Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #154 October 26th, 1998 The Opening Word: There's one thing sticking in my craw this week heading into the Recap, and that's WCW's passing off the blame in the Halloween Havoc premature cut-off fiasco. They've essentially absolved themselves of any blame by calling it a technical difficulty and blaming it all on the local cable companies. Sorry, but that's not how it works. First off, if you're going to run over, make sure you have enough time booked. The fact that they were able to show the whole PPV shows that they did arrange to have the satellite time. That does NOT show, however, that they informed anyone that they would be sending out a show that would last longer than the standard three hour program--i.e. actually USING that scheduled time. Most cable companies do not have a guy just sitting there watching every live event to see if it's going to run long or not. For a great many cable systems the process is automated, using satellite descramblers and channels switchers set up on a timer system; and if they weren't advised beforehand that the show would run long, they would not be able to compensate. Not one single published schedule advertised the event as being any longer than usual. The PPV distributors, such as Viewer's Choice, did not list any kind of additional running time. Primestar, which does have the capability to make the live adjustment, was not aware that the show might run over. DirecTV, on the other hand, managed to make the adjustment based on the short notice they got. Word is that WCW made the decision to book the extra time earlier in the day on Sunday, and started making phone calls then. It doesn't take a genius to realize that a lot of cable companies out there probably aren't going to have anyone in the office on a Sunday to get that call. Somebody dropped the ball, and it's not just all the local cable companies out there. Either WCW, or an intermediate such as Viewer's Choice, needed to let EVERY cable company in the country know that the show was supposed to have the extra time. This apparently wasn't or couldn't be done. PPV subscribers nationwide have flooded their local cable companies and for most the reply they got was that the cable company simply had no idea that the PPV was going to run over. WCW *should* have cleared the time beforehand, AND made sure all the local providers were aware of this. This clearly didn't happen. Whether it was just WCW who screwed up, or the PPV distributors, or somehow dozens of local cable companies simply didn't get the message ... who knows? Probably a combination of these three things. In any case, this was something that *could* have been avoided, and is a problem that only came about because 1) WCW didn't have all their bases covered in advance, and 2) shoddy time management by WCW forced the show to run over. (Some are even saying that WCW planned on running long deliberately as an extra for the fans, assuming that there would be no problems at the local level. As we saw, that was far from the case.) You'd think they would have learned their lesson--both WCW and the companies at the local level--when the same thing happened at the August "Road Wild" PPV. All this being said, it's not anything for anyone who bought the show to be upset about. You should be able to get some kind of concession from your local cable company. Some are offering free replays. Others are offering partial rebates. Even others are offering full rebates (much to the chagrin of WCW). The vast majority of cable systems out there are being very professional and doing their best to make their customers happy. If someone out there is finding an exception to that, then you should maybe look into alternatives to that local cable company. (Though one should look at it from the cable company's perspective if they didn't get the word that the show would run over. Why should they take the loss for WCW's mistake?) WCW, for their part, has drawn a line and dumped all the responsibility on the local level. If your local company isn't doing right by you, WCW is just shrugging their shoulders and saying it's none of their business, and not their problem. That's just plain wrong, and it's this attitude which has gotten me a bit aggravated this week. Not flaming angry, mind you, just a bit peeved. More on this in a little bit. By the way, it's my understanding that on the Monday edition of the WCW Hotline, the reading of the PPV results got cut off just as they were telling what happened between Hogan and the Warrior (and thus they didn't get to the DDP/Goldberg result). JUST like the PPV. I haven't been able to confirm this yet 100%, but if true, that means if you didn't have Internet access, you had to wait until Nitro to find out who won the last two matches. This is just a RUMOR, mind you. Take it for what it's worth. Motley Crue is on RAW this week. A decade ago I was a big fan of the Crue. I have all their albums except for their latest reunion album (and the new Greatest Hits CD just coming out). I caught their performance on Sunday Night Heat and can't say that I was all that impressed. Their new song "Bitter Pill" is the type of song I used to skip listening to the albums back then. We'll see if they're any better this time out. That's about all, except to say I just picked up "Xenogears" for my Playstation. As soon as this Recap is finished I may not get anywhere near my computer for days. