~BTB of the Month~ The World Wrestling Federation: The Montreal Fallout

[Roy Mustang]

Prediction Template:

Current Card for WWF SummerSlam 1998:
Date: August 30th, 1998
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

9: WWF Championship Match:
WWF Champion ’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart

I think we see Vince help Owen Hart win and crown him as his new champion.

8: Street Fight:
Ken Shamrock vs. Shawn Michaels

Shawn vs Owen with the roles reversed makes sense.

7: Grudge Match:
The Rock vs. The Undertaker

1: Six Man Tag Team Match:
Triple H and The New Age Outlaws vs. The Big Boss Man, Bart Gunn and Steve Blackman

5: Intercontinental Championship Submission Match:
Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett vs. Tazz

4: World Tag Team Championships Match:
World Tag Team Champions The Heritage vs. Al Snow and Mankind

2: European Championship Match:
European Champion Tiger Ali Singh vs. X-Pac

6: Intergender Tag Team Match:
’Marvellous’ Marc Mero and Ivory vs. Val Venis and Sable

3: Grudge Match:
Gangrel vs. Dustin Runnels

1. Predict the winners of each match: Done
2. Predict the match order: Done
3. Predict the longest match: Owen vs Austin
4. Predict the shortest match: Gangrel vs Dustin
5. Any surprise appearances? Yes. I can see Neidhart making a shock appearance

 

[TheScarredOne]

Current Card for WWF SummerSlam 1998:
Date: August 30th, 1998
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

(1) European Championship Match:
European Champion Tiger Ali Singh vs. X-Pac
This is a great way to kick off the show. It will certainly pop the crowd with a babyface win.

(2) World Tag Team Championships Match:
World Tag Team Champions The Heritage vs. Al Snow and Mankind
I don't expect the Heritage to lose the titles so soon after winning them.

(3) Grudge Match:
Gangrel vs. Dustin Runnels
If you're trying to build up Gangrel after debuting him recently, this seems like a no-brainer. I also don't see this feud ending anytime soon.

(4) Intercontinental Championship Submission Match:
Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett vs. Tazz
This is Tazz's moment. If he loses here, he's done.

(5) Six Man Tag Team Match:
Triple H and The New Age Outlaws vs. The Big Boss Man, Bart Gunn and Steve Blackman
Boss Man, Gunn and Blackman can eat the loss here and it not hurt them. Also, if the main event turns out like I expect it, you need some feel good moments to compensate for that.

(6) Grudge Match:
The Rock vs. The Undertaker
If the Rock is going to become a main event player going forward, he needs the win here. Definitely expect some shenanigans from Kane.

(7) Intergender Tag Team Match:
’Marvellous’ Marc Mero and Ivory vs. Val Venis and Sable
It seems like an obvious conclusion with Venis and Sable getting the win over Mero and Ivory. This is also a cool down match prior to the main event matches.

(8) Street Fight:
Ken Shamrock vs. Shawn Michaels
I see HBK getting the win here, even though Shamrock will still look strong in defeat. But this gives Degeneration-X the clean sweep here.

(9) WWF Championship Match:
WWF Champion ’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart
As much as I would like to see Bret Hart return to help his brother win the title/screw over Austin, it seems unlikely. But I still see Owen winning the title and becoming Mr. McMahon's corporate champion.

1. Predict the winners of each match: Done
2. Predict the match order: Done
3. Predict the longest match: Owen/Austin
4. Predict the shortest match: Mero/Ivory vs. Venis/Sable
5. Any surprise appearances? Bret Hart and Kane

 

[MTK36]

Prediction Template:

Current Card for WWF SummerSlam 1998:
Date: August 30th, 1998
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York

9. WWF Championship Match:
WWF Champion ’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart
Winner: Owen Hart
Something wicked this way comes.......

7. Street Fight:
Ken Shamrock vs. Shawn Michaels
Winner: Shawn Michaels

8. Grudge Match:
The Rock vs. The Undertaker
Winner: The Undertaker

4. Six Man Tag Team Match:
Triple H and The New Age Outlaws vs. The Big Boss Man, Bart Gunn and Steve Blackman
Winner: Triple H/Outlaws

5. Intercontinental Championship Submission Match:
Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett vs. Tazz
Winner and NEW champion: Tazz

6. World Tag Team Championships Match:
World Tag Team Champions The Heritage vs. Al Snow and Mankind
Winner and Still Champion: The Hertiage

2. European Championship Match:
European Champion Tiger Ali Singh vs. X-Pac
Winner and Still Champion: Tiger Ali Singh

1. Intergender Tag Team Match:
’Marvellous’ Marc Mero and Ivory vs. Val Venis and Sable
Winner: Val and Sable

3. Grudge Match:
Gangrel vs. Dustin Runnels
Winner: Gangrel

1. Predict the winners of each match: DONE
2. Predict the match order: DONE
3. Predict the longest match: Stone Cold/Owen
4. Predict the shortest match: Jeff Jarrett/Tazz
5. Any surprise appearances? Davey Boy Smith!

 

[iMac]

WWF SummerSlam 1998
August 30th, 1998
Madison Square Garden
New York, New York

We open to a black and white scene, a wrestling ring in a dusty hall, a lone spotlight shining upon the canvas. The camera pans to show the bleachers, empty, although we hear the faint roar and cheers of a crowd of yesteryear. A solemn, melancholic piano tune plays in the background. The camera then cuts to the bleachers where ‘Classy’ Freddie Blassie sits alone, looking warmly at the empty ring, a hint of a smile on his face…

’Classy’ Freddie Blassie: They say from humble beginnings come great things. But we… we were never humble.

Blassie looks off to one side, where a projector shows more black and white footage from 1963, where Bruno Sammartino and Buddy Rogers trade blows in a Madison Square Garden ring…

’Classy’ Freddie Blassie: For all of us, this has always been hallowed ground.

Again Blassie looks off to the distance, another projector showing footage from 1983, where ‘Superfly’ Jimmy Snuka soars from the top of a steel cage, crashing down on Don Muraco…

’Classy’ Freddie Blassie: A place where mere mortals become legends. A place where heroes are made. A place… we call home.

The projector whirs again, this time 1985 and WrestleMania I. We won’t show you any footage of that Hogan chap who is in WCW right now, so instead we’ll show you a standoff between Andre The Giant and Big John Studd…

’Classy’ Freddie Blassie: But now is the time for new heroes to be made. New legends to emerge from the shadows.

But we’ll gladly show you Bret Hart from WrestleMania X, especially when he tries a victory roll only for his brother Owen to sit into the move and sneak the three count…

’Classy’ Freddie Blassie: This is their time. This… is their moment.

Back to Blassie, who uses a walking stick to push himself back to his feet and walk from the bleachers, while the projector whirs again and we see more from WrestleMania X, where Shawn Michaels is flying from the top of a ladder to splash down on some other guy who works for the competition now…

’Classy’ Freddie Blassie: This… is Madison Square Garden.

Blassie continues to shuffle his way through this arena towards the door, where the projectors whirs one last time to show us footage from Raw last year, where ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin delivers a Stone Cold Stunner to Vince McMahon…

’Classy’ Freddie Blassie: This… is… SummerSlam!

Blassie exits through the door of this arena, the screen fading to black as he does so. We then get a graphic and logo pop up on the screen as we hear…

Narrator: And now, Stridex presents WWF SummerSlam!​

And then we go into the hallowed ground of Madison Square Garden for the pyro and ballyhoo. It’s SummerSlam! And this New York crowd is jacked up and excited for us to be here! We see their signs, we hear their roars, we’ve got pyro exploding from the ring, and then we’re welcomed to the show by our commentary team of Jim Ross and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler…

Jim Ross: It is a hot summer’s night in New York City! Madison Square Garden has been sold out for months in anticipation of what promises ta’ be an incredible night as we bring you tha’ tenth annual edition of SummerSlam! Hi again everybody, this is good ol’ ‘JR’ Jim Ross alongside Jerry ‘Tha’ King’ Lawler, we are ringside for tha’ hottest night of action y’er gonna see all summer!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: I can’t wait for this, ‘JR’! We just saw it on Sunday Night Heat, Mr. McMahon is back and I know he’s got somethin’ in mind for both ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and The Undertaker! Neither of those two is makin’ it out of Madison Square Garden in one piece tonight!

Jim Ross: McMahon is here, but the question remains why? Why is he here? Why has he chosen to return here tonight at SummerSlam?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: What d’ya mean why!? He’s the boss! He can show up whenever he wants to!

Jim Ross: I’m sure we’re gonna hear from Vince at some point durin’ tha’ broadcast. But we’ve got four titles on tha’ line t’night, none more bigger than tha’ WWF Title match between ‘Stone Cold’ an’ Owen Hart.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: I don’t know what’s worse, ‘Stone Cold’ or Owen Hart walkin’ outta Madison Square Garden as the WWF Champion. I know one thing though, Vince McMahon ain’t gonna be happy until he sees somebody other than ‘The Rattlesnake’ holding that WWF Title.

Jim Ross: I don’t know what it is ‘King’, call it a feelin’, call it a vibe, but somethin’ just ain’t right about McMahon bein’ here t’night. He’s up ta’ somethin’, ya’ know he is!

*URBAN COWBOY*​

But we’re kicking things off tonight with the Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett who heads down to the ring with Sunny by his side. This is the first time we take a look at the image from the hard camera, showing us the aisle is in the middle of the arena opposite the shot, with a SummerSlam logo above the entrance way. The crowd seemed thrilled to see Sunny as she playfully smirks in their direction, while Jarrett is all smiles, heading to the corner to climb to the second rope and thrust his trusty guitar in the air…

Jim Ross: But we’re gettin’ things started here wit’ tha’ Intercontinental Champion, ‘Double J’ Jeff Jarrett. It’s scheduled ta’ be Jarrett an’ Tazz in a Submission Match for tha’ title, but I don’t know if Tazz is gonna be able ta’ compete here after tha’ damage Jarrett did ta’ Tazz’s knee on Raw last Monday.

We then see footage from Raw where Jarrett locked Tazz into a figure four leglock around the ringpost, maniacally wrenching on his knee as referees try to pull the pair apart…

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Well ‘Double J’ told the world for weeks that he was ‘The King of Submissions’, and he proved it once and for all last Monday night. Did you see the way he twisted Tazz’s knee round that ringpost? He had to tear every ligament and muscle Tazz has in that leg. There’s no way he’s gonna be here tonight!

Back in the ring, Sunny yanks the microphone away from ring announce Howard Finkel and hands it over to the champion, much to the chagrin of ‘The Fink’…

Jeff Jarrett: Y’know, I tried ta’ tell ya’! I tried ta’ tell each an’ ev’ry one of ya’ that I was without a doubt, tha’ real submission master here in tha’ WWF! But all you slapnuts out there, ya’ wouldn’t listen ta’ me! So last Monday night on Raw, I proved it once an’ for all when I tore Tazz’s knee apart and showed that not only am I tha’ greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time, but I’m also ‘Tha’ King of Submissions’ here in tha’ WWF!

Sunny gives her man a big round of applause as he hams it up, while the crowd respond with jeers…

Jeff Jarrett: There ain’t nobody more dangerous a wrestler in this business than me, ‘Double J’ Jeff Jarrett! And that stupid piece of crap Tazz? Well let’s just say he pissed me off one too many times an’ he paid tha’ price for it when he found out exactly how dangerous I can be!

More jeers…

Jeff Jarrett: Now… after what I did ta’ that lil’ midget on Raw last Monday, there ain’t a hope in hell he can even walk right now, never mind compete here for ma’ Intercontinental Title. So what I want right now is for ma’ hand ta’ be raised an’ for you Finkel ta’ declare me tha’ winner o’ this match an’ tha’ true ‘King of Submissions’! Do it right now!

Jarrett very forcibly slams the mic into Finkel’s chest before he turns to referee Jim Korderas and points to his wrist, demanding his hand be raised. While Jarrett argues with the referee, it’s left to Sunny to get in Finkel’s face and pressure him into making the announcement…

But then…

*IF YOU DARE*​

The lights go out, the ominous best starts to play, the orange lights start to swirl… it’s Tazz! Tazz is here after all, but straight away we can see he’s limping down the aisle, that left knee of his heavily strapped up. But the crowd are delighted to see the hometown favourite has made it, while Jarrett and Sunny are pitching a fit in the ring, furious to see the challenger is in attendance tonight…

Jim Ross: It’s Tazz! It’s Tazz! Tazz is here! He’s here ta’ give Jarrett ev’rythin’ he’s got!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: How is he even walkin’ right now!? This isn’t right! This match can’t happen right now, ‘Double J’ ain’t ready!

Jim Ross: He was ready ta’ run his mouth an’ walk outta here wit’ a forfeit, but Tazz weren’t gonna let it happen! Tazz is here an’ he’s ready for a fight!

Tazz slowly steps up the ringsteps, having to reach out to the ringpost to steady himself, and as soon as he steps through the ropes… Jarrett attacks! Jarrett clobbers Tazz, looking to get the jump on him, with Korderas quickly calling for the bell to get things officially underway…

Match One: Intercontinental Champion Submission Match
Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett w/ Sunny vs. Tazz

And Jarrett lays in with stomps to the body to keep Tazz grounded, before he immediately starts to target the leg, aiming stomps to the knee before he drops a trio of elbows across it. Jarrett then grabs Tazz by the ankle, looking to wrench the leg… but Tazz kicks Jarrett away, sending him crashing into the corner! A chance for Tazz to attack, he moves in to land uppercuts and forearms to the jaw, before he hooks Jarrett up… overhead belly-to-belly suplex! Tazz still favours that left knee as he moves in, landing more uppercuts then knees to the body, before he goes for an Irish whip off the ropes… into a northern lights suplex! And Tazz quickly grabs Jarrett’s arm… twists into a cross armbar! The first submission attempt of the match comes from the challenger, he tries to wrench on Jarrett’s arm… but Jarrett fights it, clasping his hands together, desperately trying to avoid the hold… and eventually Tazz has to give up, releasing his grip, allowing Jarrett to roll to the safety of the floor.

Tazz follows out and stays on the attack, he drives Jarrett spine first into the barricade, before he takes Jarrett down with a double-leg, hooks him… and CATAPULTS JARRETT INTO THE RINGPOST! Sunny has to scramble to safety to avoid the brutal collision for the champion, the challenger now looks to take advantage as he rolls Jarrett back into the ring… and this time looks for a kimura lock! Tazz again goes to work on Jarrett’s arm, trying to make Jarrett submit early… but Jarrett is able to work back to his feet… and he breaks the hold with a hard stomp to the face! Jarrett tries to shake some life back into his arm, before he drags Tazz up… suplex… but Tazz’s legs crash off the ropes! Tazz instantly grabs at his injured knee, and Jarrett sees it, he goes right to work by dragging Tazz to the ropes, placing the foot on the bottom rope… then Jarrett propels himself in the air… crashes down on the leg! Jarret does this another two times, before he allows Tazz the chance to drag himself to his knees using the ropes… but Jarrett comes from the far away side… and drives Tazz’s throat onto the second rope!

Jarrett is in control now, he uses the ropes to choke Tazz before delivering stiff forearms to the back of the neck, then hard kicks to the body. Jarrett then goes back to the knee, aiming more stomps, but when he drags Tazz up, Tazz starts to fight back, throwing forearms to the face, then knees to the body… but Jarrett catches a knee with the left leg, holding the foot… then he takes Tazz down with a dragon screw! Tazz is down and in pain, Jarrett moves quickly… to lock in a BOSTON CRAB! Jarrett sits down into the hold, applying pressure to Tazz’s legs and spine, doing all kinds of damage to the knee, Tazz again grimacing in pain. Tazz reaches out for the ropes… he grabs them… but there’s no break! The referee is powerless to do anything to stop the submission hold, leaving Tazz no choice… he crawls through the ropes… and drops to the floor, forcing Jarrett to release the hold! Tazz is down on the outside, the frustrated champion follows him out… Jarrett drives Tazz’s spine into the announce desk! Jarrett then rears back… Irish whip… no! Tazz reverses… Jarrett crashes into the ringsteps!

A desperation counter from Tazz, but a chance for him to get back in the match, he rolls Jarrett back inside and starts striking with those knees and uppercuts again, before he shoots Jarrett hard to the corner… Jarrett staggers forward… Tazz lowers his head… but Jarrett counters his back body drop attempt with a swinging neckbreaker! Tazz is down again, and after shaking off the cobwebs and taunting the crowd, Jarrett heads outside… and climbs to the top rope! But Tazz clambers back to his knees, launches himself at the ropes… Jarrett crotches on the turnbuckle! And now Tazz is climbing high, both men standing on the top rope… SUPER OVERHEAD EXPLODER SUPLEX! An incredible impact, both men are down and out on the canvas, no count from the referee, instead he just has to stand and watch as neither man is able to make it back to their feet yet. The crowd start to roar, willing Tazz back up… and eventually, after what feels like an eternity, both men start to make it back to a vertical base. The pair trade tired looking right hands, until Tazz smacks three uppercuts, then looks for an Irish whip… but Jarrett reverses… then catches Tazz in a SLEEPER HOLD!

Jarrett has Tazz caught in the centre of the ring, and slowly but surely he’s got Tazz fading. Tazz starts to drop, first to a knee… then down to a seated position, Jarrett wrenching on the neck, hoping to make Tazz pass out. The referee moves in… raises Tazz’s arm… it drops. He checks again… the arm drops a second time. Jarrett is convinced he’s got it, Tazz looks out of it… but he keeps the arm up on the third try! With a burst of energy, Tazz works back to his feet… he drills elbows to the midsection… then nails a northern lights suplex! Both men are down again, but this time Tazz rolls and grabs Jarrett’s legs, stepping and twisting… into a TEXAS CLOVERLEAF! This time it’s Tazz who targets the knee, looking to make Jarrett submit as he sits into the hold. Jarrett cries out in pain, stretching for the ropes out of instinct, scratching and clawing for safety… wait! Sunny is in the ring… she’s got Jarrett’s guitar… SUNNY SMASHES THE GUITAR OVER TAZZ’S SKULL!!

Sunny saves Tazz, nothing the referee can do about it, Tazz crumples to the mat and Jarrett is free! Sunny quickly encourages Jarrett to take advantage, she helps him back to his feet before Jarrett grabs Tazz’s foot… steps, twists and falls… FIGURE FOUR LEGLOCK!! It’s got to be over, Tazz looks down and out already, the referee moves in to check on him… TAZZ GRABS THE REFEREE BY THE COLLAR! Tazz hauls his shoulders off the canvas, there’s no way he’s giving up! Jarrett looks like he's seen a ghost, he can’t believe it as Tazz fights through the pain… he pushes himself up… only to fall once more! The pain has got to be incredible, but Tazz refuses to tap out, instead he forces his shoulders off the canvas one last time… and twists… TAZZ REVERSES THE FIGURE FOUR!! The pressure is all on Jarrett now, he cries in agony, before the pair rolls once again, this time into the ropes where the break takes place.

Both men limp back to their feet, barely able to stand… Jarrett throws a tired right… Tazz hits a tired right of his own… and another… and a third… Tazz goes for an Irish whip… Jarrett reverses… looks for THE SLEEPER AGAIN… NO! This time Tazz grabs the arm, he steps behind… TAZZMISSION!! Tazz locks in the deadly Tazzmission, Jarrett flails but he’s nowhere to go… especially when Tazz grapevines and takes Jarrett to the canvas! Jarrett cries out, he desperately seeks an escape… and just like at Fully Loaded, he pushes himself up so that Tazz’s shoulders are on the mat… but it doesn’t matter! There’s no pinfalls here! The referee just shrugs, there’s nothing he can do, Sunny desperately screams for Jeff to escape… but he can’t, and eventually… JARRETT TAPS! JARRETT TAPS!! TAZZ IS THE CHAMPION!!

Winner: Via Submission, and NEW Intercontinental Champion, Tazz @ 09:24

He’s done it, Tazz is the Intercontinental Champion! After chasing Jarrett since the night after WrestleMania, Tazz has finally won the gold here in Madison Square Garden! Such is the rivalry between the pair, Tazz holds onto The Tazzmission a little longer than he should, the referee having to rip at Tazz’s arm before he finally relinquishes the hold. Jarrett is out, a broken heap on the canvas, while the pain in Tazz’s knee is too much for him to burst to his feet, instead he rolls onto his back and stares up at the lights, a mixture of exhaustion and relief before he reaches for the ropes and drags himself back up…

Jim Ross: Tazz has done it! Tazz has choked out Jarrett! Jarrett tapped out! An’ now Tazz is tha’ new Intercontinental Champion!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: No! Sunny… somebody, do somethin’! That was an illegal choke! That wasn’t a submission! Reverse the decision! Restart the match!

On the outside, Sunny is nearly in tears, on her knees, chin resting on the ring apron, head in her hands, distraught to see that Jarrett has lost the gold. But the crowd are delighted, the roar is deafening as they salute the new champion as he thrusts the title in the air before slumping against the turnbuckle in the corner…

Jim Ross: What a gutcheck from Tazz t’night! He can barely walk, but he’s damn sure walkin’ outta SummerSlam as tha’ Intercontinental Champion! He proved once an’ for all who tha’ real submission specialist is here in tha’ WWF!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Somebody get out here! We need help for ‘Double J’, he’s out cold!

Selling the damage to the knee, Tazz collapses from the corner to the mat and rolls to the floor, once again raising his newly won title in the air as he slowly starts to limp up the aisle. In the ring, Jarrett is still down and out, barely moving, Sunny trying to bring him back around but there’s very little movement from the now ex-champ…

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: They can’t keep lettin’ Tazz away with this. How many people are gonna have to suffer that illegal chokehold before somebody gets hurt? Has he gotta kill somebody before that hold gets banned!?

Jim Ross: Well I don’t know about that, but what I do know is that we’ve got a new Intercontinental Champion! Tazz has finally got tha’ better of Jeff Jarrett! Tazz finally has tha’ gold!

Tazz continues to hobble up the aisle until he reaches the entrance way before he turns back to the crowd and hoists his title into the air one more time, the crowd giving him a great response as he does so, before we cut away.

To the backstage area, where storming down a corridor is a furious looking Shane McMahon. Shane strides past a pair of random backstage workers, not paying them any notice, clearly with a focused destination on his mind. And after he turns a corner, he bursts into a room… to find Vince McMahon! Vince is sat on a couch with Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco and Sgt. Slaughter, but he quickly rises to his feet as his son storms towards him…

Shane McMahon: What are you doin’ here!? Huh!? Of all nights, this is the night you decide to show up!?

The elder McMahon looks furious at the his child is speaking to him…

Vince McMahon: Who the hell do you think you’re talkin’ to!?

Shane McMahon: Hey, don’t give me that! You can’t answer the phone? I mean, you haven’t said a word to me in weeks! Mom’s been worried sick about you, you haven’t said a word to nobody since you came outta that hearse, and you just show up here at SummerSlam!?

Looking for cooler heads to prevail, Vince motions with his hands for calm…

Vince McMahon: Hey, listen. This is still my company, alright? I don’t need permission from you, or anybody else for that matter, to show up at my company’s event!

Annoyed, Vince shakes his head, while Shane fumes and puffs out his cheeks…

Vince McMahon: Now I appreciate the job you’ve been doing since I’ve been incapacitated, but-

Shane McMahon: Y’mean the job I’ve been doin’ tryin’ to fix your mess these last few weeks, right? D’you realise the damage you’ve done these last few months with these attacks on ‘Stone Cold’, and D-X, and The Undertaker? It’s been chaos around here lately, and I’ve been the one tryin’ to deal with it! I don’t need you around here tonight causin’ problems again!

Vince didn’t take too kindly to being interrupted from the snarl on his face, but he lets Shane continue…

Shane McMahon: And what about that stunt with Southern Justice and Austin a few weeks ago? What the hell was that for!?

Surprised looks all around from Vince and his cronies…

Vince McMahon: What are you talkin’ about?

Shane McMahon: Don’t gimme that! Austin got it outta Tennessee Lee himself, you paid Lee and his boys to jump Austin on Heat a few weeks ago! You don’t say a word to your family for weeks, but you’re on the phone to that crook and his goons to jump Austin like that!? You realise the problems you caused with that? Jesus, we had kidnap and torture to deal with because of you! And I had to smooth things over with the sponsors, I had to fix your mess again!

Vince is clearly not happy at this verbal dressing down he’s taking, but again he motions for Shane to settle down…

Vince McMahon: Listen, I don’t have the first idea what you’re talking about with Tennessee Lee and Austin. Whatever happened there, I had nothing to do with that. And I give you my word on that.

But Shane clearly isn’t buying it, he scoffs and shakes his head…

Vince McMahon: Now officially, I’m not coming back to work until tomorrow night on Raw. I’m just here tonight for one thing… and one thing only.

Shane McMahon: Oh yeah? What’s that? And what’s that hearse doin’ here?

That devilish smirk crosses Vince’s face…

Vince McMahon: That’s none of your business, son. Now… I’m gonna let you have your moment here tonight. This is SummerSlam, this is Madison Square Garden, this is your pay per view and I’m gonna let you see things through. I’ve just one little task I need to care of and then I’ll be outta your hair. Alright? And that’s another thing you have my word on.

Shane is far from convinced, he again shakes his head before he steps forward and looks his father dead in the eye to say…

Shane McMahon: Just stay outta things tonight, alright? No controversy, that’s all I’m askin’ for.

Vince McMahon: I guarantee it.

Another shake of the head from Shane before he turns to leave, although he stops halfway and with a small laugh says…

Shane McMahon: And oh, by the way… you better hope Austin doesn’t get his hands on you.

There’s a gulp from Vince, not a big gulp, but a gulp nonetheless as Shane heads for the door. Vince then lets out a sigh before he shakes his head, something which his three minions all copy. The shot lingers on Vince and his associates a little longer, before we cut back into the arena.

Where it’s very dark, apart from a ton of lit candles in candelabras around ringside, while we hear…

*BLOOD*​

So sadly given the makeup of MSG, we can’t do the coolest entrance in all of wrestling to welcome Gangrel and Luna Vachon, but they stride down the dimly lit aisle towards the ring. Once they reach the ringsteps, we get the usual sight of Gangrel gargling the blood from his goblet before he spits it into the air, bringing light back into the arena…

Jim Ross: It seems like Shane McMahon shares my, and a lotta other people’s suspicions about what Vince McMahon is doin’ here t’night. But we’ve got a real grudge match up next folks, Gangrel is gonna take on Dustin Runnels, and this one goes all tha’ way back ta’ WrestleMania XIV.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yeah when Dustin made the biggest mistake of his life. He made Luna Vachon mad, and she’s brought this… well, I don’t really know what Gangrel is, but he’s here tonight to get revenge for his girl.

Gangrel and Luna share a pretty disgusting blood soaked kiss, smearing the red liquid across both of their faces. Ew.

We then get the entrance of Dustin Runnels and Terri Runnels, to no music as has been the norm for Dustin as of later. But Dustin isn’t wanting to wait, he storms down the aisle and slides into the ring… tackling Gangrel to the mat! Luna quickly dives from the ring, but this is another match that is getting started in a hurry!

Match Two:
Dustin Runnels w/ Terri Runnels vs. Gangrel w/ Luna Vachon

And the right hands start to fly from Dustin, but Gangrel quickly rolls onto and drops fists of his own, the pair rolling again until they reach the ropes and the referee steps in for a break. Both men burst back to their feet, Runnels beating Gangrel to the punch with more stiff rights before he shoves Gangrel to the corner… and there’s more hard right hands! Dustin’s frustrations are on display as he just wants to drill Gangrel with punches early on, but when he moves away from that tactic and goes for an Irish whip to the opposite corner, Gangrel reverses and follows in… into a boot to the face… then a falling clothesline from Dustin! Both men burst back to their feet, Gangrel swings a right hand… Dustin ducks… hits an inverted atomic drop! Gangrel staggers to the ropes, Dustin builds up a head of steam… clotheslines Gangrel over the top rope to the floor!

Dustin isn’t wasting anytime here, he follows outside and lands more right hands, before he scoops Gangrel up… and drops him face first on the ring steps! Seeing her man in trouble, Luna heads over and tries to get in Dustin’s face… and the distraction works as Gangrel is able to attack from behind, driving Dustin into the barricade! A chance for Gangrel to land some offence, he lays in with rights and knees to the body, before he rolls Runnels back into the ring. Gangrel aims a pair of kicks to the body, before he goes for the Irish whip… but Gangrel lowers his head, Dustin drops to his back… and smacks Gangrel with a hard right hand! Gangrel stumbles away, but Dustin attacks from behind… bulldog! No attempt at an early cover, this match is too personal for that, instead Runnels hurls Gangrel to the corner and climbs to the second rope, raining down with right hands… the crowd count along, 7… 8… 9… but Gangrel then grabs Dustin by the legs, lifts him and walks forward… before he drops Runnels across the top turnbuckle!

A chance for Gangrel to take control, he starts with some stomps to the body before he drags Dustin to his feet… and sends him sternum first into the turnbuckle! Runnels stumbles backwards, Gangrel traps him from behind… release tiger suplex! Dustin is down, allowing Gangrel to drop some rapid-fire elbows, before Gangrel takes Dustin down with a bulldog of his own, gaining the first near fall of the match. Gangrel stays in control, looking to punish Runnels with stomps to the body, then he chokes Dustin against the ropes, drawing the eye of the referee as he provides the break… and that allows Luna to smack Dustin with a cheap shot! Gangrel does more damage, scoring another two count with a Russian legsweep before Gangrel hurls Dustin to the corner. Gangrel alternates between right hands and kicks, before he goes for an Irish whip off the ropes… Dustin reverses, looks for an hiptoss… but Gangrel blocks, grabs the arms… trapping suplex! Runnels goes overhead and crashes to the mat, Gangrel goes for another cover… 1… 2… Runnels rolls a shoulder!

Frustrated, Gangrel takes Dustin up and down with a gutbuster for another near fall, before he goes for an Irish whip off the ropes… Dustin ducks a clothesline, puts on the breaks… and catches Gangrel with a spinning spinebuster! Both men are down, the referee starts to count, Gangrel able to get back to his feet first… but Runnels blocks a right… smacks a right of his own! And a second… and a third! Dustin looks to build momentum, shooting Gangrel off the ropes… big back body drop! Gangrel is reeling, Dustin stays on the attack, right hands drive him to the corner, then sends Gangrel across and follows in… corner clothesline! Then Dustin climbs to the second rope… diving bulldog! This time Dustin goes for the cover… 1… 2… Gangrel kicks out! Runnels has the crowd behind him now, he smashes Gangrel’s face off the top turnbuckle, then lands a few boots to the body, then he looks to send Gangrel off the ropes… but Gangrel avoids a clothesline, drives a knee into the spine that sends Dustin towards the ropes… LUNA SPITS BLOOD IN DUSTIN’S FACE! From the floor, Luna has spat the blood upwards into Dustin’s face, blinding him! It happened so fast the referee never saw it, and as Dustin flails his arms, Gangrel is ready and waiting… IMPALER DDT!! Dustin is planted, Gangrel crawls on top and hooks both legs tight… 1… 2… 3!

Winner: Gangrel @ 07:10

Gangrel picks up the biggest win of his young WWF career so far, and in decisive fashion too. Out of the pinfall, Gangrel quickly slithers back to the corner, where Luna is quickly into the ring to give him some kind of weird hug to celebrate. Terri throws her hands up in despair before she too slides into the ring, wanting to check on Dustin’s condition after the defeat…

Jim Ross: Well say what ya’ will about tha’ way Gangrel lives his life, I’m not a fan of his actions or his choice of lifestyle, but that was an impressive victory. But I gotta think Dustin was rollin’ until Luna spat that red liquid in Dustin’s face.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yeah but I don’t think Gangrel cares about that. I’m sure the most important thing for him is that Luna’s happy! She got her own back on Dustin and Terri right there. That’s what Dustin gets for ditching someone as beautiful as Luna for a dog like Terri!

So Terri continues to check on Dustin, but the camera cuts back to Gangrel in the corner, where he’s reached down to grab the goblet of blood. With a sick smile on his face, Gangrel holds the goblet high in the air, while Luna heads towards Terri… and grabs her by the hair! Terri shrieks in fear, while Terri holds her in place… so Gangrel can take a swig from the goblet… and SPIT THE BLOOD IN TERRI’S FACE!! Pretty disgusting, and Terri immediately slumps to the mat, tears streaming from her face as she flops onto the lifeless Dustin. Luna lets out an evil laugh, before she and Gangrel share another one of those horrible kisses with way too much tongue…

Jim Ross: That’s hideous! There’s no need for that, ya’ won tha’ match!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Haha! Talk about a bloodbath! That’s what Terri gets for turning Dustin against Luna!

Terri lies on top of Dustin, her tears ringing out through Gangrel’s music, blood pouring from her face onto her fallen husband. Satisfied with their work tonight, Gangrel and Luna head for the ropes, big smiles on their faces as they walk back up the aisle. But the real story here is that Dustin has been beaten and Terri has been humiliated again, and it’s on the sight of the pair of them down on the canvas that we cut to the announce desk from…

Jim Ross: That Gangrel, he’s a real class act, huh? Just disgustin’! There was no need for that.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Listen, Gangrel and Luna, they’re not here to win any popularity contests. They’re here for revenge, and they got it right there!

Jim Ross: Well be that as it may, somebody else who’s not gonna win any popularity contests any time soon is tha’ European Champion, Tiger Ali Singh. An’ earlier t’day, our camera were out wit’ Tiger as he took in some of tha’ sights of New York City. It didn’t go quite as well as tha’ European Champion hoped for. Let’s take a look…

*VIDEO PACKAGE*

The video opens with Tiger Ali Singh walking through the streets of Manhattan dressed in a sharp suit, sunglasses and his turban. Singh has his European Championship over his shoulder, and he’s walking alongside a man who bears a striking resemblance to him, if not a little older…

Tiger Ali Singh: What a dump this city is! I’m telling you Dad, I’m glad to have you here in New York with me today to see me defend my prestigious European Title at SummerSlam, but I’m just sorry it had to be here in this cesspit!

The man, now identified as Tiger’s father Tiger Jeet Singh, also dressed in a suit with sunglasses, smirks and shakes his head…

Tiger Ali Singh: But don’t worry about it Dad, I arranged the finest corporate suit in Madison Square Garden for you to watch the action from. I don’t want you associating in any way with the scum who’re gonna be in the seats later tonight.

Right on cue, a random passer by hears what Tiger has said and stops for a second, giving Tiger a sneer as he and his father walk past. The pair continue to walk down the street until the younger Singh comes to a stop, ripping his sunglasses from his face with a look of disgust…

Tiger Ali Singh: You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!

