WWF RAW 9/14/1998

Written by: Kevin Kindelberger

WWF Monday Night RAW 9/14/98
After a two week hiatus we will see what happens. Nitro has been on a roll with some decent shows, a ratings increase and the return of Flair is imminent. My guess is that the WWF will not mess around though they lost quite handily 4.5 to 4.0. Time to crack some beers. No TV where I am at.

They are not messing around. Here comes Austin! Kane, UT and Vince are in the ring already. Vince wants the music cut and is sick and tired of Austin carrying around the WWF belt. He is going to discuss his master plan further to end his reign at the PPV: A Triple Threat match between him, UT and Kane. But there is more, a business arrangement; they get a title shot but they are going to do something for him. Vince may not like them but business is business. They will protect Vince, and if Steve lays a finger on him then these two will annihilate him. That is going to happen anyway at the PPV, and he guarantees it. There will be another stipulation. UT cannot beat Kane and vice-versa. Vince is bitter that Austin has to do things his way and that this is basically the consequences of that. Vince is getting in his face and stating that he must remember one thing and that is Vince did not screw Austin but it was Austin that screwed himself. Austin decks him and now Kane and UT step in and annihilate Austin with Vince coaching them. Austin is gently double chokeslammed. Vince does the Austin on Austin, screaming at him and flipping him off!

They are up at the ramp now and Austin has to defend the title tonight against Shamrock….I am surprised that Kane and UT are not too unhappy about that.

Fuck. It is the Outlaws. X Pac is there too….it just keeps getting better!

Match 1: Road Dog v. Jeff Jarrett

At least they are not hiding the fact that they used to work together with that horrific country gimmick. JJ starts strong but is decleated with a big clothesline. After a near fall, JJ makes a comeback and drops him with a knee and stomps on him. Now Road Dog has turned the tables back to his advantage. JJ is given an atomic drop and shoved face first into the corner. He mounts and pounds him there. JJ rakes the eyes and now he is on the offensive. JJ misses on the ropes and crotches himself, now Road Dog does it and leaps on him. Justice pulls him to the floor and now it is a melee on the floor. Road Dog is put back in the ring and finished with the guitar.

** Average. They went back and forth.

Cole is with the Rock who is arguing with the Nation or at least giving orders as he gives them directions. Owen does not like directions. Rock wants Kane by himself and they just need to be ready.

Match 2: Kane v. Rock

They start slugging it out in the ring. Kane drops him with a reverse elbow but Rock is not too fazed and keeps after him. However, Kane comes back with big rights of his own. Rock grabs the ropes after the whip and retreats to the floor. He grabs Kane by the leg, pulls him down and bashes it against the side of the ring and now wraps it around the post. Rock clotheslines him but jaws at the Undertaker and turns right into a powerslam. Kane is rocking him with the corner with shots to the head and topples him with a whip into the corner. Kane bodyslams him and heads upstairs. He strikes with a flying clothesline and gets two. Rock is getting choked out in the corner and sent into the opposing corner. Rock runs out and is clotheslined. Kane misses the elbow and Rock DDT’s him. Damn the fans are really behind the Rock. Both are up and Rock is blocking shots and unleashing some of his own. Kane is backed into the corner where his pummeled. Kane reverses a whip but off the telegraph he is nearly pinned with a swinging neckbreaker. Kane hits him after he is pulled up. Down goes the ref and Kane is Russian swept. The fans erupt for the Elbow! He drops it and UT comes in and the Rock turns towards him but it is too late and he is hammered and tossed to the floor. Mankind runs down and uses the sledgehammer on Kane and runs out! UT is walking him. Rock comes into the ring and pins Kane!

*** Overbooked as to all hell but damn is the Rock over. Not sure when and where and why it has happened but they have slowly given him more time and I think his feud with HHH helped him out.

Dustin Runnels is in the ring doing his thing. Talking about sex and he is coming and you will repent. He directs this last to Val Venis who comes out. Val laughs about repenting. He plays hard. He is showing his latest video called the Preacher’s Wife. Val is in a bed smoking a stogie and did not like being jumped on Heat. He needed some loving and so called someone and Terri pops her head up from under the covers and says hello! Dustin gets on his knees and covers his face and Val laughs that must run in his family!!