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WCW Monday Nitro: Live/Taped: Live. Length: Three Hours. Location: Phoenix, Arizona. HOUR ONE Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Larry Zbyszko. - Bret Hart/Sting still photos open the show. Was this *really* the biggest thing to come out of the PPV: so big that it warrants opening Nitro? - Nitro Girls. - Schiavone hypes that they are "live ... LIVE, I might add!" Schiavone then addresses the PPV situation: he says that there was an "incident" that was out of their hands, and that "10 to 20 percent" of the systems went down before the show was over. He tells us that WCW officials held meetings all day to decide what to do. He suggests that they could maybe let everyone see it for free, but that WCW's not going to do that. (Hey Tony, who said EVERYONE should see it for free? How about those who just ordered it and had it cut off? Hmm?) Schiavone says it wouldn't be fair for those who did buy it and saw all of it. He says then that their only other option is to show the Goldberg/DDP match tonight on Nitro just as RAW is starting. Sure is easy to duck a problem when you claim that there's only two "solutions" to any problem--both of which only go towards your own benefit and not actually solving the problem. Tony says this is something they "never do", and is a "one time only" deal. Yeah ... and I guess that wasn't the main event for "Bash at the Beach" I saw on Nitro a few months back? And why all this fuss if it only affected 10% or 20% of the buyers out there? Let's say the PPV had 300,000 buys: that means all this fuss is over somewhere between 30,000 and 60,000 households! Does it make sense to show this PPV match to more than three MILLION cable TV households just to satisfy 60,000 PPV buyers? Either WCW is really lowballing us on their estimate, or showing this match is clearly a ratings ploy. Or both. Schiavone then goes off on a weird tangent as says something about the "competition all day making people believe that this was a ratings ploy", claiming that the PPV went off the air on purpose. Excuse me, but did anyone--especially the WWF--actually say this?! The whole day went by and I didn't see the WWF make this claim, nor anyone else claim that the WWF made this claim. Am I missing something? I've seen some fans make this speculation--well after the fact--but since when are they considered the "competition"? No, the ratings ploy, Tony, is showing this just of the opposition's show is about to start. Actually the notion that they would do this is pretty absurd to begin with. Suppose for a moment that WCW did deliberately have the PPV feed cut off just to boost Nitro's ratings. This would make sense if several million people bought the PPV. But the odds are it was closer to 300,000 or so (which is roughly a 1.0 buyrate). If we accept WCW at their word, and only count the 10% that didn't see the last match, that means WCW would have been doing all this just to "force" a group of fans to watch: a group which totaled less than a tenth of one ratings point. Even if no body managed to see the last match we'd still be looking at a group of people who would represent less than half a ratings point. Of course one could counter that by WCW doing it, it gave them the perfect excuse to then show DDP/Goldberg on TV, thus popping the big rating. A interesting notion, but one which would have been a huge tactical risk by WCW. And let's be honest here: is anyone in WCW really smart enough to come up with a scheme as diabolical as this? (Don't answer that.) I wouldn't even be speculating on all this had Schiavone not brought it up himself on the show. So anyway, anyone who paid $30 to see this match on PPV now gets it for free. What about Hogan vs. Warrior, you ask? That match, it seems, is too "graphic" to show on TV, so they won't be airing it. That, and the fact that it's the REAL money match, and WCW still wants you to buy the replay to see it. - STEVIE RAY vs. KENNY KAOS Stevie dominates most of the match, but Kaos gets in like one move and is suddenly a threat to get the win. Out comes the once again evil Buff Bagwell to distract the ref and toss Stevie his slapjack. Stevie clobbers Kenny and covers for the pin. Buff and Stevie then set up a good round of stomping on the unconscious Kaos, but out comes Rick Steiner for the save. Rick helps Kaos up and offers to make him his World Tag Team Title partner. Kaos delivers a clumsy interview in which he accepts the offer. This here was proof positive why jobbers never get interviews (or shouldn't, anyway). Fans of the WCW Tag Team Division are seen picking out suitably somber black clothing to wear to the funeral. R.I.P. 1991-1998. "The suffering is finally over." - Opening sequence. - This is where Schiavone explains why they won't be