The camera pans… and we see X-Pac and Chyna! The pair are standing outside of Madison Square Garden, a screen in the background reading “WWF SUMMERSLAM – SOLD OUT!” scrolling past them, with a photographer taking pictures of the D-X pair. But as soon as they spot Singh and his father, they stop posing for photos and step towards the pair…

X-Pac: Hey, look who it is! It’s the jackass I’m gonna take the European Title from!

Tiger Ali Singh: You talk pretty big for somebody who weighs less than my wallet, kid!

The tension is starting to build as the pair step towards each other and square up, although Singh is much bigger and taller than X-Pac. This causes Tiger to smirk, before he then points a finger at Chyna…

Tiger Ali Singh: And what’s all this, huh? You oughta be gettin’ ready for the beatin’ I’m gonna give you tonight, instead you’re out here takin’ pictures with this ugly broad!

Chyna: Who the hell d’you think you’re talkin’ to!?

Tensions are starting to build now, Chyna steps towards the European Champion, while Tiger Jeet also gets involved. The four engage in a shouting match, until Chyna rears back… and smacks Singh with a stiff right forearm! Tiger tumbles to the concrete, his title belt flying, while his Dad tries to help his son back to his feet…

X-Pac: Hey Tiger! We got two words for ya’… SUCK IT!

X-Pac and Chyna share a laugh before they turn and make their exit, leaving Tiger Jeet to try and help his son back to his feet as the video comes to an end.

*END VIDEO PACKAGE*​

​

And from the video, we go back to the announce desk, where Lawler looks furious at what he’s just seen…

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Now that’s ridiculous, right there! Tiger Ali Singh, showing his father Tiger Jeet Singh, a very accomplished wrestler in his own right in Canada and Japan, around New York City, and they get attacked by X-Pac and Chyna! Is this how we welcome guests here in the WWF? We attack their family members!?

Jim Ross: Well tha’ European Champion, he’s got a habit o’ runnin’ his mouth an’ gettin’ in trouble because of it!

*DESERT THREAT*​

And here he comes, Tiger Ali Singh having replaced the suit from earlier with his wrestling tights and a sports jacket. But alongside him is Tiger Jeet Singh, who it appears is accompanying his son down to the ring for this title defence…

Jim Ross: Well there’s Tiger Ali Singh, but he’s bringing his father, Tiger Jeet Singh, down ta’ ringside wit’ ‘im. I thought Tiger said he got his Dad one o’ those executive boxes here in Madison Square Garden?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Well after what Chyna did earlier today, I don’t blame Tiger for wanting his Dad out here to watch his back. If Chyna tries anything in this match, she’s gonna have to answer to Tiger Jeet!

As the pair enter the ring, the elder Singh heads towards Howard Finkel and snatches the mic away from him, before handing it over to his son…

Tiger Ali Singh: Now, if you weren’t aware, earlier today myself and my father here, the great Tiger Jeet Singh, were takin’ a leisurely stroll through the sewer that you ingrates call Manhattan and-

A lot of heat. It’s pretty cheap, but there’s a lot of it…

Tiger Ali Singh: If you wouldn’t mind showing a little class, please? As I was saying, me and my father were taking a stroll through Manhattan, talking strategy ahead of my title defence here, when were accosted and assaulted by X-Pac and that so called woman, Chyna!

But the crowd like the idea of X-Pac and Chyna taking a shot at Tiger and his Dad, so they respond with a cheer, much to Singh’s chagrin…

Tiger Ali Singh: Chyna! You put your hands on me earlier today, but that’s fine. I’ll give you that one. I don’t blame you, clearly you lashed out in anger due to the frustration of a man as handsome as myself not wanting to take a second look at someone as hideous as you. All of that pent up sexual frustration you have for me clearly boiled over, so I’ll forgive you for what happened earlier today.

”Would ya’ listen to this idiot!?” quips Ross…

Tiger Ali Singh: But to make sure there’s no repeat of earlier today, just incase your libido gets the better of you again, I have managed to procure an official manager’s license from the New York State Athletic Commission in order for my father to be out here in my corner tonight.

The elder Singh has a smug smirk on his face as the crowd jeer…

Tiger Ali Singh: And let’s just say I’m glad that there are still some people here in this wretched city who still now the value of a brown envelope in the right hands. And-

*MAKE SOME NOISE*​

Ok, that’s enough out of you Tiger. Here comes X-Pac, accompanied by Chyna, the crowd giving them a great welcome into the arena. The Singhs leave the ring and head to the floor, which allows X-Pac to jump and leap around the ring, setting off green pyro as he does so. Once the lights return and the smoke clears, Tiger warily heads slides back into the ring, playing some mind games with Chyna as he puckers up his lips in her direction, much to Chyna’s disgust…

Jim Ross: Well, I think Tiger just admitted ta’ bribing a government official live on air. But this one promises ta’ be a fast-paced affair, especially wit’ X-Pac in tha’ ring, lookin’ for his first singles title here in tha’ WWF.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yeah and then you’ve got Chyna, she’s lookin’ for somethin’ a little more personal, shall we say? Look at the way she’s lookin’ at Tiger right now! She’s got those bedroom eyes on for the European Champion!

Match Three: European Championship Match
European Champion Tiger Ali Singh w/ Tiger Jeet Singh vs. X-Pac w/ Chyna

The bell rings and from the initial tie-up, Tiger shows he has the clear size and strength advantage as he hurls X-Pac to the ground, gloating as he does so. The two move together again, this time Pac ducks and starts nailing right hands, backing Singh to the ropes, before going for an Irish whip… Tiger reverses… and bowls X-Pac over with a shoulderblock! This time Tiger comes off the ropes, but X-Pac avoids with a dropdown… then a leapfrog… before he smacks Singh with a jumping roundhouse! Tiger stumbles back to his feet, up against the ropes… and a clothesline puts him over the top rope! The champion is reeling early on, his father quickly over to check on him and help Tiger back to his feet… but here comes X-Pac… somersault plancha takes down both Singhs! X-Pac bursts back to his feet and firs up the crowd, before he drags Singh up and rolls him back into the ring… but when X-Pac tries to climb back in, Tiger Jeet grabs Pac by the foot… and that allows Tiger Ali to smash X-Pac with a bodycheck, sending him flying into the barricade!

A stiff landing for X-Pac, the referee never saw Tiger Jeet’s involvement, but Chyna did, and she quickly races around, only for the ref to stop her getting involved. That allows Tiger Ali to head outside, he and his father dragging X-Pac up… and launching him spine first into the ring apron! Back in the ring, Tiger looks to press home his advantage, going for an Irish whip… but X-Pac ducks a clothesline… but he can’t avoid a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker! Singh looks to take control now, he starts to target the lower back of X-Pac, hitting another backbreaker and then a hard Irish whip to the corner, which causes Pac to smack the turnbuckle and collapse to the mat. A few stomps sends Pac under the ropes to the floor, before Tiger turns and grabs the eye of the referee… and starts jawing at Chyna! That distraction allows Tiger Jeet to drag X-Pac to his feet, scooping him up in a bearhug… and driving X-Pac spine first into the ringpost!

Once the argument ends, the ref turns to see X-Pac down on the floor and starts to count, the champion happy to retain his title on a countout. Chyna heads over and tries to help X-Pac back to his feet… the ref gets to 7… 8… 9… X-Pac makes it back into the ring! Tiger goes straight back to work, laying in with stomps to the back, before he hurls X-Pac to the corner and hammers him with right hands. Hard Irish whip sends X-Pac across, Tiger follows in… boot to the face! X-Pac bursts from the corner… right into a powerslam! That scored Tiger the first two count of the contest, but the champion stays on the attack, another Irish whip to the corner is followed with a corner clothesline, before Tiger tries to repeat the trick… only for X-Pac to jump to the second rope… springboard crossbody… no! Tiger catches him… fallaway slam! Tiger crawls into the cover… 1… 2… X-Pac rolls a shoulder!

The challenger is in trouble here, and even more so as Tiger drops down… and he applies a camel clutch! Tiger wrenches on the chin as he applies pressure to the spine again, X_Pac grimacing in pain as he does so. But with Chyna banging on the canvas, and the crowd getting behind him, eventually X-Pac is able to work back to his knees… then back to his feet… and he starts throwing elbows to cause separation! Pac then starts landing kicks to the chest, before he goes for the jumping roundhouse… but Tiger ducks… then he clobbers X-Pac from behind! Looking for a big move to do further damager, Singh drags X-Pac to the corner, hoists him onto the top turnbuckle… and climbs to the second rope… looking for a superplex… no! X-Pac throws desperate rights to the body, knocking Singh back down to his feet… then X-Pac explodes from the corner with a tornado DDT! Both men are down now, the match taking it’s toll on champion and challenger as the referee starts to count… he makes it to 7… 8… 9… but X-Pac crawls and drapes an arm across Tiger’s chest… 1… 2… Singh rolls the shoulder!

Time for the challenger to attack, he lands more kicks to the body… Tiger swings a right… misses! X-Pac takes him up… and down with a side suplex! Tiger is staggered, X-Pac drives him to the corner with kicks… then hits three kicks to the chest… and the jumping roundhouse! The champion is down and in perfect position… BRONCO BUSTER! X-Pac gets all of it, now he waits for Tiger to rise… X-FACTOR! X-Pac plants Singh, this one’s over… but there’s no count… TIGER JEET SINGH IS ON THE APRON! The referee is drawn away from the pinfall by the champion’s father… and now X-Pac gives up and gets back on his feet to protest… but here comes Chyna, she drags Tiger Jeet down from the apron… SLAMS HIM ONTO THE FLOOR! Tiger Jeet is down, but in the ring, Tiger Ali has made it back to his feet… X-Pac doesn’t see him coming… he hooks X-Pac up from behind… DIRTY MONEY… NO! X-Pac goes up… but goes all the way over, landing behind Tiger… the champion turns… X-FACTOR!! A second X-Factor, and the referee is there… 1… 2… 3!

Winner: And NEW European Champion, X-Pac @ 08:11

We’ve got a new European Champion! A second title change of the broadcast, this time it’s X-Pac from D-Generation X who grabs the gold! Having done her damage on the outside, Chyna quickly slides into the ring and helps X-Pac back to his feet, the pair sharing a hug before Chyna raises Pac’s hand in the air in victory. The referee hands over the title for the new champion to parade to the fans, who give him a great response for his victory. Both Tiger’s are down and out, one in the ring and one on the floor, but X-Pac is ready to celebrate, especially when Chyna hoists him up onto her shoulders to take in the adulation of the fans…

Jim Ross: What a night for X-Pac! He’s got revenge for D-X, he’s bringin’ that European Title back where it belongs!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: This is terrible! The European Title, carried by Tiger Ali Singh with such dignity and grace… and now that punk X-Pac’s got it!

Jim Ross: Still a big night ahead for D-X, but it’s gotten of ta’ a helluva start, thanks ta’ X-Pac an’ Chyna!

Back to the celebrations, where X-Pac and Chyna continue to lap it up in the ring, while Singh has rolled to the floor, trying to help his father back to his feet, as we cut elsewhere.

And we’re backstage in a locker room, where Michael Cole is standing by… with ’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin! ‘The Rattlesnake’ looks in a foul mood as he paces back and forth, making Cole’s life difficult as he tries to get the WWF Champion’s attention long enough to ask his question…

Michael Cole: ‘Stone Cold’, tonight you defend the WWF Championship against Owen Hart but I’m sure you were just as shocked as all of us were when we saw Vince McMahon return earlier tonight on Sunday Night Heat and-

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: You think I was shocked ta’ see ‘im back here? Hell son, I ain’t surprised ‘bout a damn thing that sunnova bitch McMahon does. Just ‘cos his ass ain’t been seen around here in a while, it don’t mean he ain’t been pullin’ strings from some big ass mansion up tha’ road in Connecticut. But he’ brought ‘is ass ta’ SummerSlam here t’night, an’ that means if he sticks ‘is nose in ma’ business, I will stomp a mudhole in ‘im an’ walk it dry!

Austin very forcibly grabs Cole’s hand to bring the mic closer to him…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: Now I got ma’ match t’night wit’ Owen Hart for tha’ WWF Title. Owen, I respect ya’ son, but I don’t like ya’ an’ I don’t like tha’ fact that McMahon’s turned up here one damn bit. So here’s what’s gonna happen…

Now Austin turns to stare down the lens of the camera…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: Ya’ said ya’ wanted a helluva match t’night Owen, so that’s exactly what I’m gonna give ya’. We’re gonna walk down that aisle, step in that ring an’ give these people one helluva match. But I’m tellin’ ya’ right now Owen, if ya’ got anythin’ ta’ do wit’ McMahon bein’ here, if I see his ass anywhere near that ring t’night, I will put ma’ foot straight up his ass an’ yours at tha’ same damn time!

That gets a big pop from the crowd…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: An’ as far as Vince McMahon goes, I ain’t forgot what ya’ paid those Southern Justice boys ta’ do ta’ me a couple o’ weeks ago ya’ stupid bastard, not by a long shot! An’ I promise ya’ Vince, once I’m finished tearin’ tha’ house down wit’ Owen, your ass is next, son!

To hammer home his point, Austin jabs a finger straight into the camera…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: I heard what ya’ had ta’ say earlier ta’ y’er boy Shane, sayin’ ya’ ain’t gonna stick y’er nose in ma’ business t’night. But as far as far as I’m concerned, that’s tha’ biggest bunch o’ crap I ever heard! An’ I know ya’ were watchin’ at home, ya’ saw exactly what I did ta’ ol’ Tennessee Lee a couple o’ weeks ago. Well Vince, I promise ya’, ya’ stick y’er nose in ma’ business t’night, ain’t nobody gonna stop me once I get hold o’ your ass! An’ that’s tha’ bottom line, ‘cos ‘Stone Cold’ said so!

Having said his piece, Austin gives Cole a shove towards the dressing room door, the announcer stumbling away from the scene as the camera linger on the champion, pacing back and forth again, the tension and frustration of McMahon being here clearly having an effect on him as we cut back into the arena.

Where we hear…

”WHAT DOES EVERYBODY WANT!?”

*SCURRY*​

Time for more action, and here comes Al Snow, who has Head along with him. The crowd reaction for Snow has been growing week on week, especially when he starts giving Head to the fans…

Jim Ross: Well Austin ain’t gonna stand for nothin’ from Vince McMahon t’night, but it’s tha’ World Tag Team Titles on tha’ line right here. An’ here comes one half of tha’ challengers, Al Snow. But ‘King’, just who is gonna show up here t’night as Snow’s partner here t’night? Is it gonna be Mankind? Is it gonna be Mick Foley? Could it even be Dude Love or Cactus Jack!?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Can we stop with the idea that that’s four different people you’re talkin’ about? It’s Mick Foley, bottom line! It doesn’t matter if he’s got a mask on or tie dye t-shirt, it’s the same person!

*SCHIZOPHRENIC*​

A real nice pop brings Mankind into the arena, who rather briskly heads down the short aisle and rolls into the ring. Once inside, Mankind and Snow exchange some pleasantries, even a rather awkward exchange of thumbs up between the two before Al hands Head over to Mankind to talk strategy with…

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Look at this. Mankind, he’s sittin’ in the ring havin’ a conversation with that damn mannequin head! I tell ya’ one thing, Head’s probably got the most brains outta the three of them in there right now!

Jim Ross: In recent months, we’ve seen Mick Foley driven over tha’ edge by Vince McMahon and it’s somehow manifested itself in this bizarre way Mankind’s been actin’. And even though they’re buddies, I don’t think Al Snow is all that comfortable either wit’ tha’ way Mick’s been actin’ lately.

*WE SALUTE*​

The champions The Heritage make their entrance, with Jim Cornette leading John Bradshaw and Lance Storm into Madison Square Garden. Initially, Cornette has his tenni racquet raised high in the air, but once he sees Mankind, the confident look on his face quickly turns to fear for what is sure to be a big test of their champion credentials tonight…

Jim Ross: Third title match for ya’ right here, an Tha’ Heritage have really impressed me in recent months. Lance Storm an’ John Bradshaw, two young studs who under tha’ guidance of Jim Cornette have really started ta’ impose themselves on tha’ tag team division here in tha’ WWF.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Well they came together under Cornette to save tag team wrestling here in the WWF. And what was their thanks for that? A match at SummerSlam with these two lunatics! This is just another example of why I’m so happy Vince McMahon is back, Shane ain’t ready to be the man in charge here in the WWF with some of these decisions he’s been making as of late.

Match Four: World Tag Team Championships Match
World Tag Team Championships The Heritage w/ Jim Cornette vs. Al Snow and Mankind w/ Head

As the bell rings, Bradshaw steps forward for the champions, but there’s a little meeting of the minds to determine who will start for the challengers. Eventually it’s decided that Snow will kicks things off, he and Bradshaw snapping into a lockup, but Bradshaw works into the side headlock. Al shoves him into the ropes… Bradshaw knocks him over with a shoulderblock. Bradshaw then lays in with some forearms to the back of the neck, before going for the Irish whip… Al reverses… avoids contact with a leapfrog… then scores an armdrag! Bradshaw bursts back to his feet… into an inverted atomic drop… then a dropkick sends him spiralling to his corner! Storm gets the tag, but he charges right into an drop-toe-hold, allowing Al to come off the ropes and drop an elbow across the back. Mankind gets the tag, but he holds his boot up across the turnbuckle… Snow smashes Storm’s face into the boot!

Mankind enters and lays in with right hands, before he shoots Storm to the corner and follows in… corner clothesline! Storm drops to the mat, here comes Mankind… running knee! Early cover… but Storm kicks out at two. Snow tags back in, he aims stomps to the body, before he rolls Storm over, grabs his ankles… lifts Storm up… wheelbarrow suplex! That gets the challengers another two count, and seeing his team in trouble, Cornette decides to act, as when Snow comes off the ropes, Cornette grabs him by the foot… Snow puts on the breaks… and that lets Bradshaw smack him with a stiff clothesline! Mankind bursts into the ring to protest, but that just lets the champions lay in with double boots, before Bradshaw tags in. He lays in with hard forearms to the face, then knees to the body, before he shoots Snow off the ropes… into a big boot to the face!

That got the first two count for the champions, they work to isolate Snow as Bradshaw nails a hard backbreaker while Storm hits a release German suplex. Storm looks to wear Snow down as he slaps on a grounded chinlock, but Snow is able to fight back to his feet, breaking the hold with elbows to the midsection. Snow looks for the Irish whip… but Storm reverses… and smacks Al in the face with a textbook dropkick! Bradshaw gets the tag, he does more damage with swinging neckbreaker, before he races across the ring… and takes a cheap shot at Mankind! That draws Mankind into the ring, but the referee cuts him off, allowing the champions to once again lay in with the boots behind the referee’s back. Storm is back in, he takes Snow down with a snapmare then aims a stiff kick to the spine, then he drags Al up and plants him with a scoop slam. Storm heads outside and climbs to the top rope, he waits for Snow to rise… flying crossbody… but Al rolls through… 1… 2… Storm kicks out! Both men burst to their feet… Snow hits a sitout spinebuster!

Both men are down, crawling towards their corners… Storm tags Bradshaw… but Snow tags Mankind! Mankind is in, right hand to Bradshaw, right hand to Storm, another to Bradshaw, before he grabs Storm… launches him over the top rope! Mankind then grabs Bradshaw by the hair, heads to the corner… and smashes Bradshaw’s face off the turnbuckle… over and over and over again! Mankind then sends Bradshaw off the ropes… boot to the midsection doubles him over, Mankind comes of the ropes… swinging neckbreaker! Mankind has Bradshaw in trouble here, he waits for him to rise… MANDIBLE CLAW… NO! Storm quickly clobbers Mankind from behind… but here comes Snow! He hammers Storm, all four men in the ring now in opposite corners, the challengers rear back… duelling Irish whips… Storm and Bradshaw crash into each other! The referee tries to regain control by ushering Al from the ring, but Mankind is poised once again, he waits for Bradshaw to rise… CACTUS CLOTHESLINE!

Both the legal men crash to the floor, Mankind hammering Bradshaw with rights until he rolls him back into the ring… but as Mankind tries to get back in the ring… CORNETTE SMACKS MANKIND WITH THE TENNIS RACQUET! The impact causes Mankind to flop through the ropes to the canvas, but he’s able to crawl to his corner… and tag in Snow! Mankind rolls from the ring to the floor, Snow looks to grab the win, he hooks Bradshaw up… SNOW PLOW… NO! Bradshaw is able to fight free and push Snow away… then Stom comes out of nowhere with SPINNING WHEEL KICK! He nearly takes Snow’s head off, and once Snow is able to stagger back to his feet, Bradshaw is ready to strike… OLD FASHIONED CLOTHESLINE!! Bradshaw doubles Snow in two, and with Mankind still feeling the effects of the racquet shot, there’s nobody there to stop the 1… 2… 3!

Winners: And STILL World Tag Team Champions, The Heritage @ 08:26

A gutsy effort from Mankind and Al, but they come up short as once again, Cornette plays a huge part in helping his charges to victory. Storm and Bradshaw have been through a real tough match here though, as they struggle to make it back to their feet as they’re handed their title belts. On the floor, Cornette is delighted, he thrusts his racquet in the air in victory… but the crowd quickly put their disappointment behind them, as Cornette has no idea… that Mankind is standing behind him! Cornette thinks the crowd are celebrating The Heritage’s win, but when he turns… MANDIBLE CLAW! A MANDIBLE CLAW TO CORNETTE! Seeking immediate retribution, Mankind jams his fingers down Cornette’s throat, the manage flailing his arms in a desperate plea for someone to help him…

Jim Ross: Mandible Claw! Mankind’s got Cornette! Mankind’s got Cornette, an’ I don’t think Storm or Bradshaw know yet!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Somebody stop this idiot! Lance! John! Help Jimmy!

Amidst the commotion, Storm and Bradshaw finally realise that their manager is in trouble, the pair diving to the outside and jumping Mankind from behind to save Cornette. They manage to break Mankind’s grip, but they think better of picking another fight with Mankind, they grab the faint Cornette and practically drag him up the aisle to safety. Mankind now rolls back into the ring and crawls towards Snow, looking to help his friend back to his feet after that devastating clothesline he suffered, and that’s what we cut away on.

This time we go to the interview set, where Kevin Kelly is ready to speak with The Undertaker, the sight of ‘The Deadman’ getting a great response from the New York faithful…

Kevin Kelly: Undertaker, tonight you look to settle the score and bring an end to weeks of mind games between yourself and The Rock. But let’s go back one month ago to Monday Night Raw when you kidnapped Vince McMahon, saving your brother Kane in the process. Now we haven’t seen Vince since, until he showed up earlier tonight on Sunday Night Heat. I know your focus is on The Rock tonight Undertaker, but the fact Vince McMahon is here tonight at SummerSlam has to be concerning, doesn’t it?

As you’d expect, Undertaker glares at Kelly as he answers…

The Undertaker: The only person who should be concerned about Vince McMahon being here… is Vince McMahon himself. When I threw Vince McMahon in that hearse one month ago, I looked deep down into that dark soul. And I promised McMahon that if he returned to the WWF… there would be no mercy.

That draws a pop from inside the arena…

The Undertaker: I heard the warning ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin gave McMahon earlier. So Vince… allow me to provide a warning of my own. Stay away from me… and stay away from my brother Kane.

Undertaker looks very deeply into the camera as he utters his threat…

The Undertaker: And as for The Rock… the date with destiny you’ve waited for has finally arrived. You’ve talked a lot about mind games lately boy. But I never have… and I never will… play games.

Another pop…

The Undertaker: I’m tired of your talk. You had your chance to walk away from all of this last month at Fully Loaded… and you didn’t seize it. And you will learn Rock, that nobody… gets a second chance to escape ‘The Deadman’. Tonight, I will take you mind… your body… and your soul.

And after a quick glance at Kelly, Undertaker looks to bring things to an end with…

The Undertaker: The end is near for you Rock. And tonight at SummerSlam… you will rest… in… peace.

’Taker’ rolls his eyes to the back of his head and allows it to linger in the shot, but as he turns to leave, Kelly pipes up with another question, much to the annoyance of ‘The Phenom’…

Kevin Kelly: Uh, sorry Undertaker, but one final question? Your brother Kane, we haven’t seen him here tonight, but he’s been showing up on Raw in recent weeks on a revenge campaign against those who threatened to help Vince McMahon have him locked up in an insane asylum. Is Kane here tonight? Have you felt the presence of your brother in Madison Square Garden?

A real reluctance from Undertaker as he answers…

The Undertaker: I haven’t seen or heard from my brother Kane… but I have felt his presence. He is here tonight in Madison Square Garden. But for his sake… and for the sake of Vince McMahon… I hope he stays in the darkness… and doesn’t enter the light.

And this time it really is over as Undertaker quickly walks away, leaving Kelly to watch him go as we cut away.

Back into the arena to hear…

”ARE YOU READY?”

*BREAK IT DOWN*​

What a pop for D-Generation X as Triple H, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and Chyna make their entrance. The MSG faithful are loud and on their feet for D-X, especially as they hit the ring and set off green pyro before Triple H heads to the corner and asks for a microphone. It takes a while, but Helmsley has to wait for the raucous crowd to die down before he can finally speak…

Triple H: Are you ready?

Ok, so we know how this goes by now…

Triple H: I said NEW YORK CITY… ARE – YOU – READYYYYY!?

Here we go…

Triple H: Then for the thousands in attendance… and for the millions watchin’ at home… and for that stupid bastard Vince McMahon watchin’ backstage… LLLLLETS GET READY TOOOOO SUCK ITTTTT!

Having said his bit, Helmsley tosses the mic to Road Dogg…

Road Dogg: Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages. D-Generation X proudly brings to you the greatest threat the world has ever seen! I’m talkin’ about THE ROAD DOGG ‘JESSE JAMES’… ‘THE BADD ASS’ BILLY GUNN… THE NEW – AGE – OUTLAWS!

These people in New York are loving this schtick tonight…

Road Dogg: And we are joined by… the baddest bitch on the planet, Chyna! And that Triple Hizzle, Hun’er Hearst Helmsley!

Helmsley heads to the corner and climbs to the second rope, firing out some crotch chops as the mic is passed to Billy…

Billy Gunn: And if you’re not down with D-Generation X… WE GOT TWO WORDS FOR YA’!

”SUCK IT!”

So now the mic goes back to Helmsley, who has a little pre-match message he wants to deliver…

Triple H: Hey McMahon! I know you’re back there watchin’ this, but I want you to pay real close attention to what’s gonna happen here right now and later tonight. Y’see D-Generation X, we didn’t start this war with you and your hired goons… but we’re damn sure gonna finish it.

That gets a pop…

Triple H: We’ve had X-Pac bring home the European Title… me and The Outlaws here are gonna give your private security team some hard times… and then later tonight, ol’ ‘HBK’ Shawn Michaels is gonna drop the hammer and finish you’re team off once and for all.

Helmsley is oh so serious as he says that…

Triple H: And then after that, all that’s left is your withered old ass McMahon! But it sounds like we’ve got enough guys back there wantin’ to get their hands on you, but lemme tell ya’… Austin and Undertaker are only gonna get to ya’… if D-X let’s ‘em!

With that, Trips slams the mic on the mat and the crowd give out a cheer. D-X starts to pace the ring, awaiting the arrival of…

*CELL BLOCK*​

The imposing trio of The Big Boss Man, Bart Gunn and Steve Blackman head into the arena, with Boss Man twirling his nightstick and pointing it up at the ring. As they step through the ropes, Boss Man throws some trash talk at Helmsley, before he heads to the second rope and poses, drawing heat from the fans…

Jim Ross: Well it’s been quite tha’ night for D-X thus far. X-Pac did indeed bring tha’ European Championship back ta’ D-X, but this is a much tougher proposition right here. This ain’t gonna be pretty!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Six guys who really dislike each other. And there’s still a lotta tension after what Boss Man did to Chyna a few weeks ago.

Jim Ross: Yeah but don’t forget, Chyna beat Boss Man one on one on Raw three weeks ago.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Don’t say that out loud, Boss Man’ll hear ya’! Who knows where he’ll put that nightstick if he does!

Match Five: Six Man Tag Team Match
Triple H and The New Age Outlaws w/ Chyna vs. The Big Boss Man, Bart Gunn and Steve Blackman

Triple H and Bart are set to get us started for this one, from the tie-up Bart backs Helmsley to the corner and the referee calls for a break… Bart tries to swing a left… but Trips ducks… and starts unloading in the corner! Helmsley nails Bart with rapid fire rights, before he goes for the Irish whip across… and Bart rebounds into a back body drop! Helmsley drags Bart to the D-X corner, smashing his face off the turnbuckle, before he tags in Billy, who lays into his former tag team partner with stomps to the body and more rights. Billy looks to shoot Bart off the ropes, but Bart avoids a clothesline with a baseball slide, nips back to his feet… and smacks Billy with a dropkick! A chance for the heels to mount some offence, Bart lays in with stomps before he brings Boss Man into the match for the first time. Boss Man looks to rough Billy up, smacking him with rights and stomps before he chokes Billy against the middle rope. Boss Man then sprints for the far side, rebounds back… and crashes down across the back of Billy’s head!

Boss Man shows some arrogance as he slaps the back of Billy’s head before he tags in Blackman, with ‘The Lethal Weapon’ putting those skilled feet of his to work with a string of kicks to the legs and body. Blackman shoves Billy to the corner and lays in with chops to the chest, but when he goes for an Irish whip, Billy reverses… and nails Blackman with a corner splash! Blackman stumbles forward… Billy takes him up… then down with a gorilla press slam! The tag is made to Road Dogg, who gets a great pop from the crowd as he starts tagging Blackman with lefts, before he scoops Blackman up… plants him with a scoop slam. Road Dogg comes off the ropes… shake, rattle and roll! That gets D-X the first near fall of the match, but when Road Dogg looks to build on this by coming off the ropes, Boss Man drives a knee into the small of the back! Road Dogg turns… smacks Boss Man with a right hand! But the distraction allows Blackman to wait for Dogg to turn… and level him with a roundhouse kick to the face!

Boss Man tags back in and the heels look to isolate Dogg, hard rights to the face and knees to the body connect, before Boss Man does damage with a backbreaker and a sidewalk slam. The heels continue to attack, as Bart drops Dogg with a DDT while Blackman lands a thrust kick to the jaw, both gaining near falls. Blackman is still in as he slaps on a kneeling chinlock, driving his knee into Road Dogg’s back while pulling back hard on his head. Dogg struggles to fight free, but he eventually makes it back to his feet, drilling elbows to the midsection to try and break free… only for Blackman to drop him with a falling neckbreaker! Boss Man comes back in and does more damage, this time with stiff uppercuts and a corner splash that causes Road Dogg to slump to the canvas. Boss Man feels like he can end things, he shoots Dogg off the ropes… BOSS MAN SLAM… NO! Road Dogg counters… TORNADO DDT! A desperate move from Road Dogg, but now he’s crawling towards his corner… tag to Billy! No, wait!

The referee never saw the tag, he was distracted by Blackman! And now he’s ordering Billy from the ring! But amongst the protests from D-X, it’s a three-on-one mugging behind the ref’s back, Dogg takes a beating in the heels’ corner before the ref finally turns and sees Road Dogg down with Blackman standing over him. Road Dogg continues to absorb punishment, he barely kicks out of a fisherman’s suplex from Blackman and a running bulldog from Bart before Boss Man tags back in and drops Road Dogg across the top rope with a stun gun for another two count. Boss Man starts to get in the faces of Triple H and Billy, before he also throws a few choice words in Chyna’s direction. In the corner, Boss Man strikes again with uppercuts and knees to the body, before he wipes Dogg off the ropes… into a bearhug! Boss Man tries to squeeze the life from Road Dogg, looking to wear him down and grab the submission win. D-X and Chyna try to get the crowd on board, they cheer and roar to rally Road Dogg back into the match. Eventually Dogg fights and struggles to break free, dropping elbows across the head… then he rings Boss Man’s bell to break the hold!

Road Dogg looks to attack, stinging left hands connect, then he looks to come off the ropes with a crossbody… but Boss Man catches him… FALLAWAY SLAM! That could do it, Boss Man crawls into a cover… 1… 2… Dogg rolls a shoulder! Frustrated, Boss Man tags in Blackman, looking for him to finish things off. Blackman again lays in with chops to the body, then he sends Road Dogg off the ropes… into the BICYCLE KICK… NO! Road Dogg grabbed hold of the top rope to save himself… then he levels Blackman with a falling clothesline! Once again, Road Dogg is down and crawling for his corner… but so is Blackman, he tags Bart first… but here comes Triple H! Helmsley bursts into the ring, he runs through Bart with a clothesline, then he knocks Boss Man off the apron before sending Bart off the ropes… jumping knee to the face! Blackman is back up, he charges… boot to the midsection… DDT! Helmsley is building momentum, he goes back to Bart and looks for another Irish whip… Bart reverses, but then lowers his knee… facebreaker! Boss Man slides back in and charges… right into a spinebuster! Helmsley bursts to his feet and roars to the crowd… only to be clobbered from behind by Blackman!

The referee is losing control now as Billy hits the ring, he takes the fight to Blackman sending him to the corner… corner splash! Bart drags himself up in the opposite corner… another corner splash! Then he races at Boss Man… but runs into a BOSS MAN SLAM! That takes Billy out of things, but here comes Road Dogg, he charges… back body drop sends him over the top rope to the floor! Billy and Road Dogg are down outside, Blackman and Bart follow, which draws the eye of the referee as he tries to bring order to the chaos happening on the floor. That means in the ring, Boss Man has his sights set on Triple H… and he GRABS THE NIGHTSTICK! Boss Man is ready to strike Helmsley with the night stick… but CHYNA SLIDES INTO THE RING… and from behind… NAILS BOSS MAN WITH A LOW BLOW!! Bart sees this and slides back into the ring… he GRABS CHYNA BY THE HAIR! Bart has Chyna lined up… KNOCKOUT LEFT HAND… NO! Helmsley grabs Bart’s hand… spins him around… KICK… PEDIGREE!! Triple H plants Bart with the pedigree, the referee turns… 1… 2… 3!

