down until he cannot get up and that belt will be his.
Match 4: Quebecers v. Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie
All four go at it right away out on the floor. Charlie rolls Jacques into the ring and gets two after a neckbreaker. He punches him in the face with a few jabs. He goes off the ropes and Pierre grabs his leg and now the Quebecers are in command and they doubleteam Charlie and Pierre gets a two count. He sends Charlie to the floor and Jacques rams his head into the table. He is rolled back into the ring and Jacques hangs him over the ropes and pummels him. Jack runs in and breaks up the ass whooping. Jacques drops the knee and both Quebecers shove him back down. Pierre bodyslams him, and then misses the elbow drop off the middle rope. Chainsaw staggers to his feet, swings and misses and he falls over Pierre and Cactus gets the hot tag and he takes out both Quebecers. Pierre is sent to the floor. He comes back in and Chainsaw knocks him back out. Jacques is down and Charlie goes up and misses the moonsault. Jack is sitting up top and Pierre is right there with him and takes him down via a hurracarana and nearly gets the win. Sorry I missed the very end; Heinz Ward was dancing on Dancing with the Stars and the bitch announcer brought up the Super Bowl loss….I have not recovered. Okay, Jack and Pierre pin them about 30 seconds from where I stopped. Road Dog comes out and calls them old and hobbled and tells them to get some of them. Jack runs after him and Gunn blindsides Charlie with a chair and then they run off.
**1/2 Fun match.
Here comes Kane. Bearer babbles about how UT should not have come back and Kane will take care of him etc. The lights go out and UT is in the ring. They go out again and Paul keeps screaming “no” and then when they come back on he is gone. Bearer screeches that at WM UT will be sent back to the darkside.
Match 6: Goldust v. Marc Mero
Both women will be cuffed to the post. They reluctantly are. The two men jaw at each other and give each other little shoves. Mero gives him some rights and lefts, back body drops him and then Goldust is sent to the floor after a clothesline. Mero chases him and Luna trips him. Mero yells at her and is sledged from behind. He is pounded and Goldust waits for him in the ring. Goldust gets two after a clothesline. Mero fires off some forearms and Goldust counters with a suplex. Goldust goes up to her and wants a kiss and she is not a willing participant. Mero finally comes out and interjects with some blows, back in the ring he pops him with some rights and lefts. Mero is whipped into the ref. Goldust hits his finisher and then he decides to legdrop the back of the ref’s head. He takes the handcuff key and Sable grins at him in the hopes of her being unlocked but he makes a u-turn and unlocks Luna. Luna grabs a writhing Sable and is doing something, oh she is rubbing makeup all over her face and now is choking her out. Sable is finally unlocked and like a mad woman chases them to the back.
**1/2 Not bad. Finally a conclusion to this….I hope.
Luna and Goldust are safe in the back a minute later. They make a WM challenge and Luna screeches….I am really scared of her.
A long recap of the Tyson saga.
JR is with Tyson. JR wants to know what Tyson’s impression of coming to a WWF show….I am scared of Tyson too; he is leaning into JR and I would be severely intimidated. JR wants to know about the next night on RAW and how he was disrespected by Austin and he was a fan of Austin. Tyson will not take being disrespected from anybody. JR wants to know how Tyson can be fair due to his association with DX. Tyson states everyone uses people and does not like being questioned about being fair and storms off.
There are a lot of officials in the ring and here comes HHH. It is a match against Vega and Austin comes down and Stuns an official and Vega gets one (right after the match starts). Once again Austin turns into some Sweet Chin Music. They have a chair ready and we fade….
**1/2 A step down from last week. More interference in the matches but it did what it set out to do and that is build towards WM. The Austin segment with Vince is sowing the seeds for the future and was fun to watch. There was more good than bad in the show. I am not really digging Mero and Goldust but it is sometimes entertaining. The same goes for the teased breakup between the Rock and the Nation. I feel that they are building toward the future here, though I have said that a lot, but Austin still has not reached his potential. One thing that disappoints is the near WCW like usage of Owen Hart. He was hot a couple of months ago and the WWF allowed him to cool off and that is too bad….