showing the Hogan/Warrior match. This is where I give him the middle finger. - KANYON (w/ Raven) vs. PRINCE IAUKEA Kanyon was cool (sort of) as Mortis. Without the mask he just looks like a redneck nobody who does a few interesting moves. None tonight, though, as he takes several minutes to put away the Prince. (His one "innovative" move this week is a failed Piledriver attempt on the steps which in real life would have never worked, giving away the fact that Iaukea would reverse it.) Kanyon with the Flatliner. Before the match he does his "who's better than Kanyon? EVERYONE!" bit. Raven's presence goes almost unnoticed and unmentioned by the announcers. - Nitro Girls. I feel like I'm watching a PPV here all of a sudden. - "Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen. This was supposed to be on the PPV but got bumped. The only thing of note that is said--and really, what does Flair ever say other than "whoo!" and "Meeeaaaaan Gene!"?--is Flair pointing out that Steve "Mongo" McMichael is absent ("missing in action"). No explanation is given. Eric Bischoff then comes out, says he's big enough man to admit when he's wrong, and that underestimated how much Flair means a lot to the fans. He says tonight Flair will wrestle on TV tonight. (You'll notice that Bischoff doesn't actually admit that he's wrong, just that he "a big enough man" to admit when he is.) No opponent is mention, which is suspicious enough to get one to guessing as to what will eventually go down. - Nitro Party Video, followed by PPV photos (Hall vs. Nash). - ALEX WRIGHT vs. BARRY HOROWITZ Wright with the reverse neckbreaker. - Havoc photos detailing what went down between Hogan and the Warrior. - SICK BOY vs. WRATH Wrath with the Meltdown. HOUR TWO Hosted By: Schiavone, Tenay and Zbyszko. - GOLDBERG vs. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE The PPV main event. In my brief comments on the website regarding the PPV I gave this match an estimated "three stars". Having now seen it in full-blown video, as opposed to Internet commentary and jerky slideshow stills, I'm thinking of downgrading that rating to "two and a half stars". It's an awesome showing by Goldberg, but that's only based on past Goldberg performances. DDP is his usual self, but should get credit for carrying this match and making Goldberg look good. Early in the match Goldberg does a standing backflip, which was impressive, but had absolutely nothing to do with the action in the match. He literally stopped wrestling and did the flip, aimed at drawing a pop from the crowd (which worked). He then did that leg takeover that "Hollywood" Hogan dusts off and uses in his "big" matches. The next few minutes are filled with stalling, as the two frown at each other a lot. Goldberg knocks DDP to the floor twice. Page then comes back with a series of moves such as the reverse neckbreaker and Russian legsweep. Goldberg sells them by shaking his head and moving slower. A headlock by DDP lasts almost a minute, with Goldberg escaping by planting some knees in DDP's gut, then throwing him off. Page, who has really only taken a few shots up to this point, is panting like he just ran a marathon while being strafed by low-flying aircraft. He sells every punch like it was a sledgehammer. Goldberg does the Sidewalk Slam, but Schiavone is too busy gushing about DDP's "heart" to call it. He then does the Hogan leg scissors-armbar again, this time holding it for a minute to give both men a breather. DDP escapes by reaching the ropes. DDP the does a flying headscissors, but Goldberg no-sells it by getting right back up. He catches DDP with a side kick, which DDP sells like he's been shot out of a cannon, flying into the corner. Goldberg charges, but DDP unveils his "secret weapon"--his discovered "weakness"--and jumps out of the way. (Nice to see one of my PPV predictions came true.) Goldberg misses Page and hits the ringpost with his shoulder. DDP goes on the offense briefly (with Goldberg doing an adequate job of selling the shoulder injury), but the champ comes back with the spear--which further injures the shoulder. He tries to go for his Jackhammer finisher, but can't get him up. DDP gets free and turns it into a Diamond Cutter. He's too tired to make the timely cover, though, and Goldberg kicks out. That's pretty much it, then, as moments later Goldberg tries the Jackhammer again, gets him up, and put him away for the pin. From a pure wrestling standpoint this was maybe a one or two star match (and you all know how I hate rating these things). No, what this match did have going for it was the story it told. The "psychology", if you will. Goldberg put together his best string of offense yet, though even there few of the moves logically flowed to the next until the end. DDP got winded and "hurt" way too early. The last three or four minutes, however, were what really sold the match, and made it what it all that it was. Extra points for the clean, sans-NWO-run-in finish. I think I'll let the "three stars" stand. This was easily WCW's best PPV main event match this year. I don't know if that means much, but there it is. - "Mean" Gene