WWF RAW 8/24/1998

Written by: Kevin Kindelberger

WWF Monday Night RAW 8/24/98
Nitro took it to RAW last week in the ratings as well as in show quality. Schiavone told everyone that it was taped a million times and so it will be interesting to see how the WWF responds this week. They are heading into one of their big PPV’s, so expect they will pull no punches. Hopefully this brings RAW back to the great days of April when they were on fire. Still RAW lost the ratings battle and will not be on the next two weeks! Still the ratings were up with a 4.4 and a 4.9 for a 4.65 while Nitro got a 5.3 off of hours of 5.5, 4.9 and 5.5.

Kane and the Undertaker walk in the building together.

After the beginning they come to the ring together and after a long time here comes Vince. He is giddy about telling everyone that he was right. UT with Kane will become the next champ and some time down the road UT will need him. He will be a great champion but will need Vince’s advice and guidance. He demands UT’s attention and tells him that he wants an answer tonight on whether or not they will be friend or foe and repeats that a few times. Paul Bearer waddles his fat ass down the ring and takes an hour doing so. Shit, he is annoying. He wants Kane to tell him that this is a lie a dreadful lie and nightmare. He is his father and has always been there for him and always loved him. His mother never loved him and calls her a whore. Kane holds back UT as Paul continues about their bond and how UT is deceitful. He wants Kane to do one more thing and that is to destroy the Undertaker. Instead Kane turns his back and allows the Undertaker to demolish Bearer. Mankind comes down and he allows himself to be demolished by both. They kill him with a spike Tombstone. Vince reminds UT that there is only one man left standing between him and the WWF title and that man is quaking in his boots and he will defeat him at the PPV. Here comes Austin, a wall of fire spurts up from the ramp. Austin is now wary and looks down the ramp. He knew all along that they were together and got all choked up during their family reunion. He also does not appreciate nearly getting set on fire. It will take a hell of an effort to beat UT and does not have much of a chance against both. Therefore both better have eyes in the back of their heads as Austin is taking one of them out tonight. They better be careful and he is going to burn his ass at SummerSlam because Stone Cold said so.

Oh, there is a Hell in a Cell hanging over the ring.

Match 1: Ken Shamrock v. Dan Severn

They show Mankind being carted off in an ambulance.

Dan gets in the ring and Shamrock misses a kick. Severn takes him down but Shamrock counters and now they are basically going back and forth with submission moves. They are working over the legs and rolling around the ring. They roll into the ropes and the ref calls for the break. They tussle and Severn powerbombs him and he refuses to pin him but is taking his time following up. He front suplexes him or pancakes him and gets a one count. Severn tosses him over but Shamrock returns the favor. They are against the ropes and Shamrock ignores the ref and slugs away but is whipped into the corner and off the rebound is powerslammed and Severn gets two. Severn drops him with a fireman’s carry takeover and works him over at the ropes. Owen runs down attacks Ken and then chokes him out as the ref calls for the bell. Steve Blackman runs down and kicks Severn in the head and Owen runs out too.

**1/2 Really pretty solid match. Severn controlled most of it.

Why is Blackman trying to restrain Shamrock when they are already gone or nearly so. Shamrock gives him a belly to belly and Steve does it right back to him!

Mankind has returned and is crawling around the back of the arena….inside of it that is. Stumbling around more like it.

After the break he has come down to the ring. He is in shock that Kane and UT were in cahoots. He should have believed McMahon. He has a chance for redemption and he looks up at the cage. He knows he is going to get his ass kicked by Kane in the Cell and what kind of idiot would want to go back into the Cell, a place that nearly ended his career. He is that kind of idiot and he will go all the way to the top and will slam that burnt bastard through and onto 7000 thumbtacks. If things go his way that is great and if not it is not the first time he has gotten his ass kicked in Philadelphia and he will see Kane later tonight.

Here comes Sable and she calls out the Goddamn Oddities. Now Mero and Jackie come out. Man I am tired it is just Mero and he tells Sable he is all alone and wants a piece of Kurrgan and tells the Oddities to beat it.

