Monday, February 1, 2016
WWF Raw February 13, 1999 review
Toronto, Ontario
February 13, 1999
Stone Cold Steve Austin hit the ring while nearly 43,000 fans looked on at the SkyDome in Toronto as RAW Saturday Night got underway. Austin guaranteed that Sunday at St. Valentine's Day Massacre "there would be bloodshed" in his cage match with Mr. McMahon, and it wouldn't be the Rattlesnake's! Mankind then came out and said that someone was going to get his ass kicked before the night was out. Suddenly the Corporation arrived! Mr. McMahon said that since Austin had made a guarantee about their match on Sunday, he had a few guarantees of his own. First he promised that no one from the Corporation would interfere in their match, and he warned his fellow Corporate members that anyone who interfered would be fired. Secondly, he said that when he wins the match, the World Wrestling Federation would "never, ever, ever" be the same for Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart will defend the Tag Team Championship at St. Valentine's Day Massacre against D'Lo Brown and Mark Henry. On RAW, two of those participants squared off in singles competition as D'Lo took on Jarrett. Before the match got underway, D'Lo told Mark Henry that he knew "Sexual Chocolate" was interested in Debra, so D'Lo had someone that would satisfy all of Henry's needs--Ivory! An extremely attractive woman came out, and made her presence known right away. Jarrett had D'Lo in the figure four, but Ivory came in the ring and distracted Jarrett! D'Lo recovered and nailed Jeff with the Sky High for the win! After the match, Debra was irate at Ivory and the two women got into a catfight and had to be separated!
Val Venis and Ryan Shamrock came out for an interview with Kevin Kelly--but it didn't last very long! Just as Val started speaking, Ken Shamrock sprinted from the back and attacked the adult film star! Shamrock was completely out of control and went on to assault several referees.
Goldust took on the man they call Gillberg in the next match. The Bizarre One hit the Curtain Call and it appeared that Gillberg's record would stay intact. However, the Blue Meanie suddenly appeared on the Titan Tron, covered in blue paint, and told the Bizarre One that after Sunday he would never forget the name Bluedust. Meanwhile, Gillberg recovered and rolled up Goldust for the pin! Gillberg got a Shattered Dreams for his trouble, and Goldust continued to beat on him until the lights went out. When they came back on, Goldust had been covered in a thick blue goo—a blue bath!
Backstage, Federation senior official Earl Hebner told Kevin Kelly that no referee would officiate the Shamrock-Venis match on Sunday, and unless someone volunteered, Shamrock would have to forfeit the Intercontinental Championship to Val Venis.
After the break, D-Generation X hit the ring. Triple H told Chyna that trying to compete with the men was like stepping up to the plate without a bat. X-Pac said he wasn't afraid of Kane and would fight him on RAW in single's competition before the Pay-Per-View. Road Dogg told Al Snow that there wasn't going to be a third match in the series, because he was going to win hardcore match on Sunday. Meanwhile, Billy Gunn seemed a bit jealous because he didn't have a match at the Pay-Per-View. However, he took off his shirt and revealed a referee's outfit underneath. He volunteered his services to be the special referee for the Intercontinental Championship match at the Massacre!
Mr. McMahon, in referee stripes, came out next to officiate the non-title match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mankind. After the two superstars made their way out, Mr. McMahon announced that the rulebook was being thrown out the window! The owner wanted to see somebody's ass kicked. The Rattlesnake told him that someone indeed was going to get his ass kicked-but it was going to be Mr. McMahon! And it wasn't going to be Austin or Mankind that kicked his ass, but Mr. Socko! The owner fell victim to the Mandible Claw, and Austin and Mankind teamed up to fight off all the other members of the Corporation.
An angry Mr. McMahon came back out after the break seeking revenge. He told Stone Cold Steve Austin that he would be facing every member of the Corporation (with the exception of The Rock) in a Gauntlet Match later on RAW!
Up next, The Godfather (with hos) took on Viscera of the Ministry of Darkness. Fellow Ministry member Midian, who will face the Big Boss Man at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, joined Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler for commentary during the match. After The Godfather knocked down Viscera with a flying tackle, Midian entered the ring and double-teamed the Pimp! The Godfather got the win by disqualification, but he also got a big splash from Viscera.
Backstage, Val Venis and Ken Shamrock had run into one another and were battling. Billy Gunn, wearing a referee shirt, tried to break them apart at first but then he just joined in the fray himself!
X-Pac was giving up more than 100 pounds as he stepped into the ring with Kane! The degenerate absorbed a tremendous amount of punishment but was as resilient as ever. In fact, he seemed to be getting a second wind and was in control when Chyna came in from behind and gave him a low blow. Kane and Chyna double-teamed him, and Chyna set him up for the Pedigree before Triple H arrived and made the save.
Backstage, Road Dog had been laid out! He had a serious cut around the ear area and was nearly unconscious as an ambulance crew attended to him. Back in the ring, Al Snow did not want to wait until the Pay-Per-View for a hardcore match, and he challenged anyone in the locker room. When no one volunteered, he decided to have a hardcore match against himself! He rammed Head into his forehead, sprayed himself with a fire extinguisher, broke a broom over his forehead and even put himself through a table before Bob Holly came out to stop him. But Al wasn't done and he decided he would take on Holly! Although great friends and fellow J.O.B. Squad members, the two superstars went at it no holds barred until several officials broke up the action.
Before the next match got underway, Kevin Kelly interviewed Droz. Droz wanted to know why Kevin Kelly called him a punk last week on HEAT. Kevin apparently didn't offer a good enough explanation, and Droz punched and slapped him! Luckily, Steve Blackman was there to pull Droz off.
Blackman was then in action as he took on The Rock. When the "Lethal Weapon" was in control, he went for his patented thrust kick, however The Rock moved out of the way and Blackman fell hard, setting up the Corporate Showpiece for the Rock Bottom and Corporate Elbow! One day before his Last Man Standing match, The Rock got a big win over Steve Blackman.
Next up, Stone Cold Steve Austin tried to run the Corporate Gauntlet! Austin stunned Ken Shamrock, but before he could go for the cover, Test interrupted. Soon Test was a victim of a stunner, but Kane came in. Both Kane and then Chyna also took stunners. Big Boss Man entered the ring clubbed the Rattlesnake repeatedly with his nightstick. After Austin fell unconscious, Mr. McMahon came in, covered him, and ordered the referee to make the three count. Then Shane forced the ring announcer to declare Mr. McMahon the winner. While the other Corporate members held Austin down, Mr. McMahon poured beer all over him!
WWF Raw February 1, 1999 review
Tuscon ,Arizona
February 1, 1999
RAW from Arizona kicked off with Shane McMahon and members of the Corporation walking toward the ring. Shane announced that Mr. McMahon was on "special assignment" in Victoria, Texas-the hometown of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Apparently the owner wanted to provoke the Rattlesnake into attacking him, so Mr. McMahon could break his contract and fire him!
A cage was hanging overhead, and Shane ordered it lowered. As it came down, Shane badmouthed X-Pac! What he didn't know was that X-Pac himself was sitting atop the cage! X-Pac jumped down and pummeled the owner, but Chyna ran in from behind and low blowed the degenerate, and then she held him while Shane beat on him!
Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock joined Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler for commentary during the next match, Badd Ass Billy Gunn against Val Venis. Shamrock said he had promised his sister that he wouldn't lay a hand on Val, but he couldn't keep that promise for very long. When Val started gyrating in the ring, Shamrock couldn't take it anymore, and he picked up a chair, ran in the ring, and clocked the adult film star with it. Billy Gunn grabbed the chair and ran Shamrock off. However, when Val recovered, he saw Gunn with the chair and assumed that Mr. Ass had hit him! He attacked Billy Gunn!
Backstage, Mankind was spending the $100,000 that he stole last week from Shane's trust fund. The Rock, who was supposed to get that money, was irate!
Kevin Kelly interviewed Debra, but for the second straight week, Mark Henry interrupted the proceedings and propositioned Debra. However, the new Tag Team Champions, Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart, attacked "Sexual Chocolate"!
Terri Runnels was upset at the Big Bossman for calling her a "b*tch" earlier in the evening, so she called him out and ordered her personal servant for the last few weeks, D'Lo Brown, to take him on! D'Lo was in control and hit Bossman with the 'Lo Down, but PMS distracted the referee! Bossman recovered and nailed the former European Champion with a sidewalk slam to get the win. PMS walked away triumphantly, and "Sexual Chocolate" came down to save D'Lo from serving even more hard time.
After the break, the Blue Meanie came out to work the crowd into a frenzy as a dancing "RAW Boy". However, he was quickly attacked from behind by Goldust and given the Shattered Dreams! Meanwhile, backstage the same doctor that had examined Terri Runnels after her fall weeks ago on RAW was checking out D'Lo Brown. He informed D'Lo and Mark Henry that Terri was not and never had been pregnant!
After assaulting George "The Animal" Steele last week, Droz took on Kurrgan on this week's episode. The former Denver Bronco grabbed what looked like a broom handle from under the ring and rammed it into the 7 footer's throat. He then finished him off with a football tackle from the top rope. Droz continued to beat on Kurrgan after the bell, but the Oddities came out to run him off.
Midian and Viscera teamed up in what became a Handicap Match against all three members of the Brood. The Undertaker was supposed to be on the Ministry's team, but just looked on from his perch near the entrance area. The Acolytes came out and ganged up with the other members of the Ministry to attack the Brood as the referee called for a disqualification. Several officials came out to help the Brood, but for some reason Edge, Christian and Gangrel threw them out of the ring! As a result, they took even more punishment. Bradshaw put a noose around Gangrel's neck and hung him over the ropes! Meanwhile, the Undertaker merely stood and watched.
The new World Wrestling Federation Champion, Mankind, came out next. But before he could do much celebrating with the fans, The Rock crashed the party. He challenged the Deranged One to a Last Man Standing match for the championship at St. Valentine's Day Massacre-and Mankind quickly accepted.
Two superstars that will face off at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Al Snow and Road Dogg, teamed up for a Hardcore Rules tag team match against the Acolytes. Al Snow and Faarooq battled all the way through the crowd and outside the arena. Snow placed Faarooq on a table and was set to splash him when Viscera appeared, caught Snow, and drove him down onto the concrete outside the arena. Faarooq recovered and headed back toward the ring to double team the Road Dogg. After the Acolytes put the Dogg headfirst through a table, they pinned him and got the win. Afterwards, the entire Ministry, including three druids, attacked Road Dogg. The lights went out and the Undertaker appeared, and the Ministry members unhooded the druids to reveal they were the Brood!
After the break, an angry Road Dogg went to find Al Snow. The Hardcore Champion thought Snow had abandoned him midway through the match, and he nailed him with a steel chair!
