Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #139 July 13th, 1998 WCW Monday Nitro: Live/Taped: Live. Length: Three Hours. Location: Las Vegas, Nevada. HOUR ONE Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Larry Zbyszko. - Footage of Goldberg celebrating his World Title win are shown. Tony Schiavone's voice-over sounds like it's coming from inside a rain barrel. This will continue for the first minutes or so of the show. The Nitro Girls do a number in the ring. Finally after about five minutes of blathering by the announcers they show footage from the Goldberg/Hogan match. Clips will serve instead of the replay of the match they promised on Thunder would be shown this week. At almost the eight minute mark WCW decides they better send some talent out to amuse the crowd. How nice of them. - "Hollywood" Hogan leads the NWO to the ring. There he crows about he and Dennis Rodman beating Diamond Dallas Page and Karl Malone at the PPV. He goes on to say the NWO is on track to reclaim its dominance over WCW. He then addresses a "bump in the road": namely one Scott Hall. Hogan accuses Hall of causing him to lose the title. He accuses Hall of plotting behind his back, whispering doubts about Hogan's ability to lead the NWO. Hogan calls Hall out, demanding a match for later in the show. Hall, looking fat, greasy, and possibly liquored-up, accepts the match. Hogan then gives the stink-eye to Bischoff and asks which side he's on? He declares that Bischoff will be the special referee tonight. Tensions mount and the Disciple steps in to protect Hogan. Hogan then turns the mic over to the Disciple, breaking his silence and sounding a lot like Brutus Beefcake by golly, throws out a challenge to DDP. Hall walks out while the Disciple is rambling on, drawing the only cheer of this whole segment. Over EIGHTEEN minutes have passed by the time they go to break. - They show stills from the PPV main event. I'd describe them, but they're so horribly distorted by WCW's stupid letterboxing that it's hard to make it out. It's all blurry asses and legs. Besides, I'm sure most of us saw actual video clips on the news already. - THE BARBARIAN (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. HORACE (w/ Lodi) 99% of this match passes without Schiavone calling any action. Instead he almost continually talks about Hogan. Lasting maybe two minutes in length, the Barbarian gets the win when Lodi passes Horace a stop sign. The Barbarian kicks it, knocking it into Horace. The Barbarian gets the three count. The rest of the Flock then run in to beat on him. Out comes Meng to make the save. Tenay says we haven't seen him since February. I'll take his word for it, as I haven't missed him myself whatsoever. Was he in jail? Hospital? Deported? Ruling Tonga? Instead of a tearful reunion, however, Meng slaps the Tongan Death Grip on the Barbarian, resuming the feud everyone forgot about and hated in the first place five months ago. I don't mean to harp on time usage here, but nearly 30 minutes have passed by this point and we've only gotten two minutes of wrestling. - They show distorted stills of Goldberg beating Curt Hennig at the PPV. "Mean" Gene Okerlund then interviews Hennig and Rick Rude. Rude apologizes to Hennig for not being at the PPV, accusing Goldberg of canceling his airline tickets. Hennig forgives him. He then announces that he's figured out a weakness in Goldberg, and challenges him to a match later tonight. Hennig also asks the Rude not come to the ring with him, so that Hennig can prove to everyone that he can beat him without help. I'd be interested in seeing if he could beat him WITH help! Anyway another main event caliber match is put together on the spot. Man, that must play havoc with the matches WCW already had scheduled for the show. After all, we've got Hogan, the Disciple, and now Hennig throwing out challenges for matches. Maybe I'll just be nice and assume these bouts were all cleared by the matchmakers prior to the start of the show (though why would Hall agree to a match with Hogan in advance?) What would happen then if the challenge wasn't accepted? Of course when was the last time somebody turned one of these challenges down? Bottom line: we're not stupid ... don't try to make us think these things are supposed to be spontaneous. - They show stills of Chris Jericho losing his Cruiserweight Title to Rey Mysterio, Jr. "Mean" Gene brings out J.J. Dillon, then Mysterio. Out comes Jericho with the WCW rulebook. Jericho quotes a WCW rule which says, in essence, if someone is suspended, and that person shows up at the event they were suspended from, then any match they interfere in will be nullified. Long story short, Jericho gets his belt back. All together now ... BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTTTT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTTTTTTTTYYYYYYYYYYYYY FFFFFFFFFFFIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dillon, grimacing in pain, admits that Jericho is correct, and that the belt goes back to him. Dean Malenko comes out to complain as well. Jericho suggests the two of them fight each other tonight, with the winner being named the number one contender. Pencil in challenge match number four for the evening. I assume that one--if not both--of these men were scheduled against other opponents. (Obviously they weren't, but you know what I mean.) One or two matches I guess I can forgive, but FOUR?! That's almost half the card. WCW would sure have to rely on the "Card Subject To Change" disclaimer quite a bit: if they ever pre-advertised their cards, that is. Even this past Sunday's PPV card was noticeably different than what they advertised just six days earlier on Nitro. Maybe I'm blowing these things out of proportion, but if I can see these oversights and blunders, then why can't WCW and their booking committee? Here's another (brought up by my brother): if someone is suspended, and they interfere at the event they were suspended from, then the match is thrown out. Okay ... got it. Does that then mean if ANYONE ELSE interferes it's perfectly okay, and the match CAN'T be thrown out? Is WCW trying to tell us that the only way to have a decision reversed is if someone who was suspended and barred from that match interferes? Obviously the simple fact that Malenko interfered, no matter who he was and what the circumstances were, should have been enough to justify a reversal of the result. I know "the referee's decision is final" fits into this somewhere, but I'll be damned if I can figure out where and how. And since when is WCW's "rulebook" just that: a big book? How did Jericho get it? Did he steal it? Is there more than one copy? Can I get a copy in my public library? Why does WCW need such a big rulebook? Are there than many rules in WCW? Is that on old copy with the "over-the-top-rope" rule still in it, or a newer updated version? So many questions, so little logic in WCW. - Nitro Girls. Nitro Party Video. They then show footage of Eric Bischoff breaking Randy Savage's leg, for no other apparent reason than to remind us what a bad muthafu*** he is, I guess. - "HACKSAW" JIM DUGGAN vs. RICK FULLER Duggan wins with a springboard moonsault into a huracanrana. Or was it a kneedrop? Which is the one where you fall on your opponent, smothering his face with your sizable gut? Whichever move that is, that's the one Duggan used. HOUR TWO Hosted By: Schiavone, Tenay and Zbyszko. - They replay big chunk of Buff Bagwell's interview from last week. I guess WCW noticed the big rating it got, so they figured it would draw again a second time. They then bring Bagwell out live for an interview. Okerlund asks Buff about the NWO. Bagwell says he's confused by what's going on, and other than confronting Rick Steiner (who injured him), he can't worry about the rest just yet. Steiner comes out, injured arm in a cast. Before either can speak, "Hollywood" Hogan comes out. He puts a stop to this, saying he's sick of all this "babyface crap!" He reminds Bagwell the NWO is "4 Life!" He then tips Buff's wheelchair over. Hogan is an evil, evil man. No, really. I mean that. I hear next week Hogan's going to kick a dog, beat up an old lady and steal candy from a baby. - They show stills from the Booker T./Bret Hart PPV match. - FIT FINLEY vs. BRET "HITMAN" HART Half-speed mat wrestling match. Hart wins with the Sharpshooter. Wasn't Finley the TV Champ or something just a few weeks ago? Not a bad match, just dull. - Nitro Girls. - STEVIE RAY vs. RICK MARTEL Stevie Ray has Booker T.'s TV Title belt for some reason. Martel shows little ring rust, and actually wrestles well here. Stevie Ray doesn't. The finish comes when Martel rolls Stevie into the Quebec Crab. Out comes Bret Hart with a chair, nailing Martel in the head with it. The ref, hearing the sound of Martel's head turning to paste, looks up a few seconds later. Hart, though, is long gone by then. (Well, ten feet down the aisle, but the ref can't see him.) Stevie covers for the three count. "Mean" Gene asks Stevie why he has Booker's belt? Stevie says Booker, who is out with a knee injury, signed "power of attorney" over to him to defend the title. As for Bret Hart, I'd speculate what his interference here meant, but WCW doesn't want me to do that. See, WCW likes to tease this stuff, then they don't do the payoff. THEN they laugh at us "insiders" for getting it all wrong. I think I'll just take another approach and not give two flying sh*ts for the whole damn thing--whatever