corners Kevin Nash in the back for an interview. Nash is hanging around in a back room filled with couches and what almost immediately looks like a fake wall. Okerlund starts to ask about the match at the PPV when Scott Hall wanders in. Hall says he "hit the wall" last night and that Nash beat some sense in to him. The two look like they are about to hug and make up. Before any tears can start to flow, however, in comes the Giant with a sneak attack. He and Hall pound on Nash, eventually throwing him through that very obvious wall (which is about a half inch thick). As obvious as this all was I liked it, until I realized that Nash has come up with YET ANOTHER way to get out of a match on TV. Lazy bastard. - Special Nitro Girls video, for your masturbating pleasure, I guess. Then, just like last week, they follow this with an actual live Nitro Girls number. They've been working on their choreography, and have elevated from "awful" to "mediocre". Maybe they could do better if WCW gave them some decent music to dance to, instead of that lame track they've been using for the last two years. - "Hollywood" Hogan comes out wearing a feathered boa (just like at the PPV). I guess the Hulkster figured he didn't look "gay" enough already. Anyway, Eric Bischoff, Horace "Hogan" and several other NWO members are in tow. Hogan delivers his usual lengthy, hot-air interview, the gist of which is that Horace is now in the NWO. Horace displays the hideous looking scar on top of his head that came from the chairshot Hogan laid in last week. I missed it then (small TV screen): Horace was busted wide open (or did a bad blade-job) and bled like a stuck pig all over the ring. The camera pulled way back as usual. Watching it on a nine inch TV screen last week I missed that. He's now sporting a more than two inch long scar on top of his bald head. For those who keep track of such things, Bischoff hid behind Hogan while holding the mic, so we couldn't see his lips move when Hogan spoke. (By the way, I don't need to point out how disgusting it is that Hogan's nephew is now getting a major push, do I?) - SATURN vs. EDDIE GUERRERO A moderately interesting match, with Eddie clearly playing the heel. (Isn't that counter-productive to the whole LWO angle?) Guerrero gets in a lot of decent offense, but Saturn just kind of shrugs it all off and looks to have an easy win in hand. In comes the rest of the LWO to lay in the beat-down (though it literally takes eight men to get the job done). There's a new LWO member who even Mike Tenay can't identify. (I better not hear him unreeling an entire biography for this guy in a future match, like what school he went to, and how good his momma's cooking is down in Guadalajara.) - "Mean" Gene interviews Judy Bagwell. With Buff a heel again this angle has ceased to be entertaining. She says she's tired of Buff ruining their family name and intends to do something about it. I assume that her "something" will be her coming out some night and grabbing Buff by the ear again: a moment of "humiliation" which will be forgotten five minutes after it happens. All this angle really does is attempt to make us forget that Buff has a bad neck and can't wrestle yet. I still say WCW botched a chance to bring Buff back as a babyface, which would have put him over every bit as big as Sting or DDP (Lex Luger and Konan at the very least). Instead he's now just comic relief, and it'll be months--maybe years--before we can add "and a good wrestler" back into his resume. - THE GIANT/STEVIE RAY vs. RICK STEINER/KENNY KAOS Why is WCW obsessed with making half their tag team match competitors fight again on the card in singles matches? They did it at the PPV and again here. Just an ugly, ugly match. The first few minutes offers nothing but the NWO taking turns punching and kicking Kaos. Steiner then comes in and hits the Giant with a clothesline off the top. He covers for the pin and the ref counts 1 ... 2 ... then stops. A full heartbeat later the Giant finally kicks out. A few moves later and Steiner catches Stevie Ray with a Bulldog off the turnbuckles and covers for the pin. HOUR THREE Hosted By: Schiavone, Tenay and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. - It's hour three, so that means ... ... a commercial. - Eric Bischoff has replaced Mike Tenay. Bischoff says we're going to see Ric Flair wrestle now. No, not live, via videotape. He says Flair probably couldn't pass a physical. The others asks what's wrong with Flair. Bischoff says the video clip will prove his point. Flash back to "Bash at the Beach 1994": Flair is facing the then popular Hulk Hogan in the Hulk's first ever WCW match. Presented in Squish-O-Vision, they replay several minutes of the match in which Hogan beat Flair for the WCW World Title, and marked the beginning of the end for Flair's career (not to mention the end forever of realistic booking in WCW). Sherri Martel was in Flair's corner. Shaquille O'Neal was in Hogan's. Hogan wins with the Big Boot and the Legdrop of Doom. Bischoff says this once again proves that Flair will always be second fiddle to Hogan. (I thought Schiavone earlier said