In Victoria, Texas, Mr. McMahon found Stone Cold Steve Austin in a local bar. But Austin refused to hit him until it was "nice and legal" at St. Valentine's Day Massacre. However, after Austin went back to his house, the Victoria locals did not show the owner and the stooges the same courtesy.
In a steel cage match, Triple H took on Kane! After Kane hit HHH with a chokeslam, he tried to escape, but X-Pac ran out and slammed the door twice into the Big Red Machine's head! Kane then tried to escape by climbing up and over the cage, but X-Pac climbed up the other side and pummeled the 7-foot monster. On the opposite end of the cage, Triple H began to scale. Chyna ran out went inside the cage and grabbed the DX leader's foot. However, HHH shook her off and climbed up and over! Chyna grabbed the microphone and said that the fun for DX would end in two weeks at St. Valentine's Day Massacre!
February 1, 1999
RAW from Arizona kicked off with Shane McMahon and members of the Corporation walking toward the ring. Shane announced that Mr. McMahon was on "special assignment" in Victoria, Texas-the hometown of Stone Cold Steve Austin. Apparently the owner wanted to provoke the Rattlesnake into attacking him, so Mr. McMahon could break his contract and fire him!
A cage was hanging overhead, and Shane ordered it lowered. As it came down, Shane badmouthed X-Pac! What he didn't know was that X-Pac himself was sitting atop the cage! X-Pac jumped down and pummeled the owner, but Chyna ran in from behind and low blowed the degenerate, and then she held him while Shane beat on him!
Intercontinental Champion Ken Shamrock joined Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler for commentary during the next match, Badd Ass Billy Gunn against Val Venis. Shamrock said he had promised his sister that he wouldn't lay a hand on Val, but he couldn't keep that promise for very long. When Val started gyrating in the ring, Shamrock couldn't take it anymore, and he picked up a chair, ran in the ring, and clocked the adult film star with it. Billy Gunn grabbed the chair and ran Shamrock off. However, when Val recovered, he saw Gunn with the chair and assumed that Mr. Ass had hit him! He attacked Billy Gunn!
Backstage, Mankind was spending the $100,000 that he stole last week from Shane's trust fund. The Rock, who was supposed to get that money, was irate!
Kevin Kelly interviewed Debra, but for the second straight week, Mark Henry interrupted the proceedings and propositioned Debra. However, the new Tag Team Champions, Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart, attacked "Sexual Chocolate"!
Terri Runnels was upset at the Big Bossman for calling her a "b*tch" earlier in the evening, so she called him out and ordered her personal servant for the last few weeks, D'Lo Brown, to take him on! D'Lo was in control and hit Bossman with the 'Lo Down, but PMS distracted the referee! Bossman recovered and nailed the former European Champion with a sidewalk slam to get the win. PMS walked away triumphantly, and "Sexual Chocolate" came down to save D'Lo from serving even more hard time.
After the break, the Blue Meanie came out to work the crowd into a frenzy as a dancing "RAW Boy". However, he was quickly attacked from behind by Goldust and given the Shattered Dreams! Meanwhile, backstage the same doctor that had examined Terri Runnels after her fall weeks ago on RAW was checking out D'Lo Brown. He informed D'Lo and Mark Henry that Terri was not and never had been pregnant!
After assaulting George "The Animal" Steele last week, Droz took on Kurrgan on this week's episode. The former Denver Bronco grabbed what looked like a broom handle from under the ring and rammed it into the 7 footer's throat. He then finished him off with a football tackle from the top rope. Droz continued to beat on Kurrgan after the bell, but the Oddities came out to run him off.
Midian and Viscera teamed up in what became a Handicap Match against all three members of the Brood. The Undertaker was supposed to be on the Ministry's team, but just looked on from his perch near the entrance area. The Acolytes came out and ganged up with the other members of the Ministry to attack the Brood as the referee called for a disqualification. Several officials came out to help the Brood, but for some reason Edge, Christian and Gangrel threw them out of the ring! As a result, they took even more punishment. Bradshaw put a noose around Gangrel's neck and hung him over the ropes! Meanwhile, the Undertaker merely stood and watched.
The new World Wrestling Federation Champion, Mankind, came out next. But before he could do much celebrating with the fans, The Rock crashed the party. He challenged the Deranged One to a Last Man Standing match for the championship at St. Valentine's Day Massacre-and Mankind quickly accepted.
Two superstars that will face off at St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Al Snow and Road Dogg, teamed up for a Hardcore Rules tag team match against the Acolytes. Al Snow and Faarooq battled all the way through the crowd and outside the arena. Snow placed Faarooq on a table and was set to splash him when Viscera appeared, caught Snow, and drove him down onto the concrete outside the arena. Faarooq recovered and headed back toward the ring to double team the Road Dogg. After the Acolytes put the Dogg headfirst through a table, they pinned him and got the win. Afterwards, the entire Ministry, including three druids, attacked Road Dogg. The lights went out and the Undertaker appeared, and the Ministry members unhooded the druids to reveal they were the Brood!
After the break, an angry Road Dogg went to find Al Snow. The Hardcore Champion thought Snow had abandoned him midway through the match, and he nailed him with a steel chair!
In Victoria, Texas, Mr. McMahon found Stone Cold Steve Austin in a local bar. But Austin refused to hit him until it was "nice and legal" at St. Valentine's Day Massacre. However, after Austin went back to his house, the Victoria locals did not show the owner and the stooges the same courtesy.
In a steel cage match, Triple H took on Kane! After Kane hit HHH with a chokeslam, he tried to escape, but X-Pac ran out and slammed the door twice into the Big Red Machine's head! Kane then tried to escape by climbing up and over the cage, but X-Pac climbed up the other side and pummeled the 7-foot monster. On the opposite end of the cage, Triple H began to scale. Chyna ran out went inside the cage and grabbed the DX leader's foot. However, HHH shook her off and climbed up and over! Chyna grabbed the microphone and said that the fun for DX would end in two weeks at St. Valentine's Day Massacre!
WWF Raw January 25,1999 review
Phoenix, Arizona
January 25, 1999
As the sold out America West Arena crowd looked on, Shane McMahon introduced the winner of the 1999 Royal Rumble--Vincent K. McMahon! The owner had a lot on his mind one day after his big win at the Rumble. First he said that he was so appreciative that The Rock came down and watched as he "single handedly" threw Stone Cold out that he was going to give the new champion the $100,000 bounty that was reserved for the superstar that eliminated Austin. Secondly, he said that since he didn't want The Rock "to be intimidated" about the prospect of facing him at WrestleMania, he had filed papers that official withdrew him from his spot as number one contender. He said he, and only he, would name the new number one contender who would face The Rock at WrestleMania.
Suddenly, Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared on the Titan Tron via satellite from San Antonio, Texas. The Rattlesnake told Mr. McMahon, "I'm going to WrestleMania to face the champion". How did he know? The Commissioner himself said so! It turned out the Rattlesnake was at the home of Shawn Michaels, who was healing up from back surgery a few weeks ago.
Michaels explained that him and Austin had been going through the rule book and discovered that if the winner of the Royal Rumble was unable or unwilling to go to WrestleMania, the runner up would go instead. When Mr. McMahon officially signed away his rights as number one contender, he unknowingly allowed Austin to go in his place! Upon hearing the news the owner was irate.
Austin admitted that he made a mistake at the Rumble when he decided to punish Mr. McMahon instead of throwing him out. He explained, "I think I might want to beat the living hell out of you, even more than I want the title". He challenged the owner to a match at the next Pay-Per-View, St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and said if Mr. McMahon could beat him, he could strip Austin of his title as number one contender. Since there was no way for Mr. McMahon to pin Austin or make him submit, Austin said he'd make it a cage match. That way, Mr. McMahon could win simply by doing what he does best: run.
Before gulping down a few more beers with HBK back in San Antonio, Austin guaranteed that he would beat Mr. McMahon "all over that damn cage, I will walk all over your limp bloody carcass, and Stone Cold Steve Austin will walk right into WrestleMania and beat The Rock"!
Still nursing a sore left leg, Badd Ass Billy Gunn faced Goldust in singles competition. Gunn came out with fellow DX members Chyna and Triple H. The leader of DX said, "I doubt you made Mankind say 'I Quit', and I damn sure know you can't make me say it". He challenged the new champion to an "I Quit" title match on RAW!
As the match got underway, Goldust's music started playing again. A blue Goldust look-a-like came out--it was the Blue Meanie, aka Bluedust! Bluedust grabbed Head and clobbered Goldust with it, allowing Badd Ass to get the pin!
The Oddities came to the ring, but their festivities were interrupted by The Rock! The Corporate Champion first told the Oddities to leave and then officially accepted Triple H's challenge. Backstage, an armored truck carrying $100,000 in cash had pulled up. Mankind attacked the security guards and took the $100,000! He marched out toward the ring and started throwing large portions of it to the fans.
Mankind said he may have been unconscious, but he did not remember saying "I Quit". He said he and the "very talented production team" had got together and solved the mystery. It turns out the Corporation had taped Mankind saying he would make The Rock say "I Quit" during HEAT, and used the tape of him saying "I Quit" when he lay unconscious at the Rumble!
To entertain the "millions and millions of bored people during halftime of the big game", Mankind challenged The Rock to a match in an empty arena during "Halftime Heat" on January 31!
The Oddities came out again, and this time Droz took on George "The Animal" Steele. The Animal customarily went munching on the turnbuckle, allowing Droz to get the pin. But the former Denver Bronco was not content at just getting a victory, as he continued to assault the Hall of Famer after the bell!
The Tag Team Championship was on the line as Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett, accompanied by Debra, challenged Ken Shamrock and Big Bossman. Before the match got underway, Kevin Kelly interviewed Debra, who said that no man could resist her. "Sexual Chocolate" interrupted the interview and said no woman could resist him. There seemed to be a spark between the two. Once the match got underway, the corporate champions did everything they could to keep their attention away from Debra. Shamrock even got the ankle lock on Owen. But the Blue Blazer appeared and clobbered Shamrock with a guitar, knocking him cold. Owen made the cover, and he and Jarrett became the new World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions! (It appears that the Blue Blazer has been vacationing somewhere tropical. He has put on a great deal of weight and has a deep, dark tan--real dark!)
After the break, Shane McMahon and the stooges came out. Shane said Kane had apologized to the McMahon family last night at the Rumble, but now Shane wanted a public apology! Kane came out and said "I apologize" in front of the world. However, that wasn't good enough for the owner's son, and he demanded that Kane get on his knees and say he was sorry. Before the Big Red Machine could do that, X-Pac's music played and out came the European Champion. The degenerate told Kane to stop taking Corporate Crap and instead come and join DX. He then told Shane that he would take him on! However, the Big Red Machine grabbed him from behind and chokeslammed him! He threw him in the corner and Shane hit him with the Bronco Buster, the same move X-Pac had done on him just a few weeks before!