it is. - Bobby "the Brain" Heenan joins the crew, replacing Zbyszko. - KONNAN (w/ Sting) vs. BARRY DAROW The Wolfpac are way over, which carries Konnan through this quick match. Darsow looks every bit like the relic from the 80's he is. Konnan wins with the Tequila Sunrise. Anyone who doesn't think WCW tries to push wrestlers down our throats just needs to look at Konnan. - "Mean" Gene interviews DDP. Believe me, fans, when DDP actually says something new in these interviews, I'll be the first to let you know. He does accept the Disciple's challenge, just so we have all the "t's" crossed and "i's" dotted. At issue here is DDP smacking the Disciple with a chair last week. Rumor was that Beefcake was busted open and almost got into a fight. WCW then, over the weekend, tried to deny the rumor, trashing the fans for making it up. Then the Disciple comes out on TV and says it happened. I wonder what color the sky is in WCW's world? - DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE vs. THE DISCIPLE An ugly piledriver by the Disciple is the only notable move in this one. Rick Rude comes out and knocks DDP off the corner ropes. Moments later DDP knocks the Disciple into Rude (who is one the apron) and rolls him up from behind for the pin. Two minute match, which shouldn't have put any stress on the pins in Beefcake's face. Hogan then appears to head off DDP as he makes his escape through the crowd. He, Vincent, Rude and the Disciple lay in a beating. You know, maybe taking the title away from Hogan was a good thing. After all, he's since done more than he'd done this year leading up to it. Of course the downside then is that we get struck seeing more of Hogan. Talked about a double-edged sword. Also talk about a huge ego. - KANYON vs. SATURN vs. RAVEN This match was originally supposed to be on the PPV. WCW then changed it. Now they've brought it back for Nitro. They start off with some slow-paced, tightly booked spots. Raven spends the early part in the corner, allowing Saturn and Kanyon to beat each other up. Saturn puts Kanyon through a table, nice move, but one with little emotional impact when it's only done two minutes into the match. Saturn then back up, but Lodi interferes and drops him astraddle the top turnbuckle. Kanyon, who was dead two seconds earlier, scrambles up to the top and tries to do the splash onto Raven which Saturn had just had aborted. Raven moves, but ends up in line for a splash from Saturn. Kanyon then takes Saturn to the top for a back suplex, but Raven sneaks his head between Kanyon's legs, which somehow alters the laws of physics and forces Kanyon to take damage (whereas he wouldn't have had he been the one to apply the move). Raven tries to pin Kanyon, then Saturn, but both kick out. Raven gives Kanyon the "Rock Bottom"--no! ... it's really Kanyon with the Flatliner. Same move--different results. There's some more pin attempts, including Saturn getting a 2 and 99/100 count on Raven before being pulled out by Kanyon (facilitated by the ref making an embarrasingly slow count). Saturn and Kanyon then brawl down the aisle, causing them to lose by countout. Why a "No DQ" match can be won or lost by countout is beyond me. Better than the usual chaos from these three, but I'm not sure if doing highly choreographed spots is much of an improvement. HOUR THREE Hosted By: Schiavone, Tenay and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. - They replay the Jericho situation from earlier. - DEAN MALENKO vs. REY MYSTERIO, JR. Mysterio has a nice tan which, unlike his muscles, doesn't seem to have come from a bottle. Aww, I kid. Rey could have been pumping iron all those weeks he was gone. I will say this for him: he now looks 17 instead of 15. Okay match between these two, though somewhat short. Mysterio gets the pin when Jericho comes out to nail Malenko with his Cruiserweight belt. See, Jericho wants to be able to dictate who his challengers are. Mysterio will now get a title shot, presumably at the next PPV. - Disco Inferno and Alex Wright come out. Disco complains about Lex Luger and Kevin Nash, and challenges the two to a match. ANOTHER challenge!?! This one had to have been signed in advance, though, as the Wolfpac's music immediately starts up. Luger and Nash hit the ring, with Nash working over the crowd on the mic. - KEVIN NASH/LEX LUGER (w/ Konnan & Sting) vs. DISCO INFERNO/ALEX WRIGHT Nothing match. After about a minute Wright drops to the floor. There he tangles with Konnan. Back in the ring Luger puts him in the Torture Rack, while Nash Jackknifes Disco. replay of the night before. Nash gets the pin on Disco, though technically Wright should have been legal man. The fans don't mind, while I don't care, so it all evens out. - They replay