Match 2: Kurrgan v. Marc Mero

Kurrgan knocks him around a bit and dances around. Mero tries to fight back but is chokeslammed and beaten some more. Jackie has come out of the crowd and she is choking out Sable. Mero nuts Kurrgan and escapes through the crowd after the DQ.

DUD Fuck that was horrific.

X Pac has a cameraman follow him into the locker room and film him pissing in someone’s boots.

Match 3: Southern Justice v. New Age Outlaws

Hawk is at the announce table acting drunk. Fucking STUPID. I capped the wrong words but my point got across. Road Dog cannot even speak and apologizes for it. JJ has come down and is all pissed off, not wearing his boots and wants X Pac to get down here right now and is tired of his childish antics.

The Godwinns have different last names, Canterbury or some shit. Gunn is nailed with a spinebuster by Henry and Phineas or whatever the fuck their names are. Gunn fights back and Road Dog gets the tag and after a brief offensive flurry he gets hammered in the corner and a headbutt sends him down. JJ is still bitching and is upset about his feet being filmed. It is Dennis Knight who is in the ring and he is distracted by the goings on out on the floor. Gunn runs in and gives him a weak ass piledriver and Gunn runs over and pins him.

* Terrible.

The cameraman films the feet one last time and JJ snaps and he and Southern Justice shave his head. Hawk is slurring at the announce table again.

Match 4: Kane v. Mankind

Kane goes to the cell door and Mankind rams it into him a couple of times and then strikes with a running knee. Mankind is trying to toss chairs to the top of the Cell and misses twice hitting Lawler with it on the rebound. He takes an hour to start climbing the cage and UT pulls him off and he crashes into the announce table. The fans chant for Austin as Kane grabs Mankind and runs his head into it. Mankind is stumbling around the cage and he is run into the door. Kane stomps on him, and sets up his head in the doorway slamming the door. It hit the chest. Mankind is finally rolled into the ring and the cage door is locked. Kane tosses the stairs into the ring and then drives them into Mankind and now drives them into his back. Mankind rolls to the floor. Kane leaps over the ropes, well kind of, and crashes into Mankind. Mankind recovers quick and rolls under the ring and Kane throws the steps onto the floor where he would have been. Mankind has a bag of tacks and a chair. He cracks Kane in the head with the chair and the body. He drops some tacks and Kane drives him into the few that have dropped. Kane goes for the chokeslam but Mankind counters with the Claw. Kane fights free and they beat each other until Mankind piledrives him into the tacks. Mankind staggers to the corner and starts to climb up but Kane is up and belts him in the head with the chair. Kane then chokeslams him and then picks him up and it is Tombstone time. UT wants him to do more as JR screams that Mankind has a family to feed….odd how that dude would have a family but it is wrestling. Mankind is up and gets two vicious chair shots to the skull. Mankind gets up again and he is Tombstoned into the chair. Austin comes out of nowhere and stomps a hole in Kane. He came from under the ring. UT climbs up the cage and Austin flips him off and then uses the chair on Kane and Stuns him. UT has started to kick through the cage and it starts to raise up and it is Vince who is doing it. Kane staggers to his feet and eats another Stunner!

*** Now I am not going to play a moralist about concussion issues as no one gave a shit then. But damn. It was still fun despite having little wrestling and for angle advancement it worked great.

UT has the mic and is pissed. He has given Austin too much respect and what he did proved that that he was a coward. He had no provocation for jumping Kane. By doing that he sealed his fate. This has nothing to do with SummerSlam it is personal and he wants him tonight.