Val Venis and Test faced off next, but before the match got underway, the adult film star debuted his latest video, "Saving Ryan's Privates". Ryan turned out to be Ken Shamrock's sister! After Test threw Val outside the ring, Shamrock ran out and clobbered him with a steel chair. The Corporate Insurance Policy hit Val with his patented finishing move and got the three count. Shamrock went after Venis again just after the match, and Billy Gunn made the save. However, Venis apparently did not know who hit him-he suspected it was Badd Ass himself-and the adult film star attacked Gunn!
In a hardcore rules tag team match, Al Snow and Road Dogg faced Gangrel and Edge of the Brood. After making their entrance, Snow and Dogg grabbed a couple fire extinguishers, and use them to put out Gangrel's customary ring of fire. The four superstars did not even bother to go to the ring. Instead the used various object lying around the backstage area to pummel each other. With Road Dogg and Snow standing against a fence, the Brood rolled a Dumpster toward them, sandwiching them between the Dumpster and the fence. Later Gangrel put Road Dogg through a table, and assaulted both competitors repeatedly with a chair. They even battled into the ladies' room, sending the Godfather's hos running. All four of them went through another table, and Road Dogg and Al landed on top and got the pin! Just before going through the table, "Bluedust" reunited Head with Al Snow!
Backstage, Kevin Kelly interviewed the winners of the match. Al Snow challenged Road Dogg to a Hardcore Championship match, and just as Road Dogg accepted, the Ministry of Darkness attacked both superstars!
The Rock fought his second "I Quit" title match in as many nights as he took on Triple H! The Rock placed the ring bell over HHH's head and dropped the Corporate Elbow. But Triple H recovered and hit The Rock with the Pedigree. Then he dragged him outside and Pedigreed him again! Still, he didn't wasn't done as he picked up the champion and put him on the announcer's table. He was about to Pedigree him through the table when members of the Corporate came out and took Chyna hostage! Bossman told Triple H to say "I Quit" or Kane would break the Ninth Wonder of the World's neck! Triple H agreed and The Rock retained the title. HHH came in the ring and was face to face with Kane when Chyna shocked the world when she hit Triple H with a low blow from behind! As RAW came to an end, Chyna was embracing Shane and Mr. McMahon!
January 25, 1999
As the sold out America West Arena crowd looked on, Shane McMahon introduced the winner of the 1999 Royal Rumble--Vincent K. McMahon! The owner had a lot on his mind one day after his big win at the Rumble. First he said that he was so appreciative that The Rock came down and watched as he "single handedly" threw Stone Cold out that he was going to give the new champion the $100,000 bounty that was reserved for the superstar that eliminated Austin. Secondly, he said that since he didn't want The Rock "to be intimidated" about the prospect of facing him at WrestleMania, he had filed papers that official withdrew him from his spot as number one contender. He said he, and only he, would name the new number one contender who would face The Rock at WrestleMania.
Suddenly, Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared on the Titan Tron via satellite from San Antonio, Texas. The Rattlesnake told Mr. McMahon, "I'm going to WrestleMania to face the champion". How did he know? The Commissioner himself said so! It turned out the Rattlesnake was at the home of Shawn Michaels, who was healing up from back surgery a few weeks ago.
Michaels explained that him and Austin had been going through the rule book and discovered that if the winner of the Royal Rumble was unable or unwilling to go to WrestleMania, the runner up would go instead. When Mr. McMahon officially signed away his rights as number one contender, he unknowingly allowed Austin to go in his place! Upon hearing the news the owner was irate.
Austin admitted that he made a mistake at the Rumble when he decided to punish Mr. McMahon instead of throwing him out. He explained, "I think I might want to beat the living hell out of you, even more than I want the title". He challenged the owner to a match at the next Pay-Per-View, St. Valentine's Day Massacre, and said if Mr. McMahon could beat him, he could strip Austin of his title as number one contender. Since there was no way for Mr. McMahon to pin Austin or make him submit, Austin said he'd make it a cage match. That way, Mr. McMahon could win simply by doing what he does best: run.
Before gulping down a few more beers with HBK back in San Antonio, Austin guaranteed that he would beat Mr. McMahon "all over that damn cage, I will walk all over your limp bloody carcass, and Stone Cold Steve Austin will walk right into WrestleMania and beat The Rock"!
Still nursing a sore left leg, Badd Ass Billy Gunn faced Goldust in singles competition. Gunn came out with fellow DX members Chyna and Triple H. The leader of DX said, "I doubt you made Mankind say 'I Quit', and I damn sure know you can't make me say it". He challenged the new champion to an "I Quit" title match on RAW!
As the match got underway, Goldust's music started playing again. A blue Goldust look-a-like came out--it was the Blue Meanie, aka Bluedust! Bluedust grabbed Head and clobbered Goldust with it, allowing Badd Ass to get the pin!
The Oddities came to the ring, but their festivities were interrupted by The Rock! The Corporate Champion first told the Oddities to leave and then officially accepted Triple H's challenge. Backstage, an armored truck carrying $100,000 in cash had pulled up. Mankind attacked the security guards and took the $100,000! He marched out toward the ring and started throwing large portions of it to the fans.
Mankind said he may have been unconscious, but he did not remember saying "I Quit". He said he and the "very talented production team" had got together and solved the mystery. It turns out the Corporation had taped Mankind saying he would make The Rock say "I Quit" during HEAT, and used the tape of him saying "I Quit" when he lay unconscious at the Rumble!
To entertain the "millions and millions of bored people during halftime of the big game", Mankind challenged The Rock to a match in an empty arena during "Halftime Heat" on January 31!
The Oddities came out again, and this time Droz took on George "The Animal" Steele. The Animal customarily went munching on the turnbuckle, allowing Droz to get the pin. But the former Denver Bronco was not content at just getting a victory, as he continued to assault the Hall of Famer after the bell!
The Tag Team Championship was on the line as Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett, accompanied by Debra, challenged Ken Shamrock and Big Bossman. Before the match got underway, Kevin Kelly interviewed Debra, who said that no man could resist her. "Sexual Chocolate" interrupted the interview and said no woman could resist him. There seemed to be a spark between the two. Once the match got underway, the corporate champions did everything they could to keep their attention away from Debra. Shamrock even got the ankle lock on Owen. But the Blue Blazer appeared and clobbered Shamrock with a guitar, knocking him cold. Owen made the cover, and he and Jarrett became the new World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions! (It appears that the Blue Blazer has been vacationing somewhere tropical. He has put on a great deal of weight and has a deep, dark tan--real dark!)
After the break, Shane McMahon and the stooges came out. Shane said Kane had apologized to the McMahon family last night at the Rumble, but now Shane wanted a public apology! Kane came out and said "I apologize" in front of the world. However, that wasn't good enough for the owner's son, and he demanded that Kane get on his knees and say he was sorry. Before the Big Red Machine could do that, X-Pac's music played and out came the European Champion. The degenerate told Kane to stop taking Corporate Crap and instead come and join DX. He then told Shane that he would take him on! However, the Big Red Machine grabbed him from behind and chokeslammed him! He threw him in the corner and Shane hit him with the Bronco Buster, the same move X-Pac had done on him just a few weeks before!
Val Venis and Test faced off next, but before the match got underway, the adult film star debuted his latest video, "Saving Ryan's Privates". Ryan turned out to be Ken Shamrock's sister! After Test threw Val outside the ring, Shamrock ran out and clobbered him with a steel chair. The Corporate Insurance Policy hit Val with his patented finishing move and got the three count. Shamrock went after Venis again just after the match, and Billy Gunn made the save. However, Venis apparently did not know who hit him-he suspected it was Badd Ass himself-and the adult film star attacked Gunn!
In a hardcore rules tag team match, Al Snow and Road Dogg faced Gangrel and Edge of the Brood. After making their entrance, Snow and Dogg grabbed a couple fire extinguishers, and use them to put out Gangrel's customary ring of fire. The four superstars did not even bother to go to the ring. Instead the used various object lying around the backstage area to pummel each other. With Road Dogg and Snow standing against a fence, the Brood rolled a Dumpster toward them, sandwiching them between the Dumpster and the fence. Later Gangrel put Road Dogg through a table, and assaulted both competitors repeatedly with a chair. They even battled into the ladies' room, sending the Godfather's hos running. All four of them went through another table, and Road Dogg and Al landed on top and got the pin! Just before going through the table, "Bluedust" reunited Head with Al Snow!
Backstage, Kevin Kelly interviewed the winners of the match. Al Snow challenged Road Dogg to a Hardcore Championship match, and just as Road Dogg accepted, the Ministry of Darkness attacked both superstars!
The Rock fought his second "I Quit" title match in as many nights as he took on Triple H! The Rock placed the ring bell over HHH's head and dropped the Corporate Elbow. But Triple H recovered and hit The Rock with the Pedigree. Then he dragged him outside and Pedigreed him again! Still, he didn't wasn't done as he picked up the champion and put him on the announcer's table. He was about to Pedigree him through the table when members of the Corporate came out and took Chyna hostage! Bossman told Triple H to say "I Quit" or Kane would break the Ninth Wonder of the World's neck! Triple H agreed and The Rock retained the title. HHH came in the ring and was face to face with Kane when Chyna shocked the world when she hit Triple H with a low blow from behind! As RAW came to an end, Chyna was embracing Shane and Mr. McMahon!
1999 Royal Rumble review
Royal Rumble
Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California
January 24,1999
The opening match began slowly, with Boss Man taunting Road Dogg and being met with a crotch chop. The two circled each other, occasionally going in for a grapple but without achieving a move. Eventually Road Dogg became trapped in the corner and Boss Man punched him. Road Dogg found some short success when Boss Man tried to run and jump onto him, but was left with his crotch caught on the ropes. Boss Man tried to reply with his night stick but referee Mike Chioda stopped him and while he was being reprimanded, Road Dogg dragged him to his feet and pulled him into the ring post, legs open. After recovering, Boss Man threw Road Dogg outside of the ring. Inside the ring Boss Man took to hurling his opponent into the turnbuckles and then crushing him with a bear hug. Despite some punching back from Road Dogg, Boss Man dominated most of the match from this point and despite a Shake, Rattle & Roll from Road Dogg, Boss Man used his opponent's momentum to catch him in the Boss Man Slam, pinning him afterwards.