Winners: Triple H and The New Age Outlaws @ 11:15

Another win tonight for D-Generation X, and a measure of revenge for Triple H and Chyna towards Boss Man. The four D-X members are quickly back on their feet to share a hug and celebrate, while Boss Man and Blackman have to reach in and drag Bart from the ring and help him from the arena…

Jim Ross: What a win for D-X, an’ I think they just sent a huge message ta’ Vince McMahon! They ain’t gonna be messed with, especially not Chyna!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: How many times is she gonna stick her nose where it don’t belong!? She cost Tiger Ali Singh the European Title earlier, now it’s Boss Man! Somebody needs to put her back in her place!

Jim Ross: I’d like ta’ see ya’ try, ‘King’…

Lawler has nothing to say in response to that, while D-X continue to soak in the cheers of the fans. Boss Man, Bart and Blackman stop at the entrance way, sneering looks on their faces as they angrily stare back at the ring, before they disappear behind the curtain. The MSG crowd are giving D-X a great response to their win, which they’re more than happy to play up to as we cut back to the announce desk…

Jim Ross: What a night this has been thus far, but we’ve still go so much more ta’ come. And up next, Sable an’ Val Venis are set ta’ finally settle tha’ score wit’ Marc Mero an’ Ivory. But let’s take a look at how this story has unfolded an’ how a once strong relationship shattered before our eyes…

*VIDEO PACKAGE*

Our video opens with jarring images of ‘Marvellous’ Marc Mero and Sable, the pair arguing with each other, with Michael Cole giving us the voiceover of the story of this long-running rivalry…

Michael Cole: Since arriving in the World Wrestling Federation, Marc Mero and Sable seemed like the perfect match. But during Mero’s absence due to injury last summer, Sable became a star. Something that ‘The Marvellous One’ couldn’t handle.

We see footage from the November 10th, 1997 Raw, when during an interview with Mero and Sable, Cole turns to ask Sable a question, only for Mero to snap and grab Cole by the collar…

’Marvellous’ Marc Mero: Are you talkin’ to my manager? NOBODY talks to Sable! Don’t you even look at her!

Random images of Mero and Sable arguing in the ring, including footage from their Mixed Tag Team Match against Jeff Jarrett and Sunny at WrestleMania XIV, where we see Sunny get the win with a Sablebomb on Sunny, only for Mero to celebrate like a goof as if he won the match himself…

Michael Cole: Mero couldn’t stand the attention Sable was getting from WWF fans and superstars alike. And it all came to a head once Val Venis arrived the night after WrestleMania and set his sights on making Sable his latest co-star.

March 30th 1998, the night after WrestleMania, where Sable is backstage talking with pornstar Jenna Jameson, who has someone she wants to introduce Sable to…

Jenna Jameson: Oh, yeah! Yeah, he’s here. Hey, Val! Val, c’mere!

The man we would come to know as Val Venis enters the shot, eyeing Sable up and down and giving his thumb a quick lick…

Val Venis: Hello ladies. My name… is Val Venis. And I have… come… to the World Wrestling Federation. And lemme tell ya’ somethin’, ladies. ‘The Big Valbowski’ might always like to score the win, but this right here is one threeway I wouldn’t mind layin’ down for!

Sable laughs and blushes, but before she and Val can become properly acquainted, Mero hits the scene, furious at seeing Val paying Sable so much attention. Mero angrily grabs Sable by the wrist and drags her away, warning Venis with…

’Marvellous’ Marc Mero: You keep your eyes off o’ my property, ya’ hear me? C’mon Sable, let’s go…

We now see footage from the Unforgiven pay per view, where Sable and Sunny compete in a Bikini Contest, which Sable wins, much to Mero’s fury…

Michael Cole: Sable’s star continued to rise in the WWF, and Mero reached his breaking point, even threatening to fire Sable as his manager… a threat Sable didn’t take lying down.

The May 4th Raw, the night after Unforgiven, where Mero and Sable are in the ring for an interview with Dok Hendrix, where Mero lays it on the line for Sable…

’Marvellous’ Marc Mero: Now you listen to me. I’m gonna say this real slow so you can understand me. You… are my property. I call the shots in this relationship! So you get in line… or I’m gonna fire your ass!

But Sable wasn’t interested in falling in line over Mero’s threats, so she decided to bring their relationship to an end on her own terms…

Sable: Infact, y’know what, Marc? Screw you! I QUIT!

And with that, Sable rears back… and KICKS MERO BETWEEN THE LEGS! Mero crumples to the mat, a blubbering mess, having to watch Sable walk out on him and leave him humiliated in the ring…

Michael Cole: After Sable’s act of defiance, she entered into a business relationship with Val. But Mero wouldn’t take it lying down, bringing some female help of his own…

Fast forward to King of the Ring 1998, where during a match between Mero and Venis, a mystery brunette women jumps over the barricade and starts attacking Sable, the distraction at ringside allowing Mero to hit Val with a low blow from behind, then a TKO for the victory…

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: ‘JR’, who… who is she!? I mean, some crazed fan or somethin’ came outta the crowd and she started attackin’ Sable!

And that defeat meant that Sable would have to serve as Mero’s personal assistant moving forward, so Mero dragged her away from the arena that night after celebrating with Ivory…

Michael Cole: Mero and Ivory sought to humiliate Sable, until Sable issued a challenge of her own in a bid to win her freedom.

We see various shots from Raw over the next few weeks, with Sable struggling to carry Mero and Ivory’s bags into the arena, then Ivory shoves her into a shower block and turns on the water, then Ivory attacks Sable with a dirty mop before dumping disgusting brown water all over her. But the situation would come to a head at Fully Loaded, where Sable and Ivory would meet in a match where if Sable won, she would finally be free from Mero’s grasp and would be back with Val. And while it didn’t look good for Sable that night, Val interrupted the match with a little video he had filmed earlier in the day…

Val Venis: Let’s just say Mero that once Ivory got the itch, it took a special… cream… from ‘The Big Valbowski’ to soothe it. Haha!

That’s right, Val filmed a video with Ivory in the shower earlier that day and chose to play it in the middle of the Sable/Ivory match. And of course, it helps Sable get the win to secure her freedom! We some final images from the last month’s Raw of all four competitors going at it with each other, before Cole wraps things up with…

Michael Cole: Tonight, Sable and Val take on Mero and Ivory in an Intergender Match where Sable vows to not only settle the score… she wants to get her hands on ‘The Marvellous One’!

And of course, because she’s the star in all of this, we linger on the image of Sable’s face, a confident scowl etched upon it, ready to take the fight to Mero as we fade to black.

*END VIDEO PACKAGE*​

​

Back into the arena to hear…

*HELLO LADIES*​

A pretty good pop for Val Venis as he swaggers into the arena, giving his thumb a few licks as he heads down the aisle and gives the females in the crowd a few looks up and down. After he give the towel around his waist a twirl and does a little grind, Val asks for and receives the microphone…

Val Venis: Hello… ladies!

And the ladies respond with a loud shriek…

Val Venis: So ‘The Big Valbowski’ has come to the big apple! Well y’know somethin’ ladies, you might call New York the big apple… but I’ve got somethin’ even bigger for you all to take a bite out of!

Terrible. Moving on…

*WILDCAT*​

Now this… this is a pop! An incredible cheer brings Sable into the arena, the key male demographic clearly delighted to see her in Madison Square Garden tonight. Sable is all business though, very little in the ways of smiles, instead she gives a quick wave to the crowd before she steps through the ropes and joins up with Val, the pair discussing some last minute strategy…

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Well I don’t know if there’s any ladies here in New York, but I know there’s one in the ring right now! Look at Sable! Look at the puppies!

Jim Ross: Would ya’ drag y’er mind outta tha’ gutter for five minutes, please? This is gonna be a helluva matchup, we know Sable’s workin’ hard in tha’ gym and in tha’ ring ta’ improve on her efforts last month at Fully Loaded against Ivory. Let’s see if she’s managed ta’ put it all together an’ finally get her hands on Marc Mero.

*ROUGH ROCK*​

Jeers as ’Marvellous’ Marc Mero and Ivory make their entrance, wearing matching boxing robes. As they step through the ropes, Mero starts talking trash at Sable, although Sable rises above it and just shakes her head in response…

Jim Ross: It’s been really disgustin’ the way these two have treated Sable these last couple o’ months, I couldn’t have been happier ta’ see her beat Ivory back at Fully Loaded. But this is a different story right here t’night, Ivory is a highly skilled competitor, and I might not like Mero, but he’s a former golden gloves boxing champion, ya’ gotta respect what he brings ta’ tha’ ring.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yeah and that’s really what this is all about, respect. Mero felt like he wasn’t getting the respect he deserved while Sable was hoggin’ all the limelight. If Mero hits Sable with that TKO here tonight, he’ll go crazy like he did back at WrestleMania. Or maybe even crazier!

Match Six: Intergender Tag Team Match
‘Marvellous’ Marc Mero and Ivory vs. Val Venis and Sable

Val and Mero get us underway, although Mero spends the opening moments taunting Sable and throwing some trash talk her way. Eventually the two come together, Val working into a headlock then a takedown, but Mero quickly uses a legscissors to fight free. Both men back to their feet… straight back down with the headlock from Val, leading to Mero grabbing Val’s hair out of frustration. The pair work back to their feet, Mero manages to shove Val into the ropes… Val bowls him over with a shoulderblock! Val looks to quicken the pace, he comes off the ropes… Mero tries a leapfrog…but Val catches him… and turns it into a spinebuster! Venis quickly mounts Mero and starts laying in with shots to the face, which causes Mero to scramble to the ropes out of frustration. Mero gets back to his feet and start berating the ref, looking for him to chastise Venis for using a closed fist, but the ref isn’t buying it.

The two lockup again… again Val has the upperhand, he backs Mero to the corner, the referee calls for a break… and Mero slaps Val across the face! But that just enrages Venis, he goes to swing… but Mero ducks his head through the ropes, again bringing the ref into things to usher Val away. Val steps back and argues with the referee, which Mero sees as a chance to attack… but Val is waiting… takes Mero down with an armdrag! Mero bursts back to his feet… straight back down with a hiptoss! Val looks to build momentum, he shoots Mero to the corner… follows in with a knee! Mero is sent across the ring… another knee against the turnbuckle! Val drags Mero the middle of the ring… takes him down with a Russian legsweep! Val goes for a cover… Mero quickly kicks out, but he again scrambles away, this time to the safety of his corner to tag in Ivory.

Ivory looks a little apprehensive as she steps through the ropes, but Val looks to the crowd, who start to roar for Sable to get into things. Val offers his hand… and Sable makes the tag! Both ladies look ready to go at it, circling the ring, sizing each other up, until they come together… and Ivory lands a sneaky forearm to the jaw! Another three forearms connect, until Ivory takes Sable up… plants her with a scoop slam. The crowd don’t like this, which prompts Ivory to throw some abuse their way, before she turns back to Sable… who catches Ivory with a surprise forearm of her own! Sable goes on the attack, kicks to the body, more forearms, before she looks for an Irish whip to the corner… Ivory reverses and follows in… Sable uses the ropes to elevate herself… she gets her legs on Ivory’s shoulders… and hits a headscissors takedown! Ivory is stunned, she stumbles back to her feet… into a hurricanrana!

Ivory can’t believe it, she rolls to the floor to regroup with Mero while Sable roars from the ring, wanting to take the fight to Ivory again but the referee backs her away from the ropes. After a period of strategizing, Ivory heads back into the ring, her and Sable locking up, but this time Ivory grabs a handful of hair and yanks Sable down to the mat. Stomps to the body follow, then kicks to the spine, before Ivory grabs Sable by the leg… and sends her flying with a big swing! Ivory now reaches out to tag Mero, who enters with a massive smirk on his face. Seeing his wife down on the mat, Mero starts to do some shadow boxing to rile up the crowd, before he yanks Sable by the hair to her feet… and plants her with a scoop slam! Feeling proud of himself, Mero hikes his shorts up high on his midsection and starts posing, drawing more jeers from the crowd, before he goes back to Sable, drags her up… and sends her hard to the corner with an Irish whip!

Sable hits the turnbuckle hard and slumps to the canvas, and again Mero looks to the crowd, before he helps Sable back up… and Sable rocks him with a forearm! And another! And a third! Sable now looks to build momentum, she comes off the ropes… running crossbody! And that gives Sable a chance to head to her corner… and tag in Val! Venis bursts into the ring, he runs through Mero with a clothesline, then sends shoves Mero to the corner to land knees to the body, before he goes for the Irish whip across and follows in… but Mero gets a boot up… then he takes Val down with a bulldog! Mero looks to keep Val grounded, he lays in with more stomps to the body, before he heads to the apron… and comes back into the ring with a slingshot legdrop! That got Mero a two count, and now he looks to do further damage as he drags Val to the corner… plants him with a slam. Mero now climbs to the top rope… looking for MARVELOCITY… NO! Val dives for the ropes… Mero crotches himself on the top turnbuckle!

A painful landing for Mero, and now Val is climbing to the second rope, he hooks Mero up… SUPERPLEX! A hell of a landing for both men, they stay down on the canvas… until eventually, Val is able to drape an arm across Mero’s chest… 1… 2… Mero rolls a shoulder! Mero barely stays alive, but now Val goes on the attack, hard right hands are followed by more knees to the body against the ropes, then Val doubles Mero over, hooks him up… SPIN-OUT POWERBOMB! Another cover… 1… 2… Ivory breaks the pin! But that draws Sable into the ring… she tackles Ivory to the mat! Sable grabs handfuls of hair and starts slamming Ivory’s head off the canvas, a catfight has broken out and the crowd are loving it! Ivory tries to cower and roll from the ring, but Sable stays on top of her, hitting more right hands as the pair roll from the ring to the floor. As the pair brawl on the outside, Val looks to go back on the attack with Mero, smacking him with right hands, then he looks to hook Mero up for a fisherman’s suplex… but Mero blocks it, drops to a knee… LOW BLOW!

The referee was busy trying to break up Sable and Ivory on the floor, he didn’t see Mero nail the Golota that’s caused Val to crumple to the mat. On the outside, Ivory grabs Sable by the hair and launches her under the bottom rope back into the ring, where Mero is waiting… he grabs Sable by the hair! And now Ivory is back in the ring, Mero shoves Sable into Ivory’s grasp… and now Sable is helpless as Ivory holds her in place… Mero lines Sable up… LOOKING FOR A KNOCKOUT PUNCH… NO! Sable breaks free… MERO SMACKS IVORY!! Mero nearly takes Ivory’s head off by mistake! Mero can’t believe it, Ivory is down and out… and that gives Sable a chance to recover, she waits for Mero to turn… boot to the midsection… she hooks Mero up… SABLEBOMB! A SABLEBOMB TO MERO!! And now Sable drops down into the cover… 1… 2… 3!

Winners: Val Venis and Sable @ 09:17

Sable has done it, she’s pinned Marc Mero! The Madison Square Garden fans respond with a tremendous cheer as Sable finally gets a measure of revenge over Mero! Almost overcome with emotion, Sable pushes herself onto her knees and pumps her fists in the air, a lot of pent-up frustration coming out in the moment here. Val is back in the ring to offer Sable a hand, helping her back to her feet while keeping his other hand cupping his, er… nether regions. But the pair soon have their hands raised by the referee, again the MSG faithful giving them a warm response for their efforts here…

Jim Ross: I can’t believe it! Sable, she pinned Mero! She hit ‘im wit’ tha’ Sablebomb!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: How did she do that!? I mean… no! Marc! You got pinned by a girl!

Jim Ross: An’ look at Mero, he can’t believe it! He’s been humiliated here!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Wait a minute! Was Sable the legal man there? Or legal woman!?

Jim Ross: Aw’ ta’ hell wit’ that, ‘King’! Sable just pinned Marc Mero! That’s all that matters here!

Indeed, Mero has managed to sit up but it seems like he’s only now realised that he’s on the losing end here. Mero has a confused look on his face as he turns to the referee, then he looks at Sable, who gives Mero a very sarcastic wave and then blows him a kiss as she and Val head to the ropes…

Jim Ross: Mero can’t believe it! Sable took ‘im up an’ she planted ‘im in tha’ centre of tha’ ring! Aw’ what a moment for Sable!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: What a moment for Sable!? What a moment for Mero! I can’t believe this! How is he ever gonna live this down!?

Well that’s a question for another night, as we take one final look at the broken Mero, still sat on the canvas, head in his hands, looking like he’d rather be anywhere else in the world right now than in Madison Square Garden. We then cut to Sable and Val who stop at the entrance way, big smiles on their faces, before they turn and head backstage while we go elsewhere.

Back to the interview set, where Michael Cole is standing by once again, this time with Owen Hart…

Michael Cole: Owen Hart, tonight you face ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin in the main event of SummerSlam for the WWF Championship. Now initially when you earned this opportunity back at Fully Loaded, you weren’t too happy about it. But these last few weeks, we’ve seen ‘Stone Cold’ convince you that you belong in the main event with him and that tonight promises to be a great matchup. How are you feeling now that we’ve made it to SummerSlam and your main event is less than an hour away?

A broad smile crosses Owen’s face as he ponders his response…

Owen Hart: Well Michael, you’re exactly right. I’ve had a pretty rough start to 1998, but things are starting to look up for me. When I took some time off and came back to the WWF, I came back determined to put on the best possible matches for the greatest fans in the world, the fans of the World Wrestling Federation.

Pretty nauseating, but the crowd will take it…

Owen Hart: I wasn’t interested in title shots or chasing championships, all I wanted was to compete with the very best the WWF had to offer and to put on a show for the fans. But I got put in that match back at Fully Loaded with The Rock and The Undertaker, two incredible competitors I might add, and somehow, someway… I managed to beat ‘em both.

Owen smiles again, which causes Cole to smile and nod in agreement…

Owen Hart: And I didn’t really want to be in the WWF Title Match at first, but ‘Stone Cold’ convinced me that I belonged in the ring with him in this match, and that between us, we could have an incredible match worthy of being in the main event here at SummerSlam. And that’s all I’m really looking for here tonight, for me and ‘Stone Cold’ to have an unbelievable match, to send these fans home happy, and for the best man to win and leave Madison Square Garden as the WWF Champion.

Again, the crowd are on board with that, Owen gets a respectful pop from inside the arena…

Owen Hart: Now I know in the last month or so there’s been a lot of talk surrounding ‘Stone Cold’ and Vince McMahon. I saw first hand what happened with Austin and Southern Justice, and obviously Mr. McMahon is here tonight. But I hope that everybody out there respects the prestige of the WWF Championship and just lets me and ‘Stone Cold’ go at it. If nothing else tonight, I’m hoping for a match free of controversy, where me and Austin can go at it and there’ll be no doubts about who deserves to leave as the WWF Champion.

I mean, yeah. That’s what we all want, right? And Cole wants it to, he just nods along again…

Owen Hart: So to everybody in the arena, everybody watching at home, I hope your ready for what’s gonna be a great main event. To all the rest of the WWF compettitors, I hope you can respect me, respect ‘Stone Cold’, and respect the WWF Championship and stay out of things. And to Steve Austin… I can’t wait for our match. May the best man win! Thanks, Michael.

And Owen brings things to an end with a handshake for Cole, before he walks away from the scene, leaving Cole to watch him go before we go back to the arena.

Where in the ring… there’s a drum kit set up? And then walking down the aisle, comes a band carrying guitars… it’s The D-X Band! Chris Warren and his crew are heading for the ring, looking like they’re going to sing an entrance song here…

Jim Ross: Well I hope Owen Hart gets what he’s lookin’ for later t’night. But right now, here comes Chris Warren an’ Tha’ D-X Band, they’re gonna sing a little number for us here, ‘King’.

Jerry ‘The King Lawler: I hope it goes better than that America The Beautiful performance at WrestleMania!

So the D-X band start to play, and of course they’re playing…

”ARE YOU READY?”

*BREAK IT DOWN*​

We give them plenty of time to get into the song until Shawn Michaels finally emerges, looking very serious and focused ahead of the upcoming battle. As Michaels enters the ring he shares a high five with Warren before crouching down for his signature pose, setting off more green pyro behind the band. Michaels heads to the corners of the ring to salute the crowd, while the band keep singing… and singing… until they finally finish. The crowd gives them a little cheer, not very loud at all, and now we’ve got to clear the drum kit and guitars from the ring as we hear…

*THE ULTIMATE*​

It’s not that long an aisle, and Ken Shamrock doesn’t seem to want to wait any longer as he marches towards the ring, looking like a man with a purpose here…

Jim Ross: Our thanks ta’ Chris Warren an’ Tha’ D-X Band there. But ‘King’, this one is gonna be a slobberknocker! What a rivalry this has been, especially since back at Over Tha’ Edge when Shamrock broke Michaels’ ankle in tha’ Lion’s Den Match.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: It’s felt like for the past few months, Shamrock has been obsessed with-

Jim Ross: Good Gawd almighty!

Ross has interrupted Lawler as Michaels has decided to help the clear up in the ring… BY LAUNCHING THE BASS DRUM FROM THE RING ONTO SHAMROCK!!

Shamrock didn’t see it coming until it was right upon him, Michaels now slides outside and takes the fight to Shamrock, this Street Fight has gotten off to a chaotic start!

Match Seven: Street Fight
Ken Shamrock vs. Shawn Michaels

And Michaels immediately starts throwing right hands to Shamrock’s face, a preview of how much of a brawl this is going to be. Shamrock is able to crawl to the barricade, catching Michaels with a knee to the body as he moves in, before Shamrock grabs a handful of hair… tries to smash Michaels’ face off the ringsteps… no! Michaels blocks it… Shamrock eats the steel! Michaels now starts to attack with chops to the chest, before he rears back… and sends Shamrock into the ringpost with an Irish whip! Shamrock hits the ground hard, which gives Michaels a chance to go rummaging under the ring. He brings out a metal trash can and lid, launching the can into the ring before he walks back towards Shamrock with the lid… but Shamrock catches Michaels with a knee to the midsection, then takes Michaels up… drops him across the barricade! Shamrock now reaches down and grabs the trash can lid… CRUSHES IT ON MICHAELS’ HEAD! Shamrock now decides to take the fight into the ring, he rolls Michaels in and follows, laying in with kicks to the chest before he comes off the ropes… but Michaels counters with a drop-toe-hold… that SENDS SHAMROCK INTO THE TRASH CAN!

Michaels now heads outside, climbing to the top rope… nails a double axe handle! Michaels then heads to the corner… and he starts tuning up the band… SWEET CHIN MUSIC… NO! Shamrock catches the foot… dragon screw! It was nearly three months ago at Over The Edge inside the Lion’s Den that Shamrock broke Michaels’ ankle, and he’s targeting it again here at SummerSlam, laying in with stomps and dropping knees that causes Michaels to grimace in pain. Shamrock continues to focus his attack, he drives his knee into Michaels’ ankle, before he sends Michaels off the ropes… into a leg lariat. Shamrock shoves Michaels into the corner, aiming stiff rights to the face, before Shamrock goes for a hard Irish whip across… Michaels goes upside down into the corner! And when he stumbles back out… Shamrock runs through Michaels with a clothesline! The pace of the match slows right down as Shamrock methodically attacks the ankle, twisting and wrenching on it, before Shamrock heads outside… and grabs a steel chair! Back in the ring, Michaels crawls back to his knees, but Shamrock is ready… STEEL CHAIR SHOT TO MICHAELS’ SKULL!! A sickening shot to Michaels’ face, Shamrock could easily go for a cover and get the win here, but he decides against it, a sick smile on his face as he looks for ways to further punish ‘HBK’.

Shamrock grabs a handful of hair to drag Michaels up, he lays in with forearms to the head, then a knee to the midsection, before he takes Michaels down with a gutwrench suplex. Shamrock then goes for a spinning toe-hold, again applying pressure to the ankle… but Michaels reaches up for an inside cradle! 1… 2… Shamrock kicks out, both men get back to their feet, and Michaels beats Shamrock to the punch, teeing off with right hands… but he swings and misses a right… and Shamrock sends him flying with a release German suplex! Shamrock then lands a few stomps to the head to keep Shamrock down, before… SHAMROCK LEVELS THE REFEREE! What the…!? For some reason, Shamrock just laid out our referee, but it quickly becomes clear why… SHAMROCK TAKES THE REFEREE’S BELT FROM AROUND HIS WAIST! Shamrock has the leather belt in his hand now, he looks down on Michaels… and SHAMROCK STARTS TO WHIP MICHAELS WITH THE BELT!! Time after time, the belt stings Michaels’ back, until Shamrock starts to wrap the belt around his fist… SHAMROCK STRIKES MICHAELS WITH THE BELT BUCKLE! Shamrock drills Michaels’ forehead with the belt buckle, and we pretty quickly see that SHAWN MICHAELS HAS BEEN BUSTED OPEN!!

Michaels is in bad shape now, blood pouring down his face, Shamrock aiming more fists to the forehead to open up that cut. Shamrock then drags Michaels to his feet and shoots him to the corner… Shamrock follows in… but Michaels dives to safety… and Shamrock goes shoulder first into the ringpost! A painful impact for Shamrock, a chance for Michaels to attack, he lays in with right hands and kicks to the midsection, before going for an Irish whip… Shamrock reverses… Michaels avoids a clothesline with a baseball slide… but he can’t avoid the hurricanrana! Once again, Shamrock lays in with fists to the forehead, before he crawls and grabs Michaels leg… to slap on a kneebar! Once again, Michaels groans in pain as Shamrock wrenches on his ankle, the referee now back to his feet but there’s nothing he can do as Shamrock cranks up the pressure. Michaels is stuck in the hold for a long time, Ross and Lawler question what kind of damage could be taking place here, but eventually Michaels grits through the pain and tries to find an escape, he scratches and claws, reaching out… he grabs the steel chair from earlier… and SMACKS SHAMROCK WITH THE CHAIR!

Michaels is free but limping badly, but he’s able to go on the attack, drilling Shamrock with rights before he plants Shamrock with a scoop slam. Michaels then heads outside again, climbing to the top rope… but before he can fly… Shamrock shoves the referee into the ropes… causing Michaels to crotch himself on the top turnbuckle! Shamrock picks himself up and starts to climb… he hooks Michaels up… TOP ROPE OVERHEAD BELLY-TO-BELLY! A brutal landing for Michaels, and now, for the first time in the contest, Shamrock decides to go for a cover… 1… 2… Michaels rolls a shoulder! The kickout frustrates Shamrock, he grabs the steel chair… DRIVES THE CHAIR INTO MICHAELS’ ANKLE!! Shamrock drives the chair not once, not twice… but three times into the damaged ankle, Michaels crying out in agony each time. Shamrock has that crazed look in his eyes, he’s determined to break Michaels’ ankle again, and he looks like he could do it as he takes the chair… and PLACES MICHAELS’ ANKLE INSIDE IT! Shamrock then pushes himself up onto the second rope… he readies himself… to CRUSH MICHAELS’ ANKLE BETWEEN THE CHAIR… NO! As Shamrock flies… Michaels rolls to safety… and Shamrock crashes to the mat!

Michaels managed to roll away with his ankle still inside the chair, but he’s able to free himself and get back to his feet… he tosses the chair to Shamrock!? Shamrock catches it… but Michaels strikes… SWEET CHIN MUSIC WITH THE CHAIR!! Michaels kicks the chair back into Shamrock’s face, but both men are down, the toll of the match meaning Michaels is unable to take advantage. The combatants stay flat on the canvas for a while, the crowd roaring for Michaels to rally… both men make it back to their feet… and we see SHAMROCK HAS BEEN BUSTED OPEN! Both men now have blood streaming down their faces, and a slugfest breaks out, they trade tired right hands until Michaels is able to rattle off three in a row, before he goes for an Irish whip… Shamrock reverses… Michaels ducks a clothesline and keeps on running… flying forearm… and the kip up! The crowd are going wild as Michaels smacks more right hands, then another Irish whip… into a back body drop! Michaels reaches down, grabs the chair… waits for Shamrock to rise… VICIOUS CHAIR SHOT TO SHAMROCK’S SKULL! The impact of that chair shot causes Shamrock to tumble through the ropes to the floor, giving Michaels a chance to recover in the ring. Shamrock shows incredible resilience to pull himself back up, but Michaels is ready… he flies with a plancha! Michaels crashes down on Shamrock and starts laying in with right hands, right infront of the announce desks.

Michaels now heads to the timekeeper’s desk, he grabs the ringbell… and SMACKS SHAMROCK WITH THE BELL!! That causes Shamrock to tumble onto the Spanish announce desk, with Michaels mounting Shamrock to lay in with more right hands. With Shamrock a bloody mess on the desk, Michaels starts tossing monitors aside, causing Hugo Savinovich and Carlos Cabrera to head for safer ground. Michaels then drags himself onto the apron and starts to climb to the top rope… the New York crowd is absolutely electric in anticipation as Michaels steadies himself… and flies… FLYING ELBOW DROP THROUGH THE SPANISH ANNOUNCE DESK!!! Unbelievable! Michaels put his own body on the line to do damage to Shamrock, both men down as bodies and strewn amongst the wreckage of the desk. Both men are down for what feels like an eternity, until finally, Michaels is able to drag himself from the carnage he’s left behind. He goes back in to grab Shamrock, dragging him from the debris and very slowly muscling Shamrock back under the ropes. Both men are exhausted now, Michaels has to use the ropes to drag himself up, before once again… he starts to tune up the band! Madison Square Garden is ready to come unglued as Michaels stomps that foot, waiting for Shamrock to rise… Shamrock’s eyes are glazed over as he drags his bloody body to a vertical base… he slowly turns… and Michaels makes his move… SWEET CHIN MUSIC… NO! Shamrock grabs Michaels’ foot… ANKLE LOCK!! SHAMROCK GETS MICHAELS IN THE ANKLE LOCK!!!

Shamrock slaps on his deadly submission move, he roars and cranks up the pressure, looking to make Michaels either submit or pass out in pain! Michaels tears at his hair and bites his hand, doing anything he can to block out the pain long enough to find a way to escape, but he’s stuck in the Ankle Lock in the middle of the ring. The referee moves in close, waiting for Michaels to submit, but Michaels continues to try and fight through the pain… he reaches for the ropes, but it wouldn’t make any difference if he could get there… Michaels pushes himself up from the mat… he rolls through… and sends Shamrock tumbling into the ropes! Michaels manages to break the hold, but he’s in all kinds of trouble as Shamrock moves back… SWEET CHIN MUSIC!! MICHAELS CATCHES SHAMROCK WITH SWEET CHIN MUSIC!!! Michaels strikes out of nowhere, both men are down… but Michaels is able to crawl towards Shamrock… and drape an arm across his chest… 1… 2… 3!

Winner: Shawn Michaels @ 22:57

Unbelievable. What a war these two just delivered, and it’s Michaels who comes out on top to deliver another win for D-Generation X. As you’d expect, there’s little if any movement from either man, both exhausted from the effort they put in. Eventually, Michels is able to roll from the pinfall, but he stays laying on the canvas, unable to make it back to a vertical base after surviving so much punishment from Shamrock to emerge victorious…

Jim Ross: Bah Gawd what a match! Nobody does it better than Shawn Michaels!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: I can’t believe it! I thought for sure Shamrock was gonna snap Michaels’ ankle all over again! How did he survive that?

Jim Ross: I’ve got no idea, but Michaels did survive an’ he got tha’ win in one helluva match!

So still neither man has moved, but pretty soon we’ve got Triple H, The New Age Outlaws, X-Pac and Chyna heading down to the ring to help Michaels back to his feet. Michaels has to held upright by his D-X colleagues, his legs nearly collapsing on him a few times, but they manage to keep him standing long enough for Michaels to raise a fist into the air in celebration. As the MSG crowd give Michaels a tremendous pop for the victory, we cut to the announce desk…

Jim Ross: Folks, I’ve been in this business a long time, I’ve seen a lotta great matches, but I’ve never seen anythin’ like that. Shawn Michaels an’ Ken Shamrock, they pushed themselves ta’ tha’ limit here t’night! Neither man is gonna be tha’ same after that one!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: And what about D-X? I mean, X-Pac won the European Title, they won the Six Man Tag Match earlier, now Michaels has beat Shamrock in a Street Fight! Mr. McMahon is gonna be furious about this!

Jim Ross: Well we’ll worry about Vince McMahon later on, but this night belongs ta’ D-X an’ Shawn Michaels so far!

Just as Ross says that, the shot cuts to the entrance way where the six members of D-X stand, Michaels with an arm around Helmsley for support, while the others fire out some crotch chops to the delight of the fans. We linger on that scene for a little bit longer, until we fade away to a video.

*VIDEO PACKAGE*

The darkness of the screen is broken by appearance of a ramshackle building, wooden and metal structures exposed behind broken walls. ’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin slowly starts to stride across the frame, before he stops and leans against a girder…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: I know what y’er thinkin’…

Cut to The Undertaker, standing in the stairwell of an abandoned building, the setting sun casting a shadow on him…

The Undertaker: I’m not a real athlete.

A brief shot of Ken Shamrock starring up to the heavens, before we see flashes of footage of Shamrock delivering a powerslam, Shawn Michaels cries out in pain before Undertaker lands a chokeslam…

Ken Shamrock: I’m just a wrestler.

The camera now pans up Undertaker as he speaks…

The Undertaker: I’m six foot ten, three hundred and twenty eight pounds.

A shot of ’Marvellous’ Marc Mero, his back to the camera as he walks away from the shot…

’Marvellous’ Marc Mero: I won boxing’s golden gloves three years in a row.

The Rock leans against the metal frame of the building…

The Rock: I was a national champion at The University of Miami.

Close up shots of Faarooq...

Faarooq: My jersey was retired at Florida State.

Back to Shamrock, bouncing on the spot and shadow boxing…

Ken Shamrock: I was the Ultimate Fighting Champion.

The Undertaker stares menacingly into the camera…

The Undertaker: When you step through those ropes, bad things do happen.

The iconic image from WrestleMania 13 of Austin trapped in the sharpshooter, blood streaming down his face…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: I’ve had over two hundred stiches…

Shawn Michaels: I’ve suffered a dozen concussions…

Michaels flies through the air to deliver an elbow drop…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: I’ve broken bones…

Shawn Michaels: I’ve separated shoulders…

The tragic sight of Austin taking the Sit-out Tombstone from Owen Hart at SummerSlam 1997…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: I broke ma’ neck…

Shawn Michaels: I’ve blown out knees…

Again from SummerSlam ’97, referees helping Austin to his feet despite suffering a career threatening broken neck…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: But I still got up!

We then get close ups of the competitors as they deliver their lines…

The Undertaker: This is who I am.

’Marvellous’ Marc Mero: This is what I do.

Ken Shamrock: I’m not really an athelete?

Shawn Michaels: This isn’t real?

And one final shot of Austin as we hear…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: Try lacin’ ma’ boots!