Here comes Chyna and without the boobs she is more manly than I am. Here comes the Rock as Chyna waits in the ring waving him to come on down. Rock just stands and stares at her. Here comes the rest of a Nation and they have a ladder….they have a ladder match at the PPV (he and HHH). They set it up in the ring as Chyna backs up a step. Rock tells her that if she wants to act like a big shot and call him out, and he is right here. He believes that this is a set up and have DX come out and rip his 500 dollar shirt. That is not going to happen as he is one step ahead as usual. She is supposed to shut her damn mouth and know her damn role. He points up to the TitanTron and a forklift is blocking DX’s door. He discusses their SummerSlam match and that match will make HHH’s monkey ass famous. Rock is going to climb the damn ladder, rung by damn run and grab his damn belt and prove that he is best damn IC champ. Now to Chyna and she is looking at him with those bedroom eyes and he knows that she is frustrated. She is also tense everytime she is around him and Rock propositions to her! If she is lucky he will give it to her tonight if she can smell what he is cooking. She charges him and is held down by the Nation, and he wants her on her knees where she belongs. She looks good on her knees. She has had this coming for some time and he goes to kiss her and then stops and states that there is no way that he would ever kiss a piece of trash like that. He calls Mark Henry over and tells him to know his role and give her the thrill of her life. He goes to kiss her and HBK runs down with a chair and the Rock et all sans Henry scatter and the latter gets a chair shot to the head. He helps up Chyna and dances on the announce table.

After the break DX is looking for the Nation. HBK is at the announce table.

Match 5: Val Venis v. Taka Michinoku

He talks about buns. Shawn looks irked. Taka takes it to him and knocks him to the floor. Val though makes a comeback and chops him. He powerbombs Taka and hits the Money Shot. He gets two and HHH comes out with a chair and blasts Val and then Taka with it. HHH has the mic and states that Rock crossed the line and he will be his bitch.

A five minute Highway to Hell music video…..whatever.

Match 6: Gangrel v. X Pac

Pac gets his boot up after a whip, not much the first 30 seconds, but runs right into a powerslam and now a spinebuster. Gangrel goes up top and misses the splash. Pac kicks him and then strikes with a flurry of spin kicks. He sets up the Bronco Buster and rides him. JJ has come down and breaks the guitar over his head. HHH runs down and chases him off.

*1/2 Angle Advancement.

Edge leaps into the ring and beats the crap out of Gangrel. He spears him and then hammers him, bouncing his head off the mat multiple times.

Match 7: Bart Gunn v. Bradshaw

Brawl for All: I still think Droz won last week. Scoring system a bit skewed. They pound one another but Gunn wallops him and down goes Bradshaw. Bart comes over and finishes him off.

** Killed him.

They check on a woozy Bradshaw.

Cole asks Vince about his answer and says what is it going to be……what does that mean. I thought UT had to give the answer? Vince declares he will get the answer he wants and threatens to throw Cole out.

It seems to me that they have to do the Druid thing a few times a year to express the gravity of the situation with the Undertaker. And yes it gets old. UT finally comes down and he will get what is rightfully his the WWF title. He is going to do it like a man; he will be in his face and not jump him. Austin need not worry about Kane who has his own agenda. It will be he and Austin at SummerSlam for the title. But Austin decided to make this personal and when he jumped on Kane he jumped on the Undertaker. He wants Austin to take a ride on the Highway to Hell tonight and here comes Vince. Vince wants his answer. UT just stares at him and they go to shake hands and a grinning Vince is goozled and chokeslammed. Austin climbs out of the casket and trips so he taunts Vince. He is in the face of the Undertaker. Kane climbs out of the casket too and Austin gets blindsided and hammered. Austin kicks him and head to the floor, grabs a chair and paces around the ring before heading up the ramp. The ramp has a trail of fire and just stares at that and at UT and Kane in the ring.

*** or ***1/2 I will be a loser and ride the fence. One thing for sure, the main events have sucked because there aren’t any. Yes the ratings are high and it teases it for the PPV while WCW has tossed a lot of their big names into main events every week. However, it does harm the show, does not make it as good but in the long run I am sure it will pay off for the WWF as it keeps the viewer hooked and makes them buy the PPV. The Austin scenes were the best of the show and the Rock had his best promo yet. HHH talking about crossing a line is amusing…..The Hell in the Cell match was great too. But Gangrel and the Oddities need to go. They are terrible. Despite the lack of wrestling they did a good job in preparing for the PPV and covered their bases and hopefully it pays off as SummerSlam is one of their big one’s.