With Billy Gunn in the ring, Ken Shamrock ran into a series of kicks but managed to get to his feet and punch Gunn into the corner. He quickly worked on slowing down Gunn's style, keeping him mostly grounded with a series of kicks and elbow drops, only picking Gunn up to kick him back down. Both men went down after Shamrock Irish-whipped him and tried to flapjack Gunn, only to have his face driven into the mat with a FameAsser. Although Gunn put Shamrock in the corner for a ten punch, he then went to run into him and was thrown over the top rope out of the ring. Shamrock took advantage of the time outside of the ring to drag Gunn around, throwing him face first into the ring post, steel steps and the unpadded floor before putting him back in the ring. When the two were on the apron, Gunn managed to stun Shamrock by elbowing him and jumping into a bulldog onto the Spanish announce table. Taking some time to recuperate, Shamrock was undeterred, fighting as soon as he returned to the ring as he began to work on Gunn's ankle. Gunn fought back but accidentally clotheslined referee Tim White and while he was down, Val Venis ran in and delivered a DDT on Shamrock. By the time White was conscious to make a pin count, Shamrock kicked out. Gunn gained momentum and eventually went for a move from the turnbuckle. When he came down, Shamrock caught his ankle and took him to the ground, using his ankle lock to make Gunn submit.
Sable fought Luna Vachon in a strap match
The European Championship match started with X-Pac running roughshod over Gangrel using a variety of spinning kicks. Gangrel's short advantage came from throwing X-Pac onto the ropes but X-Pac would not be kept down, trying a Bronco Buster. X-Pac tried to go to the top rope, fighting Gangrel from it, and then going for a flying crossbody. Some controversy arose when referee Teddy Long seemed to make the three count as Gangrel rolled the diving X-Pac into a roll-up pin, the champion kicking out too late. The match continued, though, despite chants from fans in attendance about the pin fall, but only for a short while as X-Pac jumped and drove a running Gangrel's head into the floor for the X-Factor and pinning him.
Despite Shane McMahon announcing Sable as unfit for contest, she came to the ring and demanded to fight, with McMahon joining the commentary team and giving a very biased account. After whipping Vachon with the strap, Sable was knocked to the ground allowing Vachon to tap two turnbuckles but Sable stopped her, using the strap again to whip her. After being kicked in the corner by Sable, Vachon side slammed Sable and then wrapped the strap around Sable's neck, hoisting Sable on her back. She then toured the turnbuckles, tapping three of them unaware that Sable was doing the same from her back. Just before she could tap the fourth, Vachon was taken off her feet by Sable. Fearing a turn in the match, Shane McMahon jumped on the apron to distract the referee, but as Vachon went to tap the fourth turbuckle, Tori attacked her and ran back into the crowd, letting Sable freely tap the fourth turnbuckle in sight of the referee to retain the Woman's Championship.
The "I Quit" Match began with Mankind clotheslining and punching Rock into the turnbuckle before putting him on the ground and punching him, trying to make him quit early on with no success. When The Rock insulted Mankind over the microphone, Mankind struck him with the microphone and then Cactus clotheslined him out of the ring. After punching Rock against the barricade, he was thrown over the steel steps but managed to take control once again when The Rock joined the commentary team to further mock Mankind and was clotheslined over the table. After hitting him again with the microphone when he would not quit, Rock was thrown inside the ring again and was driven to the ground with a mandible claw to the point where he could not talk to quit. Mankind then took Rock out of the ring and through the crowd but when he tried to clothesline Rock, Rock slammed him back into the ringside barricade. Rock then took the bell to Mankind's head, ringing it next to his ear (and humorously singing "bells will be ringing" into the microphone) before trying to Rock Bottom him through the Spanish announce table, but the table gave way before the move could be performed.
Mankind ran for recovery up the walkway but was chased by The Rock who lost control when his opponent began head-butting him. Rock thumbed Mankind's eye and took him through the technical area, smashing his head into the food there and then performing a DDT on him on the concrete, at which point Mankind refused to quit. Rock then brought a ladder into the match but was knocked down with the ladder on top of him, he escaped just as Mankind delivered a running elbow drop onto the ladder, though he would still not quit. Rock then set the ladder up and climbed to the first tier of crowd, fighting in front of them with Mankind just about to throw him off. Rock low blowed him though, and then climbed over the barrier up the stairs to make a running punch which launched Mankind onto the electrical hub of the arena, causing them to spark and the lights to go out briefly. Shane McMahon came to stop the match but Rock demanded his opponent quit, though he would not ask him the question as he kicked a crawling Mankind back towards the ring. With Mankind lying unconscious in the ring, Rock handcuffed his hands behind his back and hit his head into the turnbuckle. Mankind kicked the Rock low, then dropped a knee into his crotch and asked him if he quit. The Rock managed to stand up and clotheslined Mankind to the mat, putting a chair on his face and performing the Corporate Elbow. When he was asked if he would quit, Mankind told Rock to go to hell, Rock told him he'd go to hell first. Mankind stood up only to be met with three hard steel chair shots but still refused to quit, saying he'd have to be killed first. Rock then chased Mankind out of the ring and up the walkway, hitting him repeatedly with a chair until he fell unconscious on the concrete. Finally, Mankind was heard shouting "I quit!" three times in a row; the audio was actually a recording from a promo Mankind made on Raw in the match build up, so Mankind never actually quit, but the Rock was declared the winner nonetheles
The Royal Rumble match began with Steve Austin and Vince McMahon circling each other. McMahon mistimed a clothesline and Austin punched him into the corner, stomping a mudhole. Austin then went to throw McMahon over the top rope but stopped, wanting to take his time as Golga came to the ring. With Austin distracted by Golga, McMahon fled under the bottom rope (and thus wasn't eliminated) but Austin soon followed when Golga was eliminated. Austin followed McMahon through the crowd and eventually fought their way to the halls of the arena and was led into the public toilets where The Corporation were waiting to beat Austin down and leave him unconscious on the floor. In the ring Droz had come out and waited the allotted time until Edge made his appearance, the two fighting only to quickly eliminate Gillberg as soon as he entered the ring. When Dan Severn entered the ring he immediately gunned for Steve Blackman, the two fighting in the corner until Tiger Ali Singh came in and attacked Blackman. Meanwhile, clips were shown of Austin being lifted onto a gurney and eventually being taken to hospital. When the eleventh man was scheduled to enter, nobody showed and backstage Mabel was shown throwing Headbanger Mosh into a wall before entering the Rumble himself in Mosh's place. Shortly after entering the match, with only Road Dogg and Mabel left in the ring after Mabel's dominance, the lights went out. When they came back up, under a blue hue, The Acolytes and Mideon had eliminated Mabel and took him to meet The Undertaker who put him in a (kayfabe) trance. None of them were competitors. Road Dogg was left on his own and quickly eliminated Gangrel but had more difficulty with Kurrgan. Al Snow tried to help Road Dogg but when he over zealously climbed the ropes to push Kurrgan out, Road Dogg jumped on the opportunity to push him over. The ring gradually began to fill up again with Goldust and Godfather until Kane entered, instantly putting all four wrestlers over the top rope and then eliminating himself when the asylum workers came to try and commit him.
Mr. McMahon briefly returned into the ring but then exited to give the ring to Ken Shamrock, opting to join the commentary team instead. The next entrant was Billy Gunn, with only one shoe due to his ankle being injured from their earlier match up. As Test entered the ring, the Ministry were shown in the parking lot putting Mabel into a hearse and then an ambulance pulled up with Steve Austin driving. He quickly made his way to the ring, overshadowing the entrance of the Big Boss Man. McMahon ran around the ring away from Austin, the running through it to allow Shamrock to secure him before fleeing again to the commentary team. Austin eliminated Shamrock with little trouble but put more effort into Boss Man, choking him with a turnbuckle tie. Again the ring began to fill up, two members of DX in Triple H and X-Pac, Test and Boss Man representing The Corporation along with other singles wrestlers. Austin took a break from being in the ring to go to the commentary team to throw a jug of water in McMahon's face before returning to the fight. At this point the first woman to enter a Royal Rumble, Chyna came to the ring. She instantly targeted Mark Henry, delivering forearms before throwing him over the top rope, but before she had time to celebrate Austin immediately clotheslined her over the top rope, for which Triple H attacked him. Triple H was soon eliminated by Austin as the numbers started to dwindle and after giving a Stone Cold Stunner to Boss Man, Austin eliminated him leaving only him and McMahon. Austin went to the announce table and attacked McMahon, throwing him into the crowd and then back to ringside, hitting him with a chair. Austin then threw McMahon into the ring, standing over him as McMahon clambered to his feet and lowblowed Austin. The two both staggered to their feet when Austin stunnered McMahon. The Rock then came to ringside taunting Austin with the WWF Championship, climbing up to the apron. As Austin ran to punch Rock, McMahon climbed to his feet and came up behind Austin, throwing him over the top rope and winning the 1999 Royal Rumble match
Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California
January 24,1999
The opening match began slowly, with Boss Man taunting Road Dogg and being met with a crotch chop. The two circled each other, occasionally going in for a grapple but without achieving a move. Eventually Road Dogg became trapped in the corner and Boss Man punched him. Road Dogg found some short success when Boss Man tried to run and jump onto him, but was left with his crotch caught on the ropes. Boss Man tried to reply with his night stick but referee Mike Chioda stopped him and while he was being reprimanded, Road Dogg dragged him to his feet and pulled him into the ring post, legs open. After recovering, Boss Man threw Road Dogg outside of the ring. Inside the ring Boss Man took to hurling his opponent into the turnbuckles and then crushing him with a bear hug. Despite some punching back from Road Dogg, Boss Man dominated most of the match from this point and despite a Shake, Rattle & Roll from Road Dogg, Boss Man used his opponent's momentum to catch him in the Boss Man Slam, pinning him afterwards.
With Billy Gunn in the ring, Ken Shamrock ran into a series of kicks but managed to get to his feet and punch Gunn into the corner. He quickly worked on slowing down Gunn's style, keeping him mostly grounded with a series of kicks and elbow drops, only picking Gunn up to kick him back down. Both men went down after Shamrock Irish-whipped him and tried to flapjack Gunn, only to have his face driven into the mat with a FameAsser. Although Gunn put Shamrock in the corner for a ten punch, he then went to run into him and was thrown over the top rope out of the ring. Shamrock took advantage of the time outside of the ring to drag Gunn around, throwing him face first into the ring post, steel steps and the unpadded floor before putting him back in the ring. When the two were on the apron, Gunn managed to stun Shamrock by elbowing him and jumping into a bulldog onto the Spanish announce table. Taking some time to recuperate, Shamrock was undeterred, fighting as soon as he returned to the ring as he began to work on Gunn's ankle. Gunn fought back but accidentally clotheslined referee Tim White and while he was down, Val Venis ran in and delivered a DDT on Shamrock. By the time White was conscious to make a pin count, Shamrock kicked out. Gunn gained momentum and eventually went for a move from the turnbuckle. When he came down, Shamrock caught his ankle and took him to the ground, using his ankle lock to make Gunn submit.
Sable fought Luna Vachon in a strap match
The European Championship match started with X-Pac running roughshod over Gangrel using a variety of spinning kicks. Gangrel's short advantage came from throwing X-Pac onto the ropes but X-Pac would not be kept down, trying a Bronco Buster. X-Pac tried to go to the top rope, fighting Gangrel from it, and then going for a flying crossbody. Some controversy arose when referee Teddy Long seemed to make the three count as Gangrel rolled the diving X-Pac into a roll-up pin, the champion kicking out too late. The match continued, though, despite chants from fans in attendance about the pin fall, but only for a short while as X-Pac jumped and drove a running Gangrel's head into the floor for the X-Factor and pinning him.