The video quickly cuts to the WWF Attitude logo, we linger there for a few seconds before the screen slowly fades to black.

*END VIDEO PACKAGE*​

​

And remember folks, we encourage you not to try this at home. Especially not after that Street Fight. Anyway, out of the video we’re backstage to see Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco and Sgt. Slaughter walking along a corridor. The veteran trio, well known as associates of Vince McMahon, draw some heat from inside the arena for their appearance. As they head along the corridor, they turn a corner and then exit through a door… into the parking lot! We saw a lot of the parking lot area during Heat earlier today, and now the three veterans are back there, although Patterson doesn’t look very happy to be there…

Pat Patterson: Ok Gerry, yous are gonna talk to him!

Gerald Brisco: What? I’m not talkin’ to nobody! Besides, Mr. Mack-man said ‘Sarge’ was to do it.

Sgt. Slaughter: No way! Pat, you’re tellin’ him! And that’s an order!

The three start to argue and generally rabble at each other, until Patterson decides he’s heard enough…

Pat Patterson: Ok, ok! Jeez! You twos are like a bunch of babies! I’ll do it!

Patterson steps away from Brisco and Slaughter, but it’s clear he’s not comfortable with whatever he’s been asked to do here. Patterson takes a deep breath, winces and then reaches forward… and the camera pans… to show us he’s standing next to the driver’s window of the hearse we saw earlier! Patterson gently knocks on the window, which slowly slides down, but annoyingly we don’t see the identity of the driver Patterson is talking to…

Pat Patterson: Are yous ready? It’s gonna happens soon.

And that’s all we get, as there’s no immediate response to Patterson’s question, and the shot cuts away. What a tease!

But we’re back in the arena to hear…

”DO YOU SMELL WHAT THE ROCK IS COOKIN’?”

*DO YOU SMELL?*​

A really loud reaction to The Rock making his entrance, looking as confident and arrogant as ever. Rock jaws with some of the ringside fans as he heads down the aisle, threatening a couple of them with the back of his hand, before he climbs the steps and ascends to the second rope in the corner, raising his hand high in the air to more heat…

Jim Ross: What tha’ hell was that? Who are the stooges talkin’ to back there?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: I don’t know. Y’think it’s somethin’ to do with The Undertaker? Or Austin?

Jim Ross: I don’t like that, not one bit. But right now, Tha’ Rock set for a showdown wit’ Tha’ Undertaker, and Rock mighta said he wasn’t afraid of Undertaker earlier on Heat, but he looked like he’d seen a ghost when that hearse showed up.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yeah but it’s like Rock keeps sayin’, he’s not afraid of the mind games. He’s gonna do his talkin’ in the ring right here when he puts Undertaker away!

Rock paces the ring, ready to get things going… and then the lights go out in the arena! And…

*DARKSIDE*​

Madison Square Garden is on its feet for the arrival of The Undertaker, who wastes little time in heading down the aisle. ‘The Deadman’ strides up the ring steps, raising his hands in the air to bring light back into the arena, before he steps through the ropes and stares across the ring at Rock…

Jim Ross: What a month it’s been for Tha’ Undertaker. He helped his brother Kane escape the grasp of Vince McMahon, he took Vince outta action, but McMahon has returned here at SummerSlam. Undertaker said Kane was here t’night, but is he gonna make his presence felt in this matchup? Or is McMahon gonna be involved here somehow?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: I don’t know what’s gonna happen, but I do know that Kane has been runnin’ wild these last few weeks. Somebody needs to get that maniac under control, especially before he sticks his nose where it don’t belong!

Match Eight:
The Rock vs. The Undertaker

There’s a hush of anticipation from the crowd for this one, still coming down from the chaos of the last match, but knowing that this is two of the very best in the business about to go at it here. Rock sneers out at the fans, before he does likewise to Undertaker, throwing trash talk at his opponent. No response from ‘The Deadman’, he simply stands in the corner and stares, which of course prompts Rock to talk more trash in an effort to throw ‘Taker’ off his game… until suddenly, Undertaker slaps both hands across Rock’s throat… and hurls him into the corner! Undertaker starts unloading with wild rights and lefts to the body, before he rears back… big uppercut sends Rock up and down to the canvas! Undertaker is very methodical in his approach, he yanks Rock up to land a trio of elbows to the side of the head, then he shoots Rock across… and follows in with a corner clothesline! Realising he’s in trouble, Rock hits the canvas and then rolls to the floor, but Undertaker quickly follows outside as Rock is shaking off the cobwebs… ‘Taker’ smacks him with a right hand!

Rock is reeling here, Undertaker rolls him back onto the apron in the perfect position… to drive an elbow into the throat! Undertaker then nips up onto the apron… hits the legdrop! Rock rolls from the apron, seeking safety in the ring, but Undertaker is back in to stay in control, he aims stomps to the body before he comes off the ropes… jumping legdrop… but Rock rolls… and ‘Taker’ crashes to the canvas! A painful landing for ‘The Deadman’ which gives Rock the chance to attack, he lays in with right hands to drive Undertaker to the corner, before stomps start to land and Rock goes for the Irish whip across… Rock follows in… but Undertaker sidesteps and Rock smacks into the turnbuckle! Rock stumbles from the corner… right into a big boot to the face! That got ‘Taker’ the first near fall of the match, and he looks to continue to punish Rock with a clothesline that sends Rock over the top rope to the floor. ‘Taker’ follows outside, smacking Rock with rights against the barricade, but when he looks for an Irish whip, Rock reverses… and Undertaker crashes knee-first into the steel steps!

We go back into the ring, Rock fully in control now, he lays in with stomps to Undertaker’s knee, then some to the body, before he scores another near fall with a Samoan drop. Rock continues to pour on the offence, he continues to lay in with those stomps, then delivers right hands in the corner, before he gets another two count from a spinebuster. Feeling confident, Rock starts to talk more trash at ‘Taker’ and uses his boot to choke ‘The Deadman’ against the bottom turnbuckle, before he drags Undertaker up and goes for an Irish whip… Undertaker reverses… but he lowers his head… swinging neckbreaker! Rock could have it won here… 1… 2… Undertaker kicks out! Frustrated, Rock goes straight into a grounded chinlock, looking to wear Undertaker down. But the MSG crowd start to make some noise, Undertaker is able to struggle back to a vertical base… he tries to break the hold with elbows to the body, then uppercuts… but he swings and misses a right hand… ROCK BOTTOM… NO! Undertaker desperately fights free, throwing elbows to the back of the head that causes Rock to stumble away… Undertaker charges… but Rock floats over… DDT! Rock crawls to the cover… 1… 2… Undertaker kicks out again!

Rock is starting to become annoyed, jawing at the referee, before he goes back to work with the stomps and drags Undertaker to his feet. Rock again drives Undertaker to the corner with right hands, then goes for the Irish whip… Undertaker reverses… follows in with a clothesline! A chance for Undertaker to rally, he throws rights and lefts, then looks to send Rock off the ropes… this time Rock reverses… and catches Undertaker with a stun gun! Rock has Undertaker down, he goes for the cover again… 1… 2… ‘Taker’ rolls a shoulder! Rock is starting to lose patience with the referee, he again shouts at him, which means by the time he goes back to Undertaker, ‘The Deadman’ has recovered… and starts throwing right hands! Undertaker goes on the attack, he sends Rock off the ropes… Rock reverses… but can’t avoid the jumping clothesline! Now Undertaker looks to build momentum, shots to the face, then the body, before he scoops Rock up… drops him face first on the top turnbuckle! Undertaker comes off the ropes… big running boot! 1… 2… Rock gets the shoulder up!

It was nearly over, but Undertaker presses on, hard shots against the ropes, before he goes for the Irish whip… Rock reverses, but lowers his head… DDT! Again Undertaker goes for a cover… 1… 2… Rock barely rolls a shoulder! Rock is in trouble, and Undertaker looks to finish him off… he draws a thumb across his throat, before he scoops Rock up… TOMBSTONE… NO! Rock kicks and drops down behind… ROCK BOTTOM… NO! Undertaker drills elbows to the back of the head again, then he shoves Rock into the corner and follows in… corner clothesline! Rock staggers forward… hand around the throat… CHOKESLAM!! Undertaker gets all of it, he plants Rock with the Chokeslam… but before he can go for the cover, over the PA system we hear…

???: Hey! Hey Undertaker!

Jeers quickly start to rain down as emerging from the entrance way, microphone in hand… is Vince McMahon! Flanked by Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco and Sgt. Slaughter, McMahon looks very smug as we tries to speak over the heat that welcomed him into the arena…

Vince McMahon: I’ve come here tonight because I’ve got something I want to admit to you, Undertaker. I want to admit to you… that one month ago when you abducted me and took me away in that hearse… I became a changed man that night.

Undertaker looks confused, like we’re really doing this in the middle of a match like this…

Vince McMahon: You violated me that night, Undertaker! And I’ll never forget that, as long as I live! But there’s something else I remember about that journey I took in that hearse with you. That was the night I vowed… I’d never let anybody screw with Vince McMahon ever again!

The crowd continue to jeer, while Undertaker breathes heavily as he stands by the ropes, looking down at the entrance way…

Vince McMahon: You should have finished me off when you had the chance! But you didn’t. You showed mercy. You showed weakness! And that’s something I’m never gonna show again! And I warned you on that night Undertaker that if you didn’t humble yourself before me… I was gonna have your brother Kane committed to a mental institution!

Wait a minute…

Vince McMahon: I guaranteed that, and I make good on my guarantees! So since you chose not to humble yourself before me… I’m gonna make good on my guarantee tonight!

”What’s he mean by that!?” asks Ross…

Vince McMahon: And earlier on I heard you say you hadn’t seen your brother Kane tonight… but you’d felt his presence? Well guess what? I found him! And uh, let’s just say… he’s got himself a one-way ticket to the nuthouse tonight!

The crowd gasp, and Undertaker is furious! He goes to step through the ropes to get to McMahon, but Vince quickly calls out to him…

Vince McMahon: Whoa, wait a second! Just before you do anything stupid… I think you oughta turn around.

And out of instinct, Undertaker turns… into a ROCK BOTTOM!! Rocky used the distraction to recover, he’s just planted The Undertaker! And now Rock hooks the leg tight… 1… 2… 3! Rock steals it!

Winner: The Rock @ 13:42

Vince McMahon has just handed the match to The Rock! Rock used the time gained from the McMahon distraction to recover from that Chokeslam, and he caught Undertaker from behind to get the win! McMahon has a smirk on his face as he watches it all unfold, but he’s not wasting any time here, he motions to his cronies for them to all head backstage and leave the scene of their crime. In the ring, Rock is quickly back on his feet, sneering down at ‘Taker’ and talking trash at his fallen opponent…

Jim Ross: What the…? What just happened here!? Vince McMahon, he… he’s done somethin’ ta’ Kane! McMahon has somehow got ta’ Kane!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: But where is he? I haven’t seen Kane all night!

We quickly cut backstage and we get out answer… as KANE IS BEING ASSAULTED!!

Kane is being hammered by a posse of McMahon associates, with The Big Boss Man, Steve Blackman and Bart Gunn all there, as are Southern Justice, with Mark Canterbury and Dennis Knight joining the assault, the five of them hammering Kane in the backstage area! Tennessee Lee is there too, barking out orders and giving direction as they beat Kane and drive him towards a door, despite Kane’s best efforts to fight back, he just can’t compete with these numbers…

Jim Ross: Bah Gawd, it’s a muggin’! Kane is being decimated back there!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: And The Undertaker is down and out in the centre of the ring! There’s nobody there to help Kane!

Back in the ring, Rock continues to lean over Undertaker and talk smack down at him… but then out of nowhere, Undertaker sits up… and SLAPS A HAND ACROSS ROCK’S THROAT! Undertaker is back to life, he keeps hold of Rock’s throat as he gets back to his feet… CHOKESLAM!! A SECOND CHOKESLAM TO THE ROCK!!

And that’s left Rock planted in the middle of the ring, but now Undertaker realises he had to scramble from the ring and give chase to McMahon, he still stumbles to sell the effects of the Rock Bottom, but he’s able to stagger as quickly as he can from the ring and then up the aisle, but of course he’s not seen any of what’s going on backstage and has no idea where Kane is yet…

Jim Ross: Undertaker’s goin’ after McMahon! But where’s McMahon headed to? Where’s Kane!?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Forget that idiot Kane, that was a cheap shot on The Rock! Can somebody check if Rock’s alright?

We cut away from the ring, and now we’re in the parking lot! The group assembled by McMahon continue to hammer Kane, and now McMahon, Patterson, Brisco and Slaughter have joined them, McMahon yelling out orders with glee…

Vince McMahon: Get ‘im! Get ‘im! Get ‘im in there!

The ‘there’ McMahon refers to soon becomes apparent… IT’S THE HEARSE! Brisco scurries over and opens the rear door of the hearse, and Kane continues to get pummelled… until he’s BUNDLED INTO THE BACK OF THE HEARSE!

Kane is now trapped in the hearse, the door slammed shut behind him, and despite frantically kicking away at the door and it’s window, Kane can’t escape! Satisfied with what he’s seen, McMahon quickly turns to his gang and yells…

Vince McMahon: He’s gonna be here soon! Get outta here! All of you! Get outta here!

Boss Man, Bart, Blackman and the Southern Justice trio all scarper and disappear from the scene, while McMahon composes himself and heads to the driver’s window of the hearse, rapping his knuckles across the glass…

Vince McMahon: Alright, get outta here! You know what to do! Go!

The hearse window slides down, and in the driver’s seat…

IT’S PAUL BEARER!!

We haven’t seen Paul Bearer since druids took away after Undertaker and Kane’s Hell in a Cell Match back at King of the Ring, but he’s here at SummerSlam tonight… and he’s in the driver’s seat of the hearse with Kane trapped in the back!

Paul Bearer: Oh I know exactly what ta’ do! Hahaha!

Bearer lets out an evil shriek of a laugh before he slams the hearse into drive and races off, tires screeching as he disappears from the Madison Square Garden parking lot!

Jim Ross: Gawd, I… I can’t believe it! Paul Bearer! We haven’t seen Bearer in months! What tha’ hell is goin’ on here!?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: I don’t get this. Are Bearer and McMahon in cahoots here!?

Confusion all around, nobody knows what the hell is going on here… but there’s no time to dwell on things… as THE UNDERTAKER HAS MADE IT TO THE PARKING LOT! He’s a few second too late, but ‘Taker’ has found McMahon… but McMahon doesn’t want anything to do with ‘The Deadman’!

Vince McMahon: Oh God! The limo! Go! Go!

McMahon, Patterson, Brisco and Slaughter all start to scramble as fast as they can away from the scene, towards a conveniently waiting limousine, the four of them clambering inside before the door is slammed shut and it too tears our of Madison Square Garden with a squeal of rubber on concrete. Undertaker is once again just a second or two too late to get his hands on McMahon, but he quickly gathers himself and spots a nearby car with the engine running. Undertaker heads towards it, rips open the driver’s door… grabs the unsuspecting driver from inside… and hurls the random guy across the floor! ‘Taker’ then takes a seat and closes the door behind him… and now we’ve got the third vehicle in short order to race from the MSG parking lot with a shriek of wheel spin, the camera watching Undertaker disappear and now finally the scene in the parking lot is empty…

Jim Ross: Undertaker, he’s gonna chase after ‘em! But is he goin’ after McMahon or Kane!?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: But does he know it’s Bearer driving the hearse!? Did Undertaker see Paul Bearer!?

We don’t know the answer to that one yet, but we’re soon back at the announce desk for a look at the shocked faces of Ross and Lawler…

Jim Ross: I can’t believe what we just witnessed! Vince McMahon, he rounded up some kinda lynch mob an’ he got ta’ Kane! McMahon has had Kane taken away by Paul Bearer! Kane is on his way ta’ a mental institute somewhere!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yeah but he told The Undertaker, he shoulda finished Vince off when he had the chance and he didn’t take it! Now Vince is gonna put The Undertaker in his place!

Jim Ross: And what about Shane McMahon? He warned his father earlier, no controversy tonight, stay outta things! He just couldn’t help himself, Vince had ta’ come back an’ get revenge on Tha’ Undertaker! That was heinous! Just despicable! And what is Paul Bearer back? Why is he involved in all o’ this!?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Well I don’t know, what are ya’ askin’ me for!?

Jim Ross: Well we gotta get some answer tomorrow night, live on Raw! But folks, we’ve still got one final match ta’ get to, tha’ main event for tha’ WWF Championship! ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin an’ Owen Hart are gonna go at it! I don’t know how anythin’ is gonna top what we just witnessed though. I mean… Paul Bearer an’ Vince McMahon workin’ t’gether!?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: I know I wouldn’t wanna get on the wrong side of those two, especially when they’re workin’ together!

We cut backstage, ominous music starts to play as we see Owen Hart making the long walk through the backstage area, heading for the ring…

Jim Ross: Well we’re gonna try put that behind us right now, as this promise ta’ be one helluva main event, folks. Owen Hart is tha’ challenger, he maybe didn’t wanna be in this position, but he earned it an’ now he’s got a chance ta’ become WWF Champion right here.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: I can’t believe this gut is in the main event of SummerSlam. He’s nothin’ but a loser! All that talk about wanting to please the fans and put on a good show, it makes me sick!

We continue to follow Owen along corridors, that broad smile etched on Owen’s face as he goes…

Jim Ross: It’s certainly been a refreshing change of attitude from Owen these last few months. All he wants is ta’ show up, wrestle tha’ best match he can then head home ta’ his family. Life would be a whole lot busier if he wins this one though.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: God, can you imagine Owen doing press appearances? Can you see Owen on Regis and Kathie Lee!? Gimme a break!

We stick with Owen a little longer, until he reaches the backstage gorilla position, stopping and letting out a big puff of air before…

*BLACK HART*​

We cut back into the arena to see Owen come through the entrance way and start to head down the aisle. Owen is once again full of smiles, shaking as many hands as he can with the fans at the aisle, continuing to do so as he heads around the ring to reach the steps. Owen climbs up and enters the ring, giving the crowd a wave hello before he heads to the corner to do some last minute stretches…

Jim Ross: We’ve seen a lotta brawls in our pay per view main events as of late, but if Owen Hart gets his way here, this’ll be much more of a classic wrestlin’ match. Owen wants ta’ take Austin an’ wrestle him on tha’ mat, just like he did all those days in tha’ dungeon as a child.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yeah but your forgetting one thing there ‘JR’, Austin ain’t no geriatric like Stu Hart. It ain’t gonna be easy for Owen to work his kinda match, unless Austin decides that’s what he wants as well.

We see Owen pacing the ring, still smiling but not as much as before, nerves perhaps starting to kick in. But then we cut backstage… and it’s the turn of ’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin to make the walk to the ring! The ominous music plays once again, Austin striding along a corridor, his black waistcoat over his torso, looking focused and determined ahead of the contest…

Jim Ross: There he is folks, tha’ WWF Champion, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin! An’ no doubt about it, ‘Tha’ Rattlesnake’ is here, determined ta’ leave Madison Square Garden still tha’ WWF Champion.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: And for once, I think I might actually prefer that. I’ll never like ‘Stone Cold’, but at least he’s not Owen Hart!

Austin continues his walk, leaving the corridor and entering a wide open space backstage, clearly taking a different route to the ring than Owen did. Austin has his eyes focused infront of him, but suddenly he stops… and turns to look… and see Shane McMahon! But Shane isn’t alone, he’s speaking with The Big Boss Man, Steve Blackman and Bart Gunn, although speaking is putting it lightly, as Shane is actually berating the three men in this rather public way…

Shane McMahon: What was that!? Huh!? What the hell where you guys doin’!?

The Big Boss Man: You’re Dad said-

Shane McMahon: I don’t give a damn what my Dad said! Alright? I’ll deal with him later! Just-

Having heard the commotion, Austin now heads towards this crowd, with Shane seeing him coming…

Shane McMahon: No, no! Steve! I got it! Alright? I’m handlin’ it, I’m tellin’ ya’!

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: You stupid bastards better not get any ideas ‘bout messin’ in ma’ match!

Annoyed at the way Austin spoke to them, Boss Man raises his nightstick…

The Big Boss Man: McMahon didn’t say nothin’ ‘bout y’er match, but you speak ta’ me like that again-

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: You raise that damn nightstick at me again I’ll stick it straight up y’er ass!

Tensions are getting high, but Shane steps between Austin and Boss Man, pushing both men away…

Shane McMahon: Alright, enough! Enough! Listen… you three! I see any of you three in that arena again tonight, the three of you are fired! You got it!? Fired!

Boss Man, Blackman and Bart protest, but Shane isn’t interested…

Shane McMahon: No, no! I don’t wanna hear it! Steve! Just… don’t worry about it! I got it! I’ll take care of it! I’m not gonna let anythin’ happen out there!

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: Y’think I’m gon’ trust you after what y’er ol’ man just did!?

Shane McMahon: I don’t need you to trust me, just believe me! Alright? My Dad’s long gone, the main event’s gonna go off without a hitch. I promise! Just go! Get to the ring! I’ll take care of things back here!

Austin isn’t happy about this, he stares Shane up and down before he shakes his head and then continues on his journey towards the ring. Shane breathes a huge sigh of relief, he’s managed to temper that situation right there, before we cut away.

To a shot of the entrance way, where we pause… and pause…

Then we hear…

*GLASS SHATTERS!*

*HELL FROZEN OVER*​

The glass literally shatters as we bring out that cool entrance where a pain of glass smashes right on cue with Austin’s music. ‘Stone Cold’ steps through the glass and enters Madison Square Garden to an incredible pop, easily the loudest of the night. There’s no shaking hands from Austin, he’s all business as he heads into the ring and crosses paths with Owen. Hart smiles at Austin, but the champion just has that trademark sneer on his face as he heads to the corner to salute the crowd…

Jim Ross: Bah Gawd, what an ovation! This buildin’ is shakin’ right now! There is nobody bigger in this business right now than ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin! But I don’t think Austin is all that happy wit’ what we saw happen ta’ Tha’ Undertaker.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: He looked a little rattled back there, didn’t he? He didn’t look like he had his mind focused on Owen Hart the way it oughta be.

Jim Ross: Austin lives an’ dies bah’ tha’ motto don’t trust anybody. That ain’t gonna chance now, especially not with McMahon back! What a showdown this is gonna be!

Main Event: WWF Championship Match
WWF Champion ’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart

As the bell rings, the buzz from the crowd is one of anticipation, they’re excited and intrigued to see what this main event has to offer. Neither man makes a move early, they stand across from each other until they slowly inch together… and Owen offers Austin a handshake! As he’s done many times recently, Owen looks to start the match with a show of respect… but Austin isn’t sure, he looks to the crowd, almost asking them if he should accept or not… slowly Austin steps forward… and he shakes Owen’s hand! After so many times of flipping Owen off these last six months or so, it’s a strange sight to see Austin shaking hands with the challenger, but the crowd applaud and now we’re ready for business. We start with a lockup, both men jockeying for position, until Owen backs Austin to the ropes… and he gives Austin an easy clean break. They tie up again, this time Austin twists the arm and wrenches on it… only for Owen to reverse, wrench Austin’s arm and drop down for a fireman’s carry takeover into a kneeling armbar. Austin fights back to his feet, the pair trade in and out of arm wringers, until Austin has enough of the technical stuff… and smacks Owen with a short-arm clothesline!

But when Austin comes off the ropes, Owen takes him down with a drop-toe-hold and floats over into a grounded headlock, frustrating the champion. Austin struggles back up, shoving Owen into the ropes… but Austin lowers his head… Owen takes him down with a gutwrench suplex! Again Austin looks annoyed as Owen looks to keep him down with a hammerlock, the champion having to once more struggle back to his feet… and this time Austin starts throwing elbows to the head, then right hands to the face, before he goes for the Irish whip… and this time he gets the back body drop! Owen is quickly back up, but Austin grabs a handful of hair and smashes Owen’s face into the top turnbuckle, before he starts stomping the mudhole… and walking it dry! Austin then drags Owen from the corner, puts him down with a snapmare before coming off the ropes… to drop the pointed elbow! That got Austin the first near fall of the match, which prompts Owen to roll to the outside to break the momentum. Austin follows out, he grabs Owen and shoves him against the barricade… so he can light Owen up with chops to the chest!

Owen tries to cover up and walk away, but Austin stays on him, smacking forearms to the back of the head before he rolls Hart back inside. Austin lands stomps to the body, then looks for an Irish whip… but Owen reverses… and he smacks Austin with a spinning wheel kick! Owen goes on the attack, he lands a snap legdrop before dropping a pair of elbows across the chest, then he gets a near fall with a running senton. Owen now hurls Austin against the ropes, striking with chops of his own, before he again wrings on the arm and lands a standing dropkick… that cause Austin to fall backwards… and get hung up in the ropes! Austin’s arms are trapped between the top and middle rope, a precarious spot to be in… and Owen thinks about going in for the kill… but he stops, hesitating… and then Owen starts to help the referee free Austin from the ropes! MSG being MSG, the crowd boo Owen’s act of good sportsmanship, Lawler can’t believe what’s he seeing from the announce desk, and once Austin is free… he grabs Owen… and hurls him over the top rope to the floor!

‘The Rattlesnake’ gets a cheer for his actions, and he quickly follows Owen outside to stay on the attack, coming off the apron with a double axe-handle to knock Hart down. Austin grabs Owen by the hair… smashes his face off the announce desk! A bit of walk-and-brawl up the aisle, then Austin takes the fight into the crowd, the champion landing shots that causes Owen to stumble up the easily accessible MSG stands. Austin stays right behind Hart, the pair trading shots amongst the fans, with the referee showing a lot of leniency to not count both men out. The fighting in the crowd last for a good while, until they both work back towards the barricade… and Owen clotheslines Austin back into the ringside area! Owen now climbs onto the guardrail and waits for Austin to rise… diving crossbody! Both men crash down onto the protective mats, the crowd behind Owen for that move, before he drags Austin up and takes things back into the ring. But Austin beats Owen to the punch, he strikes with right hands and boots then goes for an Irish whip… but Owen ducks underneath a clothesline… and takes Austin up and down with a side suplex! And instantly, Austin grabs at his neck, something that Owen and everyone else spots.

Jim Ross: I think Austin landed right on that surgically repaired neck o’ his!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yeah but Owen’s too much of a loser to take advantage of it!

Although maybe not, as Owen looks down at Austin holding his neck… and goes for a standing chinlock. Perhaps after his earlier sportsmanship wasn’t appreciated, Owen is willing to take advantage of opportunities when they arise now. He keeps Austin grounded, wrenching on the head, looking to wear the champion down… but eventually, Austin is able to struggle back to his feet, he throws elbow to the body to break free… but Owen clubs the back of Austin’s neck with forearms to stay in control. He shoves Austin into the corner and lays in a pair of uppercuts, before going for the Irish whip across… Austin reverses… but Owen jumps to the middle rope… springboard crossbody! 1… 2… Austin kicks out! Both men burst to their feet, Austin swings and misses a right hand… Owen hits a bridging German suplex! 1… 2… Austin kicks out again! Once more, both men are quickly back up, although Austin continues to favour his neck, allowing Owen to his another pair of uppercuts before he sends Austin off the ropes… kick to the midsection… DDT! Owen drives Austin’s head to the canvas, he hooks the leg again… 1… 2… Austin kicks out for the third time! Having been out-brawled earlier, Owen is now out-wrestling the champion, but he can’t put ‘The Rattlesnake’ away yet.

The first hint of frustration from the challenger as Owen screws up his face and shakes his head, but he continues to try and work Austin’s neck, this time going for a headlock on the mat. Owen twists and cranks up the pressure, the crowd get behind the champion and will him back to his feet… Austin eventually struggles back up, he drills elbows to the body to cause some separation then he shoves Owen into the ropes… Austin catches Owen in a sleeper! Austin has Owen in the sleeper… no! Owen twists through… sleeper on Austin! No! Austin quickly counters… with a jawbreaker! Austin escaped from the sleeper quickly, now he goes on the attack, landing rights and chops that back Owen to the ropes, allowing Austin to drive a trio of shoulders to the midsection. He shoots Hart off the ropes… LOU THESZ PRESS! Ausitn takes Owen down, and here come those wild right hands, before Austin bursts to his feet and comes off the ropes… pointed elbow! Austin is building momentum, he grabs Owen’s feet… and aims a stomp to the groin! Owen crawls to the corner in pain, but Austin is right on top of him, driving more shoulders to the gut before he sends Owen across… but Owen jumps to the second rope… springboard crossbody… no! This time Austin was ready for him, he avoids the contact… and Owen crashes to the mat! Austin grabs the ankles again… catapult to the opposite turnbuckle!

Austin is in control now, he stands and waits for Owen to stumble towards him… KICK… STUNNER… NO! Owen managed to shove Austin into the ropes, he rebounds… and catches an Owen boot… but Owen nails an ENZUIGIRI! That could be it… 1… 2… Austin rolls a shoulder! Owen thought he had it there, but Austin manages to survive. Owen now looks to put Austin away, he hits a Russian legsweep and an elbow drop from the second rope, but both moves just get him further near falls. Sensing this is his chance to put Austin away, Owen now grabs the champion by the ankles… he’s looking for THE SHARPSHOOTER… NO! Austin draws his legs in, kicks out… and sends Owen flying to the corner! Austin heads to the corner, he again strikes with right hands and chops to the chest, before he looks for an Irish whip… Hart reverses… double clothesline! Both men hit the mat hard, the referee starts to count, the toll of the match showing as both men breathe heavily on the mat… but then, the New York faithful start to jeer heavily…

Jim Ross: Aw’ for Gawd’s sake! What is he doin’ back here!?

VINCE MCMAHON IS WALKING DOWN THE AISLE!!

It was just about twenty minutes ago that we saw Vince tear out of Madison Square Garden in a limousine with The Undertaker in hot pursuit, but here he is back in the arena! Austin and Hart having spotted the smug McMahon strolling down the aisle, but soon Austin is back on his feet… and he sees McMahon! Vince holds his hands up, indicating he’s not a threat right now as he saunters around to the timekeeper’s desk, but Austin isn’t buying it, he throws all kinds of obscenities McMahon’s direction… but with his eyes on Vince, Austin doesn’t realise that Owen is back on his feet… Austin turns… double leg takedown! Then Owen steps, twists and sits… SHARPSHOOTER!! OWEN GETS AUSTIN LOCKED IN THE SHARPSHOOTER! The MSG fans don’t know how to take this, Owen has taken advantage of the distraction to lock Ausin the Sharpshooter! Austin groans in pain, desperately trying to hang in there and save his title… he reaches out for the ropes, but he comes up short… Austin reaches with every inch of his body… and AUSTIN REACHES THE ROPES!! Austin manages to save himself and Vince doesn’t look happy about it! Owen has to break the hold, he wonders what he could do next, so he reaches down and slowly drags Austin to his feet… Owen doubles Austin over, pulls him in… OWEN IS LOOKING FOR A PILEDRIVER… NO! Austin counters… back body drop! Both men are down once again, but as soon as they make it back to their feet… KICK… STUNNER! A STUNNER OUTTA NOWHERE!! And Austin collapses down to make the cover… 1… 2…

VINCE MCMAHON DRAGS THE REFEREE FROM THE RING!!!

Jim Ross: IT SHOULDA BEEN OVER! MCMAHON PULLED THA’ REFEREE OUT! THAT NO GOOD SUNNOVA BITCH!

Ross is furious, and so is Austin, he was waiting for the three to be counted only for Vince to drag the referee out… VINCE NAILS THE REFEREE WITH A RIGHT HAND!! Vince has just smacked the referee! The crowd are stunned, Austin can’t believe it, he starts yelling at Vince, who shoves the timekeeper aside… and GRABS A STEEL CHAIR! Vince arms himself with a chair as Austin rolls from the ring… McMahon starts to run… and Austin gives chase! Austin chases McMahon around the ring, until McMahon slides the chair in and dives under the bottom rope… Austin quickly follows in… it’s a standoff! Austin has Vince cornered, but McMahon has a chair in his hands and he’s threatening to use it… but wait! The crowd are on their feet once more…

SHANE MCMAHON IS RACING DOWN THE AISLE!!

Shane McMahon sprints for the ring, he slides under the bottom rope… and he gets in Vince’s face… and YANKS THE CHAIR FROM VINCE’S HAND!! Shane is furious, he starts screaming at his father…

“WHAT ARE YA’ DOIN’!? I TOLD YOU TO STAY THE HELL OUTTA THIS!”

Shane berates his father, he can’t believe Vince has returned and involved himself in this match! And now Vince looks worried, he’s trapped against the turnbuckle, a chair wielding Shane on one side and a pissed off Austin on the other! Vince holds his hands up, pleading with Shane to do the right thing and let him go… Shane holds the chair high, he’s ready to take aim at his father… and then…

BANG!!!

“NO! GOOD GAWD ALMIGHTY, WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?”

SHANE MCMAHON… HAS JUST NAILED ‘STONE COLD’ STEVE AUSTIN WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!!

A thunderous shot to Austin’s skull, Shane has just laid out the WWF Champion! And Vince is loving it! A huge, beaming smile crosses Vince’s face as Shane stares down at Austin with a furious scowl! But soon Shane looks to his father… and THEY HUG! SHANE AND VINCE ARE HUGGING EACH OTHER! But now Owen has stumbled back to his feet, he’s still groggy from the Stunner he just took… but Vince is directing traffic, he tells Shane to head outside and revive the referee… Shane slides under the bottom rope, grabs the referee by his shirt and hurls him back into the ring… while Vince points at Owen… and points down at Austin! VINCE IS TELLING OWEN TO COVER AUSTIN! Owen pauses, trying to take this all in… until OWEN DROPS DOWN AND HOOKS A LEG!! And the referee makes a painfully slow 1… 2… 3!

Winner: And NEW WWF Champion, Owen Hart @ 18:16

What the…!? We’ve got a new WWF Champion! Vince and Shane McMahon have conspired to make Owen Hart the new champion! They’ve gotten the belt off of Austin!

There’s chaos and confusion all around, the crowd can’t quite believe it, the main event that Shane said he wanted to go off without controversy has instead ended in the most controversial fashion possible! Shane and Vince pump their fists in the air in triumph, while Owen just looks shocked, he’s the WWF Champion but it’s as if he doesn’t quite believe it yet…

Jim Ross: What tha’ hell has just happened here!? AUSTIN IS NO LONGER THA’ WWF CHAMPION! AUSTIN GOT SCREWED BY SHANE MCMAHON!!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: I can’t believe it! We’ve got a new WWF Champion!