WCW's thinly veiled attempt to bury Ric Flair from last week. - EDDIE GUERRERO vs. STEVE "MONGO" MCMICHAEL Eddie gets in a bunch of offense, but Mongo is fat and invincible, so he comes back with a shoulderblock. Chavo Guerrero then runs in, riding his stick pony and wearing a cowboy hat to cover his bald head. He seems to be offering his services as a future Horseman. Guerrero drop-kicks him into Mongo, drawing the DQ. Mongo then beats him up, looking really bad as he momentarily forgets how to apply the Tombstone. Dead crowd, as they had no idea who or what to cheer for. They show the first promo for the Road Wild PPV. Country singer Travis Tritt will perform at the show. First Sawyer Brown at WrestleMania and now this. I just hope those Marilyn Manson rumors about SummerSlam aren't true. WCW would probably try to counter with Alice Cooper at Halloween Havoc. - They replay Hogan's challenge to Hall. Michael Buffer then does the ring intro. - "HOLLYWOOD" HOGAN (w/ the Disciple) vs. SCOTT HALL Bischoff comes out first and man, does he have a belly on him! Sometime between Starrcade and now Bischoff has developed a serious beer gut. I guess we now know how he's coped with Nitro losing to RAW the last few months. Hogan and Hall go at it tooth-and-nail, though at about half speed. Bischoff makes fast counts when Hogan has Hall down, while refusing to count when Hall makes the cover. Hogan slaps on a choke hold, which E.B. allows. When Hall does it Bischoff makes him break it. He allows Hogan to do a low blow. Hogan looks to have Hall beat when DDP runs in. DDP then gets in trouble and is saved by Kevin Nash. (Where is Sting, Luger and Konnan?) Hall and Nash look to be on the verge of a reunion when Hall nails Nash. Yes, this was all a massive plot to get Nash. Hogan and Hall were just faking ... I guess? Why does their "fake" wrestling look like their "real" wrestling? Bleah! I've seen some positive reaction for this angle on the 'Net. Why? All WCW did was go to elaborate, illogical extremes to rekindle a feud everyone had forgotten since Hall went into rehab for two months the DAY AFTER he first turned on Nash. Was this a "surprise"? Yes. Did WCW "fool" the "smarts" again? Yes. Am I impressed with WCW's "ingenuity"? Give me a break! If pissing me off and making me hate them more was their goal, then they succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. So Hall's going to feud with Nash? I liked it better when I saw it in the WWF four years ago. - GOLDBERG vs. CURT HENNIG Since it looked cool before they once again show the long Goldberg walk, accompanied this time by khaki-clad desert policemen. The belt has been cleaned up, with Goldberg's name attached on a nameplate. If ever there was a sign he's keeping the strap for a while, that's it. On his forehead is the welt he's gotten from headbutting lockers. The match itself lasts all of a minute, with most of that killed in a staredown. So much for Hennig's plan. - This Thursday: Thunder is three hours long. - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: Not much else to say, as most of my comments appear above. WCW has apparently decided to chose the following course: Goldberg is champ, squashing his opponents for several months to come. Hogan, meanwhile, will continue to dominate everything else. Eventually Hogan will win the belt in a rematch, though I won't make any iron-clad assumptions yet. All the other top level stars who may have been interested in the title have been pushed off into other endeavors. I won't say it's a bad strategy: I just have a hard time shaking the feeling that all this is doing is delaying a whole series of angles and feuds which would have played out this year. I wasn't wild about the show this week, and it actually took me an entire day to have the stomach to sit through it again to write this Recap. If it comes out late this week, that's the main reason. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WWF RAW is WAR: Live/Taped: live. Length: Two Hours+. Location: East Rutherford, New Jersey. WWF RAW Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler. - Flashbacks from last week precede the opening. Fireworks and crowd shots follow. Then out comes ... The "Showstopper" ... The "Icon" ... The "Main Event" ... The "Heartbreak Kid"-- Shawn Michaels!!! Shawn's old theme music ("Sexy Boy") rocks the crowd as he dances his way to the ring. Forgotten by the fans is the fact that Shawn was a heel when we last saw him; just as the back injury which has kept him on the shelf the last three months seems to have been overcome and forgotten by the resilient Michaels. Sometimes rumors--like dreams--do come true! Aaaiieee--I'm marking out! Anyway, Shawn says he watched the wrestling fans