Despite Shane McMahon announcing Sable as unfit for contest, she came to the ring and demanded to fight, with McMahon joining the commentary team and giving a very biased account. After whipping Vachon with the strap, Sable was knocked to the ground allowing Vachon to tap two turnbuckles but Sable stopped her, using the strap again to whip her. After being kicked in the corner by Sable, Vachon side slammed Sable and then wrapped the strap around Sable's neck, hoisting Sable on her back. She then toured the turnbuckles, tapping three of them unaware that Sable was doing the same from her back. Just before she could tap the fourth, Vachon was taken off her feet by Sable. Fearing a turn in the match, Shane McMahon jumped on the apron to distract the referee, but as Vachon went to tap the fourth turbuckle, Tori attacked her and ran back into the crowd, letting Sable freely tap the fourth turnbuckle in sight of the referee to retain the Woman's Championship.
The "I Quit" Match began with Mankind clotheslining and punching Rock into the turnbuckle before putting him on the ground and punching him, trying to make him quit early on with no success. When The Rock insulted Mankind over the microphone, Mankind struck him with the microphone and then Cactus clotheslined him out of the ring. After punching Rock against the barricade, he was thrown over the steel steps but managed to take control once again when The Rock joined the commentary team to further mock Mankind and was clotheslined over the table. After hitting him again with the microphone when he would not quit, Rock was thrown inside the ring again and was driven to the ground with a mandible claw to the point where he could not talk to quit. Mankind then took Rock out of the ring and through the crowd but when he tried to clothesline Rock, Rock slammed him back into the ringside barricade. Rock then took the bell to Mankind's head, ringing it next to his ear (and humorously singing "bells will be ringing" into the microphone) before trying to Rock Bottom him through the Spanish announce table, but the table gave way before the move could be performed.
Mankind ran for recovery up the walkway but was chased by The Rock who lost control when his opponent began head-butting him. Rock thumbed Mankind's eye and took him through the technical area, smashing his head into the food there and then performing a DDT on him on the concrete, at which point Mankind refused to quit. Rock then brought a ladder into the match but was knocked down with the ladder on top of him, he escaped just as Mankind delivered a running elbow drop onto the ladder, though he would still not quit. Rock then set the ladder up and climbed to the first tier of crowd, fighting in front of them with Mankind just about to throw him off. Rock low blowed him though, and then climbed over the barrier up the stairs to make a running punch which launched Mankind onto the electrical hub of the arena, causing them to spark and the lights to go out briefly. Shane McMahon came to stop the match but Rock demanded his opponent quit, though he would not ask him the question as he kicked a crawling Mankind back towards the ring. With Mankind lying unconscious in the ring, Rock handcuffed his hands behind his back and hit his head into the turnbuckle. Mankind kicked the Rock low, then dropped a knee into his crotch and asked him if he quit. The Rock managed to stand up and clotheslined Mankind to the mat, putting a chair on his face and performing the Corporate Elbow. When he was asked if he would quit, Mankind told Rock to go to hell, Rock told him he'd go to hell first. Mankind stood up only to be met with three hard steel chair shots but still refused to quit, saying he'd have to be killed first. Rock then chased Mankind out of the ring and up the walkway, hitting him repeatedly with a chair until he fell unconscious on the concrete. Finally, Mankind was heard shouting "I quit!" three times in a row; the audio was actually a recording from a promo Mankind made on Raw in the match build up, so Mankind never actually quit, but the Rock was declared the winner nonetheles
The Royal Rumble match began with Steve Austin and Vince McMahon circling each other. McMahon mistimed a clothesline and Austin punched him into the corner, stomping a mudhole. Austin then went to throw McMahon over the top rope but stopped, wanting to take his time as Golga came to the ring. With Austin distracted by Golga, McMahon fled under the bottom rope (and thus wasn't eliminated) but Austin soon followed when Golga was eliminated. Austin followed McMahon through the crowd and eventually fought their way to the halls of the arena and was led into the public toilets where The Corporation were waiting to beat Austin down and leave him unconscious on the floor. In the ring Droz had come out and waited the allotted time until Edge made his appearance, the two fighting only to quickly eliminate Gillberg as soon as he entered the ring. When Dan Severn entered the ring he immediately gunned for Steve Blackman, the two fighting in the corner until Tiger Ali Singh came in and attacked Blackman. Meanwhile, clips were shown of Austin being lifted onto a gurney and eventually being taken to hospital. When the eleventh man was scheduled to enter, nobody showed and backstage Mabel was shown throwing Headbanger Mosh into a wall before entering the Rumble himself in Mosh's place. Shortly after entering the match, with only Road Dogg and Mabel left in the ring after Mabel's dominance, the lights went out. When they came back up, under a blue hue, The Acolytes and Mideon had eliminated Mabel and took him to meet The Undertaker who put him in a (kayfabe) trance. None of them were competitors. Road Dogg was left on his own and quickly eliminated Gangrel but had more difficulty with Kurrgan. Al Snow tried to help Road Dogg but when he over zealously climbed the ropes to push Kurrgan out, Road Dogg jumped on the opportunity to push him over. The ring gradually began to fill up again with Goldust and Godfather until Kane entered, instantly putting all four wrestlers over the top rope and then eliminating himself when the asylum workers came to try and commit him.
Mr. McMahon briefly returned into the ring but then exited to give the ring to Ken Shamrock, opting to join the commentary team instead. The next entrant was Billy Gunn, with only one shoe due to his ankle being injured from their earlier match up. As Test entered the ring, the Ministry were shown in the parking lot putting Mabel into a hearse and then an ambulance pulled up with Steve Austin driving. He quickly made his way to the ring, overshadowing the entrance of the Big Boss Man. McMahon ran around the ring away from Austin, the running through it to allow Shamrock to secure him before fleeing again to the commentary team. Austin eliminated Shamrock with little trouble but put more effort into Boss Man, choking him with a turnbuckle tie. Again the ring began to fill up, two members of DX in Triple H and X-Pac, Test and Boss Man representing The Corporation along with other singles wrestlers. Austin took a break from being in the ring to go to the commentary team to throw a jug of water in McMahon's face before returning to the fight. At this point the first woman to enter a Royal Rumble, Chyna came to the ring. She instantly targeted Mark Henry, delivering forearms before throwing him over the top rope, but before she had time to celebrate Austin immediately clotheslined her over the top rope, for which Triple H attacked him. Triple H was soon eliminated by Austin as the numbers started to dwindle and after giving a Stone Cold Stunner to Boss Man, Austin eliminated him leaving only him and McMahon. Austin went to the announce table and attacked McMahon, throwing him into the crowd and then back to ringside, hitting him with a chair. Austin then threw McMahon into the ring, standing over him as McMahon clambered to his feet and lowblowed Austin. The two both staggered to their feet when Austin stunnered McMahon. The Rock then came to ringside taunting Austin with the WWF Championship, climbing up to the apron. As Austin ran to punch Rock, McMahon climbed to his feet and came up behind Austin, throwing him over the top rope and winning the 1999 Royal Rumble match
WWF Raw January 18, 1999 review
Beaumont, Texas
January 18, 1999
The crowd in Beaumont, Texas, was already jacked for the beginning of RAW IS WAR, and it went absolutely insane when the glass broke and out came Stone Cold Steve Austin! With just six days to go before the Royal Rumble, Austin promised to whoop Mr. McMahon's ass all night long this Sunday on Pay-Per-View, and vowed that he would go the distance and win! He said that there was good news and bad news for Mankind. The good news is that the Deranged One is a well-deserving and respected champion. The bad news is Mankind would have to face the Rattlesnake at WrestleMania XV!
The first match of the night was for the Hardcore Championship! The Road Dogg said that although his name isn't Buffy, he would be a vampire slayer when he took on Gangrel! The Road Dogg some how kicked out after being powerbombed through a table! Later he put Gangrel through another table with a elbow drop, leg drop and then big splash from the top rope. He finished off the Brood member after two stiff chair shots!
Sunday on HEAT, Mr. McMahon gave Ken Shamrock the week off to "train", but forced his Royal Rumble opponent, Badd Ass Billy Gunn, into a match on RAW against Test. Before the match got underway, Shamrock could be seen backstage lacing up his shoes. Back in the ring, Mr. Ass vowed he would win the Intercontinental Title this Sunday. Then he turned his attention to the Corporate Insurance Policy. Test really put a beating on the six-time Tag Team Champion, and when Gunn finally got the upper hand, he was attacked by Shamrock! The World's Most Dangerous Man was completely out of control-he drove Mr. Ass face first into the announcer's table and later slapped on the ankle lock!
Shamrock was still on the rampage. Backstage, as Kevin Kelly tried to get a word with the number one contenders for the Tag Team Championship, Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart-but Shamrock and the Big Boss Man attacked them! After being separated by Federation officials, the Big Boss Man went after Mankind, and the two superstars rumbled backstage during the commercial break and all through the next match-Steve Blackman against Dan Severn.
After being attacked from behind eight days ago on HEAT, Blackman was looking for revenge on "The Beast". The Lethal Weapon thought he had Severn finished off after a thrust kick, but the Coldwater, Michigan native hit Blackman with a low blow, earning a disqualification, and then put him in the Dragon sleeper!
Mankind and the Big Boss Man rumbled their way out to the ring area and their Hardcore Rules match officially got underway, although it had unofficially been going on backstage for several minutes. After being backdropped into a steel chair-head first-Mankind recovered and hit Boss Man with a double arm DDT, setting him up for Mr. Socko and the Mandible Claw. However, The Rock ran in from the back and clobbered Mankind with a steel chair right on the skull. Later, he nailed him with a Rock Bottom on the chair.
It was the moment of truth for Mark Henry, as Chyna called out "Sexual Chocolate" and forced him to either tell the truth or she would show some embarrassing footage. With his mom sitting at ringside, Henry confessed that nothing happened during his date with Chyna. But Chyna rolled the footage anyway-and it showed Mark Henry being seduced by Sammy before realizing that "she" was actually a "he". "Sexual Chocolate" was totally humiliated, and Chyna told his mom that there was no disrespect intended, but her boy had it coming.
Next up, Al Snow took on the superstar that stole Head, Goldust! The winner of the match was supposed to get Head. After Snow rolled up Goldust into a pinning combination and won the match, Goldust planted him with a spine buster, and then nailed him with the Shattered Dreams! The Bizarre One once again walked off with Head! After the break, the Undertaker appeared and promised that at the Royal Rumble there would be a sacrifice, "and your simple minds won't allow you to believe who the next victim will be".