Jim Ross: BUT WHY!? WHY DAMMIT, WHY!?

It’s the question we’re all asking as the camera takes a look at the fallen Austin, he hasn’t moved since that thunderous chair shot, and now we see that AUSTIN HAS BEEN BUSTED OPEN!!

Blood pours from Austin’s forehead, while Owen has rolled away from the former champion, pushing himself back onto his knees, still looking somewhat confused at what’s just happened…

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: ‘JR’, I’m not sure if Owen knows what’s goin’ on! He looks as shocked at this as we do!

Jim Ross: What tha’ hell is goin’ on here!? Owen Hart is tha’ new WWF Champion! What has Shane McMahon done!?

Vince starts barking out orders again, this time he demands the title be handed over to him, before he steps towards Owen with the WWF Championship in his hands… but when Owen pushes himself back to his feet… VINCE HANDS OWEN THE TITLE…

THEN VINCE, SHANE AND OWEN HUG!!

They were in on it all along! Vince, Shane, Owen… they’ve screwed Austin out of the title! The three share a ridiculously long hug, laughing as they do, until they break apart and Shane grabs the title, strapping around Owen’s waist. The heat is nuclear, the crowd are furious, they can’t believe what we’re seeing and we even get some trash being thrown into the ring…

Jim Ross: They were in cahoots all along! OWEN HART HAS JOINED FORCES WITH VINCE MCMAHON!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: This is brilliant! I can’t believe it! How did they pull this off! You didn’t have a clue! Nobody did!

Jim Ross: That no good sunnova bitch! How can Owen Hart do this!?

We then get an iconic image, Vince and Shane either side of Owen, raising his hands in the air in victory, before the three hug again…

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: What a night it’s been for Vince McMahon! He’s back! And he got to Kane! He got to The Undertaker! And best of all… he got to Steve Austin!

Jim Ross: And we’ve got a new WWF Champion! Just… WHY!? TELL ME WHY!?

We’re gonna have to wait to find out, aren’t me Jim? But instead, we continue to get Vince and Shane raising Austin’s hand, before the camera takes final look at ‘Stone Cold’, he’s managed to roll over onto his stomach but he looks out of it, blood pouring from his head, staining the canvas below. One last look at Owen, an evil smirk on his face, he shares a final hug with Vince, before our show fades… to… black.

*End Show*​

​

 

[iMac]

WWF Raw is War
August 31st, 1998
New Haven Coliseum
New Haven, Connecticut​

After what happened last night at SummerSlam, there’s only one way we can start this episode of Raw, and that’s with a brief highlights package of our main event. We see still images and here the commentary from the battle between ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin and Owen Hart, Owen trying to work a more technical match while Austin looks to brawl his way to victory. We see the handshake between the two at the start of the match, a picture of Austin trapped in the ropes while Owen helps free him and Austin fighting for survival in the Sharpshooter. We then here the jeers of the crowd as Vince McMahon heads to ringside, and Ross’ call as McMahon drags the referee from the ring after Austin hits Owen with the Stone Cold Stunner. We then see the standoff between Vince and Austin as Vince holds a chair, then Shane McMahon involves himself and takes the chair from his father… and drills Austin with the chair! That hands the victory to Owen, we again here the disgust from ‘JR’ at what he’s witnessed, before the final still image is that of Vince, Shane and Owen hugging in the middle of the ring as the video comes to an end.

We then get the usual Raw opening video before we head into the arena, the crowd in New Haven tonight are jacked up to be here despite how SummerSlam went off the air last night. We take a tour of the crowd as the pyro goes off, and there’s something different about the setup of the arena tonight. The tron is there, but there’s no ramp, instead we just have a flat aisle for the superstars to walk down tonight. Pay attention to this, this will come into play later on tonight. Anyway, time we heard from our announce team of Jim Ross and Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler…

Jim Ross: Last night at SummerSlam, we saw one of the most shockin’ conclusions ta’ a WWF pay per view I’ve ever seen! What’s gonna happen here tonight on Raw is War!? Hello everyone, I’m Jim Ross alongside Jerry Lawler, an’ ‘King’ I was stunned at what we witnessed last night. We’ve got a new WWF Champion thanks ta’ Vince and Shane McMahon!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Owen Hart is the new WWF Champion, and it was all part of a masterplan from Mr. McMahon! He sent his son Shane to lure ‘Stone Cold’ into a false sense of security, and last night, Shane dropped the hammer! They screwed ‘Stone Cold’ outta the WWF Title!

Jim Ross: I thought it was one o’ tha’ most hideous things I’ve ever seen in a WWF ring! Folks, we know ‘Stone Cold’ is here tonight, we’re hopefully gonna get ta’ hear from ‘Tha’ Rattlesnake’ at some point durin’ tha broadcast. But who knows what Vince and Shane have planned for tonight?

Well we might be about to find out as a ton of heat breaks out as Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco and Sgt. Slaughter start walking down the aisle. It’s an unbelievably smug smirk on Vince’s face as revels in the boos, nodding and offering a few waves hello to the crowd…

Jim Ross: An’ here comes tha’ devil himself, Vince McMahon! And his son Shane! These two oughta be ashamed of themselves after what they did last night.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Why? It was genius! They did exactly what Vince has been tryin’ to do for months, they got the WWF Title away from ‘Stone Cold’! Look at the smiles on their faces, they earned those smiles right there!

The quintet enter the ring, Brisco holding the ropes open for the McMahons as Patterson retrieves a microphone and hands it over to Vince. Vince has to wait for the boos to quieten down a little, but it doesn’t really happen so he tries his best to speak over them…

Vince McMahon: Well… well. What a night last night at SummerSlam was, huh? One of the greatest, if not the greatest nights in WWF history! A night where ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin found out that you don’t mess with Vince McMahon and get away with it! A night in which The Undertaker and his brother Kane both learned… that you don’t mess with Vince McMahon and get away with it! And it was a night in which my masterplan to screw Steve Austin out of the WWF Championship all came to fruition… and you people never saw it comin’!

”He’s right, ‘JR’! They fooled everybody!” quips Lawler…

Vince McMahon: And it’s at this time that I want to public give an offer of thanks… and to say just how proud I am… of my son, Shane McMahon!

Massive heat as Shane raises his hand in the air, while the stooges give the younger McMahon a round of applause…

Vince McMahon: And allow me if you will the chance to explain exactly how our masterplan was carried out. Like I said last night at SummerSlam, the night after Fully Loaded, The Undertaker drove away from the arena with myself trapped in the back of his hearse. Now, the exact details of what happened once The Undertaker pulled over the car will stay between myself and Undertaker if he knows what’s good for him. But I’ll just repeat what I said last night. The Undertaker? He violated me!

That gets a pop, much to Vince’s annoyance…

Vince McMahon: He violated me, but he also… showed mercy. He also showed… weakness. And it was that weakness I set out to exploit to my advantage. So I went home to my spacious mansion, I holed up in my office… and I created a plan with my son Shane guaranteed to get revenge on my enemies. And infact, before I go any further here… Pat, Gerry, ‘Sarge’… I owe the three of you an apology.

The stooges all look at each other, but they play it off in an all’s well that ends well kinda way…

Vince McMahon: I didn’t tell any of you about this plan, I didn’t tell my wife Linda, I didn’t tell my daughter Stephanie, I told nobody. It was just… me and Shane. And for leaving out my most trusted confidants… I apologise.

The three cronies all wave it off with smiles…

Vince McMahon: But y’see, secrecy was the key to pulling this whole thing off. We needed everybody in the WWF to believe that I was incapacitated and that my son Shane was here to put things right in my absence. But the whole time, while Shane was showin’ everyone what a fair and thoughtful boss he could be, he was really workin’ in the background to put in motion our plans to bring an end to the title reign of ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.

More heat, but that quickly turns to cheers as we take a quick backstage to see ’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin sat hunched over on a steel chair, watching a monitor, listening to every word Vince has to say here…

Vince McMahon: And Shane, I thought your performance… was brilliant. Just outstanding! And y’know son, I can look at you tonight with so much pride and say… that without a shadow of a doubt, you’re defiantly the fruit of my loins!

”Good Gawd! It’s enough ta’ make ya’ feel sick!” says Ross…

Vince McMahon: And Shane, I’d like you to explain to everybody how you helped carry out the biggest screwjob in WWF history last night!

So Vince hands the mic over to Shane, who again has to wait for the jeers to die down before he can speak…

Shane McMahon: It’d be my pleasure, Dad. Y’know, when Mom called me to say that they’d found you abandoned out in the desert near Death Valley… I didn’t know what to think. I couldn’t believe The Undertaker had did that to you! He had to pay! Kane had to pay! And most importantly of all… ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin had to pay!

Raw the night after Fully Loaded took place in Anaheim, California. Just the five hours or so drive to Death Valley, so that works for me…

Shane McMahon: We got ya’ to the hospital, we got ya’ back home… and we both knew somethin’ had to be done. So I came to Raw the following week, I told everybody I was in charge and I was gonna put right the damage had been done these last six months. But I wasn’t gonna put right anything you had done Dad, oh no. I was gonna put right the damage done by these morons who work for us! ‘Stone Cold’, The Undertaker, Kane, D-X, Mankind, they were all gonna get theirs in one way or another! But first… I had to get them on board. I had to make them think I was one of the boys! So I gave them what they wanted, I agreed to their matches for SummerSlam, I gave them title shots, you name it, they got it! But it was all leadin’ up… to last night, and the main event for the WWF Championship.

Vince looks so proud right now…

Shane McMahon: Y’see, I knew that if Austin suspected too much, he’d never fall for it. I had to get him and everybody else on board to set things up for my Dad to return… and to get his revenge.

More heat…

Shane McMahon: And while publicly I was doin’ everything I could to get those clowns what they wanted, behind the scenes… me and my Dad were convincing Owen Hart he was gonna be the next WWF Champion.

”It was a set up all along! They had Owen in on this from the get go!” surmises ‘King’…

Shane McMahon: Every TV tapping, I’d find a quiet place to talk with Owen. He had phone conversations with my Dad. We even flew him out to the house in Greenwich. Nobody knew a thing! And all that talk from Owen about not wanting to be in the main event? Not wanting to be WWF Champion? That was genuine… at first. But once we laid out the bigger picture, once we laid out what we could do for Owen as WWF Champion, Owen was on board. And then… it was all about patience. But uh… what’s the point in playin’ games like this if ya’ can’t have a little fun with it, huh? And while Owen did his best to convince Austin he was a team player, the fun… came in the form of Southern Justice!

Again, lots of heat from the fans…

Shane McMahon: The attack on Austin on Heat, the mind games, it was all needed for Austin to lower his guard, for Austin to start to ever so slightly trust Owen. And right now, I wanna thank Tennessee Lee for his part in all of this. Because I was a McMahon who put the hit out on Austin, but it wasn’t Vince McMahon, it was Shane!

”You no good bastard!” cries ‘JR’…

Shane McMahon: And Mr. Lee, if you can hear me back there… I promised you a reward alongside the money I paid you, and tonight, you’re gonna get it. Tonight, live on Raw, it’s gonna be The Heritage defending the World Tag Team Championships against Southern Justice! I owe ya’ one, fellas!

With that little revelation, Shane now hands the mic back to Vince…

Vince McMahon: So y’see, we had everybody exactly where we wanted them. And last night? We pulled it all off. The Undertaker? He lost his brother Kane. And ‘Stone Cold’? He lost the WWF Championship. And as for D-Generation X and Mick Foley? You’re gonna get yours later tonight!

That’s a really ominous statement, which again gets jeers from the fans…

Vince McMahon: You’re all gonna feel my wrath! And vengeance will be mine!

A really evil look on Vince’s face as he says that, before he turns to look towards the entrance way…

Vince McMahon: But before all of that, I think it’s time we heard from the new WWF Champion! Allow me to bring to you… ‘The Real Hitman’ of the World Wrestling Federation! The World Wrestling Federation Champion! Owen Hart!

*HIGH ENERGY*​

That’s right, we’re bringing back this classic entrance music. So here he comes, the new WWF Champion, Owen Hart. The heat is off the chart as Owen very smugly heads down the aisle, dressed in a suit similar to the ones being worn by Vince and Shane right now. As Owen enters the ring, he shakes hands with all five members of the welcome committee, before he, Vince and Shane repeat that ridiculously over the top hug they all shared last night…

Jim Ross: I can’t believe what I’m seein’ right now. After what that man did ta’ Owen Hart’s brother back at Montreal, how can he stand in tha’ ring wit’ those men and share a hug wit’ ‘em like that? This is repulsive!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Cause he’s the WWF Champion now, that’s why! I mean, money talks ‘JR’. I’m pretty sure once Shane laid out the plan to Owen, he jumped at the chance to become the corporate champion. And look at ‘im, he looks great!

Jim Ross: He looks like a jackass if ya’ ask me!

As Owen steps back from the hug, he opens his suit jacket to show off the WWF Title strapped around his waist, with Vince and Shane pointing at it, showing it off, the crowd loudly jeering again. Vince has to wait for the heat to settle down a bit before he starts talking, but there’s a loud “Asshole! Asshole!” chant ringing out as he does so…

Vince McMahon: Don’t listen to them, Owen. Allow me to be first to congratulate you Owen on becoming the WWF Champion! A tremendous honour, an incredible achievement, you became the man to finally put a stop to ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin!

More heat, to which Owen just smugly smirks at…

Vince McMahon: You’ve brought an end to Steve Austin’s reign of terror here in the World Wrestling Federation, something that both myself and my son Shane greatly appreciate. And I know Owen, that unlike ‘Stone Cold’… you will make a great WWF Champion! A great corporate WWF Champion, if you will.

”He’ll make a great corporate butt-kisser!”, man ‘JR’ is on one tonight…

Vince McMahon: And I’m sure Owen, that throughout your reign as WWF Champion, you will represent this company and that championship with the honour and the dignity it deserves!

We cut backstage to another shot of Austin, hunched forward, hand on his chin, his eyes burning a hole in the monitor he’s watching on. Back in the ring, Vince hands the microphone over to Owen with a beaming smile on his face, but before Owen can speak, that “Asshole! Asshole!” chant loudly breaks out again, causing Owen to snarl and shake his head…

Owen Hart: Why don’t you people shut up and show some respect for the new WWF Champion!?

More heat…

Owen Hart: Y’know, this is exactly why I did what I did last night. I was so pissed off with how things we’re goin’ for me this year, I really did think I was gonna walk away and retire after I lost to The Rock at Over The Edge. I’d had enough! But I went home, I thought it over, I talked to a lotta people… and I decided to give it one last shot. To come back to the WWF and not worry about titles, or win and losses, to just worry about puttin’ on the very best match I could for you people.

A sneer from the champion at the crowd…

Owen Hart: All I wanted to do was be a good role model for you people and the kids at home. Somebody who showed good sportsmanship and respect for my opponent. And where did it get me? You people just booed me! I had ‘Stone Cold’ tied up in the ropes last night, I coulda beat the hell outta him! But I didn’t, I let ‘im go and you booed me for it! And that’s when I knew I’d made the right choice by joining up with Vince and Shane. After that, I couldn’t wait to put our plan into action!

Vince beams, almost like a proud father…

Owen Hart: And ‘Stone Cold’? How many times this year did I try to shake his hand, or share a beer with him, and he turned around and hit me with a Stunner instead?

That gets a cheer from the crowd, much to Owen’s annoyance…

Owen Hart: Oh sure, he shared a beer with me last week on Raw, and he shook my hand at the start of our match last night, but it was too late by then! I’d already made up my mind, I was all in with Mr. McMahon and I was on my way to becomin’ the next WWF Champion!

Owen smugly turns over his shoulder to look at Vince, who nods and gives him a thumbs up…

Owen Hart: And now? You can boo me all you want, I don’t give a damn anymore! I did what I set out to do, I’ve became the WWF Champion for the first time. And y’know what? It’s about damn time!

More heat, the only applause coming from Patterson, Brisco and Slaughter…

Owen Hart: For too many years, I lived in the shadows here in the WWF. My family got driven outta the WWF, and I stayed here to fight for my spot. And look what’s happened now. I’m the WWF Champion! And I’m gonna prove to everybody backstage that I always have been… the best there is… the best there was… and the best there ever will be!

Nuclear heat, while Lawler laughs his head off…

Owen Hart: So for all you people out there who ever doubted me… and for all you fans out there who ever booed me… you can all go kiss my ass! I’m the WWF Champion! And nothin’ is gonna stop me… especially not ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin!

Owen thrusts his fists in the air as he soaks in the boos from the fans, before he hands the microphone back to Vince…

Vince McMahon: Now, in light of Owen’s outstanding victory last night in becoming the new World Wrestling Federation Champion, I propose that tonight… we throw a party! A celebration of our new champion and the dawning of a new era here in the WWF. So later on tonight, in this very ring, we will have a championship celebration and I want to cordially invite all of you fans and all of you viewers at home to join us!

Again the crowd jeer, but Vince holds up a finger…

Vince McMahon: However… there are of course some exceptions here, not everybody in this building tonight will be on the guest list. For instance, D-Generation X? You’re not invited! The Undertaker? Not a chance, pal. And Mankind, Mick Foley, whatever he’s callin’ himself right now… your presence will not be required.

But there’s a name Vince has left out, the camera cutting backstage again for a shot of Austin, his expression still hasn’t changed but he’s listening intently…

Vince McMahon: I will of course have security present at ringside to ensure that there are no unwanted guests showing up at my championship celebration. However, I do wish to extend an invitation… to a certain former WWF Champion, ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.

The crowd cheer for the mention of ‘The Rattlesnake’, with a big “Austin! Austin!” chant breaking out…

Vince McMahon: ‘Stone Cold’, it would be my pleasure to have you standing ringside, seeing firsthand how the McMahon family celebrates a true champion such as Owen Hart. So Austin, considered yourself invited to the biggest party of the summer here tonight! I’ll have a spot at the ringside area waiting for you. I just hope you’re… man enough… to accept. Thank you very much!

Having said what he needed to say, Vince hands the microphone over to Brisco, then he and Shane stand either side of Owen, raising his hands in the air, before the three once again share a ridiculously over the top hug. The stooges all smile and applaud, before the whole gang head for the exit, Brisco holding the ropes open for Vince, Shane and Owen as they go…

Jim Ross: I can’t believe this. In all ma’ years in this business, this is tha’ most disgustin’ thing I’ve ever seen. Ta’ take tha’ title away from ‘Stone Cold’ like that, it makes me sick!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Why? For months Mr. McMahon asked ‘Stone Cold’ to fall in line, to be more corporate, to be the champion the WWF needed. Austin didn’t want to conform and he’s paid for it!

Jim Ross: Aw’ that’s a load o’ B.S. an’ you know it, ‘King’! And after what happened in Montreal, after what Vince McMahon did ta’ Owen’s brother Bret and tha’ whole Hart family, I can’t believe he stands in tha’ middle o’ that ring an’ hugs that man!

We take another look at Vince, Shane, Owen and company as they stop under the tron, once again Vince and Shane raise Owen’s hands, drawing massive heat from the crowd. The three and their associates then start to head behind the curtain, when we suddenly cut away…

Back to ‘Stone Cold’, still sat on that chair, until he bursts to his feet, knocking over the chair in the process, before he yanks the door open and storms out of the room! And that’s how we fade into the first commercial of the night.

*Commercial*​

When we return we’re back with Vince McMahon, Owen Hart, Shane McMahon, Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco and Sgt. Slaughter, joining them mid-conversation, the six of them laughing away at something…

Vince McMahon: …wait, wait! He got up and he left the arena!?

Sgt. Slaughter: That’s what they said!

Vince McMahon: Haha! That’s brilliant! We’ve finally done it, we’ve broke ‘Stone Cold’! We finally broke ‘im!

More laughter from all of them…

Vince McMahon: I can’t believe it! I invite him to our big party tonight and he just tucks his tail and runs away! That’s unbelievable!

There’s more laughter in the room, until the laughter stops and things get a little more tense… as The Big Boss Man, Bart Gunn and Steve Blackman enter the room. Vince is still smiling though as he steps towards the three…

Vince McMahon: Fellas! How ya’ doin’? Now listen, before the three of you say a word, I can tell by the looks on your faces… you’re not happy about somethin’. And if I was to hazard a guess… I’d say it was because I didn’t clue the three of you, and of course Ken Shamrock, in our little plan here ahead of time. Am I right?

The Big Boss Man: Y’er damn right we ain’t happy about it!

Sensing the feeling of anger in the room, Vince motions with his hands for calm…

Vince McMahon: Easy fellas, easy. Now I’m sorry that Shane couldn’t tell you ahead of time. We couldn’t risk it gettin’ out. Y’know how it is in the industry, nothin’ stays a secret for very long. I didn’t want Austin to get wind up anythin’ ahead of SummerSlam, so I apologise that we didn’t tell you.

Boss Man turns to look at Blackman and Bart, none of the three of their expressions changing very much…

Vince McMahon: Now guys, I spoke on the phone with Ken Shamrock this morning. I gave him a call, but not before I moved him to finest medical facility New York City has to offer to continue his recovery. But when I spoke to Ken, I offered him the same apology I’m offering to you three… and I offered him the same opportunity as well.

The three all raise their eyebrows with intrigue…

Vince McMahon: Now I really appreciate the efforts Ken and the three of you have all went to these last few months. It might not have worked, Austin might’ve always found a way to escape… but we finally got ‘im at SummerSlam. And now Owen Hart is the WWF Champion, a champion we can all be proud of and get behind. And that’s where you three and Shamrock come into things.

Vince turns to Shane…

Shane McMahon: Guys, listen. This is the start of somethin’ big, alright? The people in this room right here? We’re gonna rule the WWF, with Owen as our champion right into the next millennium! Austin? He’s history! He’s finished! It’s time we take back control of this company and its championship, and we want you guys to be right at the heart of it!

Smirks start to cross the faces of the Boss Man, Bart and Blackman…

Shane McMahon: We need you guys on board. We’re talkin’ big opportunities here, a chance to make a lotta money while bein’ onboard with the WWF Champion! It don’t get any better than that!

Vince McMahon: What d’ya say guys? Owen Hart, the WWF Champion, the corporate WWF Champion… with The Big Boss Man, Bart Gunn, Steve Blackman and Ken Shamrock by his side. How’s that sound?

Boss Man turns over his shoulder to glance at Bart and Blackman, they both look at each other before they turn back to Boss Man and nod their heads. It seems they’re on board with all of this, and a broad smile crosses the face of Vince and Shane as they all start shaking hands…

Vince McMahon: Yeah! I knew you’d all do the smart thing here!

Owen now steps forward, and he starts shaking hands as well…

Owen Hart: Can’t wait to start workin’ with ya’, fellas!

And everybody seems pretty happy with how this has all shook out, it’s all handshakes and pats on the back, big smiles being shared across the room…

Vince McMahon: So when we have out big celebration later tonight, I want you three out there with us! I want you to be a big part of what this group is gonna do around here moving forward. But speaking of later tonight…

Vince turns to Patterson, Brisco and Slaughter…

Vince McMahon: Gerry, Pat, ‘Sarge’… did you get what I asked for?

Gerald Brisco: Yes sir, Mr. Mack-man! We got it!

Sgt. Slaughter: Yeah we roughed it up for ya’ just like ya’ asked for.

An evil smirk crosses Vince’s face…

Vince McMahon: Good. I can’t wait to have a little word or two with Mick Foley later on…

That sounds pretty ominous, and it’s on the sight of Vince and Shane grinning to each other that we linger for a few seconds before we cut back into the arena.

To hear…

*MAKE SOME NOISE*​

The new European Champion X-Pac bursts into the arena, throwing crotch chops at everyone as he and Chyna head for the ring. Once inside, X-Pac sets off some green pyro, before he heads to the corner and holds his title aloft…

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Did you hear that ‘JR’!? ‘Stone Cold’, he’s… he’s ran away! Haha! Can you believe this!? Austin has tucked his tail and ran right outta the WWF!

Jim Ross: I don’t believe that for a damn second! There ain’t no way ‘Stone Cold’ is walkin’ away from Vince McMahon an’ tha’ WWF Championship! An’ what’s that all about wit’ Mick Foley? What could McMahon have in mind there?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Aw’ who cares about Mick Foley? Mr. McMahon has done it, he’s an evil genius! He finally got the WWF Championship away from Austin, and now ‘Stone Cold’ has ran all the way home!

*DOJO*​

A reminder that there is a match to call here, guys. Kaientai head into the arena, Mr. Yamaguchi leading the way waving their flag as the street thugs Taka Michinoku, Sho Funaki, Dick Togo and Men’s Teioh all snarl as they walk down the aisle…

Jim Ross: I don’t think we’ve seen tha’ last of ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin t’night, but we’ve got a match ta’ call here. The new European Champion X-Pac set ta’ take on Sho Funaki here, an’ I guess that rule about managers only bein’ at ringside has gone, huh? Shane McMahon put that in place, so why are Taka, Teioh and Togo out here?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: They’re just out here to make sure Chyna doesn’t stick her nose in things like she did last night. And I can’t believe we’ve got this X-Punk as our European Champion now. There’ll be riots in the streets of Milan and Helsinki over this!

Match One: Non-Title Match
European Champion X-Pac w/ Chyna vs. Sho Funaki w/ Kaientai

From the initial tie-up, X-Pac works into a standing headlock, only for Funaki to shove Pac into the ropes… but he bowls Funaki over with a shoulderblock. X-Pac looks to quicken the pace as he comes off the ropes, but Funaki avoids him with a leapfrog… then takes Pac down with a hiptoss. Funaki’s turn to come off the ropes, but Pac drops to the canvas to avoid him… then nips back up to smack Funaki with a spinning heel kick! X-Pac goes to work with those educated feet, landing a string of kicks to the chest before a jumping roundhouse knocks Funaki through the ropes to the floor. X-Pac looks to stay on the attack, he waits for Funaki to rise… and flies with a plancha! X-Pac smacks Funaki with a few right hands before he rolls him back under the ropes, but when X-Pac goes to climb back into the ring, the rest of Kaientai get in his face… which brings Chyna around the ring! Chyna cuts an imposing figure for the Japanese contingent, but all of this serves as a distraction and a chance for Funaki to recover… and he takes advantage by catching X-Pac with a baseball slide! Looking to prevent things getting out of hand, the referee heads outside and admonishes Chyna… but that means his back is turned as Kaientai lay in with a four-man beatdown! They stomp the life out of the European Champion, until they finally roll Pac back into the ring, the referee to busy with Chyna to see any of it.

After a near fall, Funaki lays in with hard kicks and stiff uppercuts, before he shoots X-Pac off the ropes into a standing dropkick for another two count. Funaki lays in with more stomps, before he takes X-Pac up for a scoop slam… only for X-Pac to drop down the back, duck a clothesline and keep on running… to his a leaping clothesline! X-Pac looks to build momentum, more kicks, then right hands, before he goes for an Irish whip… flapjack! Funaki staggers to the corner, where he caught with one kick, and another… then a jumping roundhouse, leaves Funaki in the perfect spot… BRONCO BUSTER! X-Pac connects, but as he steps from the corner he spots Taka is on the apron… Pac heads over, as does Chyna who gets into it with Togo and Yamaguchi… but that means Men’s Teioh has sneaked into the ring behind X-Pac with the Kaientai flag… wait! Before Teioh can attack, SOMEONE ELSE HAS CAME THROUGH THE CROWD… IT’S TAJIRI! Tajiri is in the ring, he taps Teioh on the shoulder… and when Teioh turns… TAJIRI SPRAYS HIM WITH THE GREEN MIST!! Teioh eats the Green Mist, he flaps and flails his arms, but here comes Funaki charging at X-Pac… X-Pac avoids him with a leapfrog, catches Funaki with a kick… X-FACTOR!! X-Pac plants Funaki, the referee turns back from the chaos at ringside and counts the 1… 2… 3!

Winner: X-Pac @ 04:38

A solid win for X-Pac to get his European Title run up and running, but the big story is at ringside, where Kaientai are huddled around Teioh as he flails and wails on the floor. X-Pac gets his belt and drops outside to share a hug with Chyna, not much of a celebration before the two head up the aisle and we go back to the Kaientai contingent…

Jim Ross: A win for X-Pac, but Tajiri struck again there! He got Dick Togo and Yamaguchi last week, now he’s hit Men’s Teioh wit’ that green mist!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Where did he come from anyway? Somebody’s gotta stop this! Have we gotta wait ‘til somebody goes blind or somethin’!?

A final look at Yamaguchi, who comically stomps his feet at what has occurred here before we cut away.

To the interview set where an exasperated Jim Cornette paces back and forth infront of The Heritage, with Lance Storm and John Bradshaw trying to calm Cornette down while Michael Cole tries to ask Cornette a question…

Michael Cole: Jim? Jim, earlier on we heard that tonight, The Heritage will defend-

Jim Cornette: Defend our tag titles against Southern Justice!? Yeah, I heard it! I can’t believe this is happenin’! Less than twenty-four hours after we defend our titles against those two lunatics Mankind an’ Al Snow, an’ now we’re defendin’ them again!? What’s goin’ on around here? Who’s callin’ the shots right now?

Cole pulls the mic back to answer…

Michael Cole: Well it was Shane McMahon who said-

Jim Cornette: An’ that’s another thing! It was Shane McMahon who put us against Mankind an’ Al Snow, now we’re up against Southern Justice one night later!? It’s ridiculous! We ain’t gonna stand for it! My lawyer’s gonna hear about this an’ he’ll-

But we make a rapid cut to the parking lot, where a car screeches to a hault, the driver’s door is flung open… and The Undertaker steps out! Dressed in his black ring gear, Undertaker slams the door behind him and makes a beeline for the arena door…

Jim Ross: Bah Gawd, Tha’ Undertaker’s here! I think he’s headin’ this way! We’ve gotta go ta’ a commercial, don’t go away!

*Commercial*​

Straight back into the arena for…

*DANGER AT THE DOOR*​

D’Lo Brown heads into the arena, shaking his head from side to side as he swaggers down the aisle, getting a decent welcome from the fans…

Jim Ross: Welcome back ta’ Raw, folks. D’Lo Brown set for action here, but ‘King’, we just saw Tha’ Undertaker show up here at tha’ New Haven Coliseum! After what happened ta’ Kane last night, what could ‘Tha’ Deadman’ have ta’ say here?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: He better not come out here! All hell could break loose if he does!

*ENGINE ROCK*​

Some rather unfamiliar music plays which means there’s not much of a response for the rarely seen Pierre, who hasn’t appeared on Raw since March 20th or on WWF television at all since July 11th. But he’s back here as a solo competitor, dressed in a blue singlet and tights with that trademark eyepatch of his…

Jim Ross: We ain’t seen a whole lotta Pierre in recent months, he was of course part of Tha’ Quebecers tag team not too long ago, but he’s goin’ solo right here lookin’ to pick up a victory over D’Lo Brown.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: And how is he gonna make that move from tag team competition to singles? It’s a whole different ballgame when you’re in the ring by yourself.

Match Two:
D’Lo Brown vs. Pierre

The match starts with a lockup, both men fighting for the upperhand, until D’Lo twists into a hammerlock… that Pierre reverses into a headlock… but D’Lo shoves him into the ropes… into a snap powerslam for an early two count. D’Lo smacks some right hands, then shoots Pierrer off the ropes… knocks him down with a back elbow. Another Irish whip, but this time D’Lo lowers his head… Pierre snaps him up with a kick… then smacks Brown with a stiff clothesline. Pierre lays in with stomps to the body, then hurls D’Lo to the corner, where he lays in with chops and shoulders to the midsection. Pierre looks for an Irish whip across and follows in… but he runs into a boot to the face, and D’Lo pushes himself to the second rope… to nail a double axe-handle. Pierre is down, D’Lo comes off the ropes… a little theatrics… then he drops the snap legdrop! After another near fall, D’Lo gets back on his feet and fires Pierrer into the ropes… and smacks Pierre with the leg lariat! But then, out of nowhere… the crowd are on their feet, roaring with anticipation… as THE UNDERTAKER IS MARCHING DOWN THE AISLE!! No lights going out, no music, just ‘The Deadman’ walking… and he climbs the ringsteps, steps over the top rope… D’Lo sees Undertaker coming… and now Pierre is back on his feet, a little groggy… and D’Lo shoves Pierrer toward ‘The Phenom’… and he stumbles into a hand across the throat… CHOKESLAM TO PIERRE! But now D’Lo charges… only for Undertaker to scoop him up with ease… TOMBSTONE TO D’LO!! The Undertaker plants both participants of the match, this one is over!

Winner: No Contest @ 02:08

The match is thrown out as The Undertaker has laid out both Brown and Pierre with ease! The crowd are going wild, Undertaker’s arrival being far more entertaining than the match, but ‘The Deadman’ doesn’t waste any time in asking for a microphone and snatching it away from Tony Chimel as he hands it over…

The Undertaker: McMahon! I know you’re back there, McMahon! You better come out here right now and tell me where my brother Kane is before I come back there and beat it outta your ass!

That gets a big pop from the crowd and a “Whoa!” from Ross…

The Undertaker: You conspired to bring back Paul Bearer last night and you took my brother! I wanna know where he is! Where has Bearer taken him! Where-

Jeers quickly break out as Vince McMahon steps out into the arena, a very smug smirk on his face and a microphone already in his hand as he stops under the titan-tron. McMahon has The Big Boss Man alongside him, no doubt there for a little security incase anything happens here…

Vince McMahon: Well, Undertaker! How nice to see you again. And how surprising it is to see you here tonight. I thought you’d be in hiding somewhere after your defeat to The Rock last night!

”It was all thanks ta’ McMahon that Rock got tha’ win last night!” chips in ‘JR’…

Vince McMahon: I really didn’t expect to see you here tonight… after you showed so much weakness last night with regards to your brother, Kane. First of all, you allowed yourself to become distracted by what was going on with Kane that you lost to The Rock. Then, you had a choice to make, Undertaker.

Undertaker looks furious right now, wanting McMahon to get to the point…

Vince McMahon: You went backstage at Madison Square Garden, you couldn’t save your brother, but then you had a choice. Paul Bearer drove that hearse with Kane inside it away… myself and my associates, we took off in my limousine… and you had a choice. Either come after me… or go after Kane. And what did you do? You showed just how weak you really are when you drove after that hearse!

Again the crowd boo…

Vince McMahon: You chose to try and save your brother! And when I saw you disappear into the distance… I told my limo driver to stop the car, turn right back around, and I walked back into Madison Square Garden and helped Shane and Owen screw ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin!

