Written by: Kevin Kindelberger
WWF Monday Night RAW 12/28/98
I read some of what I wrote last night and it makes little sense, but whatever. I stand by the great Nitro and seeing as I am writing this after watching it let’s just do the ratings: RAW wins with a around a 4.8 and Nitro got a near 4.7.
Vince is giving directions to his cronies as they enter the Boiler Room to find Mankind. Kane just stands there and Vince berates him with his puppets repeating what he says. They are looking for him and taunting him. Mankind takes out someone and is grabbed and held down. They drag him out as someone wants to bash his brains in. Vince calls him a freak and taunts him. Vince is giving him a shot at the Hardcore title tonight and yells Happy New Year and they leave him. Vince is pissed about Road Dog’s music and Shane informs him that it was Val against him tonight. Vince will see about that….they pan to.
Here comes Road Dog doing his thing….I forgot to mention that. The booze here as I went from that kick ass Nitro (I won’t finish this tonight) and Shawn is going to be fired tonight by Vince.
Match 1: Road Dog (c) v. Val Venis for WWF Hardcore Title
I have to be honest. I am going to watch Val make cock jokes, which he did. Or I could have watched Flair and that legendary promo…..going for Flair 101 times out of 100. Okay, Road Dog attacks him but Val turns the tables and they go back and forth. Here comes Test, Shamrock and Bossman. I think Kane is there too. Val is nailing him with his running knees and now a Russian sweep. Test gets in the ring as Val has to sway his hips for an hour before he is hit. Cole yells this is no DQ: The bell rings!. Here comes DX but Vince holds everyone up and declares the match over. He continues that Dog will be defending the title later tonight but against his friend Mankind. I guess Pac will face Shane and all will pay for ridiculing the McMahon’s and no one makes fun of Shane. Shawn gets the blame for that and he will be fired and Vince will even drag him to the ring and fire his ass like he would like to do to all the fans.
Snow waves Head around.
Vince is speaking slowly to Kane and then yells at him. He wants him to take out DX. He wants them as a trophy on his mantle and mocks Kane all the while.
Match 2: Al Snow v. Edge
Snow still has dried blood on him. Snow goes right after him and tosses him to the floor. Snow goes after him and hammers him against the ring and then pushes him back in. Al rolls in right after him only to get stomped and Edge hits and kicks him as Al yells at him. Edge is clotheslined and then slammed. He hits the moonsault; he gets back up and then leaves the ring and grabs a chair. He goes up top but Edge is right there and has Snow on his shoulders and drops Snow on the chair. Edge goes up top and misses. Now it is Al headbutt time. Over and over. Snow has a bloodied Head and beats the shit out of Edge and that leads to a DQ. The Brood runs down to stop it and the Squad is down too and they fight in the ring as Snow leaves through the crowd.
*1/2 Angle advancement.
Sable is stretching.
DX is talking…two seconds.
Match 2: Sable (c) v. Spider Lady for WWF Women’s Title
A female fan runs in and gives her a rose. She is finally led off by security. Sable if fighting Spider Lady apparently. A masked thing runs down and attacks her from behind as Lawler giggles about Spider Lady. This Spider thing is covered in head to toe in black. No bell yet.
Not that anyone cares, or should care: I am sober now. Wrestling is much more fun drunk….okay, time to move on.
Spider whips her with the belt and the Oddities come down and pull her off. It is Luna and George the Animal Steele has come down. Luna is screaming that it is about her as she leaves.
NR.
Sable is being checked out in the back and George Steele is there, just chilling I guess.
Match 2: X Pac (c) v. Big Bossman for WWF European Title
Bossman is beating him. He jumps on his back and then whips him into the corner and down goes Pac. Pac fires off some weak shots and he is put in a bearhug and shoved into the corner and then the other corner. Pac rakes the face to escape but is knocked into the corner and Bossman gets a two count. He puts him in a chinlock. Bossman goes up top and misses and Pac punches and kicks away. He has him in the corner and the crowd erupts for the Bronco Buster. Test arrives on the scene and Bossman reverses the whip and gives him the boot. Val Venis has run down and attacks Test. Bossman goes to help but Pac leaps on him as all four brawl.
* Jesus a lot happened here. Bossman is really terrible in the ring right now.
Vince is training for the Rumble getting encouragement from Shane who is yelling at him the entire time. Where are the Steroids? It is Ivan Drago all over again. Vince drinks raw eggs. Vince keeps yelling about getting Austin. Vince is fucking ripped.
The camera is focused on the door that Shawn will enter the building from.
Match 4: Goldust and Steve Blackman v. Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett
JJ knocks Goldust around the ring. Jarrett powerslams him and gets two. Goldust reverses the whip, and JJ slides under but is caught and slammed. Goldust sets up Shattered Dreams in the corner. Owen distracts him and JJ applies an armbar and bulldogs him. Owen gets the tag and is called a nugget as he hammers Goldust. Goldust escapes, tags in Blackman who sideslams him but misses the elbow. Owen gets two after an enzuguri and heel kick. Owen is whipped into the ropes but Blackman is taken down and the Sharpshooter is applied. Dan Severn with a neckbrace on comes down. Dan walks after Owen who backs away. Owen gets in the ring and is rolled up and pinned.
*1/2 This feud is pretty lame.
HHH and Chyna are walking in the back.
The Acolytes beat up Dennis Knight and put him in the trunk of his car.