In another match scheduled on HEAT, Chyna took on Mr. Brisco and Mr. Patterson in a Handicap Match! The stooges used wrestling moves that haven't been seen since 1960, like the airplane spin. Apparently forgetting that Chyna is a woman, Mr. Brisco went for a low blow. All this did was anger the Ninth Wonder of the World and she got two handfuls of Corporate Jewels-one stooge in each hand! Mr. Brisco even threw powder into Chyna's eyes! With the DX bodyguard blinded, Sable came out to help, but Luna attacked her on her way out! Chyna eventually regained her sight, DDTed both stooges, stacked Mr. Brisco on top of Mr. Patterson and sat on both to get the win! In a match ordered by Commissioner Michaels, it was Corporate member against Corporate member as The Rock took on Kane. Mr. McMahon tried to get Kane to let The Rock win, but the Big Red Machine refused and the match got underway! After several low blows by The Rock, Kane recovered and administered a chokeslam! The Corporate came in and gang up on him, but Mankind came out with a chair to even the odds. Mankind went after The Rock, who was walking back toward the locker room. But Stone Cold walked out and trapped The Rock. As The Rock turned around the face Austin, Mankind pummeled him with a chair! Mr. McMahon looked on in disgust!
What is going to happen this Sunday when Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon are 1 & 2 in the Royal Rumble?!
January 18, 1999
The crowd in Beaumont, Texas, was already jacked for the beginning of RAW IS WAR, and it went absolutely insane when the glass broke and out came Stone Cold Steve Austin! With just six days to go before the Royal Rumble, Austin promised to whoop Mr. McMahon's ass all night long this Sunday on Pay-Per-View, and vowed that he would go the distance and win! He said that there was good news and bad news for Mankind. The good news is that the Deranged One is a well-deserving and respected champion. The bad news is Mankind would have to face the Rattlesnake at WrestleMania XV!
The first match of the night was for the Hardcore Championship! The Road Dogg said that although his name isn't Buffy, he would be a vampire slayer when he took on Gangrel! The Road Dogg some how kicked out after being powerbombed through a table! Later he put Gangrel through another table with a elbow drop, leg drop and then big splash from the top rope. He finished off the Brood member after two stiff chair shots!
Sunday on HEAT, Mr. McMahon gave Ken Shamrock the week off to "train", but forced his Royal Rumble opponent, Badd Ass Billy Gunn, into a match on RAW against Test. Before the match got underway, Shamrock could be seen backstage lacing up his shoes. Back in the ring, Mr. Ass vowed he would win the Intercontinental Title this Sunday. Then he turned his attention to the Corporate Insurance Policy. Test really put a beating on the six-time Tag Team Champion, and when Gunn finally got the upper hand, he was attacked by Shamrock! The World's Most Dangerous Man was completely out of control-he drove Mr. Ass face first into the announcer's table and later slapped on the ankle lock!
Shamrock was still on the rampage. Backstage, as Kevin Kelly tried to get a word with the number one contenders for the Tag Team Championship, Jeff Jarrett and Owen Hart-but Shamrock and the Big Boss Man attacked them! After being separated by Federation officials, the Big Boss Man went after Mankind, and the two superstars rumbled backstage during the commercial break and all through the next match-Steve Blackman against Dan Severn.
After being attacked from behind eight days ago on HEAT, Blackman was looking for revenge on "The Beast". The Lethal Weapon thought he had Severn finished off after a thrust kick, but the Coldwater, Michigan native hit Blackman with a low blow, earning a disqualification, and then put him in the Dragon sleeper!
Mankind and the Big Boss Man rumbled their way out to the ring area and their Hardcore Rules match officially got underway, although it had unofficially been going on backstage for several minutes. After being backdropped into a steel chair-head first-Mankind recovered and hit Boss Man with a double arm DDT, setting him up for Mr. Socko and the Mandible Claw. However, The Rock ran in from the back and clobbered Mankind with a steel chair right on the skull. Later, he nailed him with a Rock Bottom on the chair.
It was the moment of truth for Mark Henry, as Chyna called out "Sexual Chocolate" and forced him to either tell the truth or she would show some embarrassing footage. With his mom sitting at ringside, Henry confessed that nothing happened during his date with Chyna. But Chyna rolled the footage anyway-and it showed Mark Henry being seduced by Sammy before realizing that "she" was actually a "he". "Sexual Chocolate" was totally humiliated, and Chyna told his mom that there was no disrespect intended, but her boy had it coming.
Next up, Al Snow took on the superstar that stole Head, Goldust! The winner of the match was supposed to get Head. After Snow rolled up Goldust into a pinning combination and won the match, Goldust planted him with a spine buster, and then nailed him with the Shattered Dreams! The Bizarre One once again walked off with Head! After the break, the Undertaker appeared and promised that at the Royal Rumble there would be a sacrifice, "and your simple minds won't allow you to believe who the next victim will be".
In another match scheduled on HEAT, Chyna took on Mr. Brisco and Mr. Patterson in a Handicap Match! The stooges used wrestling moves that haven't been seen since 1960, like the airplane spin. Apparently forgetting that Chyna is a woman, Mr. Brisco went for a low blow. All this did was anger the Ninth Wonder of the World and she got two handfuls of Corporate Jewels-one stooge in each hand! Mr. Brisco even threw powder into Chyna's eyes! With the DX bodyguard blinded, Sable came out to help, but Luna attacked her on her way out! Chyna eventually regained her sight, DDTed both stooges, stacked Mr. Brisco on top of Mr. Patterson and sat on both to get the win! In a match ordered by Commissioner Michaels, it was Corporate member against Corporate member as The Rock took on Kane. Mr. McMahon tried to get Kane to let The Rock win, but the Big Red Machine refused and the match got underway! After several low blows by The Rock, Kane recovered and administered a chokeslam! The Corporate came in and gang up on him, but Mankind came out with a chair to even the odds. Mankind went after The Rock, who was walking back toward the locker room. But Stone Cold walked out and trapped The Rock. As The Rock turned around the face Austin, Mankind pummeled him with a chair! Mr. McMahon looked on in disgust!
What is going to happen this Sunday when Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mr. McMahon are 1 & 2 in the Royal Rumble?!
WWF RAW January 11, 1999 review
Houston, Texas
January 11, 1999
The crowd at the sold-out Compaq Center in Houston was jacked as D-Generation X hit the ring and introduced the new World Wrestling Federation Champion: Mankind. Mankind went to the ring and thanked a few people that helped him get to where he is today-including DX for watching his back, and Steve Austin for knocking The Rock Stone Cold Unconscious with a chair last week! Mankind said that as long as he was champion the Rattlesnake would have "one chance in hell" at the title-and the Deranged One would like nothing more than to face Austin at WrestleMania!
The Rock, Shane and Mr. McMahon came out to the ringside area. The Rock wanted a chance to win back the title at Royal Rumble, but Mick Foley wouldn't give him one until he agreed to make it a No Disqualification, No Count Out "I Quit" match with the members of the Corporation banned from ringside!
But Mr. McMahon said that Mankind shouldn't assume he would still be champion at the Rumble-he forced him into a match later on RAW against Kane!
The first match of the night was for the title of number one contender for the Tag Team Championship! The New Age Outlaws, with Chyna, took on Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett, accompanied by Debra. When Chyna and Debra went face to face at ringside, the Outlaws were distracted. Owen Hart blind-sided Road Dogg, hitting him with a spinning heel kick to the back of the head, and got the pin!
The Man called Gillberg, accompanied by several police escorts, made his way to the ring next. The fans were chanting Gillberg, previously known as Duane Gill, although Michael Cole pointed out that "nobody's on their feet and nobody's moving their mouth"! Gillberg's entrance included an amazing pyro display that included the members of the J.O.B. Squad holding sparklers. But even that was too much smoke for Gillberg-as he tried to breathe in he choked! Gillberg, the Light Heavyweight Champion, displayed his amazing skills on the microphone by saying "Gillberg doesn't want to know who's next. Gillberg wants to know who's first"!
Luna was apparently "first" as she came out for a tune up to her Women's Title match at the Royal Rumble. Gillberg showed off his amazing arousal of moves as he immediately went for the spear, but Luna simply stepped out of the way, and Gillberg went flying into the steel ringpost. Later, Gillberg picked up Luna and held her in the air for a few seconds until Luna wiggled her way into a pinning position. She only got a two count, but she finished off the Man They Call Gillberg later with a big splash off the top rope. For the record, Gillberg's record now stands at 0-1.
Luna did not get much of an opportunity to celebrate as she was attacked after the match by a fan, apparently the same one that two weeks ago on RAW gave Sable a flower!
Back from the commercial, Dennis Knight was babbling complete gibberish at the commentator's table, saying something about how "He" is here tonight. The Acolytes came out and got him, telling him the "He is ready for you".
Val Venis came out and saw an attractive fan at ringside. He went over to her and began his gyrating routine. But Ken Shamrock sprinted from the backstage area and attacked the adult film star! He warned Val to stay away from his sister! When Billy Gunn realized that the woman was Shamrock's sister, he came out to the ring and showed her his "Badd Ass"! An irate Shamrock then attacked Billy Gunn! Shamrock said he would face Mr. Ass for the Intercontinental Championship at Royal Rumble, but he warned Gunn not to worry about winning championships because he would be lucky to make it out alive!
X-Pac put the European Championship on the line against Al Snow. Conspicuous by "their" absence was Head, who was stolen on HEAT by Goldust! The Bizarre One showed up again during the match-leveling Snow with Head, and setting up X-Pac for the X-Factor and the win! Immediately after being pinned, Snow chased after Goldust, who kept beating him down with Head.
Former Tag Team Champions collided as Kane, who apparently wanted to win the title with no help from the Corporation, took on Mankind! But this time the richest prize in sports-entertainment was on the line. Kane went for a chokeslam, but Mankind countered with a low blow followed by a double-arm DDT. The champion put on Socko and went for the Mandible Claw, but Kane's masked prevented him from applying much pressure. Still, Kane was dazed, and when he was able to plant Mankind with a Tombstone, he did not immediately make the cover. When he finally did, The Rock ran in and prevented him from winning! The Rock got a chair and pummeled both Kane and Mankind repeatedly until Stone Cold Steve Austin showed up! As Mankind and Austin were about to double team him, The Rock escaped. Austin hit both Mankind and Kane with stunners!
Backstage, The Rock explained to Mr. McMahon that he wasn't going to let the Big Red Machine take "The Rock's title". He wanted to win it back himself at the Royal Rumble!
Two young superstars collided as Edge of the Brood took on Triple H, who was accompanied by Chyna. Triple H caught Edge quickly and applied the Pedigree for the win. After the match, all three members of the Brood attacked Triple H. DX came out to even the odds and when the lights came back on it was Road Dogg who was the most recent victim of a blood bath.