Steven Regal is in the fucking woods chopping down a tree and they are calling him a man’s man!

DX time…..

Match 3: HHH © v. Owen Hart for WWF IC Title

They lock up and HHH has the wrist, takes him down and yanks on the arm. They dance around a bit and Owen is dropped with a clothesline and the arm is still held. Owen comes back with a belly to belly suplex out of nowhere. HHH is thrust into the corner and then the other one and down he goes. Owen gets two after a backbreaker. He gets two more after a gutwrench suplex. Owen’s suplex is blocked and so HHH is cradled for two and now HHH is toasted after an enzuguri. HHH barely kicks out. HHH reverses the whip and of course telegraphs the backdrop and is given a swinging neckbreaker for his troubles. Owen goes to the middle rope and drills him with an elbow. After the two count he applies the sleeper. HHH counters with a back suplex and both are down. Both men are up slugging it out and HHH gets two after a high knee. Owen reverses him into the corner but is dropped after a lariat. HHH knees him in the face and gets another two count. Owen is run headfirst into the corner but back kicks him in the nuts and then strikes with a spinning heel kick. Chyna is on the apron and Henry gets in her face and Pac runs down and leaps on top of him and Chyna decks Henry. Owen was about to turn him over into the Sharpshooter but he turns to look and is Pedigreed.

*** Good match. Marred by Chyna and Owen deserves the title far more than HHH.

Henry has a mic and is none too pleased. He wants a piece of X Pac and is willing to make it a handicap match as he calls Chyna his girlfriend.

Match 4: Mankind v. Undertaker

Damn they are really not fucking around tonight!! UT takes the sledgehammer as a whole bunch of shit was wheeled down. Mankind puts him in the Claw and the sledgehammer is dropped. They are on the floor and UT is getting pummeled. He is whipped into the dumpster and Mankind takes the ladder but is kicked and now the fight circles around the ring with Mankind getting pummeled now. UT is bashing the hand against the steel steps and then smashes it with the steps! Mankind fights back but UT drops him with a few blows and sets up a table and Mankind is flung into it. UT uppercuts him and rolls him back into the ring where he pounds him in the corner. UT uppercuts him and pulls him back up and another shot sends him to the floor. Mankind is punched a few times out on the floor and brought back into the ring but UT is hung up on the rope but kicks him right into the dumpster. UT goes out after him and whips him into the steps. UT has the sledgehammer but Mankind wisely moves and so UT misses. Mankind staggers right into Kane who goozles him and pushes him into the timekeepers table. UT misses again with the sledgehammer. Mankind grabs a chair and blasts UT with it a couple of times but gets it shoved back into his face on the third attempt and UT chokeslams him. UT Tombstones him into the chair! UT looks over and sees the sledgehammer, picks it up and goes over to him. Rock leaps out of the dumpster and trips UT and then grabs Mankind and tosses him into the crowd and leaves!

***1/2 Overrating it but damn was it fun. Rock is getting a huge push.

We are rating for Edge and now he comes sprinting out of the crowd and leaps into Gangrel.

Match 5: Gangrel v. Edge

After a back body drop Gangrel drops him and goes up top but is slammed after being tossed off. Gangrel comes back with a release suplex. Gangrel spikes him again and gets another near fall. He bulldogs him but is grabbed and placed up top where Edge kills him with a neckbreaker from up there. Gangrel is bodyslammed and Edge slowly heads up top and leaps across the ring and nobody is home. Edge staggers to his feet and Gangrel wants to DDT him but Edge hangs onto the ropes and backdrops him to the floor and then suicide dives over the top but is driven square into the floor! Damn that looked painful. Gangrel DDT’s him right into the floor and the bell has rung and the match is ruined with his blood shit as he drinks it and spits onto Edge.