being brutalized the night before (Bash at the Beach) and felt that he just had to come back. Jim Ross asks him when he'll be returning to the ring. Other than affirming that it'll be in the WWF, he says God only knows. Shawn joins Ross and Lawler for commentary. The Undertaker makes his way out, nearly blasting his own face off when he pauses to bring up the lights--the corner post pyros going off just inches away. Kane, Mankind and Paul Bearer are close behind, as well as Vader, who is the Undertaker's scheduled opponent. - THE UNDERTAKER vs. VADER The mystery of how the Undertaker got Kane's outfit last week is brought up. Either he stole them, beat Kane up and took them, or some similar scenario; or the Taker and Kane are engaged in a conspiracy against Steve Austin. Checking the toteboard, Lawler thinks there's a conspiracy, Ross thinks not,. and Michaels admits that he's lost. Kane and Mankind circle the ring during the match. Regarding Mankind, Michaels say his performance at King of the Ring left him "speechless". The match itself is moderately short and okay, though nothing we haven't seen from these two before. Vader does a bomb off the turnbuckles. The Undertaker does an unusual looking standing legdrop, and walks the ropes. He eventually gets the win with the chokeslam and Tombstone Piledriver. Mankind then enters the ring with a chair, intent on bashing the Taker's skull. Kane steps up, though, and pulls the chair away. Brother saving brother, or a conspiracy of two? Kane then bashes Vader with the chair. The Undertaker, meanwhile, has slipped to the floor and grabbed a chair of his own. He gives his brother a long look as Paul Bearer's evil team departs. The Edge is up in the crowd again this week. - BART GUNN vs. BOB HOLLY "Brawl For All" match. Ross reminds the fans that no one does PPV like the WWF, as everyone saw the night before. Lawler quips "you mean the 'Mailman' didn't deliver?" Shawn even admits that he wasted his money on the PPV (emphasis on "wasted"). Turning to the match at hand Ross announces that Jim Cornette has "resigned" as manager of the Midnight Express in protest of them splitting up for this match. "Why?" isn't explained, though this obviously serves to tie up a loose end in the splitting up of this team. Michaels, drawing on his tag team past, says "there isn't a tag team who hasn't wanted to do this, though it usually happens in the motel room!" Gunn clearly has Holly's number in this one, laying in a lot more leather than the former race car driver. Holly sticks in there, though, and by the end both men have ugly welts rising on their faces. Gunn earns the decision. Post-match the two get into a pull-apart shoving match, signaling the death of the Midnight Express and the birth of a new feud. Easily the most entertaining of these fights yet. The only bad part was Ross constantly reminding us how "innovative" this was, and how "out of their environment" the wrestlers are. Bart Gunn looks like the man Steve McMichael once was in his younger days. It occurs to me how cool a team the Smoking Gunns might have been had they not been saddled with that cowboy gimmick. We'll see next week if the Express have split up for good. - The DeGeneration X skit mocking the Nation last week is recapped, with Jason Sensation's turn as Owen Hart being played in almost its entirety. The Nation is shown in the back watching this retrospective, throwing a fit in the process. Back from the break the Nation is still boiling. Joining the gang at the announcing desk is Jason Sensation. Lawler gets Jason to do a little bit of Owen for him. He then requests Bret Hart. Jason deliver the "Best There Is ... " line, prompting Michaels to ask "who is that ... some mid-carder?!" Lawler requests some more Owen, followed by the Undertaker. He then does an imitation of Michaels, then rounds out the repertoire with a bit of Steve Austin which is dead-on (and even more convincing because the camera wasn't on him. Lawler gets one more Owen Hart jab out of him before they cut to the Nation. The Rock tells Hunter Hearst Helmsley that no one else is the People's Champion. Godfather Kama promises bad things for "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn. Mark Henry warns X-Pac that the only thing he need worry about is "my hands around your scrawny neck!" D-Lo tells Road Dog that he's nobody to be messing with. Finally Owen Hart threatens to come out there and beat up the kid for making fun of him. Shawn says Hart is bluffing, and the King gets the kid to do some more of Hart. Out comes Owen. He slaps the kid, takes a swipe at Lawler when he tries to step in, and tosses the kid into the ring. The bloody mouthed Sensation is creaming as Owen applies the Sharpshooter. The rest