they'd never again show a PPV main event on TV?) - JUVENTUD GUERRERA vs. KIDMAN Let's see ... Disco Inferno beat Guerrera on the PPV ... Kidman then beat Disco ... I wonder who's going to in this one? The same match we've seen these two do for the last few months, which means it's great if you like them, boring if you don't. I'm somewhere in between myself. Kidman with the Seven Year Itch. - Schiavone hypes two new videos WCW is releasing, devoted to Sting and Randy Savage. Bobby Heenan does his classic bit of pointing to something off camera then sticking one of the tapes under his coat. - Scott Steiner and Buff Bagwell come out to make my night even worse than it already was. Endless minutes of mindless chatter go by, with Scott eventually saying he wants a rematch with his brother Rick. J.J. Dillon comes out to get the skinny. Scott then balks, instead accusing Dillon of liking Rick more than he, and also accusing him of sending the second referee out at the PPV to count the pinfall. Long story short (too late), Steiner and Bagwell beat Dillon up. Security makes the save. - The Warrior (shit) comes out to cut an interview. He says all the fans know he beat the hell out of Hogan last night, despite the official outcome of the match. He calls the pinfall bullshit (which is bleeped by the censors). Out comes Hogan, Horace, the Giant, Bischoff, and maybe some others. Horace takes a run at the Warrior and gets knocked on his ass. The Giant goes in and winds up being clotheslined out of the ring. Hogan winds up in the ring and the Warrior ducks a few clotheslines and nails him with a flying shoulderblock. Mike Tenay claims this jump-started the OWN revolution. (I guess we're just supposed to forget the humiliating loss he suffered the night before.) The Warrior gets a decent crowd response, though before Hogan came out things were a bit shaky. Looks like the Warrior is going to hang around for a while. - SCOTT STEINER/SCOTT HALL vs. LEX LUGER/KONAN They don't even try to make this look like a match. Everyone brawls in-and-out of the ring, up-and-down the aisle. Luger winds up getting Hall in the Torture Rack, but Steiner clips Luger from behind. All four men are going at it in the ring when they cut to a commercial. - DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE vs. BRET "HITMAN" HART Hart has new theme music which, if you listen to it long enough, becomes recognizable as being, shall we say ... "inspired", by his old WWF music. The announcers spend most of the early minutes of the match talking about almost solely about DDP, causing my brother to predict that DDP will win the title. I disagree with him. Slow in the early going, DDP once again sells himself as being totally wiped out just a few minutes into the match. Pretty annoying when Hart's only offense has been a few punches and armbars. Around this time they're just talking about Hart, which I offer to my brother as evidence that he's the one with the push--he'll win the match. Things just drag on, with Page spending several minutes down on the mat while Hart delivers offense. The referee is eventually bumped. Hart seizes the chance to pull an object out of his tights, and takes a swing at DDP, but DDP ducks and catches Hart with the Diamond Cutter. 1 ... 2 ... 3 and there's a new United States Champion. A finish so out-of-nowhere that the crowd pops loudly, then quickly trails off as they wait for the other shoe to drop. Hart, meanwhile, goes ballistic and attacks DDP (as well as the ref). He takes a steel chair to DDP's knee, than slaps on the Sharpshooter. (Hart's attack draws a louder reaction from the crowd that DDP's title win.) Goldberg runs out for the save, but the show fades out before he can hit the ring. - This Thursday: Nothing announced. - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: I bet Hart wins the title back next Monday. What can I say about a show in which the best match is one replayed from the PPV the night before? Not a bad show, really, just dull for my tastes. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WWF RAW is WAR: Live/Taped: Taped 10/20. Length: Two Hours+. Location: Madison, Wisconsin. WWF RAW Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler. - Clips from the Austin/McMahon saga last week. - They show a clip of Austin arriving at the arena earlier in the evening. - Mr. McMahon is wheeled out to the stage, backed by the Big Bossman, Pat Patterson, Jerry Brisco, Commissioner Slaughter, and several corporate suits. Lawyers, I assume. McMahon chews out the fans for their lack of humanity and family values. He also chews out his stooges for not coming to his rescue. The fans call him an asshole. Vince then makes some veiled references to the "legal document" Austin shoved in Vince's pocket last week. McMahon vows to fight it, whatever it is, all the way to the Supreme Court. Steve Austin then appears on the Titan-Tron and mumbles something. To be continued. - STEVE BLACKMAN vs. X-PAC Ross mentions that the reason Chyna was arrested last week was because she didn't show up for a court date related to the "sexual harassment suit" Mark Henry filed. Chyna