*** Another good match but a Gangrel still blows as a character.

Match 6: X Pac and Chyna v. Mark Henry

Henry shoves him down with ease but Pac strikes back with a series of kicks. Southern Justice and JJ have come down. Chyna and X Pac double suplex a leaping Henry but the fans pop and Pac gets a two count. Still a cool move. But Pac is shoved into the corner and hammered. Pac ducks and Chyna tags herself in and after Pac decks Henry she spears him. She unloads with a roundhouse and Pac is tagged back in and he drops Henry with a spinning heel kick. Bronco Buster time. Brown grabs Chyna’s foot and Pac slide kicks into him and Chyna goes up top and leaps into a crushing powerslam and is pinned.

** All for Henry pinning Chyna!

Match 7: Jacqueline v. Sable in an Evening Gown Match

They are just rolling around wailing on each other. Sable mounts and pounds her as clothes are being torn off. Sable Bomb! Jackie gets her gown torn off and Mero runs in and covers her up.

This was a bit disappointing and a bit quick.

Sable is unzipping her gown, so I guess it is not so disappointing. I must admit that the Whitesnake days are long gone. Long gone.

Match 8: Ken Shamrock v. Steve Austin for WWF Title

Austin is not clowning around as he goes right after him. Shamrock fires back but eats a thumb to the eye. Shamrock though gets two after a heel kick and clothesline. He slows things up with a headlock but Austin rolls over and gets a two count. They are vertical and Shamrock takes him down and nearly has him in the Ankle Lock and Austin rolls free and to the floor. Austin trips him up and wraps his leg around the post. He gets in the ring and suplexes him getting two. He suplexes him again and gets two more. He suplexes him again and pulls him over the apron where he drills him with an elbow. Austin puts him in a side headlock after a two count. Shamrock finally gets to his feet and he is free and they go back and forth until Shamrock gets two after the Perfect Plex. Austin blocks the hurracarana and strikes with a spinebuster. He drills him with an elbow from the middle rope. After the two count he puts him in a rear chinlock. Shamrock elbows free but a back elbow drops him back down….a knee it was. He stomps right around the nuts and tries to turn him over for a Crab but Shamrock swings him over. Austin though recovers and puts him in a sleeper only to have it reversed. Austin drives him back into the corner and then drives his shoulder into him. Austin places him up top and Austin prepares him for a superplex but Shamrock headbutts him off. But he leaps right into a fist. Shamrock is whipped, ducks and gets two after a crossbody. Austin snaps him over and slows it back down with the chinlock. Shamrock struggles to his feet and elbows free once again. Austin grabs him off the whip into the ropes and uses Shamrock’s momentum to toss him outside. Shamrock though reverses the whip and Austin crashes into the steps. They just pound each other and Austin wants a piledriver but is backdropped. Shamrock rolls him back into the ring and Austin backs into a corner where he is stomped and choked. Austin is flung into the corner but gets his foot up and now drives his shoulder into Ken and then whips him into the corner but Shamrock explodes out with a lariat and he gets a near fall after a suplex. Shamrock now tries to turn him over and does so. Austin is in stuck in the Boston Crab but Austin is able to get to the ropes. Austin nuts him and now stomps a hole in him in the corner. I love how the fans cheer his nefarious deed! Both men are down after Shamrock strikes with a back elbow. Austin rolls over, covers him and gets two. Kane and UT come down and Kane takes on Austin and Shamrock is chokeslammed by the Undertaker. Rock and Mankind are in the ring now and the brawl is fucking on. Vince is stunned up at the top. Austin has a chair and belts both UT and Kane. Vince sees Austin and backpedals, finally leaving.

***** Fuck it. I am giving this bitch the coveted five fucking stars. Holy shit…..plus I have had a couple of beers. But damn was this impressive. They did not mess around and brought out the big guns, still losing but that shows the power of Flair! I mean wow. Rock is now over huge…..Mankind had a great showing. A great main event and the wrestling was solid in general. This is what competition brings. RAW was preempted for a couple of weeks and Nitro had been on a role, so the WWF responded and took it to the next level. There was no bullshit, no stupid fucking gimmicks. The sex crap was toned down and instead we got the big guns and they were unleashed and proved they could carry a show with numerous segments without dragging it down. Fucking Awesome.