More heat, while Lawler quips “Ya’ hear that, ‘JR’? It was Undertaker’s fault Austin lost the title last night!”…

Vince McMahon: You wanna know where your brother Kane is? Alright… I’ll tell ya’. Kane is finally locked up in a mental institution, where he shoudla been all along!

There’s fury in Undertaker’s eyes as he hears this, while McMahon smirks down at him…

Vince McMahon: I warned you, Undertaker! I warned you for weeks I was gonna put Kane away if he and you didn’t do as I said, and guess what? Thanks to Paul Bearer, Kane is finally where he belongs and that’s where he’s gonna stay!

”I can’t believe this!” says ‘JR’ through the boos of the fans…

Vince McMahon: You threatened me, you… you violated me! You-

A big cheer interrupts Vince, causing him to sneer at the crowd while Boss Man twirls his nightstick…

Vince McMahon: You threatened me and you violated me, but more importantly than that… you didn’t heed my warning, Undertaker. And look what’s happened. Your brother is locked inside a padded cell and he’s never gettin’ out!

More boos, the heat is off the charts right now, there’s even an “Asshole! Asshole!” chant breaking out…

Vince McMahon: However… just to show how compassionate a man I am… I thought perhaps you’d like a little message from the nuthouse about how Kane’s doin’? You’d like that wouldn’t ya’? And that’s why earlier today, I had a camera crew head over to the psychiatric ward where Kane is bein’ held and I had them film a little update for ya’. Here, watch this!

McMahon motions up towards the screen, and a video flickers to life…

*VIDEO PACKAGE*

We open to a shaky camera shot looking through a small window of a door. As we look through the window we see that the door leads into a padded cell. In the middle of the room Kane is pacing back and forth in a straightjacket, every now and then he thrashes his arms to try and break free. The camera then zooms out slightly to reveal the rotund figure of Paul Bearer standing by the door, a huge grin on his face…

Paul Bearer: My, my. Ain’t I a sight for sore eyes!? How ya’ doin’, Undertaker? It’s been so long since we last spoke. I hope y’er doin’ well. Better than y’er brother Kane, at least.

Not an ounce of sincerity in what Bearer is saying right now…

Paul Bearer: It was two months ago, Undertaker. King of tha’ Ring… Hell in tha’ Cell. I remember it well. Ya’ sent those druids for me an’ they took me away like a dawg bein’ takin’ to tha’ woods for a final goodbye. An’ I bet I know what you thought that night, Undertaker. You thought… they were takin’ me straight ta’ hell, didn’t ya’!?

Now that evil sneer crosses Bearer’s face, but over his shoulder we see inside the padded cell that Kane is now violently flinging his body against the wall of the cell, continuing to try and break free…

Paul Bearer: An’ y’know, in that moment, deep down inside… I thought it was all over. I thought it was time for tha’ fat man ta’ sing! I thought I really was goin’ straight ta’ hell, but I was saved! I was saved… by Mr. McMahon!

Bearer looks to the heavens with a sense of gratitude on his face…

Paul Bearer: Mr. McMahon, he brought me back from tha’ brink, he saved me! An’ he let me rest, he let me heal up, he said he’d look after Kane for me, an’ he told me that when tha’ time was right… I’d get ma’ revenge on you!

Over Bearer’s shoulder, Kane continues to try and break free, he’s got more movement in his arms now as he fights to break the shackles of the straightjacket…

Paul Bearer: Now… I don’t know what you did to ‘im… but for some reason, Kane… he decided ta’ attack poor Mr. McMahon! You helped Kane break free an’ he ran off inta’ tha’ night like a crazed animal! I was sat at home, I saw it all happen an’ I couldn’t believe ma’ eyes! Ma’ Kane. Ma’ monster! Tha’ man I brought ta’ tha’ WWF ta’ destroy you! An’ there he was… workin’ alongside you.

A very sad, very rueful shake of the head from Bearer…

Paul Bearer: An’ that’s when I realised ma’ mistake. I shoulda never brought Kane ta’ tha’ WWF. I thought he was a monster, but as it turns out… he’s weak just like you are, Undertaker.

In the background, we see that Kane has managed to rip the shackles of the straightjacket off, his arms now free to move as he tries to take the contraption from his body…

Paul Bearer: You better do what Mr. McMahon tells ya’ ta’ do. Or else… Kane is never gonna get outta here. He’ll spend-

There’s a loud bang against the door of the cell! Kane has gotten the straightjacket off! And now he’s trying to kick the door down, trying to break out of his cell! A very loud, very obnoxious alarm starts to ring out, a red warning light starts to spin, while random workers at the facility sprint into the scene while a doctor in a white coat barges past Bearer with a set of keys in his hand…

Doctor: Guards! Guards! He’s done it again! We need more tranquilisers!

It’s chaos in the psych ward now, we catch a final glimpse of a panicked look on Bearer’s face before the video cuts out, static filling the screen.

*END VIDEO PACKAGE*​

From the video we go back into the arena, the crowd booing loudly as McMahon turns from the screen to look down at Undertaker with an arrogant grin on his face. Undertaker doesn’t give much away with the look on his face, but this has to be eating him up inside…

Vince McMahon: Now… I hope this has given you some comfort, Undertaker. I’ve paid for the very best mental institute money can buy! I’m sure Kane will be very comfortable there. And that’s where he’ll stay for the rest of his days!

Vince holds up a finger…

Vince McMahon: Provided of course… that you do as I tell ya’ to do. So right now, I’m telling you… no, wait… I’m ordering you, Undertaker… get the hell outta my ring… and get the hell outta my arena!

McMahon now turns and motions for Boss Man to lead the way backstage, the crowd continuing to boo loudly as he disappears out of sight. The camera cuts back to Undertaker, standing alone in the ring, his eyes fixated on the Vince, a look of rage on his face. The commentators don’t say anything, we just let this play out on the jeers of the fans before we slowly fade into a commercial.

*Commercial*​

Straight after the break, we’re at the interview set with Kevin Kelly, who is alongside Jeff Jarrett and Sunny…

Kevin Kelly: ‘Double J’, last night at SummerSlam you lost the Intercontinental Title to Tazz in a-

Jarrett’s not in the mood, he’s heard enough already as he snatches the microphone from Kelly and shoves him aside…

Jeff Jarrett: Why don’t you shut tha’ hell up!? Don’t piss me off, Kelly! You ain’t gonna like me if ya’ piss me off! You wanna talk about last night? Last night was a disgrace ta’ tha’ business of professional wrestlin’! Tazz ain’t nothin’ but a punk an’ a thug, an’ he ain’t got no business bein’ in tha’ ring wit’ me!

Sunny shakes her head in agreement…

Jeff Jarrett: Tazz won tha’ Intercontinental Title from me? Well as far as I’m concerned, Tazz ain’t nothin’ but a cheater an’ tha’ sooner somebody does somethin’ about that illegal chokehold o’ his tha’ better!

Jarrett very forcibly points a finger down the camera as he says that…

Jeff Jarrett: Yeah I lost tha’ Intercontinental Title, big deal! I’ve wasted tha’ last five months on that midget slapnut! Well I ain’t wastin’ no more time, I’m movin’ past him an’ I’m gonna start gettin’ tha’ respect I deserve around here!

A smirk crosses Sunny’s face…

Jeff Jarrett: It’s about time people realised just who tha’ hell I am. I’ll go down as tha’ greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time, but more than that, when it’s all said an’ done, I’m gonna go down as tha’ great wrestler this sport has ever seen! Forget Tazz, I got bigger fish ta’ fry, an’ I mean that literally!

A little smirk from Jarrett as he says that…

Jeff Jarrett: So for all tha’ WWF Superstars hearin’ ma’ voice right now… you ain’t got a damn clue what’s comin’ to ya’. An’ you call all choke on that!

And to wrap things up, Jarrett slams the mic back into Kelly’s chest, he and Sunny quickly heading off camera, leaving the frustrated announcer to watch him leave before we cut away.

We go back into the arena, where Michael Cole is already in the ring with a microphone in his hand…

Michael Cole: Ladies and gentlemen, last night at SummerSlam, we saw an Intergender Tag Team Match between ‘Marevellous’ Marc Mero and Ivory… and the team of Val Venis and Sable.

And of course the mention of Sable gets a big cheer from the males in the crowd…

Michael Cole: And during that match, we witnessed Sable hit Marc Mero with the Sablebomb and pin his shoulders to the mat, 1 – 2 – 3.

Another pop…

Michael Cole: So please join me in welcoming my guests at this time… the winners of the Intergender Tag Team Match… Val Venis and Sable!

*WILDCAT*​

As always, a tremendous pop for Sable and Val Venis as they head down the aisle, especially for Sable as she waves to the crowd. Val is dressed in street clothes here, not scheduled for competition tonight, but he still feels a need to whip off his t-shirt and do his little grind once he enters the ring…

Jim Ross: What a win it was last night for Sable an’ Val Venis. I think Sable proved once an’ for all who’s the bigger star between her an’ ‘Tha’ Marvellous One’, Marc Mero.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: How humiliatin’ for Mero. He got beat by a girl! I dunno how he’s ever gonna live that down. How’s he ever gonna show his face around here again?

We’ll need to wait for an answer to that question, as Cole is ready to hit Val and Sable with some questions of his own…

Michael Cole: Val, Sable… last night at SummerSlam, you got the win over Marc Mero and Ivory when you Sable hit Mero with the Sablebomb to pick up the victory. I gotta ask ya’ Sable… after all you’ve been through with Marc, after all the insults and putdowns… how did it feel to pin Mero’s shoulders to the mat like that?

Sable can’t help but smile as Cole points the microphone at her…

Sable: Well, I’ll be honest with you Michael. Pinning Marc’s shoulders to the mat last night? It felt pretty awesome to me.

And the crowd gives Sable a cheer, with Sable responding with a smile…

Sable: Y’know for months I’ve had Marc puttin’ me down, treatin’ me like dirt, callin’ me all kinds of names. And then he brought in Ivory to attack me and assault me time and time again. But last night… with the help of Val here of course…

’The Big Valbowski’ licks his thumbs and gives Sable a smirk…

Sable: I finally got my revenge. 1998 has been a really tough year for me. My relationship with Marc, both personally and professionally, has pretty much fallen apart. I’ve been embarrassed and humiliated so many times… but I always knew I had the support of the fans to help get me through it.

I mean, the crowd gives Sable a bit of a pop, but it’s not emotional support the majority of the males in the crowd are here for…

Sable: And I wanna say something right now to Marc. Marc, I hope you’re somewhere back there and you can hear me right now…

The shot snaps to the image of ’Marvellous’ Marc Mero and Ivory standing infront of a monitor in the backstage interview area, scowls on both their faces as they listen intently to what Sable has to say…

Sable: As far as I’m concerned, this issue between me and you? It’s over for good now. I beat you fair and square in the middle of the ring in Madison Square Garden. And for me, that means this rivalry we’ve had is finished.

Another pop from the crowd, before we snap backstage again to see a furious scowl on Mero’s face as he slowly shakes his head…

Sable: This whole thing started way back in October when you came back from injury and you couldn’t stand it that in the time you’d been away, I’d made a name for myself. You were jealous and you hated that these people cheered for me in your absence. But y’know what, Marc? That was ten months ago that you started acting like this. But after last night… it needs to stop.

A rueful shake of the head from Sable, clearly still toying with her emotions with regards to her estranged husband…

Sable: And Marc, I truly hope you can find some kind of closure out of all this. Because as far as I’m concerned, I’m movin’ on… and I’m goin’ back to my real job here in the WWF as a manager.

”I thought she was talkin’ about her job out on the street corner!” quips Lawler…

Sable: And Val… I wanna start by sayin’ I owe you a huge debt of gratitude. Me and you entered into a business relationship, but thanks to Marc and Ivory, that relationship got personal inside of the ring. But now it’s time to get back down to business and to get you the opportunities you deserve.

Val likes the sound of that, nodding his head…

Sable: And that’s why earlier today, I spoke with Mr. McMahon and I convinced him that next week, it’s gonna be you and X-Pac one on one for the European Title.

That gets a pop from the crowd, and another nod of approval from Val…

Sable: You helped me with my personal problems, Val… and now it’s time I help you get down to the business at hand. And that’s gettin’ you back into the chase with regards to winnin’ championships here in the WWF. And it’s gonna start for us next week when-

*DESERT THREAT*​

Wait a second! Here comes Tiger Ali Singh storming out into the arena, his father Tiger Jeet Singh accompanying him. Both men are dressed in sharp suits and are wearing sunglasses with turbans, although neither man looks happy at what they’re hearing right now…

Jim Ross: Well there’s Tiger Ali Singh, now tha’ former European Champion after he lost tha’ belt ta’ X-Pac last night at SummerSlam. And Tiger, he don’t look too happy right now.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Can ya’ blame ‘im? He was robbed of his title last night by X-Pac thanks to Chyna, and now Sable’s steppin’ in to get Val the first title shot? What happened to Tiger’s rematch? Shouldn’t that come first?

The Singh’s step through the ropes, with the former European Champion snatching the microphone from Cole’s hand and shoving him away, which is Cole’s cue to exit the ring. Val and Sable aren’t happy with the interruption, with Val stepping forward as Tiger points a finger at Sable…

Tiger Ali Singh: Who the hell do you think you are, Sable? Who the hell do you think you are, goin’ to Mr. McMahon to get the next shot at my European Title for this sleazeball Val here? I wonder how the negotiations with Mr. McMahon went? Did you spend most the time on your knees or on your back!?

The crowd “Oooh!”s while again Val steps forward, only for Sable to grab Val by the t-shirt to try and hold him back…

Tiger Ali Singh: Y’know somethin’? I am so sick and tired of stupid American women like you, Sable!

The crowd, especially the females, respond with heat…

Tiger Ali Singh: You’re doin’ exactly what that stupid bitch Chyna did last night, and that’s stickin’ your nose in my business where it doesn’t belong. Simply put, your man Val here doesn’t deserve a shot at the European Championship. I shoulda never had the title stolen from me last night in the first place, so if anybody is in line for a shot at X-Pac, it’s me gettin’ my rematch.

Sable can’t believe how stupid Tiger is sounding right now, shaking her head in disbelief…

Tiger Ali Singh: But this is just another example of the blatant racism I face every day here in the WWF. You ignorant Americans, always so selfish, so arrogant, always wantin’ to take what isn’t yours. And to make things worse, it’s a dumb, blonde, American bimbo like yourself who’s doin’ it. Well I have had it with you women runnin’ around like you’re callin’ the shots around here.

Over Tiger’s shoulder, his father Tiger Jeet nods along…

Tiger Ali Singh: So let me make this clear, Sable. If anybody is gettin’ a title shot at X-Pac next week… it’s gonna be me.

Tiger very smugly points a finger to himself as he says that…

Tiger Ali Singh: And if you try get in my way Val… it’s gonna take more than some special treatment from your manager to save you.

Upon hearing that, Val heads to the corner and grabs a second microphone, before he gets in Tiger’s face…

Val Venis: Listen up. I dunno what it’s like wherever you come from, but it’s time you started treatin’ ladies with respect. And it’s especially time you started showin’ Sable here some respect.

A pornstar standing up for women’s rights. What a time to be alive…

Val Venis: Now as my manager, it’s Sable’s job to get me opportunities. But I’m pretty sure she showed the world last night that she’s not afraid to kick anybody’s ass. Or should I say… any man’s ass.

Another snap back to Mero, who is inaudibly arguing with Ivory about what’s being said in the ring…

Val Venis: And make no mistake about it, if Sable wanted to kick your ass… I don’t doubt for a second she could.

Val turns his head to look at Sable, who gives him a knowing raise of the eyebrows in response…

Val Venis: But then again… if Sable doesn’t wanna bother herself with the likes of you… then I’ll gladly kick your ass right in the middle of this ring… tonight.

Another pop from the crowd, although Tiger seems less impressed, he screws up his face and snarls back at Val…

Tiger Ali Singh: Respect? You wanna talk about respect?! I don’t respect any woman who comes out here week after week and pushes her personal sexual agenda for her benefit. And I especially don’t respect any man who takes advantage of that to gain title shots he doesn’t deserve.

Singh very aggressively points a finger in Val’s face as he says that…

Tiger Ali Singh: It’s pretty clear to me, and to anybody with a brain, that you’ve sent Sable in to speak with Mr. McMahon, to flutter his eyelashes, to flash a little cleavage, and look what it’s got you. A title shot next week for my European Championship! It makes me sick! It’s a damn disgrace to this business!

In the background, Tiger Jeet nods along, but now Sable steps forward and asks Val for the mic…

Sable: Listen Tiger… lemme make this clear for you. There was no fluttering eyelashes or showin’ cleavage to anybody. The fact of the matter is, that last night at SummerSlam, you lost your match, while Val… he won his. And in the eyes of Vince McMahon, that means Val is next in line for a shot at the European Title. So, if you have a problem with that, you take that up with him and-

Tiger Ali Singh: My problem isn’t with Mr. McMahon, my problem is with you and the women like you in this business. Always stickin’ your nose in where it doesn’t belong. And always gettin’ involved in my business. Last night it was Chyna, tonight it’s you! You women need to know your place, and that’s back in the kitchen where you belong!

Sable just rolls her eyes and shakes her head…

Tiger Ali Singh: But before you go back to bakin’ cakes and raisin’ babies… maybe you take Val’s balls outta your purse first and give ‘em back to him!

A big “Ooooh!” from the crowd, and it seems like Val has heard enough as he rears back… and smacks Singh hard across the jaw! Tiger’s sunglasses go flying as Val knocks him down with one punch, but then from the blindside… Tiger Jeet Singh smacks Val with a forearm! The elder Singh now mounts Val, grabbing a handful of hair to then rain down with stiff right hands to the face, the crowd booing as Val takes a beating… only for Sable to interject… by kicking Jeet hard across the chest! The kick causes Tiger Jeet to roll away from Val, but he’s quickly back on his feet to start screaming in Sable’s face… only for Sable to swing… KICK TO THE GROIN!

Sable catches Tiger Jeet with a boot square between the legs, causing the elder Singh to drop to the mat in the foetal position and roll from the ring…

Jim Ross: Bah Gawd, Sable ain’t backin’ down here! She got all o’ that one!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yeah but look, Tiger’s back on his feet now!

Indeed, having seen his father take that boot from Sable, Tiger is back on his feet… and he grabs Sable from behind by the hair! Singh has Sable in his grasp, ready to smack her in the mouth… but Val flies in and tackles Tiger to the canvas! Val takes Singh down and his turn to throw wild right after right, until both men stumble back to their feet, where Val is waiting… to nail Tiger with a spinning spinebuster! Singh is down, and now Val is climbing to the top rope, ready to fly… MONEY SHOT!! Val gets all of it, he and Sable have left both Singhs down and out here tonight, with Sable now raising Val’s hand high in the air to the delight of the crowd…

Jim Ross: What a twenty-four hours it’s been for Val Venis an’ Sable! First they beat Mero an’ Ivory, now they’ve just laid out Tiger Ali Singh an’ his father! An’ could Val become tha’ new European Champion next week on Raw!?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: That was totally uncalled for! Who does Val Venis think he is anyway!?

The fans are clearly on board with the momentum Val and Sable are building right now as they continue to cheer as the pair pose for the fans and applaud, before we quickly backstage.

Back to Mero and Ivory, who watched that whole scene unfold, Mero snarling at the screen as we see the shot of Sable and Val celebrating in the ring…

’Marvellous’ Marc Mero: I ain’t through wit’ those two bozos! We ain’t lettin’…

Just then, Duan Gill walks past Mero and Ivory, a rather innocuous look on his face, although once he spots Mero, he smirks and laughs, shaking his head, but when he tries to walk away, Mero cuts him off…

’Marvellous’ Marc Mero: Whoa, whoa, whoa… what the hell you laughin’ at, Gill?

Duane Gill: Me? Well, y’know… you got beat by a girl last night, didn’t ya’!?

Gill laughs again, with Mero joining in with a laugh that is anything but sincere…

’Marvellous’ Marc Mero: Oh… that’s funny is it? You think that’s funny!?

Duane Gill: Yeah, yeah I do! I mean-

Bang! Mero smacks Gill with a left hand, catching him completely off guard! Gill tries to fight back, but he can barely register anything as Mero unloads with shot after shot, until he grabs Gill by the back of the head… and hurls him into some nearby oil drums! The drums fall on top of Gill, with Mero laying in with some stomps for good measure, before he sneers down at Gill and says…

’Marvellous’ Marc Mero: Nobody laughs at me and gets away wit’ it! Nobody!

Mero and Ivory now walk away, leaving the camera to look down on Gill, coughing and groaning on the floor, the shot lingering for a few seconds before we head to a commercial.

*Commercial*​

We return to the locker room, where D’Lo Brown is sat on a folding chair, holding an ice pack to his neck after the attack he suffered earlier from The Undertaker. D’Lo winces and rubs the back of his head with the ice, until we hear…

???: My, my… would ya’ look at that.

D’Lo groans as he looks up from the floor, the camera panning with him to reveal a mystery black woman is standing before him. The women is rather buxom and has her assets on display, which draws a cheer from the males inside the arena…

???: Boy, that Undertaker did a number on you didn’t he? Dropped you right on that head o’ yours!

Not sure who this woman is or why she’s talking to him, D’Lo rises from his chair…

D’Lo Brown: Who the hell are you?

???: Me? My name’s Jacqueline. Some people call me ‘Miss Jackie’, but you? You gon’ call me Jacqueline.

D’Lo is caught off guard by the forwardness of this Jacqueline, he has a bewildered look on his face as he holds his arms out in confusion…

D’Lo Brown: I’mma call you Jacqueline!? I ain’t callin’ you nothin’! Get the hell outta my-

Jacqueline: How ‘bout you sit down, shut up an’ listen? Now I know you ain’t about gettin’ dropped by The Undertaker every week. But I been watchin’ the WWF these last few months. I see somethin’ in ya’. You got somethin’… an’ I’m gonna be the one to get it outta ya’.

D’Lo Brown: What d’you mean by that?

A wry smile crosses Jacqueline’s face…

Jacqueline: I mean, you got potential. But you ain’t usin’ it right. You ain’t done nothin’ for months now. You sure ain’t been winnin’ a whole lot or been near a damn pay per view in forever! That song you come out to might say you ‘The Real Deal’, but from where I’m standin’… you ain’t been ‘The Real Deal’ for a long time now.

From the look on his face, that’s clearly stung D’Lo to hear that, but before he can say anything, Jacqueline raises a hand to calm him…

Jacqueline: But I no you ain’t no kinda scrub, D’Lo. You just ain’t put it all together yet. But I can help you get there. I can make you a champion, boy. If you willin’ to listen and do what I tell you to do.

Clearly D’Lo is intrigued, but his pride seems to be getting in the way of this as he starts to shake his head…

D’Lo Brown: You gon’ make me a champion? I don’t need no help to become a champion.

Jacqueline: Oh really? ‘Cos the way I see it… you need all the help you can get right now.

A sense of realism and frustration crosses Brown’s face as Jacqueline says that, perhaps thinking that this woman could be what he needs to get his career back on track…

Jacqueline: Just listen an’ try it, alright? We gon’ make a star outta you, boy. If you willin’ to do what it takes to get there?

He’s still not happy with how he’s been spoken to, but D’Lo soon lets out a sigh and puts his hands on his hips, before he slowly nods his head in agreement. A smile crosses Jacqueline’s face, pleased that she’s managed to talk D’Lo around here…

Jaqueline: Alright. Now quit feelin’ sorry for yo’self an’ get that neck right. We startin’ tomorrow mornin’.

Having said that, Jaqueline turns and makes her exit, leaving the confused looking D’Lo to watch her go before he thinks out loud and asks…

D’Lo Brown: Startin’ tomorrow? Startin’ what?

But there’s nobody there to answer, so D’Lo just shakes his head and winces again, quickly reapplying the ice pack to his neck and sitting down again before we cut away.

Back into the arena for…

*WE SALUTE*​

Out come The Heritage as Jim Cornette leads Lance Storm and John Bradshaw down the aisle to the ring. With his trusty tennis racquet in his hand, Cornette has a few choice words for some of the ringside fans, before he applauds Storm and Bradshaw as they hold their titles high to the annoyance of the crowd…

Jim Ross: Well I guess Jacqueline, or ‘Miss Jackie’, she’s here in tha’ WWF now ta’ make somethin’ of D’Lo Brown.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Y’know, I feel like I know her from somewhere. She looks kinda familiar…

Jim Ross: I can’t say I know much about her, ‘King’. But right now, tha’ World Tag Team Championships are on tha’ line. Lance Storm and John Bradshaw, just twenty-four hours removed from successfully defendin’ their titles against Mankind and Al Snow, not they’re takin’ on Southern Justice.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yeah and Cornette, he ain’t happy about it. And I can’t say I blame him. We saw what Southern Justice did to ‘Stone Cold’ a few weeks ago, if they do that tonight then we could have new tag champs right here.

*ALICE’S FOLLY*​

More jeers from the fans as Southern Justice make their entrance, Mark Canterbury and Dennis Knight marching for the ring as Tennessee Lee tries to drum up some support from the fans for his team…

Jim Ross: Well this title opportunity for Southern Justice right here ain’t nothin’ but a thank you from Vince McMahon for that assault on ‘Stone Cold’ on Sunday Night Heat about three weeks ago. I don’t know how anybody could think that they-

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Hey ‘JR’, look… what’s this?

For some reason, the camera feed shows us a pair of men with long blonde hair standing in the concourse of the stands. These two young looking men are both dressed in tight leather shirts with sunglasses on, long flowing blonde hair and stern looks on their faces as they stare down at the ring…

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Who are these guys?

Jim Ross: I’ve got no idea, ‘King’. I hope they both bought a ticket ta’ be here t’night…

Match Three: World Tag Team Championships Match
World Tag Team Champions The Heritage w/ Jim Cornette vs. Southern Justice w/ Tennessee Lee

Storm and Knight get us going in this one, with Storm trying to start the match by using his technical skills to twist Knight into hammerlocks and headlocks, before he takes Knight down with a drop-toe-hold and swivels over into a grounded headlock. Knight fights back to his feet and breaks free with elbows, before he bowls Storm over with a shoulderblock. In the corner, Knight smashes Storm with uppercuts and shoulderthrusts to the body, before he tags in Canterbury, who starts to target Storm’s lower back with knees and a stiff backbreaker for the first near fall of the match. Canterbury has Storm back on his feet and is looking for a suplex, but Storm drops down the back, runs Canterbury into the ropes… takes him down with an O’Connor roll… 1… 2… Canterbury kicks out, sending Storm into the ropes… and he rebounds with a low-angle dropkick! Storm then tags in Bradshaw, he and Canterbury exchange a string of heavy shots, trading stiff forearms and uppercuts against the ropes, until Bradshaw smacks Canterbury with a big boot to the face for a two count. Bradshaw then goes for an Irish whip to the corner, but Canterbury reverses and follows in… into a boot to the face! Bradshaw throwing hard rights, backing Canterbury across the ring to the opposite corner, when…

*OH YOU DIDN’T KNOW?*​

What the…? It’s The New Age Outlaws! For some reason the former champions Billy Gunn and Road Dogg have stepped out into the arena, carrying lawn chairs, much to the delight of the crowd and the chagrin of Cornette and Lee at ringside…

Road Dogg: Oh you didn’t know!? Yo’ ass betta CALL SOMEBODYYYYY! Y’see it’s me, it’s me, it’s that D – O – DOUBLE G! And I’m out here with MR. B – A – DOUBLE D! And we’ out here to save these people from whatever kinda shiz nizz this is!

The camera cuts to a shot of Cornette, he looks furious to see The Outlaws out here, especially when he sees them setting up their chairs under the titan-tron to watch the match…

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: What’s the meanin’ of this, ‘JR’!? Why are these two idiots out here!?

Jim Ross: I guess tha’ former champs wanted to watch this title match up close an’ personal or somethin’ like that.

And of course while this is all going on, the match in the ring continues, with Bradshaw and Canterbury still trading shots in the corner, but all eyes are now on Billy and Road Dogg, with Billy starting to eat some popcorn as Dogg offers some commentary on the match…

Road Dogg: Now what we have here is one team livin’ in the past, an’ another livin’ in the pockets of ol’ Vinny Mac. And what that means is that we’ve got a match that is more borin’ than what they’re showin’ on TNT right now!

And the commentary from Road Dogg is starting to have an effect, as Bradshaw pauses his attack to look up the aisle and glare at The Outlaws, allowing Canterbury to catch him with a shot to the gut. Knight tags back in, he takes Bradshaw down with a swinging neckbreaker, then drops a knee across the head for a two count, before he shoots Bradshaw off the ropes with an Irish whip… but Storm makes a blind tag to Bradshaw… Knight lowers his head, only for Bradshaw to snap him up with a kick… and Storm flies across the ring with a spinning wheel kick! Storm hits a snap suplex followed by a snap legdrop for a two count, but once again, all eyes are drawn towards The Outlaws when Road Dogg says…

Road Dogg: It’s Lance Storm, the human Q-Tip! Y’know he’s so borin’, I heard Ted Turner watches Lance Storm matches ta’ help ‘im fall asleep at night!

And now it’s Storm who becomes distracted as he stares up the aisle, even Cornette is getting annoyed as the camera catches him yelling “Shut up!” at Road Dogg, while we see Billy pretending to have fallen asleep in his chair, popcorn falling from his mouth as he does so. Knight has brought Canterbury back into things, he goes back to work on Storm and gets two counts from a legdrop and a sidewalk slam. He then rears back and fires Storm hard to the corner and races in… corner splash! Storm slumps to the canvas, he could be in trouble here… but Storm is able to roll the shoulder before the ref can count three. Canterbury then locks Storm into a seated chinlock, wrenching back on the neck as he drives a knee into the lower spine. And as you’d expect, with this being two heel teams, there really isn’t much of a reaction from the crowd for this spot, although Road Dogg does his best to entertain with…

Road Dogg: Boy, you good ‘ol boys sure are stupid ain’t ya’? I heard Mark Canterbury once brought a stepladder to a bar with ‘im. Yeah, he heard that drinks where on the house!

And upon hearing that, Canterbury abandons his chinlock and steps towards the ropes, pointing a finger up the aisle at The Outlaws and yelling at them, Tennessee Lee trying to get Canterbury to regain his focus, but as he’s doing this, Storm scrambles to his corner to tag Bradshaw. Bradshaw starts landing knees to the body and forearms to the back of the head, before he shoots Bradshaw off the ropes… into a side slam! Bradshaw is planted, but before Canterbury can do any further damage…

Road Dogg: A’ight, that’s enough! Nobody wants to see anymore o’ this!

And that’s the cue for Road Dogg and Billy to start heading for the ring! The pair slowly saunter down the aisle, with Storm being the first to spot them, dropping down from his corner to get in their face… only for Billy to launch him popcorn into Storm’s face… then hurl him into the ringsteps! Road Dogg and Billy then slide into the ring… and they go after Bradshaw and Canterbury! The former champions lay in with a beatdown on the two competitors in the ring, and the referee sees no other option, he calls for the bell to bring this one to an end!

Winners: No Contest @ 07:22

The referee throws the match out, but we’re not done yet, as now Storm slides back into the ring and charges at Road Dogg… but Road Dogg ducks… one left hand, and another, and a third… then a little juking and jiving… big right hand! And here comes Knight, he goes for Billy… Billy avoids it, Road Dogg strikes with a boot to the midsection as Gunn comes off the ropes… FAME-ASS-ER!! The Outlaws have brought an early end to this match and they’ve laid out both The Heritage and Southern Justice in the process! The crowd are loving it, roaring their approval as Billy and Dogg climb the corners to send out some crotch chops to the fans…

Jim Ross: Well I guess Tha’ Heritage are still tha’ World Tag Team Champions, but I don’t think Southern Justice are gonna take too kindly ta’ their title shot bein’ interrupted like this.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Listen to these morons in the crowd, they’re lovin’ this! I’m tellin’ ya’, there’s gonna be hell to pay for The Outlaws, Tennessee Lee ain’t gonna take this lyin’ down!

So we continue to look at Road Dogg and Billy celebrating with the fans, before we cut back to the two blonde haired youngsters in the crowd, the stern expression on their faces not having changed as they take all of this in…

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: And we still don’t know who these two guys are or what they’re doin’ here!

Jim Ross: They look like two rather broodin’ individuals to me. I don’t think I’ve seen ‘em crack a smile or anythin’ the whole time they’ve been standin’ there.

We go from the two blondes back to the ring, where Road Dogg and Billy continue to celebrate with the fans, before we cut away.

To the backstage area, where we see Kaientai are on the warpath! Men’s Teioh, still with green mist on his face, is joined by Taka Michinoku, Sho Funaki and Dick Togo… and they’re armed! They’re carrying samurai swords, baseball bats, tire irons, even one of those of ridiculously oversized pepper grinders! And bringing up the rear is Mr. Yamaguchi carrying the Kaientai flag, the group looking like they are on the hunt for Tajiri after what happened earlier…

Jim Ross: Oh for tha’ love of Gawd! That looks like Kaientai are runnin’ around backstage lookin’ for Tajiri! We’ve gotta go to commercial, don’t go anywhere folks!

*Commercial*​

*Hour Two*​

Back from the commercial we’re straight back into the arena to a cacophony of boos as already heading down the aisle are Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon. Vince and Shane are again flanked by Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco and Sgt. Slaughter, although this time they’ve also brought The Big Boss Man with them. Another point of note here is that Brisco is carrying a black velvet bag, the camera zooming in on it as Brisco climbs up the ringsteps…

Jim Ross: Welcome back folks. I dunno ‘bout you folks at home, but I’m certainly startin’ ta’ get a little sick an’ tired of seein’ Vince McMahon an’ his son Shane t’night.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Well you better get used to it, ‘JR’! We’ve still go their big victory celebration with Owen Hart to come later tonight!

Jim Ross: Oh yeah, can’t wait for that one…

As they reach the ring, Slaughter holds the ropes open for Vince and Shane to enter, while Patterson scurries to the corner to grab a microphone, handing it over to Vince…

Vince McMahon: Thank you once again for such a warm reception…

Cue instant heat from the crowd…

Vince McMahon: So far tonight, this has been quite the night for myself and my associates. We’ve saw ‘Stone Cold’ Stave Austin run out of the arena, perhaps for the very last time. We’ve had The Undertaker humbled by the realisation that I’ve got his brother Kane exactly where I want him in a mental institution. And of course, later tonight you are all cordially invited to join us to celebrate the dawning of a new era here in the World Wrestling Federation with the official crowning of our new WWF Champion, Owen Hart!