was released from jail, but has now taken a "leave of absence" to sort out her legal matters. (And get some plastic surgery, from what I hear.) After a quick commercial they show McMahon complaining to his lawyers. The match never gets a chance to develop into much of anything as Steven Regal runs out after just a couple minutes and attacks X-Pac. Regal, dressed like a lumberjack, apparently doesn't like the fact that X-Pac is the European Champion. Officials and other DeGeneration X members come out for the save. More footage of McMahon complaining. Going to the break they debut an ad for a butt-ugly Rocky Maivia t-shirt. On the front is a bull's head raising the People's Eyebrow. The back reads "Layin' the smack down." - Michael Cole is backstage waiting to get comments from Steve Austin. Jerry Lawler points out that the unemployed Austin somehow has his own dressing room with his name on the door. - THE ROCK vs. DARREN DROZDOV (w/ LOD 2000) The Rock has new music, which sounds a lot like his old music (prior to last week). The Rock makes sure Droz knows his role by laying the smack-down on him, raising the People's Eyebrow, nailing the Rock Bottom, and finishing him off by dropping the People's Elbow. I think that covers it all. Afterwards Hawk and Animal try to console Droz for his loss, but Droz takes exception to the presence of Hawk. I'd really like to see this angle reach its point in the near future. Cole tries to talk to Austin, but "Stone Cold" just gives him a few comments in the half-open doorway of his dressing room. Austin is shown conferring with someone inside the room, who is blocked from our view by the door. Austin says "we" will have an announcement later in the show. - D-X is shown hanging out with Motley Crue earlier in the day. - More complaining by McMahon, which results in a pair of his lawyers scurrying from the room muttering "he just doesn't get it." - Road Dog and D-X come out for their usual intro, altering it slightly to introduce Motley Crue. The Crue perform "Wild Side", which isn't one of my favorite tracks of theirs, but is better than the one they played on Sunday Night Heat. No real point to any of this, other than to make D-X seem big by having them rub shoulders with some "celebrities". That, and the WWF makes some easy change hyping the Crue's new album, which Ross on at least two occasions calls "their first ever Greatest Hits album!" (Well, except for the last Greatest Hits album they released several years ago: "Decade of Decadence".) A fan runs up on the ramp and has to be removed by the band's bodyguard, which also happened on Heat. I'd like to think this is all done now, but I hear that the WWF is going to do something like this again next month with ZZ Top. They show a brief clip from this Thursday's MTV Celebrity Deathmatch, which will feature the long-awaited Austin/McMahon claymation fight. Should be a real hoot. - The last two of Vince's harried lawyers has to put up with the brunt of his tongue wagging. The word "contract" comes up. - KANE vs. GANGREL (w/ Christian) I liked this match, though I'd be lying if I said it rated more than two stars or so. Kane no-sells just about everything, with Gangrel really getting tossed around like a toy. Kane wins with the Tombstone. Christian then tries a flying elbow off the top, but bounces off Kane like ping pong ball hitting a brick wall. Edge then runs in from the crowd and all three gothic figures team up to beat on Kane, delivering a string of elbowdrops. Kane does the zombie sit-up and the three scatter like rats through the crowd. The fans seemed genuinely disappointed when they learned Edge wasn't there to help Kane. Cut to the back, to the tail-end of a conversation between Michael Cole and Shane McMahon. As Shane walks away Cole says the McMahon "family" will have an announcement following the break. WWF WAR ZONE Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler. - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin hits the ring to savor over the events of last week. He recaps the humiliation that Vince McMahon suffered. Austin announces that he has a brand new WWF contract: one which guarantees him at least one title shot. Austin says the only way he'll leave the WWF is if he were to quit. Out comes Vince McMahon to throw in his two cents. He says he's going to do everything he can to fight Austin's contract. He also announces that Austin will have to face Ken Shamrock later tonight in an "I Quit" match. We get the usual verbal sparring until McMahon makes a reference to Austin having the nerve to "drive a wedge" ... and turning an "incompetent kid into a monster!" As we're pondering this development we see Shane McMahon appear from beside the ramp and walk to ringside. Vince calls for his son to join him on the stage, but Shane instead enters the ring and takes the mic from Austin. He tells Vince "I don't listen to you any more. I am an officer--more importantly, a stockholder of this company. And what you did to 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin was wrong, Dad. You were wrong!" "He's just a kid!" Vince protests to his stooges. "I