Now they show the whole segment after the break. Dennis as attacked as he got out of his car. Why is HHH straddling Billy Gunn, almost like Gunn is going to suck him off. But the fans love it…..
Match 5: HHH v. Ken Shamrock (c) for WWF IC Title
They start brawling and Shamrock retreats to the floor. He paces around the ring and is pulled up by the scalp. He responds by bouncing HHH’s throat off the top rope. He runs him down with an elbow; he goes for a suplex but it is countered with a front suplex. Shamrock though clips the knee and starts to work on it. Oh, Test and Kane are down. Shamrock kicks him in the knee and the ribs. He drops the elbow on the knee. HHH scoots to the corner and gets in a kick but Shamrock stomps him a few times. HHH is down. Shamrock works him over in the corner and keeps after the knee. The whips is reversed and Shamrock flies into the corner and is taken down. Both men are down and struggling to their feet. HHH kicks him in the gut and now a knee to the face. HHH hits him with another knee, and Bossman is on the apron and is knocked off. Shamrock grabs HHH and puts him in the ankle lock. He is crawling towards the ropes and finally gets there. Shamrock will not break the hold and the bell is rung! Shamrock shoves the ref; here comes DX and now the Corporation enters the ring and they fight. Kane is standing on the floor and Brisco and Patterson force him into the ring. Kane does so and DX retreats.
**1/2 Not much but nice to see Shamrock look strong.
Here comes Mark Henry and he is apologizing to Chyna and wants her back. Terri and Jackie come out and he is scared. Terri likes him on his knees, like all men. She enjoyed last week, and it will continue, and D’Lo calls them glorified ring rats. He warns them to back off. Chyna comes down and threatens the ladies and tells them only once to stay away from my man. Jackie prances around and is goozled and thrown down. Next time Chyna will not be so lady like. She grins at Mark and will see him later.
The Godfather is getting pasted in the back by the Corporation as his Ho’s squeal in the background.
They pan to the back door again where Shawn will come from.
Billy Gunn comes down for his match against Godfather but he is down and out. So Shane comes out and informs him that it will be against Corporate Kane instead.
Match 6: Billy Gunn v. Kane
Kane is being coerced by Brisco and Patterson as he comes down. Kane is hammering him in the corner. Gunn is laid out in the center of the ring. Kane hangs him out to dry on the ropes and then elbows him off. He follows up with a back bodydrop. Gunn dropkicks him and fires off some rights and then runs him out to the floor. Kane lands on his feet but Gunn does not. Kane hits him and gets back in the ring. Shamrock runs down and puts Gunn in the Ankle Lock on him. Gunn is rolled back in the ring and is chokeslammed. Kane covers him but Brisco and Patteron want more punishment. Another chokeslam and they want one more. Pac runs down and missile kicks him as HHH and Road Dog pull Gunn to safety and Kane is not too happy.
** Angle advancement. Nice to see the heels looking strong.
Match 7: Road Dog (c) v. Mankind for WWF Hardcore Title
Rock is on commentary. Mankind has controlled the first couple of minutes. They fight up the ramp, and Road Dog is suplexed on the ramp. Mankind grabs a table and Mankind dumps it on top of Road Dog and he gets a two count. Road Dog fires back but is driven down to the ramp and shoved into side of the ring…..before that Mankind had been backdropped onto the ramp and the table shoved him down the ramp. Sorry about that. Road Dog is walloping Mankind with objects upside the head. He has a chair and rolls Mankind into the ring. Road Dog sets up the chair and takes off his head with a side Russian sweep. But Mankind catches him with a piledriver. Mankind gets two, sets the cookie sheet on Road Dog’s head and Mankind drops the leg on top of it. They fight into the crowd and Mankind dumps him over a barrier and slugs away with numerous rights. Mankind grabs a monitor and throws it at Road Dog who wisely moved. Dog decks Mankind right into a technician. Road Dog chokes him out with a cord but Mankind escapes and pulls out Socko and applies the Mandible Claw. Mankind climbs up to where the fans are and drops the elbow on Road Dog who was on a table. Rock comes in and gives Mankind a Rock Bottom! Road Dog covers him for the win.
***1/2 Nice brawl. Concussion city but who cares.
Vince is in the ring, and he has asked Team Corporate to stay in the back. I guess HBK has arrived after all. Vince calls him out and has something to say face to face to him. Here he comes. Vince states that Shawn became a star because him and he spent millions in turning Shawn into one. Shawn becoming champ is where he went down hill. Now to footage from last March where Shawn tells him off. Vince needs Shawn not the other way around. Shawn is grinning….now they show Shawn holding back the Corporate goons. Vince thought he would make a great commissioner and even gave him a second chance. He has no idea how he could do that. Shawn is a great star but he sucks as Commissioner. Vince does not lay down for anybody, and he fires Shawn who looks distraught but turns and hits Sweet Chin Music! The Corporate team runs down and Shawn runs off.
*** Not bad. It had its moments. I am not really sure the point of having Chyna with Mark Henry but I guess it is sex driven so it works for them. Not much wrestling but it did the job by advancing angles, though not much has been said about the Royal Rumble. But the Corporate shenanigans heat up and now Steve Austin lately means he will be around sooner rather than later. I am finally starting to get into the angle. I like the fact that they are not only douches but strong heels. However, the interference at times is a bit much but as long as it advances the story I am all for it. Unfortunately, the mid card is dull; I cannot really think of one feud that stands out. However, the show as a totality was entertaining.