The crowd jeer all of that, only for Vince to quickly raise a finger in the air…

Vince McMahon: And as for D-Generation X, don’t think I’ve forgotten about your little group, oh no. You’re gonna get yours later tonight as well, you can count on that.

More boos, while Shane very smugly smirks over his Dad’s shoulder at that comment…

Vince McMahon: However… there is one other person that I also haven’t forgotten about. And that person… is one Mick Foley.

Big pop for the mention of Foley…

Vince McMahon: Now Mick, I know you’re back there, I’m sure you can hear me right now. I’d like you to come on out here Mick so we can discuss this man-to-man. Come on out here, Mick!

All eyes turn to the entrance way, but in the initial moments, there’s no sign of Foley…

Vince McMahon: C’mon, Mick! I know you’re back there, I know you can hear me, let’s get you out here Mick so we can talk about this face-to-face.

Still no sign of Foley, but then… eventually… after what feels like an eternity…

Vince McMahon: C’mon, Mick! Don’t keep me waitin’!

Here comes Mick Foley! While last night at SummerSlam we saw Mankind, tonight is very much Mick Foley. No mask, no brown outfit, instead it’s just a t-shirt underneath a flannel shirt, with baggy sweatpants and sneakers. Foley is obviously wary as he heads down the aisle, not looking forward to this confrontation at all…

Jim Ross: Well, uh… here comes Mick Foley. I dunno ‘bout this, this ain’t a good situation ta’ be walkin’ into if ya’ ask me.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Well he either gets in the ring with Mr. McMahon of McMahon’ll send Boss Man back there to beat the hell outta him!

As Foley steps through the ropes, he stays close to the ropes with McMahon and company filling the other side of the ring from him, although Vince tires to placate him by calling out to the fans…

Vince McMahon: How ‘bout it, folks? Gibe it up for Mick Foley! Let’s hear ya’!

The crowd respond warmly, although in the background Patterson, Brisco and Slaughter all give very sarcastic rounds of applause with big, smug smirks on their faces…

Vince McMahon: Mick, it’s great to see ya’ here tonight. I wanna thank you for comin’ out here and joinin’ me this evenin’. I uh… I don’t know how else to put this Mick, but… it’s not exactly been a great for you, has it?

Vince screws up his face and shakes his head…

Vince McMahon: I mean, let’s think back to last December, all that nonsense with the hardcore stuff and Terry Funk. And I warned you and Funk not to bring weapons and all that violence into my Royal Rumble Match… but then the two of ya’ did it anyway, didn’t ya’?

And the crowd have warm memories of that time as they cheer…

Vince McMahon: And we had the match at WrestleMania, the Unsanctioned Match, you and Funk… you two beat the hell outta each other, didn’t ya’? I mean, that was a whole other level of violence we’ve never seen here in the WWF.

Foley is unmoved, the brooding look in his eyes hasn’t changed since he entered the ring…

Vince McMahon: And then there was the battles with Vader, the Boiler Room Brawl, the fight with Boss Man… you’ve had it tough haven’t you, Mick? You’ve really took this whole hardcore thing and ran with it, haven’t ya’? I mean, there was even that one time… you assaulted me, Mick.

And again, the crowd respond with a pop, much to Vince’s annoyance…

Vince McMahon: Yeah… you jammed your fingers right down into my gullet, didn’t ya’ Mick? I bet you loved doin’ that. Or was it… was it Mankind who loved doin’ that, huh?

”It was Mick Foley wearin’ the Mankind mask tha’ night he attacked McMahon backstage…” says ‘JR’…

Vince McMahon: Yeah… yeah, it was Mankind who stuck his fingers down my throat, wasn’t it? And it was Mankind who came up short last night with regards to the World Tag Team Championship, wasn’t it? And yet… it’s Mick Foley who’s standin’ before me right here tonight. So tell me… Mick? Mankind? Just who exactly am I talkin’ to tonight?

McMahon steps to Foley and points the microphone at him…

Mick Foley: Well Vince… you’re talkin’ to Mick Foley right now. And I can’t say a whole lot about what Mankind did or did not do… but I can promise you that if given half the chance, I’d love to stick my fingers down your damn throat as well!

That gets a massive cheer from the crowd, with McMahon pulling back the mic, dropping a little gulp before he steps back towards the safety of his crew…

Vince McMahon: Alright. Well… Mick… quite frankly, you’ve been nothin’ short of a thorn in my side for a long time now. I told you back in December I didn’t want this hardcore crap in my company, but you brought it on and you made these morons in the crowd cheer for it, so I allowed it while it made me money. And I allowed you to be an employee of my company Mick, while you made me money and you had some usefulness. But now that I’m on a campaign to take back my company and to humble my adversaries… I think your usefulness to me has just about run out.

A wry shake of the head from Vince…

Vince McMahon: However… I’ve made a decision about you and your hardcore style of action, Mick. Infact, I… I wanna give ya’ somethin’. I’ve got a little gift for you here.

McMahon reaches back for the black velvet bag that Brisco is holding, with Brisco gleefully handing it over…

Vince McMahon: In this bag, Mick… is somethin’ that’s gonna define the rest of your career. As always, we here at the World Wrestling Federation are at the cutting edge of the sports entertainment industry. And once again, I, Vincent Kennedy McMahon… have came up with an idea to make myself millions.

Foley doesn’t trust this at all, especially when Vince holds up his finger again…

Vince McMahon: Or… it’ll bring your career to an end.

With that, Vince reaches into the bag and pulls out… a tired, battered looking title belt? The camera zooms in on this title belt, showing us that it’s all cracked with a strip of tape across the main plate with the word “HARDCORE” crudely written on it. Vince has a big smile on his face as he takes this title belt and hands it over to Foley, who looks down with distrust at the belt he’s been given…

Vince McMahon: Ladies and gentlemen, you are witnessing history! May I proudly present to you, the very first World Wrestling Federation… Hardcore Champion… Mick Foley! Give it up for ‘im!

So the crowd aren’t sure how to take this, there’s a mix of cheers and confusion, especially since Foley isn’t looking so happy with the title belt he’s holding…

Vince McMahon: How about that, huh? Ain’t that great!? Our first Hardcore Champion!

”What an honour for Mick Foley!” says Lawler, with the same level of sincerity as McMahon is speaking with right now…

Vince McMahon: So Mick, allow me to explain the rules here associated with this most prestigious of championships. The Hardcore Championship, as the name suggest, can only be defended under hardcore rules. And what this title means for you Mick, is that each and every week right here on Raw… and let’s not forget on pay per view… but every week, you’re gonna defend that Hardcore Championship in a match contested under hardcore rules.

”He can’t be serious! Nobody’s body can withstand that kinda punishment!” pleads Ross…

Vince McMahon: And after all, these people out there, they’ve loved seein’ you put your body through hell on pay per view, all the shots to the head you’ve taken, all the broken tables, the wars in the bowels of different arenas, they’ve loved all of it! So I’ve decided… let’s give the people what they want… and let’s give ‘em more of it! Let’s give ‘em a Hardcore Match every week right here on Raw! And let’s have you defend that title every week! Don’t that sound great!?

The camera catches Brisco clapping and giving Foley a thumbs up…

Vince McMahon: Now I realise that with this bein’ a championship, of course, it can be won or lost on any given occasion. And of course that means Mick, your first title defence… you could lose the title. You… you could just even take a dive, couldn’t ya’? You could just lay down and let somebody pin you and you wouldn’t be champion anymore, you’d be off the hook wouldn’t ya’?

”How dare he suggest Mick Foley would lay down to anybody!” says ‘JR’…

Vince McMahon: And I did consider that bein’ a problem, Mick… so here’s what I came up with as a solution. Lemme run this by ya’. If, for some reason, you ever lost that Hardcore Championship… then that will be the end of your time here in the World Wrestling Federation. Or simply put… if you are ever unsuccessful in a Hardcore Title defence… then you are fired, Mick.

An evil smirks comes across McMahon’s face as he says that…

Vince McMahon: Or to put it another way… you either go all out and remain Hardcore Champion… or you’re outta a job. That big new house you bought? I don’t think you’ll be makin’ anymore payments on that. The college funds for your children? Their futures won’t be so bright anymore. Your wife? No more cars or designer clothes for her, she’ll be back on the streets where you found her! So you think carefully here, Mick. Think about your future. Think about your family’s future. And I know you’ll wind up seein’ things my way.

The crowd are really not happy with this, throwing a ton of heat at Vince as he smiles and nods at Foley. Mick continues to stare at the canvas, his long hair covering the dark look on his face, clearly pondering his fate here before he motions with his hand for Vince to pass him the microphone…

Mick Foley: So let me be clear on what you’re sayin’ here, Vince. As of right now, I am the WWF’s first ever Hardcore Champion. However… if I were to lose this title… I would be out of a job, right?

McMahon nods in agreement…

Mick Foley: So every week, I’ve to come out here and defend this… piece of junk you call a title…

The crowd interrupt with a pop for Foley’s description of the Hardcore Championship belt, with Vince turning to Shane and feigning disgust in a rather dramatic and sarcastic fashion…

Mick Foley: I’ve to come out here and defend this every week… or you’re gonna fire me right?

Vince McMahon: That’s right.

Vince very smugly nods, but Foley doesn’t look impressed at all…

Mick Foley: Well Vince, I’ll be honest with you here… if that’s the way you want this to play out… then I think I’d rather shove this piece of crap up your ass and quit the WWF!

That gets a pretty mixed response, nobody wanting to see Foley leave but also pleased to see him stand up to McMahon…

Mick Foley: I’d rather walk right outta this arena tonight with my pride than defend this ridiculous title and put myself through anymore of your crap! You think this is funny? You think I’m gonna let you do this to my career? I’ve fought all the world, puttin’ myself through the most barbaric matches there’s ever been, and you think I’m gonna let you make me put myself through that night after night for this piece of crap right here!? Do you!? IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK VINCE!?

Foley is really getting animated, causing Vince to take a step back and let out that trademark gulp of his…

Mick Foley: You’ve done enough damage to me, physically, mentally… and professionally this year. I’m not gonna stand for it anymore. I’d rather quit right now than take part in any of this. So you can keep that thing you call the Hardcore Championship and you can give it to somebody else, cause I’m walkin’ outta here right now.

But just as Foley starts to turn on his heels and leave, McMahon calls out after him…

Vince McMahon: Ah, not so fast there, Mick. See I thought you mighta had this in mind. I know you consider yourself a proud man, I know your ego might not like this, but I was prepared for this situation. Y’see, not only Mick will you be fired from the World Wrestling Federation if you lay down and lose the Hardcore Championship… but if you decide to up and walk away… not only will I fire you Mick… but I’ll be forced to terminate the employment of your good friend Al Snow as well.

”What!? He can’t do that!” yells Ross…

Vince McMahon: So let me make this clear for ya’, Mick. You lose the Hardcore Championship… or if you forfeit the Hardcore Championship… you’re history… and so is your friend, Al.

That gets a ton of heat from the crowd, while Foley closes his eyes and slowly shakes his head, realising the graveness of the situation he’s in here…

Vince McMahon: I mean, not only will you be fired, tryin’ to whore yourself out to every other wrestlin’ company out there, maybe somebody in Japan will take pity on you… but Al as well? After all those years tryin’ to get an opportunity here, finally makin’ a name for himself with that ridiculous Head thing… and it’ll all be taken away from him. All taken away from him… by you, Mick.

”This is heinous!” bellows ‘JR’, while Mick looks dejectedly down at the canvas…

Mick Foley: You’re really enjoyin’ this, aren’t you Vince? You get some kinda sick, twisted pleasure outta this, don’t you? Well since you seem so determined to torture me by makin’ me defend this Hardcore Championship of yours… I guess you won’t wanna me for doin’ this…

FOLEY LUNGES AT MCMAHON… MANDIBLE CLAW! MANDIBLE CLAW TO VINCE MCMAHON!!

Foley takes everyone by surprise by jamming his fingers into McMahon’s mouth, Vince’s arms flailing wildly as he tries to struggle free, Patterson, Brisco, Slaughter and Shane all panic and start yelling… but from behind… BOSS MAN HAMMERS FOLEY WITH THE NIGHTSTICK!! A stiff shot to the back of the head causes Foley to collapse to the mat, saving Vince in the process. Shane quickly grabs his Dad to check on him, Vince coughing and looking flustered, but he soon demands the microphone is picked up off the canvas for him…

Vince McMahon: You… you stupid son of a bitch! You don’t ever put your hands on me, Foley! I’m gonna enjoy this! I’m gonna enjoy every second of this! And guess what? Your first title defence? It’s right – now!

*SLOW DEATH*​

The tough as nails Hardcore Holly steps into the arena, fresh off his victory last night over Faarooq. The camera quickly cuts back to the ring though, where Foley is still down on the mat, while Vince leads his colleagues from the ring to allow this match to take place…

Jim Ross: Are you kiddin’ me? Mick Foley, he’s tha’ WWF’s first ever Hardcore Champion, but if he loses tha’ title, he’s fired from tha’ WWF an’ so is Al Snow!?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yeah and his first title defence is right here against Hardcore Holly! This is great!

Jim Ross: This is all from tha’ sick, twisted mind of Vince McMahon! An’ this match is gonna take place, when we return! Don’t go anywhere, folks!

*Commercial*​

Match Four: Hardcore Championship Match
Hardcore Champion Mick Foley vs. Hardcore Holly

And we return to Holly in control, having taken advantage of the nightstick shot from Boss Man, Holly lays in with stomps to Foley’s head in the corner, before he yanks Foley up and strikes with chops to the chest. Holly goes for an Irish whip to the corner, but Foley reverses… and follows in with a corner clothesline! A chance for Foley to attack, he hammers Holly with right hands that drop Holly to a seated position on the mat, with Mick backing up and charging… running knee to the head! Foley backs away, allowing Holly to drag himself to his feet… Cactus clothesline takes both men over the top rope! And now Foley starts rummaging under the ring, bringing out a pair of steel chairs… and a kendo stick! The crowd buzz in anticipation as Foley rears back… CRACKS THE KENDO STICK ACROSS HOLLY’S BACK! Holly tries to scramble away, but when he bends over in pain, Foley attacks… RUNNING NECKBREAKER ONTO THE CONCRETE! Both men take a painful landing on the aisleway, although Foley is able to crawl over and drape an arm across Holly’s chest… but only gets a two count. Foley tries to stay on the attack, dragging Holly to his feet, but Holly is able to drive Foley spine first into the barricade, before he drags Foley into the centre of the aisle… SUPLEX ON THE FLOOR!

Another painful landing for both men, but Holly is back up first, laying in with stomps to the body before he grabs one of the steel chair… SMACKS THE CHAIR ACROSS FOLEY’S BACK! That gets Holly a two count, before he rolls Foley back into the ring and then goes searching under the ring for more weapons, launching a trash can into the ring while sliding in with a chair. Holly has the chair in hand, he waits for Foley to rise… STEEL CHAIR SHOT TO THE SKULL! That could do it right there, Hollys goes for a cover… 1… 2… Foley rolls a shoulder! Frustrated, Holly kicks Foley under the bottom rope to take the fight outside again, the pair walking and brawling their way towards the announce desk, where Holly tries to smash Foley’s face off the desk… Foley blocks it… Holly eats the announce desk! Holly is down, and Foley nips up onto the apron and flies… CACTUS ELBOW! Foley crashes down on Holly, he stays on top for a cover… 1… 2… Holly’s turn to barely kickout! Both men are feeling the effects of the match, they lay on the floor for a little while to recover, until Foley drags Holly up and rears back for an Irish whip… but Holly reverses… and Foley goes flying over the steel steps!

Holly once again goes searching under the ring, this time he brings out a table and slides it into the ring. Holly continues to do damage to Foley on the outside, kicks to the ribs and head connect before Holly hammers Foley with right hands against the barricade. Back in the ring, Holly has the kendo stick in his hands again, smacking it off of Foley’s spine, before he takes the table and props it up in the corner. Holly then shoves Foley to the opposite corner, laying in with stomps to the body, before he goes for an Irish whip towards the table… but Foley shoots Holly back towards the corner… into a clothesline! Foley saves himself from the table, he goes on the attack with right hands, before he grabs the steel chair… but Holly counters… DROPKICKS THE CHAIR INTO FOLEY’S FACE! Foley hits the canvas hard and rolls towards the table, taking an age to push himself back up… and Holly charges… but Foley counters… BACK BODY DROP THROUGH THE TABLE!! Holly crashes through the wood to a big pop from the crowd, and now Foley looks to finish things off as he drags Holly from the wreckage and places the trash can over Holly’s head while leaving him prone on the mat. Foley climbs to the second rope, he readies himself… then flies… CACTUS ELBOW ONTO THE TRASH CAN!! Foley collapses the trash can onto Holly’s skull, a brutal impact that both men feel, although Foley is able to shove the trash can aside and slump his body on top of Holly’s for the 1… 2… 3!

Winner: And STILL Hardcore Champion, Mick Foley @ 06:19

What a stiff contest, both men beating the hell out of each other, but it’s Foley who prevails and keeps his career alive for another week at least. Neither man moves after the bell is rung, both feeling the effects of the contest, until eventually Foley rolls onto his back and stares at the lights as he tries to recover…

Jim Ross: Bah Gawd, that was as hellacious as they come. How tha’ hell is Mick Foley gonna be able ta’ put his boyd through that kinda match every week?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: He’s not! And that’s exactly what Mr. McMahon wants outta this. He wants Foley to push his body until it breaks, and then he’ll be fired!

We go backstage again to see Vince and company, all smiles and applauding after Foley gets the win…

Shane McMahon: Yeah! Yeah, baby! ‘Atta boy, Mick!

Vince McMahon: I told you this was gonna be good, didn’t I!?

More laughter from Vince’s office until we head back to the arena, Foley struggling to make back to his knees, the referee doing what referee’s do by handing the title over to Foley, who quickly tosses it aside…

Jim Ross: This is sick. This whole situation is sick. Mick Foley, he can’t sustain this kinda punishment.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Well he’s gonna have to or he’s outta a job!

Foley struggles back to his feet, picking up the Hardcore Championship as he does so, looking down on it with disgust before he looks out at the crowd who give him a warm round of applause as a show of appreciation for the effort he put in here…

But we again go backstage to Vince’s office, where the laughing and high-fiving continues…

Vince McMahon: And y’know, that’s just night one! He’s could be doin’ this for years!

Shane McMahon: Hey, what if he never loses the title?

Vince McMahon: Then he’ll be even more broken an battered than he is right now!

More laughter from the room and nodding heads from Patterson, Brisco and Slaughter, until Vince raises a finger…

Vince McMahon: Now this… this has been the perfect night so far. We’ve got Owen here as our new WWF Champion, we’ve ran off ‘Stone Cold’, Kane is locked up in a mental hospital where he belongs, The Undertaker knows his place, and now Mick Foley? He’s gonna regret the day he ever put his hands on me.

More laughter…

Vince McMahon: However… there’s still one more bit of revenge I wanna get. It’s time we gave a little piece of my mind… to D-Generation X.

Nods all round, especially from Owen, but Shane now pipes up…

Shane McMahon: Uh, hey, y’know somethin’, Dad? I was thinkin’, maybe uh… maybe you leave D-X to me?

Vince raises his eyebrows…

Vince McMahon: You wanna take care of D-X?

Shane McMahon: Yeah. I mean, you and Owen have got Austin, you’ve got Undertaker and Kane taken care of, Foley’s done for… gimme D-X. Let me and the boys handle ‘em for ya’.

Vince looks impressed, smiling and nodding his head…

Vince McMahon: Alright. You got somethin’ in mind?

Shane McMahon: Yeah, yeah I got it. Boss Man, Blackman, Bart… you guys are with me. C’mon.

The three men Shane calls on stand up from the sofa and follow Shane towards the door, Vince watching them go with a broad smirk on his face, he and Owen nodding smugly as Shane and company exit the room…

Owen Hart: What’s he got in mind?

Vince McMahon: I dunno… but I can’t wait to see it!

Vince lets out a little chuckle to himself, and it’s on his evil smile that we fade into another commercial.

*Commercial*​

*VIDEO PACKAGE*

A dark screen is dimly lit by a lightbulb swinging back and forth in room. Jarring, harrowing music plays quietly as the camera slowly pans across the room…

The light swings to give us a brief illumination of a table in the middle of the room. Sat upon the table is an open packet of Cheetos with a few scattered on the table top, alongside a stuffed doll of Cartman from South Park…

The light swings again, this time the camera is able to see images of various WWF Superstars pinned to the walls of the room. First we see Shawn Michaels… then The Undertaker…

The light continues to swing, this time we catch glimpses of Triple H… Mankind… and Owen Hart…

Another swing of the light reveals images of ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin pinned to the wall. All of the images of these WWF Superstars are pinned to the wall with thumbtacks stuck their eyes and red marker pen scrawls across their bodies…

Footsteps now approach and enter the room, the light takes a final swing to give us the briefest of looks at a hulking figure, wearing a t-shirt with Cartman on it and an eerie leather mask on his face, until we hear the click of a pull cord that plunges the room into darkness. Which is how the screen stays until the music gets louder until the following fades into sight…

”GOLGA – HE’S HERE – NEXT WEEK!”

*END VIDEO PACKAGE*​

Out of the video, we’re in the interview set where Kevin Kelly is standing by with The Rock, who snarls behind his sunglasses as he paces back and forth…

Kevin Kelly: Welcome back to Raw everyone, I’m here with The Rock. And Rock, last night you beat The Undertaker in controversial fashion after-

Rock holds the palm of his hand in Kelly’s face, causing the interviewer to come to a shuddering halt before Rock snatches the mic from his hand…

The Rock: Why don’t you shut the hell up ya’ fat jabroni? You think The Rock beat The Undertaker in controversial fashion last night? Is that what you think?

Rock turns the mic towards Kelly, who nods his head…

Kevin Kelly: Well, yeah. I mean-

The Rock: It doesn’t matter what you think! The Rock doesn’t give a monkey’s ass what you think. Last night, SummerSlam 1998, The Rock did exactly what he said he was gonna do, that was walk into Madison Square Garden and beat The Undertaker! But you wanna talk about controversial? The Rock’ll tell ya’ what’s controversial, that’s the fact that The Rock still ain’t got a shot at the WWF Title yet.

Rock flares his nostrils as he shakes his head…

The Rock: Y’know The Rock heard ‘Double J’ talkin’ earlier tonight, runnin’ his mouth about not gettin’ any respect around here, but the fact of the matter is, it’s The Rock who ain’t gettin’ the respect he deserves right now. Last night, The Rock beats The Undertaker. Tonight on Raw? The Rock ain’t got a match, ain’t on the damn card. All they’ve got for The Rock is standin’ here backstage with an ugly piece of trash like you!

Kelly looks kind of hurt by that as he sadly turns away…

The Rock: Vince McMahon is back there, makin’ his little matches, too busy playin’ games with ‘Stone Cold’ and The Undertaker. Well you just remember one thing, Vince. Back at Over The Edge, The Rock beat Owen Hart. The Rock then goes into King of the Ring, wins the King of the Ring. And now The Rock beats The Undertaker at SummerSlam and nothin’!

Rock snatches his sunglasses from his face and stares hard into the camera…

The Rock: So as far as The Rock is concerned, it’s about damn time he started what’s comin’ to him, and that means Owen Hart goes one on one with ‘The People’s Champ’ for that WWF Title. If ya’ smell… what The Rock… is cookin’.

Rock slams the mic back into Kelly’s chest and storms off, Kelly watching him go and shaking his head, the camera lingering on Kelly for a few seconds before we cut away.

Back into the arena for…

*IF YOU DARE*​

A great pop for the new Intercontinental Champion Tazz, who marches into the arena with that trademark black towel over his face and his newly won title belt strapped around his waist. As he enters the ring, Tazz whips off the towel and stare menacingly into the hard camera through the orange haze that engulfs the arena…

Jim Ross: It was a big night last night at SummerSlam for Tha’ Rock, but it was also a big night for that man there, Tazz. Tazz beat Jeff Jarrett ta’ finally become tha’ Intercontinental Champion, a moment that’s been a long time comin’ if ya’ ask me.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: I just can’t believe that he was allowed to use that illegal choke hold of his and got away with it. It was a Submission Match and that Tazzmission ain’t a legal submission move! He oughta be stripped of that title right now and it oughta be given back to ‘Double J’!

*THE LYIN’ KING*​

Not much of a response although there as some pretty audible gasps as the mammoth Mabel strides into the arena, pointing up at the ring with a snarl on his face as he heads down the aisle…

Jim Ross: This is a non-title matchup, but it’s quite tha’ test for Tazz his first night as Intercontinental Champion takin’ on tha’ five-hundred pound Mabel.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: I hope Mabel squishes him like the bug that he is! Mabel’s so big, he could use Tazz like a toothpick if he wanted to!

Match Five: Non-Title Match
Intercontinental Champion Tazz vs. Mabel

Looking to set the tone, Mabel goes on the attack, but Tazz sidesteps, landing some hard uppercuts until Mabel swats him away. Mabel charges again, again Tazz avoids it and hits more uppercuts, but again Mabel shoves him away. Tazz is against the ropes, here comes Mabel… but Tazz low bridges… and Mabel tumbles to the floor! Tazz steps through and waits on the apron for Mabel to rise… then dives with a double axe-handle… no! Mabel catches Tazz… and drives him spine first into the ringpost! A painful impact for Tazz, with Mabel smashing his face off the apron before he rolls Tazz back into the ring. Mabel follows in, lining Tazz up for a big elbowdrop… but thankfully Tazz rolls to safety! As Mabel struggles back to his feet, Tazz lands a few stomps, then more uppercuts, before he comes off the ropes with a stiff lariat that puts Mabel back down! That gets Tazz a near fall, before he lands a few kicks to the head and looks to send Mabel to the corner… but Mabel reverses and follows in… into a boot to the face! Mabel staggers back, Tazz charges from the corner… but Mabel catches him with a Samoan drop! Mabel rolls into a cover… but Tazz gets the shoulder up at two.

Mabel enjoys a brief period of control, he drops an elbow then uses a blatant choke against the canvas, before he drags Tazz up for a scoop slam… but Tazz drops behind… looks for an exploder suplex… he gets Mabel up… but then Mabel crashes down on Tazz! And he stays on for the cover… 1… 2… Tazz rolls the shoulder again! Mabel now looks to do some damage to that injured knee, he drops the elbow across it, then wrenches on the leg to twist and hyperextend the knee. Tazz groans in pain, but he fights through it, eventually he’s able to fling a torrent of elbow to Mabel’s head to break the hold. Tazz limps as he makes it back to his feet, he strikes with uppercuts, then goes for an Irish whip to the corner… Mabel reverses and follows in… but Tazz sidesteps… Mabel smacks the turnbuckle! Tazz quickly pushes himself to the second rope… flies with a bulldog! That got Tazz two count, but he stays on the attack, drilling headbutts and more uppercuts, before he shoots Mabel off the ropes… then traps Mabel and shows incredible strength… belly-to-belly suplex! The crowd gasp at Tazz getting Mabel up and down like that, and then Tazz waits, ready to pounce… Mabel makes it back to a knee… but Tazz makes his move… TAZZMISSION!! Tazz gets Mabel in the Tazzmission, Mabel tries to fight it… but he soon taps out!

Winner: Via Submission, Tazz @ 04:38

A really solid win for Tazz on his first appearance as Intercontinental Champion as he picks up the win against the much larger Mabel. Still favouring his knee from last night, Tazz slowly pushes himself back to his feet to have his hand raised by the referee and to thrust his title into the air…

Jim Ross: A big win for Tazz right there, he obviously wasn’t at one hundred percent wit’ that bad knee, but he got tha’ job done.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: This isn’t gonna last though. Sooner or later he’s gonna step into the ring with somebody and that illegal choke hold isn’t gonna cut it anymore!

Tazz continues to celebrate and pose for the crowd in the centre of the ring, but then…

THE LIGHTS IN THE ARENA GO OUT!

And we hear…

*BLOOD*​

That now familiar, eerie music plays as the red strobe light flashes, the crowd gasping in confusion, until…

The lights come back on and we see…

TAZZ HAS BEEN THE VICTIM OF A BLOODBATH!!

The red liquid that plagued Dustin Runnels for the last month or so is now dripping down Tazz’s face, the canvas stained bright red as Tazz looks around confused, wondering what the hell has just happened…

Jim Ross: What tha’…? It’s a bloodbath! Tazz has just been tha’ victim of a bloodbath! But why!?

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Well, it’s… it’s gotta be Gangrel, right? I mean, he beat Dustin Runnels at SummerSlam last night, but… what’s his issue with Tazz?

Jim Ross: I’ve got no idea! Does anybody have any idea what’s goin’ on in tha’ mind of Gangrel an’ Luna!?

In the ring, Tazz continues to wipe the blood away from his face, staring at it dripping from his hands and from his title, before he takes a look up to the ceiling. But for now, there appears to be no sign of Gangrel, but he’s sent a message tonight to the new Intercontinental Champion… although no-one is quite sure why.

We then cut backstage to the D-Generation X locker room, where Shawn Michaels, Triple H, X-Pac, The New Age Outlaws and Chyna are all sat on benches beside lockers or steel chairs. We join them sharing a laugh about something, although clearly evident is the battle scars worn by Michaels right now after his Street Fight with Ken Shamrock last night. Michaels has a bruise on his face and a bandage across his forehead, but he seems in good spirits as he shares a laugh with his colleagues…

X-Pac: …couldn’t happen to a nice guy, y’know?

Triple H: He’s a piece of crap!

Road Dogg: Yeah and don’t forgot about that thing you did in his turban!

X-Pac: We’re not supposed to talk about that…

A few more chuckles from D-X, but they’re all soon on their feet… as bursting into the room comes Shane McMahon! With The Big Boss Man, Bart Gunn and Steve Blackman by his side, Shane shows no fear in entering the D-X locker room, and D-X don’t looked very concerned either, although Michaels does wince as he rises to his feet…

Shane McMahon: Enjoyin’ yourself there fellas?

Triple H: What the hell do you want?

Shane McMahon: Hey, easy. Relax. I just, uh… I just came here to congratulate Shawn here on his win last night. A helluva match you and Shamrock had.

Of course, nobody from D-X is buying this as they all look warily at each other…

Shane McMahon: Nah, I’m serious. That was brutal man, I mean it was a war! And I can tell from lookin’ at ya’ Shawn, that you’re still feelin’ the effects there, huh?

Michaels slowly nods his head…

Shawn Michaels: Cut the small talk and get to the point here, Shane.

Shane McMahon: Alright. Well… I know you went through a helluva lot last night. But, uh… you six put my father through a helluva lot these last few months. I mean, the night my Dad was kidnapped by The Undertaker… you guys all played a part in that didn’t ya’? You smashed your limousine into the ambulance he had set up for Kane, you helped Kane escape… you pretty much handed my Dad over to ‘Taker’. And y’know what? You’re gonna pay for that.

A really ominous comment, especially when Shane smugly points a finger at every D-X member as he says it…

Shane McMahon: And it all starts tonight. Or actually, it all starts in… about five minutes.

Shawn Michaels: What d’ya mean by that?

Shane McMahon: Well Shawn, what I mean is… you’ve got five minutes to get yourself ready, because you’ve got a match tonight!

An audible gasp from inside the arena and from the D-X crew, who all shout and yell in protest…

Billy Gunn: What!?

X-Pac: You can’t do that, that’s B.S.!

Shane turns with a smirk towards X-Pac…

Shane McMahon: Well that’s where you’re wrong, X-Punk! I can do that! And I just did. So get yourself together here Michaels, you’re up next!

A grave look crosses Michaels’ face, he’s clearly in no condition to compete tonight but it looks like he’s going to have to…

Shane McMahon: And oh, before I forget… any of you, and I mean you as well here Chyna… any of you go anywhere near that ring during this match… you’re all fired!

D-X look furious at this latest development, but Shane and his crew are loving it, with Shane now leading them back towards the door before he shouts over his shoulder…

Shane McMahon: I can’t wait to see this! Best of luck Michaels, you’re gonna need it!

Shane and company make their exit, the camera switching to the somber look on Michaels’ face as the rest of D-X start to murmur…

Jim Ross: I can’t believe this! Shawn Michaels… he’s gotta compete tonight!? And it’s up next!?

We stay focused on Michaels, the rest of D-X scrambling around him, pointing and yelling while we fade into a commercial.

*Commercial*​

Back from the commercial and we see Kaientai are still on the hunt in the backstage area, with Taka Michinoku, Sho Funaki, Men’s Teioh and Dick Togo are still carrying their over-sized weapons while Mr. Yamaguchi flies their flag. They peer into open rooms, look down corridors, but there’s no sign of Tajiri anywhere. The group then turn a corner and enter a room, where in the middle sits a table… and around the table is Faarooq, The Godfather and Mark Henry! As we’ve seen in recent weeks, the trio are once again playing cards, drinking beers, smoking cigars, generally having a good time, that is until they spot Kaientai have entered their space…

Faarooq: ‘Ey! Tha’ hell y’all doin’ here?

The Godfather: Wait a minute, it’s that little guy who owes us money! You ready to pay up yet, boy?

The Kaientai members all look at each other confused until Yamaguchi tries to answer…

Mr. Yamaguchi: Forget money. Where Tajiri, huh?

Mark Henry: Did he say forget about the money?

The Godfather: I don’t forget about money, little man. You want information outta me? It’s gon’ cost ya’ every cent yo’ ass owes me for that game o’ cards you lost.

Yamaguchi screws up his face in annoyance…

Mr. Yamaguchi: You know where Tajiri is?

The Godfahter: Yeah I seen ‘im, but it’s gonna cost ya’.

Mr. Yamaguchi: How much?

The Godfather: How much ya’ got?

Yamaguchi starts rummaging through his pockets, pulling a couple of twenty dollar bills and throwing them down on the table…

Faarooq: That ain’t gon’ cover it there, kid.

The Godfather: How much all of ya’ got?

Yamaguchi throws up his hands in annoyance and then starts barking orders in Japanese to the rest of his group, and despite some protests back, Taka, Funaki, Togo and Teioh start going through their pockets as well, throwing all the money they have down into the pile on the table…

The Godfather: It’s a little short, but… a’ight. I’ll take it.

Mr. Yamaguchi: So… where Tajiri?

Godfather takes a puff of his cigar and motions with his head for Yamaguchi to come close. Yamaguchi crouches and leans in towards Godfather’s face… only for Godfather to blow the cigar smoke in Yamaguchi’s face! Godfather bursts out laughing as Yamaguchi coughs and splutters, before Godfather says…

The Godfather: I ain’t got a damn clue where Tajiri is! Now get outta here! All o’ ya’!