just wanted to tell you personally that it was me--it was me, Dad, that hired 'Stone Cold' back, it was me!" Shane goes on to accuse Vince and his ego for making past WWF Superstars leave. He talks about growing up in Vince's shadow, and how he had to lie to protect Vince and the family name. He says he's tired of it, and that Vince never cared about him--that he could never do good enough in school, athletics or business to satisfy Vince. Shane says he just wanted Vince to be proud of him, "but that's never going to happen because it's never about me--it's always about you, Dad!" Great f***ing angle, and I'm not just saying that because I predicted it six months ago! This has some seriously interesting potential if they really carry it out. Can you imagine Vince being forced to send guys to beat his son up, or vice versa? Suddenly the idea of an Austin/Shane vs. Vince/Bossman match not only seems possible, but darn near compelling. Father vs. Son, battling over control of the WWF? Works for me. Hopefully this spells the end of Shane's annoying days behind the mic on Sunday Night Heat. After the break we get a quick shot of Austin tossing Shane a can of Steveweiser backstage. As he walked out I half expected to hear Vince cry out "Shane, come back!" - TIGER ALI SINGH (w/ Babu) vs. THE GODFATHER Thanks WWF for following up that last blockbuster angle with this match. A real clunker of a match, which ends in a double DQ when both men refuse to listen to the ref. McMahon, who is being wheeled through the back halls of the arena, is too dejected to tell Michael Cole what's on his mind. - THE ODDITIES/INSANE CLOWN POSSE (w/ Luna) vs. KAIENTAI (w/ Yamaguchi) Another clunker of a match, which Kaientai wins by DQ when the Insane Clowns get a bit rough with the referee. The Oddities seem pretty upset by this. I'm upset because I had to watch this match so late in the show. - Some of Shane McMahon's speech is replayed, followed by a shot of Vince being loaded into his limo. The stooges promise to get revenge on Austin. McMahon is too miserable to reply. - Ken Shamrock delivers comments in the back. - MARC MERO (w/ Jacqueline) vs. GOLDUST Non-stop action, but I can't actually say it was a good match. Too short for that. Goldust sets Mero up on the second turnbuckle, his legs spread apart. He then stop long enough to get a slap on the cheek from Jacqueline. He responds with a smack on the lips. He then place-kicks Mero's nads, earning the DQ. After he leaves Sable comes out and challenges Jacqueline to a Women's Title match at Survivor Series. - Cole interviews Al Snow and Mankind. The two argue over which gimmick is stupider: Head or Mr. Socko. - THE NEW AGE OUTLAWS vs. MANKIND/AL SNOW (w/ Head & Mr. Socko) An okay match, but one in which little happens until the end. Snow takes the Road Dog out with the Snow Plow, but the ref is busy down on the floor trying to separate Mankind and Billy Gunn. Snow then winds up with the Head, intending to nail the Road Dog. Mankind comes in and cuts Snow off, wanting to put the Dog out with the Sockible Claw instead. As the two are arguing Road Dog rolls Snow up from behind and gets the pin. D-Lo Brown and Mark Henry then run out to work over the Outlaws. As all this is going down Mankind somehow winds up with Head, while Snow has Socko. The two cautiously trade back. Steve Austin is shown lacing up his boots. This is followed by a few more seconds of footage from Celebrity Deathmatch. - KEN SHAMROCK vs. "STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN Patterson, Brisco and Slaughter accompany Shamrock to the ring. A pure slug-and-stomp-fest in the early going. Austin uses his vest to choke Shamrock. The action spills to the floor briefly, where Austin uses a camera cable. The two battle on the announcer's desk, then into the crowd. Austin tries a Piledriver in the concrete, but Shamrock turns it into a back bodydrop. Shamrocks sends Austin into the steel steps. The stooges cheer Shamrock on, telling him to win for the boss. After a bit on the ramp they move back into the ring. Shamrock has really been working Austin over. I should mention that this match is no pinfall, no countout and no-DQ. You win by getting you opponent to say "I Quit", or submit by way of tapping out. Shamrock catches Austin with a vicious clothesline, which he follows up with a chinlock, riding on Austin's back. Austin reaches the ropes, breaking the hold. Shamrock then goes to work on the right arm, slams Austin, then goes back to the neck. Austin battles back with his usual flurry of punches and kicks, leading to a Lou Thesz Press. Austin goes into the ropes, but has his boot grabbed by Jerry Brisco. Ross starts cussing Brisco out. The ref drops down to yell at him and Patterson decks him, with Slaughter adding a few kicks for good measure. Austin comes out to check things over. Meanwhile in the ring Mankind has run in and slapped the Sockible Claw on Shamrock. Austin, after nailing the stooges on the floor, brings a steel chair into the ring. Mankind releases his hold and backs away, watching Austin plaster Shamrock with a wicked chairshot. Austin