of the Nation pours into the ring to pull Owen off. They're followed shortly behind by D-X, drawing a huge pop from the crowd. A big brawl follows. - Owen's attack is replayed, as well as a shot from during the commercial of D-X helping the 20 year old kid out. - OWEN HART/ROCKY MAIVIA vs. HUNTER HEARST HELMSLEY/X-PAC (w/ Chyna) Ross announces a "Title vs. Title/2-out-of-3 Falls" match between Triple H and the Rock will take place at the PPV. That should be good. When asked about his relationship with D-X, Shawn says they have a good thing going without him and he's fine with that. A good, fast-paced match. Things are pretty much even between the two teams until Chyna jumps up on the apron, distracting the ref. This allows Helmsley to whack Maivia with the European Title belt. X-Pac covers, but only gets a two count. The Rock then recovers, knocks Helmsley off the apron, but then turns into a face grab by X-Pac. X-Pac slams Rocky's face into the mat and covers for the pin. Another unlikely victory in this feud between stables. Marc Mero and Jacquelyn are in the back feeling each other up. Ewwwww! - Sable comes to the ring, with the "Fully Loaded" jokes following close behind. Shawn apologizes to his girlfriend Jennifer in advance for anything that he might say, do or look at. Sable promises Ross that her swimsuit for the competition at the PPV will be skimpier than the one she wore at the Slammys. Sable again declines to explain her professional relationship with Vince McMahon. Take your time angle, take your time. - MARC MERO (w/ Jacquelyn) vs. STEVE BLACKMAN The match itself is short and serves a little more than a set-up for Sable and Jacquelyn to get into it at ringside. As the referee drops down to keep the two apart, Mero nails Blackman with a low blow. He then plants him with a Samoan Drop and calls for Jackie. She climbs too the top--in high heels, mind you--preparing to deliver a splash. Sable comes over and jiggles the ropes, upsetting Jackie and dropping her across the top rope, bruising her tender vittles. Mero, meanwhile, falls victim to a snap-kick to the head. Blackman gets the pin. The New Age Outlaws. Kane & Mankind. World Tag Team Titles. Next. WWF WAR ZONE Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler. - THE NEW AGE OUTLAWS (w/ Chyna) vs. KANE/MANKIND (w/ Paul Bearer) Road Dog works up the crowd in the usual manner. After Kane and Mankind comes out, so does the Undertaker. The Outlaws actually manage to get the upper hand here, by first going to work on Mankind's sore shoulder (damage from the King of the Ring), then Gunn taking him out completely with a spike Piledriver. Road Dog, who has been keeping Kane busy with a flurry of fists, teams up with Mr. Ass to work over Kane. Gunn delivers a standing legdrop--much like the one the Undertaker used in the first match. Meanwhile Owen Hart and Rocky Maivia have come out on the ramp to watch the match. They are jumped by Helmsley and X-Pac. The ref leaves the ring to bust up that melee. Back in the ring Road Dog drops Kane with a Russian Legsweep. Kane rolls aside and while Road Dog is still down, D-Lo Brown--out of nowhere--comes off the top and delivers the Bulletproof Frog Splash. Kane hoists the Road Dog up and plants him with a Tombstone. 1-2-3 later and we have new TAGteamCHAMPIONSoftheWOOORLD!!! The Undertaker, for his part, did nothing. The plot thickens. - Helmsley is in the back complaining to Vince McMahon about the officiating in the WWF. He suggests that McMahon himself should be in there, being all buffed up and all. The Outlaws seem to want a rematch, which Mr. McMahon will take under advisement. - TAKA MICHINOKU/TOO MUCH vs. KAIENTAI (w/ Yamaguchi-san) Apparently Taka has run out of friends to help him in his battles, so he's gone out and recruited a pair of his enemies: "Too Sexy" Brian Christopher and "Too Hot" Scott Taylor. Yeah, I don't get it either. The match features some good moves, but was a bit too messy for my tastes. The finish comes when Taka and Taylor begin arguing. Taka drop-kicks Taylor into the waiting arms of one of the Kaientai members. Taylor is slammed, then hit with a Senton Bomb off the top. Afterwards Brian Christopher lays the boots into Taka for causing them the match. Shawn, playing the heel for the first time of the night, sides with Lawler in calling Taka a "backstabber". Val Venis then comes out. He apologizes to Wally Yamaguchi for hitting on his wife two weeks ago. Then to show how sincere he is, he plays a video on the Titan-Tron of he and Yamaguchi's "wife" sharing an intimate moment in a hotel room (with all the naughty bits, or suggestions thereof, video distorted). Titled "Land of the Rising Venis", Val asks her if she's found the remote ... down