What happened after the commercial break is difficult to describe. Dennis Knight lay on a table while the Acolytes stood nearby. The Undertaker came out with Paul Bearer and said that the Ministry of Darkness had arrived! Apparently the Undertaker is "He". According to the Undertaker, "Hell is no longer an option, it is a reality"!
Undertaker then performed a human sacrifice on Dennis Knight, and carved the Undertaker symbol into his chest. Unexplainable, Knight started floating in midair!
D'Lo Brown came out with Terri Runnels and Jacqueline. D'Lo said he would do anything to make amends for Terri's miscarriage-even fight his good friend "Sexual Chocolate" Mark Henry, which is exactly what Terri wanted him to do. As D'Lo and Mark Henry went face to face, Terri hit Henry from behind with a low blow. Chyna and her friend Sammy appeared and ran PMS off!
Shane announced that the members of DX and the Corporation would face off in a "Corporate Royal Rumble", and the winner would become the number 30 entrant in the Royal Rumble! The first two participants were Ken Shamrock and Billy Gunn. Shamrock showed he was not interested in winning the match as he eliminated himself by going after Badd Ass before he even entered the ring! But by the time the referees could get Shamrock to leave, it was time for the Big Boss Man to enter! Test entered next and began double teaming Gunn. Just after X-Pac entered, Test threw out Billy Gunn and again it was two on one against a member of DX. However, the numbers were evened when Road Dogg, still covered in blood from the blood bath, came out. Big Boss Man, Test, X-Pac and Road Dogg were still in the ring as Kane came out! But Kane quickly eliminated the Road Dogg. After Test inadvertently hit Kane, the Big Red Machine threw the Corporate Insurance Policy out!
After Kane and X-Pac were thrown out, it appeared that the last two competitors were Triple H and the Big Boss Man. However, Mr. McMahon came out and threw both competitors out! It seemed that the owner had fooled everyone and once again would enter the Rumble at number 30. However, after two minutes Chyna came out to take her turn! The stooges tried diligently to keep her out of the ring, and both Mr. Brisco and Mr. Patterson got forearm shots for their trouble. Suddenly Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared and distracted Mr. McMahon. From the other direction, Chyna grabbed the owner and threw him over the top rope and out! Chyna won the Corporate Royal Rumble and will enter the "real" Royal Rumble last! Meanwhile, outside the ring, Stone Cold Steve Austin laughed right in the owner's face again!
January 11, 1999
The crowd at the sold-out Compaq Center in Houston was jacked as D-Generation X hit the ring and introduced the new World Wrestling Federation Champion: Mankind. Mankind went to the ring and thanked a few people that helped him get to where he is today-including DX for watching his back, and Steve Austin for knocking The Rock Stone Cold Unconscious with a chair last week! Mankind said that as long as he was champion the Rattlesnake would have "one chance in hell" at the title-and the Deranged One would like nothing more than to face Austin at WrestleMania!
The Rock, Shane and Mr. McMahon came out to the ringside area. The Rock wanted a chance to win back the title at Royal Rumble, but Mick Foley wouldn't give him one until he agreed to make it a No Disqualification, No Count Out "I Quit" match with the members of the Corporation banned from ringside!
But Mr. McMahon said that Mankind shouldn't assume he would still be champion at the Rumble-he forced him into a match later on RAW against Kane!
The first match of the night was for the title of number one contender for the Tag Team Championship! The New Age Outlaws, with Chyna, took on Owen Hart and Jeff Jarrett, accompanied by Debra. When Chyna and Debra went face to face at ringside, the Outlaws were distracted. Owen Hart blind-sided Road Dogg, hitting him with a spinning heel kick to the back of the head, and got the pin!
The Man called Gillberg, accompanied by several police escorts, made his way to the ring next. The fans were chanting Gillberg, previously known as Duane Gill, although Michael Cole pointed out that "nobody's on their feet and nobody's moving their mouth"! Gillberg's entrance included an amazing pyro display that included the members of the J.O.B. Squad holding sparklers. But even that was too much smoke for Gillberg-as he tried to breathe in he choked! Gillberg, the Light Heavyweight Champion, displayed his amazing skills on the microphone by saying "Gillberg doesn't want to know who's next. Gillberg wants to know who's first"!
Luna was apparently "first" as she came out for a tune up to her Women's Title match at the Royal Rumble. Gillberg showed off his amazing arousal of moves as he immediately went for the spear, but Luna simply stepped out of the way, and Gillberg went flying into the steel ringpost. Later, Gillberg picked up Luna and held her in the air for a few seconds until Luna wiggled her way into a pinning position. She only got a two count, but she finished off the Man They Call Gillberg later with a big splash off the top rope. For the record, Gillberg's record now stands at 0-1.
Luna did not get much of an opportunity to celebrate as she was attacked after the match by a fan, apparently the same one that two weeks ago on RAW gave Sable a flower!
Back from the commercial, Dennis Knight was babbling complete gibberish at the commentator's table, saying something about how "He" is here tonight. The Acolytes came out and got him, telling him the "He is ready for you".
Val Venis came out and saw an attractive fan at ringside. He went over to her and began his gyrating routine. But Ken Shamrock sprinted from the backstage area and attacked the adult film star! He warned Val to stay away from his sister! When Billy Gunn realized that the woman was Shamrock's sister, he came out to the ring and showed her his "Badd Ass"! An irate Shamrock then attacked Billy Gunn! Shamrock said he would face Mr. Ass for the Intercontinental Championship at Royal Rumble, but he warned Gunn not to worry about winning championships because he would be lucky to make it out alive!
X-Pac put the European Championship on the line against Al Snow. Conspicuous by "their" absence was Head, who was stolen on HEAT by Goldust! The Bizarre One showed up again during the match-leveling Snow with Head, and setting up X-Pac for the X-Factor and the win! Immediately after being pinned, Snow chased after Goldust, who kept beating him down with Head.
Former Tag Team Champions collided as Kane, who apparently wanted to win the title with no help from the Corporation, took on Mankind! But this time the richest prize in sports-entertainment was on the line. Kane went for a chokeslam, but Mankind countered with a low blow followed by a double-arm DDT. The champion put on Socko and went for the Mandible Claw, but Kane's masked prevented him from applying much pressure. Still, Kane was dazed, and when he was able to plant Mankind with a Tombstone, he did not immediately make the cover. When he finally did, The Rock ran in and prevented him from winning! The Rock got a chair and pummeled both Kane and Mankind repeatedly until Stone Cold Steve Austin showed up! As Mankind and Austin were about to double team him, The Rock escaped. Austin hit both Mankind and Kane with stunners!
Backstage, The Rock explained to Mr. McMahon that he wasn't going to let the Big Red Machine take "The Rock's title". He wanted to win it back himself at the Royal Rumble!
Two young superstars collided as Edge of the Brood took on Triple H, who was accompanied by Chyna. Triple H caught Edge quickly and applied the Pedigree for the win. After the match, all three members of the Brood attacked Triple H. DX came out to even the odds and when the lights came back on it was Road Dogg who was the most recent victim of a blood bath.
What happened after the commercial break is difficult to describe. Dennis Knight lay on a table while the Acolytes stood nearby. The Undertaker came out with Paul Bearer and said that the Ministry of Darkness had arrived! Apparently the Undertaker is "He". According to the Undertaker, "Hell is no longer an option, it is a reality"!
Undertaker then performed a human sacrifice on Dennis Knight, and carved the Undertaker symbol into his chest. Unexplainable, Knight started floating in midair!
D'Lo Brown came out with Terri Runnels and Jacqueline. D'Lo said he would do anything to make amends for Terri's miscarriage-even fight his good friend "Sexual Chocolate" Mark Henry, which is exactly what Terri wanted him to do. As D'Lo and Mark Henry went face to face, Terri hit Henry from behind with a low blow. Chyna and her friend Sammy appeared and ran PMS off!
Shane announced that the members of DX and the Corporation would face off in a "Corporate Royal Rumble", and the winner would become the number 30 entrant in the Royal Rumble! The first two participants were Ken Shamrock and Billy Gunn. Shamrock showed he was not interested in winning the match as he eliminated himself by going after Badd Ass before he even entered the ring! But by the time the referees could get Shamrock to leave, it was time for the Big Boss Man to enter! Test entered next and began double teaming Gunn. Just after X-Pac entered, Test threw out Billy Gunn and again it was two on one against a member of DX. However, the numbers were evened when Road Dogg, still covered in blood from the blood bath, came out. Big Boss Man, Test, X-Pac and Road Dogg were still in the ring as Kane came out! But Kane quickly eliminated the Road Dogg. After Test inadvertently hit Kane, the Big Red Machine threw the Corporate Insurance Policy out!
After Kane and X-Pac were thrown out, it appeared that the last two competitors were Triple H and the Big Boss Man. However, Mr. McMahon came out and threw both competitors out! It seemed that the owner had fooled everyone and once again would enter the Rumble at number 30. However, after two minutes Chyna came out to take her turn! The stooges tried diligently to keep her out of the ring, and both Mr. Brisco and Mr. Patterson got forearm shots for their trouble. Suddenly Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared and distracted Mr. McMahon. From the other direction, Chyna grabbed the owner and threw him over the top rope and out! Chyna won the Corporate Royal Rumble and will enter the "real" Royal Rumble last! Meanwhile, outside the ring, Stone Cold Steve Austin laughed right in the owner's face again!
WWF Raw is War January 4, 1999 review
Worcester Centrum Centre, Worcester, Massachusetts
January 4, 1999
Mr. McMahon fired Commissioner Michaels last week, and as RAW began footage was shown of the career of the Heartbreak Kid. However, the video came to a screeching halt when Mr. McMahon came out and ordered "that sentimental crap off the Titan Tron". The owner promised that Michaels would not show up on RAW, but just after he said that, the "showstoppa" arrived. It turned out he wasn't by himself-"this time," he said, "I brought the cavalry with me". The DX music exploded from the speakers and the crowd went crazy as Triple H, Chyna, X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws came out to stand alongside Michaels.
Michaels then said his "overpriced" lawyers have determined that his contract as commissioner is ironclad and the only way he would be incapable of being commissioner is if he resigned, "and Vince there is no way in hell that that is ever going to happen".
The commissioner then pointed out that Mr. McMahon himself had said on national television that HBK would answer to nobody and have complete control over all Federation competitors except Stone Cold Steve Austin. When Mr. McMahon entered himself into the Royal Rumble, he became and competitor. Therefore, Michaels ordered the owner to enter the Rumble at number two, just after the Rattlesnake!
Finally, Michaels promised that before RAW ended, he would have a surprise for the owner that would drive him "Stone Cold crazy"!