Godfather reaches for the money and starts to scoop it up, which of course draws angry shouts in Japanese from the Kaientai members! Things start to get heated as all eight men start yelling at each other, but then from behind…

TAJIRI SNEAKS INTO THE ROOM… AND BLASTS SHO FUNAKI WITH THE GREEN MIST!!

And that causes chaos, as Funaki flails his arms and bumps into Togo, who stumbles into the table… and knocks over Godfather’s beer! And that draws Godfather, Faarooq and Henry all to their feet, pointing and yelling at the Kaientai members, a full-scale argument breaking out, all the while Funaki groans and tires to wipe the green mist from his eyes…

Jim Ross: Gawd, that was Tajiri! Tajiri, he got Funaki with tha’ green mist!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: And that means there’s only one guy left! Taka’s the only one who hasn’t been hit with the green mist yet!

The ridiculousness continues, everybody is pointing fingers and yelling at each other in languages they don’t understand, while Tajiri has fled the scene, with Yamaguchi trying to get some order restored so he and Kaientai can go after Tajiri, but this is where we’re going to leave this nonsense.

To head back to the arena for…

”ARE YOU READY?”

*BREAK IT DOWN*​

Of course there is a positive response for Shawn Michaels entering the arena, but given that Michaels is still in his jeans and t-shirt and is walking very slowly down the aisle to the ring, the crowd quickly realise that this isn’t a great situation for Michaels to be in right now…

Jim Ross: This is nothin’ short of ridiculous. Shawn Michaels, less then twenty-four hors after that hellacious Street Fight wit’ Ken Shamrock, an’ now Shane McMahon is makin’ him compete tonight. We heard earlier that Shamrock had tha’ night off, he ain’t bein’ forced ta’ compete here, but for some reason Michaels is!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Well that’s what it’s all about bein’ a WWF superstar. You’ve gotta be ready to go at the drop of a hat, no matter how you’re feelin’ physically.

Jim Ross: Aw’ that’s nonse an’ you know it, ‘King’. Shamrock’s in tha’ hospital recuperating, Shawn Michaels oughta be at home doin’ tha’ same, never mind in a damn match! And who’s his opponent gonna be!?

We don’t have to wait long to hear the answer…

*FIGHTER*​

Whoa. Dan Severn and The Jackyl walk into the arena, with Severn drinking from his water bottle while Jackyl laughs and flashes a peace sign at the crowd. In the ring, Michaels lets out a deep sigh and shakes his head, pacing the ring, very much aware of the size of the challenge that awaits him now…

Jim Ross: Good Gawd.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yes! This is brilliant! Shane McMahon is a genius!

Jim Ross: Dan ‘Tha’ Beast’ Severn!? This Severn is an animal! How is Shawn Michaels gonna compete wit’ this monster in tha’ state he’s in right now!?

Match Six:
Dan Severn w/ The Jackyl vs. Shawn Michaels

Knowing Michaels is hurting, Severn looks to go in for the kill early, he stalks Michaels and closes the space between them, trapping Michaels in the corner. Michaels tries to escape, but Severn catches him… and drives Michaels back into the corner. Severn lands a string of shoulderthrusts, before he rears back for an Irish whip… Michaels goes upside down into the corner, stumbles out… Severn runs through Michaels with a clothesline! Severn then lays in with stomps to the body, then a trio of knees to the Michaels’ lower back, before he drops Michaels with a stiff backbreaker. There’s no sign of a pinfall, with Ross suggesting that perhaps Shane McMahon has ordered Severn to punish Michaels tonight, and that theme continues as Severn mounts Michaels to lay in with hard forearms and elbows, before he again drives Michaels to the corner and unloads with chops. Severn then looks for an Irish whip off the ropes, but Michaels avoids Severn with a baseball slide, nips up to his feet… and starts landing right hands! Michaels goes on the attack, landing right after right, until he goes for an Irish whip… Severn reverses, but Michaels ducks a clothesline and keeps on running… flying crossbody! And then Michaels slams Severn’s head repeatedly off the canvas, before returning to his feet, grimacing in pain as he grabs at his ribs and lower back.

Michaels peppers Severn with right hands, but when he climbs to the second rope and flies, Severn catches Michaels… and drives him to the corner again! Once more, Severn lays in with those shoulderthrusts to the body, before he yanks Michaels from the corner, snapmares him down to the canvas and locks on a bodyscissors, squeezing Michaels’ midsection to do further damage to the ribs and back. Michaels is in the hold for what feels like an eternity, looking for a way out, but Severn has the hold locked on tight, and Michaels looks like he’s beginning to fade, the referee checking on him… but Michaels is hanging in there, he tries to rally the crowd behind him as he rears back, throwing elbows to the face to try and break Severn’s grip. Michaels is able to make it back to his feet, but he’s doubled over in pain in the corner, allowing Severn to move in and drop clubbing forearms to the back of the head. Severn then fires Michaels across the ring and follows in… but he runs into a boot to the face! Severn staggers backwards, Michaels charges… but this time Severn traps Michaels in a bearhug! Every time Michaels tries to build momentum, Severn catches him in a hold designed to punish his injuries from last night's war with Shamrock!

Once again Severn is in the middle of the ring, squeezing the life out of Michaels, and ‘HBK’ has to look to the crowd to provide him with the energy needed to escape. The crowd start to rise, Michaels feeds off their noise and looks for a way to break free… and he does it with an inverted atomic drop! Michaels tags right hands, then he plants Severn with a scoop slam, before he painfully climbs to the top rope… FLYING ELBOW! Michaels goes for a cover… 1… 2… Severn kicks out! But the match has swung in Michaels’ favour, he smacks more right hands then looks for an Irish whip… Severn reverses, but Michaels ducks a clothesline and keeps on running… flying forearm! And then a kip up! Michaels has all the momentum, and despite grabbing at his lower back, he heads to the corner and starts tuning up the band… waiting for Severn to rise… SWEET CHIN MUSIC… NO! Severn grabs Michaels’ foot, spins him around… and Severn pounces from behind… DRAGON SLEEPER!! Severn locks on his deadly sleeper hold, taking Michaels down at first before he increase the pressure by wrapping his legs into the grapevine! Michaels is in a world of trouble here, his arms flail wildly as he tries to hang in there, the crowd willing him to find a way to escape… but the referee doesn’t see much life from ‘HBK’, he moves in to check on him… raises Michaels’ arm once… twice… it drops for a third time! Shawn Michaels has passed out to Severn’s dragon sleeper! The match is over!

Winner: Via Submission, Dan Severn @ 07:33

It’ll go down as a submission victory for Severn, but make no mistake, Michaels didn’t tap out, he passed out from the pain. The Jackyl is quickly into the ring to raise Severn’s hand to a round of boos from the crowd, before Severn stands over Michaels and peers down at him… but those boos quickly turn to cheers… as D-Generation X are racing down the aisle!

Triple H, X-Pac and The New Age Outlaws all sprint down the aisle, with Chyna not far behind, all sliding into the ring to check on Michaels and to keep Severn from doing any further damage. Severn stands his ground, Triple H and Billy getting in his face to back him away, and although Severn shows no signs of backing down, Jackyl moves in to place his arm across Severn’s chest, trying to usher him away from the situation. Severn slowly backs away, his eyes locked in on Triple H as he does so, with Jackyl flashing a peace sign to signal that he and Severn are leaving without any further trouble…

Jim Ross: What a gutsy effort from Shawn Michaels, he didn’t quit, he passed out from tha’ pain. That Street Fight wit’ Shamrock an’ now tha’ match wit’ Severn, it was just too much for ‘HBK’ ta’ overcome.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: Yeah but that’s what Shane McMahon needed Severn to do. He wanted Severn to hurt Shawn Michaels, he wanted him to punish Michaels, and that’s exactly what Severn did!

Jackyl and Severn back up the aisle, Severn’s eyes locked firmly on the ring, where D-X are all crouching down to check on the health of their leader, with Michaels lying motionless on the canvas as his colleagues wave to the back, looking for some kind of medical help.

But we cut backstage to see Vince McMahon walking alongside Owen Hart and Shane McMahon! Behind them also walks The Big Boss Man, Bart Gunn, Steve Blackman, Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco and Sgt. Slaughter, it looks like the whole gang is making their way out here…

Jim Ross: Aw’ great. Well, I guess it’s time folks. Time for tha’ big celebration for our new WWF Champion. I, uh… well, stick wit’ us folks. I guess y’er gonna wanna see this…

*Commercial*​

Back from commercial for…

*HIGH ENERGY*​

Here they come, once again we’ve got Vince, Owen and Shane leading from the front while the rest of the group stay a few steps behind. We cut to a shot from the hard camera to see that the ring has now been adorned with a red carpet over the canvas, and once the group have just about made it to the ring… balloons start to fall from the ceiling! The crowd of course jeer all of this heavily, but Owen is revelling in the moment, taking every chance he gets to show off his newly won title…

Jim Ross: I can’t believe it’s came ta’ this, folks. There you see our new WWF Champion Owen Hart, and it’s time for our… championship celebration. It makes me sick ta’ even say that.

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: What a night this is gonna be! This is gonna down in history as one of the greatest nights the WWF has ever seen! One of the most historic and influential episodes of Monday Night Raw there’ll ever be, and we’re here to call it ‘JR’!

Jim Ross: Aw’, lucky us…

In the ring, Vince, Owen and Shane stand front and centre, while the others filter around them. Vince repeatedly encourages the crowd to give Owen an ovation, but he gets very little in response other than more booing…

Vince McMahon: Y’know… I don’t think you people quite realise what a privilege it is for you to all be here tonight. A privilege to be in attendance for the very first night of the reign of our new World Wrestling Federation Champion… but also to be in attendance for his championship celebration!

Owen glances down at the WWF Title, sitting proudly on his shoulder…

Vince McMahon: I can only hope that with the passing of time, you’ll all realise what I realise, in that is an honour to be here tonight in witness of the new WWF Champion, Owen Hart!

”I feel honoured to be here, Vince!” cries Lawler with delight…

Vince McMahon: And like I said earlier tonight, I look forward to a long and successful reign for Owen. Finally, a WWF Champion we can all be proud of. A champion who will treat this company with the respect and the dignity it deserves.

Nodding, lots of nodding in the ring…

Vince McMahon: And perhaps, not only is this a celebration of you Owen and you crowning achievement last night… but perhaps it is also a celebration of our collective successes here tonight? I mean, The Undertaker? He’s out there as we speak tryin’ to find out the location of the insane asylum I locked his brother Kane in. D-Generation X? We’re just gettin’ started with them, but I’m pretty sure we walked past them on our way out here, it looked like Shawn Michaels was bein’ loaded into an ambulance, I think I saw him coughin’ up blood too if I wasn’t mistaken?

A lot of very sarcastic nodding and fake coughing from the rest of the gang in the ring…

Vince McMahon: Mick Foley? Well… his own personal hell has just begun tonight. I’m gonna enjoy puttin’ him through the misery he deserves over these next few weeks. And then of course there’s… ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin.

The mention of Austin gets a pop, but Vince quickly cuts it off by raising a finger…

Vince McMahon: Cheer as you might, but you will infact notice that ‘Stone Cold’… he’s not here. Despite a very personal, very heartfelt invitation for him to be here at our championship celebration, I don’t see Mr. Austin anywhere in this arena tonight. And to me, that can only mean one thing. That Austin… tucked his tail an’ ran on outta here!

Heat from the crowd, while ‘JR’ bellows “I don’t believe that for a damn second!”…

Vince McMahon: Yeah… I finally got ya’, didn’t I Austin? I finally broke you. After all those months of defiance, after all those times when you were one step ahead of me, last night at SummerSlam, I finally broke your mind… your body… and your spirit.

Vince looks so proud of himself as he says that…

Vince McMahon: But y’know, it didn’t have to be that way, Steve. If only you had fell in line, if only you had heeded my warnings and been the type of champion this company needs. Not the beer swillin’, drunken redneck that these people wanted you to be!

A ton of heat for that…

Vince McMahon: You could have had it all, Austin! But you made your choice, you chose to defy me, and now look what’s happened. You’re no longer the WWF Champion… and can’t handle the fact that by standin’ against me, you made the single biggest mistake of your life!

The catches Shane as he smugly shakes his head at Austin’s actions…

Vince McMahon: And now tonight, we have a WWF Champion we can be proud of. A champion that we gather here tonight to celebrate. A champion that will lead the World Wrestling Federation into the next millennium!

The heat just keeps on pouring in as Vince rears back and says…

Vince McMahon: Ladies and gentlemen… Owen Hart!

A massive jeer from the fans, but in the ring, it’s all rounds of applause from the gathered McMahon associates. Owen accepts the microphone from Vince, giving Vince a pat on the arm as he does so, but Owen tries to let the heat die down before he speaks, until he realises that’s a futile task and then tries to speak over the fans…

Owen Hart: Y’know somethin’ Vince? You’re right. We did it! We did it! We finally ended the career of ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin! When I beat him last night for this WWF Championship, it broke ‘im! He couldn’t take it! He couldn’t handle the disappointment of lettin’ all these morons in the crowd down! And he’s ran off back home to Texas, and y’know… I don’t think we’ll ever see him again!

More heat, and there’s even an “Asshole! Asshole!” chant that breaks out…

Owen Hart: And y’know, Vince… Shane… all of you guys… I just wanna say thank you to all you for helping me make this happen.

”Gawd, this is nauseatin’ ta’ say tha’ least!” quips Ross…

Owen Hart: Because last year, SummerSlam 1997… I came really close to ending Austin’s career when I dropped him on his head and broke his damn neck!

That gets a massive boo from the fans, while Vince, Shane and company all laugh it up despite Owen trying to play this straight…

Owen Hart: I got really close to it… but I didn’t quite get the job done. But with the help of my new… family… together, we got the job done! We’ve ended ‘Stone Cold’ once and for all!

More clapping in the ring for that statement…

Owen Hart: And although Austin isn’t here to hear this, I wanna send a message to all the boys in the back. I promise to be a fair WWF Champion. I promise to be a fighting WWF Champion. And most importantly of all… I promise to be the WWF Champion for years to come, because none of you losers back there are ever gonna take this away from me!

Owen very firmly points up the aisle as he says that…

Owen Hart: My whole life I’ve wanted to be the World Wrestling Federation Champion. I had to sit in the shadow of so many others, but now it’s my time in the spotlight! My time to be the big star! My time to have everybody bow down to me! This is a new day for the WWF. The day… of Owen!

”And what a day it is!” pipes up Lawler…

Owen Hart: And for all of you who ever made fun of me, who ever called me names, I can’t wait to rub your stupid faces in it now that I’m the champion!

A real sneer on Owen’s face as he says that…

Owen Hart: And there’s one man I wanna say thank you for all of this. One man… well, one man besides myself of course… and that one man is you, Vince.

And then Owen steps towards Vince… and OWEN AND VINCE ARE HUGGING AGAIN! A big old bearhug between the two of them, which of course garners nuclear heat from the crowd, while in the background, everyone else claps and cheers, with Patterson even wiping away a tear. Once the pair finally separate, Owen hands the microphone back to Vince, who can’t help but smile, loving what he’s a part of right now…

Vince McMahon: Y’know, this is indeed a new day for the WWF. A great day! A day we will all look back on in infamy. The day that Owen Hart joined the pantheon of great World Wrestling Federation Champions. And… the day ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin took his ball and went home with it.

”I don’t believe that for a second! That’s not tha’ ‘Stone Cold’ I know!” is the rally call from Ross…

Vince McMahon: And allow me to further send a message to all of you listening backstage. I don’t want any of you to follow in Austin’s footsteps, so please… I implore you… head my warning here. Don’t cross me. Don’t try and interfere in my business. Play the game under my rules… and everything will be fine.

As a sign that he really means that, Vince places a hand across his heart as he says that last remark…

Vince McMahon: Because I know that Owen here will indeed be a fighting champion. He will take on all comers. He will fight the very best the World Wrestling Federation has to offer. And he’ll beat all of ya’! But he will do it with the upmost standards of professionalism and sportsmanship. Something that was severally lacking from our… former champion.

The crowd interrupts once again, this time with an “Austin! Austin! Austin!” chant, which Vince does his best to ignore…

Vince McMahon: There will be opportunities for all of you, as long as you fall in line and do things in the right manner. There will be no more drinking beer, no more vulgarity, no more raising middle fingers at people. From now on, in the World Wrestling Federation, we treat people with respect. We will prioritise athletic prowess, we will promote those who play by the rules, we will reward those who do the right thing at all times. And we will do that… because I know that’s the type of WWF Champion Owen Hart is gonna be.

Owen nods along…

Vince McMahon: And Owen, allow me to publicly say… I am so very much looking forward to working with you as the WWF Champion. I have a feeling it’s gonna be the most prosperous, the most lucrative period in WWF history. You’re gonna make a whole lotta money outta this, and so am I! And I can’t wait to get started.

More happy clapping from those in the ring…

Vince McMahon: Now, this is a celebration after all, this is suppose to be a party. Let’s get this party started, huh!? How ‘bout some champagne to get things goin’!? I think we’ve got some girls backstage with some champagne, let’s get ‘em out here! Let’s get ‘em-

Suddenly, the feed cuts away… to ’STONE COLD’ STEVE AUSTIN!!

The crowd goes wild as they see Austin on the titan-tron, and Austin is… HE’S DRIVING A TRUCK!!?

Austin is sat behind the wheel of a truck, he’s driving through the backstage area, and in the ring, Shane is franticly trying to get his Dad’s attention, pointing up at the screen…

Vince McMahon: What the…? What the hell is that!?

The crowd are losing their minds, the anticipation is building like mad, while McMahon and company are all starting to panic…

Vince McMahon: Don’t let him in here! Don’t let him in here with-

*GLASS SHATTERS!*

*HELL FROZEN OVER*​

The truck bursts through the curtain, then it comes through the entrance way into the aisle, the titan-tron swaying as it does though… IT’S A BEER TRUCK! AUSTIN IS DRIVING A BEER TRUCK INTO THE ARENA!!

Vince, Owen, Shane, the entire ring is stunned, not sure what the hell is going on, with Vince’s eyes nearly popping out of his skull! The New Haven crowd are going absolutely mental as Austin drives the truck down the aisle… and SMACKS IT INTO THE RING! The ring visibly shakes and moves as the truck makes contact, causing Patterson, Brisco and Slaughter to all take a tumble to the mat…

Jim Ross: Aw’ hell yeah! AW’ HELL YEAH! AUSTIN IS HERE! AUSTIN IS HERE! And he’s drivin’ a damn beer truck!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: What the hell is he doin’? He can’t drive a damn beer truck in here! He hit the ring!

Jim Ross: Tha’ hell he can’t! I knew Austin didn’t tuck his tail an’ run! AUSTIN IS HERE! AUSTIN IS CRASHIN’ MCMAHON’S PARTY!!

Having smacked the truck into the apron of the ring, ‘The Rattlesnake’ now steps out of the driver’s door, clambers his way onto the hood and then climbs up onto the roof of the truck! The noise from the crowd is unbelievable, they can’t believe what they’re seeing, and neither can McMahon and his associates, they’re all stunned and rooted to the spot as Austin takes a microphone from his pocket and speaks down at them from the roof of the beer truck…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: Well Vince, I heard y’er lil’ invitation ta’ y’er big party earlier t’night. But I weren’t runnin’ away anywhere, I was tryin’ ta’ find some damn beer ta’ bring ta’ y’er stupid lil’ party!

Owen can’t believe it, he’s trying to point Boss Man and Bart to attack Austin, but everybody is too shocked to move right now…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: Y’see where I come from, you get invited to a damn party, ya’ sure as hell ain’t turnin’ up without some damn beer. It just took me a lil’ while longer than I thought it would, but I found me some damn beer!

”He’s brought the whole damn truck with him!” squeals Lawler, half in fear, half in disbelief…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: Now before I join y’er lil’ celebration an’ we have some beer, lemme tell ya’ somethin’ champ. Last night at SummerSlam, ya’ stole tha’ damn title from me, but you bet y’er ass that sooner rather than later, I’m comin’ for ya’ Owen an’ I’m gonna get ma’ damn title back!

Another big pop…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: An’ Vince, ya’ said earlier ‘bout how ya’ played me, it was all a big master plan from ya’, well I got a plan for ya’ right here, son. An’ that’s from this day forward, until ma’ very last day, I’m gonna beat the livin’ hell outta you if it’s tha’ last thing I ever do!

There’s that gulp from McMahon once again…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: An’ ta’ all of ya’ standin’ in that ring right now, I got a whole case o’ whup ass back here an’ I got a can wit’ y’er name on it for each an’ ev’ry one o’ ya’! An’ I ain’t gonna stop until I stomp a mudhole in all y’er asses an’ walk it dry!

Shane and Boss Man tyr throwing some trash talk back at Austin, but the crowd are way too loud for any of it to get through…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: Ya’ mighta took that title away from me, ya’ mighta beat me at SummerSlam, but all of ya’ just made the – single – biggest mistake of y’er damn lives! ‘Cos from now on, y’er all on tha’ list, an’ that’s ‘Stone Cold’s list, an’ I’m fixin’ ta’ start runnin’ through it an’ takin’ out all of ya’ until there’s only you left ya’ mealy-eyed sunnova bitch!

Another huge pop, with Austin pointing firmly at Owen, causing fear to grip Hardy’s face…

’Stone Cold’ Steve Austin: And that’s tha’ bottom line… ‘cos ‘Stone Cold’ said so!

Having said all of that, Austin tosses his microphone aside and drops down from the truck, heading to the side of it… and he starts unravelling a hose! The crowd spot it first, they start going nuts again, while in the ring, Vince starts to chastise Austin for his interruption…

Vince McMahon: What the hell are you doin!? What the hell is wrong with you!? You can’t come in here in a damn beer truck and-

But Austin has unravelled the hose, he steps towards the ring…

AUSTIN IS SPRAYING MCMAHON AND COMPANY WITH BEER! AUSTIN IS GIVING THEM A BEERBATH!!

The New Haven faithful are losing their mind as Austin drenches Vince, Owen, Shane, everybody in the ring with beer, causing them all to splutter and fall and slide around the ring! With the hose still in his hands, Austin clambers up onto the apron, then ducks through the ropes, absolutely soaking everybody in the ring, the fans loving every second of this…

Jim Ross: Aw’ hell yeah! Give it to ‘em! Give it to ‘em! Austin is givin’ up a beerbath, and he ain’t wastin’ a damn drop!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: No! No, he can’t do this! Security! Somebody get out here!

Austin continues to spray the beer, Vince comically tries to swim to safety, but the force of the beer is too much, he’s drowning in the stuff! Austin then tosses the hose aside and drops back down from the apron, reaching into the driver’s cabin… and he brings out a TIRE IRON! Austin quickly rolls into the ring, tire iron in hand… Bart races towards him… AUSTIN SMACKS BART WITH THE TIRE IRON! Here comes Blackman… TIRE IRON TO THE GUT!

Austin then goes on the attack, he sees Boss Man tyring to scramble back up… TIRE IRON SHOT TO BOSS MAN’S SKULL! Then Austin turns… A SHOT TO SLAUGHTER… THEN BRISCO… THEN PATTERSON!! Ausitn takes out the stooges with rapid fire strikes, before he sees Shane stumble to his feet…

STUNNER! A STUNNER TO SHANE MCMAHON!

Vince is trying to escape, but Austin grabs him the suit jacket, yanks him around…

STUNNER TO VINCE MCMAHON!!

Austin talks trash, then he bursts back to his feet… and here comes Owen from behind… but Austin ducks it… KICK…

STUNNER! STUNNER!! A STUNNER TO OWEN HART!!

Austin has taken the fight to Vince McMahon and his allies, and he’s laid them all out, including the WWF Champion Owen Hart!

*GLASS SHATTERS!*

*HELL FROZEN OVER*​

Austin’s music hits again as he scrambles from the ring, clambering back up onto the hood of the truck before he scrambles once more onto the roof of the truck to give the crowd his double-bird salute, much to the delight of the fans who have not stopped cheering since he arrived in the arena…

Jim Ross: ‘Stone Cold’ crashed tha’ party! Austin had a personal invite from Vince McMahon, but it wasn’t tha’ celebration Vince hoped for! ‘Tha’ Rattlesnake’ has struck once again!

Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler: He can’t get away with this! Arrest him for drunk drivin’ or somethin’!

Jim Ross: There ain’t nobody in tha’ WWF who can stop ‘im! ‘Stone Cold’ crashed tha’ party! He brought tha’ beer wit’ him, a whole damn beer truck! AW’ HELL YEAH!

Austin continues to celebrate on the roof of the truck, even calling for and receiving some cans of beer to tossed up to him so he can once again salute the fans. The camera cuts back to the ring, it’s a sea of beer-drenched broken bodies, perhaps none more so than Vince McMahon who lies face down in a puddle of beer. We go back to the hard camera to get a wide shot of Austin raising the double-bird once again, slamming beers down his throat as the crowd goes wild, and it’s on that rather iconic image that this episode of Raw fades… to… black.

*End Show*

Current Card for WWF Breakdown 1998:
Date: September 27th, 1998
Location: Coops Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario

NO MATCHES ANNOUNCED YET
​

​

 

[Stojy]

I know I’ve been terrible with feedback in here but figured I’d leave some for Raw in the hope it would inspire you to keep this thing going lol. Opening with The McMahon’s to recap their evil plan and basically rub it in is definitely the right move. Also, kind of cool that you’ve basically just recreated the end of Survivor Series 98 at Summerslam and gone with Owen instead of The Rock. But yes, promo here with the explanation of the plan, and the justification from Owen all made a lot of sense, and of course was well written as usual. Good stuff.

Love the damage to Vince’s relationships with Bossman, Shamrock, Blackman and co due to a loss of trust. Pretty cool thing to play on here, and Vince’s spin here was good to get them on side. Intrigued by the Foley stuff obviously…

A solid first match after winning the European Title from X Pac. But the real story here is Tajiri appearing and getting one back on Kaientai. No issues with any of this.

The Heritage being pissed at having to defend the titles again feels like a logical response for Cornette. Oh shit, ‘Taker is here.

I got excited by seeing two of my boys in D’Lo and PCO going at it here. From a booking perspective, Undertaker coming out and destroying them makes sense and gets a thumbs up for me. I demand a 15 minute rematch between the two on Shotgun or Heat though, which you WILL write and post okay?

Undertaker calling out Vince and wanting to find Kane is fine. Vince coming out and explaining how Undertaker chased Kane instead of him was a nice way to fill another gap of what went down at Summerslam. Smart to address that here. Promo from Bearer in the mental institution was solid stuff as well. Thumbs up from me here. All really good stuff, and I guess the hook here is just what will Undertaker do next. How will he react?

Jarrett is clearly annoyed at finally losing his IC Title to Tazz, and whilst you portrayed that well, I’m glad he’s moving onto bigger and better things. You definitely did a good job with that feud, but it had certainly run its course as well. Looking forward to seeing what you do next with Jarrett.

Sable getting some closure on her issues with Mero and now being ready to be a manager to Val is a solid enough direction to take. Tiger being mad about the Euro Title shot and now suddenly hating women worked well enough. Solid segment here, guessing there’ll be more from these guys down the line.

Really hope Mero doesn’t try and come after Sable and Mero again, to be honest. Another feud that feels rightfully done. Lol poor Duane Gill.

D’Lo and Jackie is an interesting pairing for sure but I don’t mind it. My brain says we might get a D’Lo and Val feud with Jackie and Sable getting to go at it to at some point in the future.

Heritage/Southern Justice being ruined by The Outlaws works well to get some sort of a crowd reaction involved. No issues with this, excited for the insertion of Edge and Christian into this tag scene as well.

Lol at Kaientai hunting for Tajiri with samurai swords and pepper shakers…

Just want to compliment you on your booking here, because the spin to give Foley the Hardcore Title as a punishment, as opposed to a gift is kind of awesome. Really cool stuff here, as is the idea of Vince watching a slow death of Foley’s career. Obviously Foley gets the Mandible Claw for a moment to get a big pop, but that’s now what this was about. Also intrigued to see the relationship between Foley and Snow potentially change based on this being the whole reason Foley is putting himself through this torture.

Shane O wanting to take care of DX is cool.

Surely you can’t stop this BTB here without us ever seeing Golga. How will I live?

The Rock promo here was solid. Rock chasing the title would be a fun move to further push him into superstardom.

Tazz isn’t losing in his first match as IC Champ so expected and right result there. Aftermath with the bloodbath was surprising. Wasn’t sure Gangrel feels like he’s at IC Title level yet, but I guess that’s where we’re heading. Intrigued to hear an eventual explanation from Gangrel and Luna as to why they’ve chosen Tazz.

Not sure if the highlight of this next segment was Shane putting Michaels in a match as punishment, and barring the rest of DX from ringside… Or the debut of X Punk lol. Either way, good stuff.

More fun stuff here with Kaientai looking for Tajiri. Yamaguchi owing money and getting tricked into paying up, so Tajiri could get Funaki was harmless fun. Good stuff.

Dude, HUGE decision here, and I’m all for it. Michaels doesn’t lose much because he’s beaten after last night, but Severn getting a win over such a big name, by submission is massive. Severn surely has to step up the card after this right? Love the booking.

I’ve given you A LOT of compliments throughout the show, but the ending was perfectly sound, but a little uninspired. The promo work from all involved was good, although I was waiting for the debut of the Owen 3:16 “I broke your neck and your spirit” t-shirt to debut. I think the part that got me was obviously with the different ramp, we were getting something crazy from Austin. You’ve done a great job of using creativity to slightly change up Attitude Era moments throughout this BTB (the Hardcore Title one a great example tonight alone), so to see you go down the beer truck method, without any huge change up kind of caught me off guard a little. You’ve done an amazing job in here throughout so maybe I’m being an ungrateful piece of shit. Most likely, because it was still good but yeah.

Really wanted to get some good feedback in here because you need to stick to this mate. This thing is flying and there are so many possibilities moving forward. Great job… So far.

 

[TheScarredOne]

The show after a major pay-per-view is always a must-see, and this episode of RAW was no exception.

I enjoyed the opening segment where Mr. McMahon, Shane and new WWF Champion Owen Hart explain their masterplan to screw over "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. This was necessary for the opening segment considering how SummerSlam ended the night before. As well as announcing a celebration for Owen's championship win and promising retribution for all the babyfaces. It appears that you're going with your own take on the corporate champion storyline with Owen in place of the Rock. Sad this never happened in real life considering Austin never wanted to work with Owen again following his neck injury.

There was tension teased regarding Big Boss Man, Steve Blackman and Bart Gunn. But not surprising it didn't lead anywhere considering their status as brainless heavies.

Nice to have X-Pac win in his first European Championship defense, but it was definitely more about having Tajiri return to begin his revenge on Kaientai.

Oh darn. We didn't get to see D'Lo Brown and PCO tear the house down. But that's okay. It was about the Undertaker showing up mad as a hornet in regards to what happened to Kane. Loved how Mr. McMahon showed up and explained how it all worked out for Taker to go after Paul Bearer instead of him last night. Also, I enjoyed how Vinnie Mac pretty much threatened Taker into total obedience for Kane's sake. Something tells me this is the genesis of the Ministry of Darkness.

Typical heel stuff from the now former Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett. After losing the title, he's clearly upset but he decides it's time to move onto bigger and better things. It's a nice way for a heel to get his heat back.

Nice to see the whole Marc Mero/Sable drama come to a close. Surprised by Tiger Ali Singh coming out and becoming a misogynist all of a sudden towards Sable and starting something with Val Venis. I wonder how this storyline will play out. At the same time, I'm curious as to what the future holds for Mero. After all, this was the beginning of the end for Mero's career in the WWF after losing to his wife.

Nice way to introduce Jacqueline. Definitely sets up many scenarios with Venis/Sable, Mero/Ivory and Gangrel/Luna.

Considering it was a heel vs. heel match involving the Heritage and Southern Justice, the crowd was not going to get invested at all. But having the New Age Outlaws interfere and cause a no contest was the best way for the match to end. It certainly heats up the tag team title picture going forward. Nice to see Edge and Christian and tease them eventually coming in.

Love Kaientai begin their hunt for Tajiri with samurai swords. More on that later.

Now this was the segment of the night for me. Introducing the Hardcore Championship not as a reward as was done in real life, but as a punishment for Mick Foley. You're pretty much doing the whole Ric Flair 2007-08 career storyline. Either Vinnie Mac continues to see Mick Foley's body break down with every title defense or he'll see him eventually ousted of the company following him lose the title. Either way, Vinnie Mac wins. I love how he had a backup plan in case Mick decided not to go through with it, maintain his dignity and just walk out. Either defend the title or Al Snow gets fired as well. I definitely see this feud culminate with Snow turning heel on Mick by making a deal with the devil.

Love the Golga vignette. Definitely a darker take on the character than having him with the Oddities.

Great promo from the Rock. He's making his case for the WWF Championship perfectly clear. I definitely see a Rock/Owen program in the future.

Not surprised to see Tazz retain the Intercontinental Championship in his first defense. Getting a win over a giant like Mabel is certainly a great way to start it off. I was perplexed as to having Gangrel make his intent clear. I was for sure thinking you might start setting up a feud with Ken Shamrock. But Tazz/Gangrel does seem like a fun program.

Nice to see Tajiri get one more up on Kaientai by taking out Funaki. His road to taking out Kaientai has begun.

The McMahon's plan to get retribution against the babyfaces continues by having Shawn Michaels get demolished by Dan Severn. This doesn't hurt HBK though as he went through hell the previous night against Ken Shamrock. When I first noticed this diary on a previous site, I was intrigued by you still involving HBK in the Attitude Era as an active wrestler. I wonder how his career continues following this.

AUSTIN WITH A BEER TRUCK! Love how you're taking many iconic moments/angles from real life and putting your own little spin on them. No way was Austin not going to make an appearance and rain on the parade of the Corporation. Nice way to end RAW and sending the fans home happy. No way is Austin done with the McMahons and Owen. Not by a long shot.

This was certainly an awesome episode of RAW to follow up on what happened at SummerSlam.

It would be nice to see this diary continue. But I wouldn't blame you if you decide to wrap this up considering how much time, effort and thought goes into it. It seems pretty consuming to me. But if that is the case, it would be nice if you decided to do an epilogue of sorts on how the storylines would've progressed going into the end of 1998 and maybe beyond. In either case, it's been a hell of a journey. Kudos.