the lays on Shamrock, grabs his wrist and makes a tapping motion. The ref, now recovered, sees this and declares Austin the winner. The stooges all run in and Austin levels them all with Stone Cold Stunners. Austin heads up the ramp with middle fingers held high, as once again all is right with the world (evident because the USA Network news update guy has a grin on his face when they cut to him). - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: Not a great show by any means, but decent enough to sit all the way through without one's attention wandering. Save for the Shane McMahon angle the first hour was better than most of the second. Good main event. Okay, so the finish was a bit hokey. Let's just say that the referee was pissed that the stooges attacked him, so he fudged a bit in giving Austin the win. Yeah, I'll buy that. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bottom Line: As one might expect, WCW's packing of their show this week gave them the ratings win. The hourly numbers were 5.7, 5.2 and 4.4, for an overall rating of 5.1. RAW was down a bit this week, getting a 4.5 off of hourly ratings of 4.4 and 4.6. Head-to-head Nitro had a 4.8, just barely beating RAW by about the same margin RAW beat Nitro over the past five weeks. Looks like Nitro got that huge first hour from people wanting to see what happened at the PPV. They then kept most of them for the DDP/Goldberg match. After that, though, there was sizable drop, while RAW's ratings increased as the show went on, with RAW actually beating Nitro head-to-head during the final hour. Whenever the quarterly ratings come out the only real interesting thing to see will be if Austin/Shamrock or DDP/Hart was the most watched match in the final fifteen minutes. I'm not at all surprised that Nitro won, but I am amazed at that huge number they got for their first hour. It really defeats the notion that the ratings represent quality--for either show--when Nitro pulls out such a huge number with what was easily their worst hour of the three. With a number like that it may end up that Stevie Ray vs. Kaos, or Alex Wright vs. Barry Horowitz, were among the most watched matches ever on cable TV! That just ain't right! [Credit: 1Wrestling.com.] The following wrestlers have been announced as contestants in the Survivor Series 16 Man Championship Tournament: * The Undertaker. * The Rock. * The Big Bossman. * Kane. * Ken Shamrock. * Mankind. More to be named in the coming days. Sixteen contestants gives you eight matches in round one, four in round two, two semi-final matches and one final. That's FIFTEEN matches the WWF is going to have to pull off in three hours at the PPV. Add in the Sable/Jacqueline match and you have SIXTEEN. We might see the WWF do a couple of the matches on Sunday Night Heat, which should again be live counting down to the PPV. One or two double elimination's would also allow wrestlers to advance with byes, shaving a few matches off the total. However it comes down, I sure hope the WWF pays close attention to the clock. I'm looking forward to the PPV, though I already have some fears that the bracketing will be overbooked, conveniently allowing existing feuds to play out. I also think this is a bit of a bad move on the WWF's part because November is the month WCW always has their World War 3 PPV, which will again this year feature a 60 Man Battle Royal to pick the number one contender to the World Title. There are sure to be comparisons between the two, with PPV buyers being asked to choose between 16 men and 60, and title shot reward versus an actual World Championship crowning, etc. The WWF should maybe think of holding the first few rounds of matches in the next couple weeks, saving the Final Four for the PPV itself. That would allow them to pack the rest of the card with current running feuds, other title matches, etc. ECW's next PPV, November to Remember 1998 is this Sunday. I honestly have no definite idea what the card is. After building to it for the past three months or so they've only started announcing matches in the last couple weeks, and most of those have been changed at least once. They're hyping a mystery wrestler who will be Tommy Dreamer's partner, who may turn out to be Terry Funk, New Jack or Masato Tanaka. I believe they will be facing Jack Victory and Rod Price ... or is it Justin Credible? Axl Rotten and Ballz Mahoney are facing the Dudley Boys ... I think, who just won the ECW Tag Team Titles this past weekend ... I think. Shane Douglas, Chris Candido and Bam Bam Bigelow are supposed to face Taz, Sabu and Rob Van Dam, though there's talk that it may be broken up into a Douglas/Taz World Title match and a tag team match between the others. Sunny will be involved in the show, along with Lance Storm, Mikey Whipwreck, and the other usual suspects. I have every ECW TV show from this year on tape, but I've only really watched about half of them. Needless to say I'll be skipping this PPV. At $19.95 the price is right, but I'm just not interested in them right now. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 154 of the "Monday Night Recap", October 26th, 1998.