there. Yamaguchi blows a gasket and has to be held back. Venis gets a big reaction for this, though it's nothing compared to the boo Vince McMahon draws--and he's only shown pacing in the back! McMahon generates more heat than Mark Madden's crotch in corduroy slacks. - Mr. McMahon comes to the ring, where he calls forth the Undertaker. McMahon says that the Undertaker has ducked the questions of others in recent weeks, but when it comes to him, he has to give some answers. Laying out the series of events which have led up to tonight, McMahon asks the Undertaker if he's in cahoots with Kane? "You can go to hell!" replies the Phenom. Vince asks him who he thinks he is? Before Vince can end up as a soggy little spot on the mat, Steve Austin comes out. Austin grabs the mic and: "the Undertaker just told you to go to hell, so spin around so I can kick you in the ass--give you a little headstart!" Austin then turns to the Undertaker, once again giving him his props for being man enough to challenge him face-to-face. Unfortunately the two have to team up at the PPV. Austin wants to know if it will be "two-against two", or "three-against-one"? "You go to hell with him!" replies the Man from the Dark Side. Just when you'd expect Kane and Mankind to come out, instead we see and hear DeGeneration X, who storm the ring as a group. Helmsley says they're there to hear if the Outlaws get a Tag Title rematch. Helmsley goes on to suggest to McMahon that the match will happen, but with one special stipulation. There'll be three referees: one in the ring, and special referees Steve Austin and the Undertaker outside the ring. If Vince wants to know if the Undertaker and Kane are working together, this match should provide the answer. Austin signals his assent, while Vince gives the match his approval. The Undertaker looks on, seemingly disgusted with everyone and everything. - DAN SEVERN vs. GODFATHER KAMA The other "Brawl For All" bout of the week. They cut to a commercial as the ref is delivering the instructions, meaning the crowd had to wait almost three minutes for the fight to start. Fuel to the fire, as this was an awful match. No matter how many times Ross says "they're out of their element", it doesn't convey how poorly suited to this style Severn is. Dan, an accomplished mat grappler, has nothing to work with here. The boxing gloves prevent him from grabbing hold of his opponent, and any attempt to bodily wrap him up draws a break from the ref. Kama just has to step back and slump to his knees to avoid takedowns. The only other way to score--punching--is another area outside Severn's expertise. Severn spends most of the fight going after a takedown, while Kama throws mostly weak punches and drops to avoid being taken down. Severn somehow gets the win based on a number of questionable takedowns. The fans openly booed during this. The only high spot was Shawn and the King actually delivering some competent analysis, pointing out Severn's predisposition to try for submission holds. Ross again mentions that this is a tournament, though they have yet to show us any kind of bracketing or seeding system. Who's in it? How many competitors? When are the finals? Is there a prize? Internet speculation aside, the WWF has yet to answer any of these questions. They had also announced a match for this show, earlier in the day on AOL, between Ken Shamrock and one of the DOA. What happened to that bout? Will it be on next week? It's the small details which are keeping fans like myself from getting into it, while the lack of action in the bouts seems to be turning off most of the rest. - They hype the WWF's latest on-line experiment, "Code-red": an Internet "post-game" show to take place after RAW ends. Kevin Kelly and Tom Pritchard are shown having some kind of disagreement. - THE NEW AGE OUTLAWS (w/ Chyna) vs. KANE/MANKIND (w/ Paul Bearer) Shawn, as Kane and Mankind are coming out, threatens to beat up Road Dog for his dad "Bullet" Bob Armstrong firing him years ago! The Undertaker comes out next. Austin comes to the ring with a cooler full of beer. I wonder what the main event was SUPPOSED to be before McMahon changed it to this one? Things pretty much pick up where they left off, with Road Dog working on Kane and Billy Gunn brawling with Mankind on the floor. Gunn nails Mankind in the head with the ring steps. Kane then takes control of the match in the ring. Mankind tags in and the Road Dog is in a world of hurt. Kane comes back in and lands a chop off the top turnbuckle. The Dog gets a chance to tag out, but goes for a sleeper on Mankind instead. Mankind backs him into the corner. Billy Gunn finally runs in to help his partner, risking a disqualification. Road Dog staggers over, as if he's tagged out and