Two no-holds-barred specialists went at it as Ken Shamrock took on Steve Blackman in a non-title match. Another "shoot-style" competitor, Dan Severn showed up, though he is still limited by a neck brace. Severn distracted the referee when suddenly Billy Gunn appeared and knocked out the "World's Most Dangerous Man" with a Rocker dropper. The "Lethal Weapon" was then able to get the pin! Shamrock and Gunn continued their feud backstage in the locker room and had to be separated by Federation officials.
Mankind paid an unscheduled visit to the ring because he wanted to ask Mr. McMahon for a shot at the World Wrestling Federation Championship at the Royal Rumble. However, the owner came out, insulted the Deranged One, and then told him he doesn't "deserve to be the number one contender…you haven't paid your dues". However, the owner said he would give Mankind a chance to enter the Royal Rumble--he would face Triple H later on RAW and the winner would be included in the Rumble. The special referee for the match would be Shane McMahon!
Next up, "Sexual Chocolate" Mark Henry faced off against Goldust. Henry dropped the big leg over Goldust, but Chyna and her "friend" from HEAT showed up again. Henry was distracted, and Goldust grabbed the 400 pounder from behind and dropped him on the back of his head. However, instead of going for the cover, the Bizarre One delivered a Shattered Dreams to "Sexual Chocolate", earning himself a disqualification. Chyna and her "friend" came down and told Henry that he was just too much man for one woman, so she introduced Mark to her friend Sammi. Upon hearing Chyna's proposition, the 400 pounder fainted!
The Godfather, who was beaten down last week by the Corporation, had his chance at revenge when he stepped into the ring with Test. Val Venis, who brawled with Test last week after Test costed him a chance at the Hardcore Championship, came out. When the referee ended the match by disqualifying the Corporate Insurance Policy, the adult film star went after him and the two superstars had to be separated by Federation officials.
Shane McMahon came down to referee the next match-Mankind vs. Triple H--with the winner qualifying for a spot among the 30 superstars in the Royal Rumble. Minutes after Shane went over to the commentators' table and told Michael Cole and Jerry "The King" Lawler that he would call the match down the middle, he administered a fast count after Triple H had rolled up Mankind, and HHH got an unfair victory. Triple H grabbed the microphone and apologized to Mankind but said he would take the victory because he would do anything to get closer to the World Wrestling Federation Championship. "But I will say one thing," Triple H told Foley. "Happy New Year!" He then grabbed Shane and planted him with a Pedigree and told Mankind "he's all your's". Mankind grabbed him and stretched his body in ways that it wasn't supposed to be stretched, making the owner's on scream in pain. Mr. McMahon and the stooges came to the ring and pleaded with Mankind to let him go. But Mankind wouldn't let go until Mr. McMahon agreed to give him a no disqualification title shot tonight! The owner was forced to agree.
Two young superstars clashed next as Edge took on D'Lo Brown. The Pretty Mean Sisters came out to get a closer look. Terri Runnels climbed up to the ring apron, but began to back away after D'Lo confronted her. However, as she was backing down to steps, she slipped and fell and appeared to be hurt-and she is several months pregnant. The action in the ring came to an immediate stop, and even though he had not touch Terri, D'Lo was visibly shaken. Terri had to be taken away on a stretcher.
Shane McMahon and the "associates" led Kane to the ring and Shane announced that the Big Red Machine would compete in a Handicap Match--against Mr. Brisco and Mr. Patterson! Mr. McMahon came out and said that anyone responsible for Shane being hurt was going to pay, and then he ordered Kane to "make them pay". And pay is exactly what they did. After being the living hell out of the stooges, Kane was about to chokeslam Shane but was talked out of it by Mr. McMahon--who threatened to send him back to the insane asylum.
Al Snow, who still has not changed his clothes two weeks after being the victim of a blood bath, came out for his Hardcore Title match with the Road Dogg. In addition to being pummeled with several steel foreign objects, Al Snow went through a table twice and was thrown into a set of beer kegs. The two superstars ended up battling outside the arena--in the snow! Road Dogg finally was able to get the pin after a piledriver on some wooden crates!
Commissioner Michaels was apparently on his way to pick up a "Stone Cold Surprise", but the members of DX had apparently given him the wrong set of car keys and he was locked out. As he tried to get back into the arena, he was brutally attacked and severely bloodied by several members of the Corporation --he was apparently put through the windshield of the car--and was taken away by ambulance.
Mankind came to the ring for his no-disqualification title match against The Rock--and DX came out right after him. As usual, the Corporation accompanied the champion to the ring. Early on it appeared that Mankind would regret asking for the no-disqualification stipulation, as The Rock assaulted him with the steel ring steps and then gave him the Rock Bottom through the announcers' table. But a "Stone Cold Surprise" showed up, and Steve Austin practically decapitated the champion with a steel chair, pulled Mankind on top, the referee administered the three count and Mick Foley became the new World Wrestling Federation Champion! He dedicated the match to his two children, and as RAW came to an end, the new champion took a victory lap outside the ring!
January 4, 1999
Mr. McMahon fired Commissioner Michaels last week, and as RAW began footage was shown of the career of the Heartbreak Kid. However, the video came to a screeching halt when Mr. McMahon came out and ordered "that sentimental crap off the Titan Tron". The owner promised that Michaels would not show up on RAW, but just after he said that, the "showstoppa" arrived. It turned out he wasn't by himself-"this time," he said, "I brought the cavalry with me". The DX music exploded from the speakers and the crowd went crazy as Triple H, Chyna, X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws came out to stand alongside Michaels.
Michaels then said his "overpriced" lawyers have determined that his contract as commissioner is ironclad and the only way he would be incapable of being commissioner is if he resigned, "and Vince there is no way in hell that that is ever going to happen".
The commissioner then pointed out that Mr. McMahon himself had said on national television that HBK would answer to nobody and have complete control over all Federation competitors except Stone Cold Steve Austin. When Mr. McMahon entered himself into the Royal Rumble, he became and competitor. Therefore, Michaels ordered the owner to enter the Rumble at number two, just after the Rattlesnake!
Finally, Michaels promised that before RAW ended, he would have a surprise for the owner that would drive him "Stone Cold crazy"!
Two no-holds-barred specialists went at it as Ken Shamrock took on Steve Blackman in a non-title match. Another "shoot-style" competitor, Dan Severn showed up, though he is still limited by a neck brace. Severn distracted the referee when suddenly Billy Gunn appeared and knocked out the "World's Most Dangerous Man" with a Rocker dropper. The "Lethal Weapon" was then able to get the pin! Shamrock and Gunn continued their feud backstage in the locker room and had to be separated by Federation officials.
Mankind paid an unscheduled visit to the ring because he wanted to ask Mr. McMahon for a shot at the World Wrestling Federation Championship at the Royal Rumble. However, the owner came out, insulted the Deranged One, and then told him he doesn't "deserve to be the number one contender…you haven't paid your dues". However, the owner said he would give Mankind a chance to enter the Royal Rumble--he would face Triple H later on RAW and the winner would be included in the Rumble. The special referee for the match would be Shane McMahon!
Next up, "Sexual Chocolate" Mark Henry faced off against Goldust. Henry dropped the big leg over Goldust, but Chyna and her "friend" from HEAT showed up again. Henry was distracted, and Goldust grabbed the 400 pounder from behind and dropped him on the back of his head. However, instead of going for the cover, the Bizarre One delivered a Shattered Dreams to "Sexual Chocolate", earning himself a disqualification. Chyna and her "friend" came down and told Henry that he was just too much man for one woman, so she introduced Mark to her friend Sammi. Upon hearing Chyna's proposition, the 400 pounder fainted!
The Godfather, who was beaten down last week by the Corporation, had his chance at revenge when he stepped into the ring with Test. Val Venis, who brawled with Test last week after Test costed him a chance at the Hardcore Championship, came out. When the referee ended the match by disqualifying the Corporate Insurance Policy, the adult film star went after him and the two superstars had to be separated by Federation officials.
Shane McMahon came down to referee the next match-Mankind vs. Triple H--with the winner qualifying for a spot among the 30 superstars in the Royal Rumble. Minutes after Shane went over to the commentators' table and told Michael Cole and Jerry "The King" Lawler that he would call the match down the middle, he administered a fast count after Triple H had rolled up Mankind, and HHH got an unfair victory. Triple H grabbed the microphone and apologized to Mankind but said he would take the victory because he would do anything to get closer to the World Wrestling Federation Championship. "But I will say one thing," Triple H told Foley. "Happy New Year!" He then grabbed Shane and planted him with a Pedigree and told Mankind "he's all your's". Mankind grabbed him and stretched his body in ways that it wasn't supposed to be stretched, making the owner's on scream in pain. Mr. McMahon and the stooges came to the ring and pleaded with Mankind to let him go. But Mankind wouldn't let go until Mr. McMahon agreed to give him a no disqualification title shot tonight! The owner was forced to agree.
Two young superstars clashed next as Edge took on D'Lo Brown. The Pretty Mean Sisters came out to get a closer look. Terri Runnels climbed up to the ring apron, but began to back away after D'Lo confronted her. However, as she was backing down to steps, she slipped and fell and appeared to be hurt-and she is several months pregnant. The action in the ring came to an immediate stop, and even though he had not touch Terri, D'Lo was visibly shaken. Terri had to be taken away on a stretcher.
Shane McMahon and the "associates" led Kane to the ring and Shane announced that the Big Red Machine would compete in a Handicap Match--against Mr. Brisco and Mr. Patterson! Mr. McMahon came out and said that anyone responsible for Shane being hurt was going to pay, and then he ordered Kane to "make them pay". And pay is exactly what they did. After being the living hell out of the stooges, Kane was about to chokeslam Shane but was talked out of it by Mr. McMahon--who threatened to send him back to the insane asylum.
Al Snow, who still has not changed his clothes two weeks after being the victim of a blood bath, came out for his Hardcore Title match with the Road Dogg. In addition to being pummeled with several steel foreign objects, Al Snow went through a table twice and was thrown into a set of beer kegs. The two superstars ended up battling outside the arena--in the snow! Road Dogg finally was able to get the pin after a piledriver on some wooden crates!
Commissioner Michaels was apparently on his way to pick up a "Stone Cold Surprise", but the members of DX had apparently given him the wrong set of car keys and he was locked out. As he tried to get back into the arena, he was brutally attacked and severely bloodied by several members of the Corporation --he was apparently put through the windshield of the car--and was taken away by ambulance.
Mankind came to the ring for his no-disqualification title match against The Rock--and DX came out right after him. As usual, the Corporation accompanied the champion to the ring. Early on it appeared that Mankind would regret asking for the no-disqualification stipulation, as The Rock assaulted him with the steel ring steps and then gave him the Rock Bottom through the announcers' table. But a "Stone Cold Surprise" showed up, and Steve Austin practically decapitated the champion with a steel chair, pulled Mankind on top, the referee administered the three count and Mick Foley became the new World Wrestling Federation Champion! He dedicated the match to his two children, and as RAW came to an end, the new champion took a victory lap outside the ring!
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