is going to the apron. The ref follows, trying to tell him he has to stay in and it's Billy who has to leave. Billy, meanwhile, whips Mankind into the corner, which is unfortunately exactly where the referee is standing. The ref gets smashed. Gunn follows in with a splash, but Mankind moves, and it's the ref who takes the hit. Austin pulls the unconscious referee out of the ring. Gunn takes Mankind to the floor, while Road Dog staggers back in and fights with Kane. Kane drops the Dog to one knee, which allows him to get in a low blow. Road Dog then wraps him up into a small package. Austin slides in to make the count, but is suddenly yanked back out by the Undertaker! Kane sits up, gets up, grabs the Dog by the neck and chokeslams him. He makes the cover. The Undertaker slides in to make the count, but he is then pulled away by Austin at two! The two stare down. From the side Kane attacks Austin, while Mankind rushes in to attack the Undertaker! The Nation members run in and attack the Outlaws! The members of D-X run in to attack the Nation! Austin takes out Kane with the Stone Cold Stunner! The Undertaker chokeslams Triple H! Austin Stuns Mark Henry. He stuns Billy Gunn. He Stuns D-Lo! The Undertaker is busy too, and within moments he and Austin are the last two left in the ring as the show fades out. - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: Wild capper to a show which was, except for one match, solid from top-to-bottom. It was also a show which adopted a slightly different approach than the shows for the last several weeks. They strayed from the usual formula, foregoing the regular Vince McMahon opening segment. They also mixed D-X and the Nation in amongst the top stars, adding a bit of spice to things without convoluting the storyline. If anything the Kane/ Undertaker "conspiracy" angle was brought into sharper focus. This all serves to set the stage for the tag match at the PPV, with the Tag Titles adding a new bit of dimension to the story. Will the Undertaker be content to go after the Tag Titles with Austin, or is he really working with Kane, intent on taking back the World Title? We already know the two will face at SummerSlam, meaning the story could still go either way. And then there's Shawn Michaels. He looked good, showing no signs of any pain or injury. Unfortunately looks are no reliable judge. Was this a one-shot deal, or a sign of things to come? While I still assume we're a ways off from a return to the ring, that doesn't mean Michaels may not become involved in something in the near future. Could he be a special referee in the main event at SummerSlam? His appearance this week makes that a possibility, though one none of us should count on until we hear something more definite. In any event his appearance here served to pop a rating, build anticipation for his return, and squash some of those "Shawn's going to WCW!" rumors. How cool is it that all "Three Faces of Foley" have now been Tag Team Champions? ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bottom Line: RAW: 4.7 Nitro: 4.5 I hate to read too much into things, but so much for WCW's momentum. After the biggest Nitro ever, one of WCW's biggest PPV's ever, and some of the most media attention they've ever attracted, RAW comes back this week and beats them in the ratings. And while it wasn't a clobbering like Nitro delivered last week, that beating wasn't as bad as the one RAW gave Nitro the week before that. WCW, using almost two months worth of hype, built to a huge show last week which couldn't carry over to this week. I'm not even going to begin to guess what this all means, but I would offer WCW this advice: maybe they should just stick to being the best they can, rather than being "better" than the WWF. The fans are there, and they've got all kinds of talent. WCW needs that focus which made Nitro great in 1996, and the type of focus which has gotten the WWF back into the game. At a fundamental level they need to look at things and begin making changes. Nothing drastic, mind you, and not everything overnight. That's not how they first did it in '96, nor how the WWF came back this year. They need to focus on what works, while dumping what doesn't. And no, bringing in the Ultimate Warrior isn't the solution. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This Week's Winner: RAW. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Slobberknocker Central" and "Monday Night Recap" are copyright 1998 by John Petrie, and all opinions expressed therein are his own, and not those of "Internet Access, Inc". Check the "Slobberknocker Central" main page for info on how to receive the "Recap" free via E-Mail every week. Volume One, Number 139 of the "Monday Night Recap", July 13th, 1998.