WWF Sunday Night Heat- September 20, 1998
by Scrooge McSuck
- Last week on Sunday Night Heat, Jeff Jarrett, with more than a little help from Southern Justice, defeated X-Pac in a Lumberjack Match. Kane and the Undertaker obliterated D'Lo Brown and Mark Henry, but not before the Rock made his presence felt. Gangrel defeated TAKA Michinoku to remain undefeated on Heat, Dustin Runnels laid a beat down on Val Venis, and Ken Shamrock wants a title shot from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Wow, seems like last week was a pretty important show.
- Jim Cornette and Shane McMahon are at ringside to call all the action, unless otherwise noted... Jim Cornette? That seems random.
Mankind (w/ The Rock & Ken Shamrock) vs. Dustin Runnels:
You're probably wondering, but I'm guessing that this Super-Team is an allegiance formed because of McMahon's power-team of Kane and the Undertaker running wild all over WWF programming. I always liked people having to team up, not because they like each other, but because they have to. Dustin Runnels is having issues with Val Venis, which is quite a step below where his opponent is at in terms of importance. Lockup into the corner, and Runnels gives a clean break. Apparently this past Monday on Raw, Val Venis presented his newest "film" co-starring Dustin's estranged wife, Terri. Mankind pounds away and sends him to the floor following an elbow. Mankind follows him out to bring him back in the ring. Meanwhile, Vince is backstage with Kane and Undertaker. Runnel takes over with clubberin' blows, but kind of wanders off and Mankind plants him with the Double-Arm DDT. Mankind with the Mandible Claw, and it's over at 2:38. Pointless match, maybe to establish that these three unlikely associates are in the arena. Anyone remember Mankind had an EXIT theme? It's actually quite nice...Oh, but the fun isn't over for Dustin Runnels, as Val Venis comes out to rub salt in the proverbial wound. Val and Dustin will meet at Breakdown, next week, just incase anyone cared about a bottom of the card match. Venis introduces his latest video, "How Terri Got Her Groove." So... who is supposed to be the baby face? The bible thumping preacher or the guy who's making it a habit of banging other men's wives? I guess the match had a purpose, after all.
- Michael Cole is backstage with the Undertaker and Kane. I guess there's a new stipulation added to the WWF Championship Match at Breakdown: The Undertaker cannot pin Kane and Kane cannot pin The Undertaker, which means Steve Austin has to retain or someone has to pin him. Suddenly, Mankind, The Rock, and Ken Shamrock run in on the interview and it's CHAOS! I'm pretty sure this all set up a 3-on-2 Tag on Monday Night Raw, probably the next night. After the break, Vince McMahon gives Mankind an earful of advice. Remember, it was Vince who convinced Mankind to work the 2-on-1 SummerSlam Match against the New Age Outlaws. I have a feeling this isn't the end between Mankind and Vince McMahon.
Luna (w/ Sable & The Oddities) vs. Jacqueline (w/ Marc Mero):
I don't see how this alliance between Sable and Luna makes sense, considering the abuse they put on each other building up to WrestleMania earlier in the year. Jacqueline attacks from behind and chokes Luna across the middle rope. Whip and Jackie with an elbow. Luna meets her in the corner with a double boot. Whip to the ropes and she slams Jacqueline face-first with a handful of hair. Luna with a sloppy neck breaker, followed by a second rope Luna-Bomb for a two count. Whip to the corner, Luna crotches herself on a charge. Jackie keeps her leg from under her leg and slaps on a worse Figure-Four than the Miz... OK, maybe not that bad. That's enough for the victory at 2:25. This match sucked. Sorry for not going into more detail.- Mankind, The Rock, and Ken Shamrock "willingly" leave the arena, but not without security escorts.
X-Pac, Triple H, Billy Gunn (w/ Chyna & Road Dogg) vs. Jeff Jarrett, D'Lo Brown, Owen Hart (w/ Southern Justice):
The Outlaws are still the reigning Tag Team Champions and Triple H is the Intercontinental Champion, but I'm pretty sure he's been nursing an injury since SummerSlam, and don't recall him working a match, since. Talk about a random combination of heels. The Nation is definitely on it's last legs at this point. Gunn and Brown start, exchanging wristlocks. We get a weird technical malfunction, and I don't mean in the wrestling. Gunn with the Fame-Asser, but D'Lo barely sells it. X-Pac tags in and gets pounded on by Owen. Criss-cross ends with a hip toss. Hunter tags in and connects with a running high knee for two. Jarrett with a cheap shot from the apron, allowing Owen to take him down with a DDT. There seems to be a running gag with the production crew having issues. Shane with a classless joke, suggesting Hawk is behind it. Jarrett with a swinging neck breaker. Brown with a slam and leg drop on the IC Champion. Owen with an inverted atomic drop and clothesline for two. Triple H continues taking a beating in the heels corner. Hunter comes back with a face-buster on Brown and tags out to X-Pac. He connects with a spinning heel kick, followed by a float-over suplex for two. Gunn and Jarrett pair up, and in comes Hunter and Owen. X-Pac with the Bronco Buster on Jarrett. Cantebury sneaks in and gives X-Pac a Pump-handle Slam, and Brown finishes with the Lo Down at 5:52. Mark Henry shows up on Hunter and plants a big leg drop on him. What a mess. decent action, but yeah, what a mess.- We find out that Al Snow (with Head) is the guy in the production truck causing problems. I almost expected it to be Hawk, after all.
Edge vs. TAKA Michinoku (Light-heavyweight Champion) (w/ Yamaguchi-San):
Didn't Edge defeat TAKA with ease only a few weeks ago? Non-Title Match, so it's going to be TAKA doing another clean job. Lockup, and Edge starts pounding away. He comes off the ropes with a spinning heel kick. TAKA counters a Powerbomb, but Edge finishes him anyway with the Downward Spiral at the 34-second mark. Post-Match, the rest of Kaientai runs in for a 3-on-1 beating until Gangrel makes the save. He tells Edge that "he will come home", and walks away. Couldn't they have given them, I don't know, TWO MINUTES? Meanwhile, Al Snow is being arrested.- Sable is "Coming Soon" to Pacific Blue.
- Al Snow is brought to the ring at the request of Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter. Only in wrestling will someone be arrested and be brought to the place they want to be, rather than to the logical option, Jail. I guess Al Snow is still looking for a job in the WWF, after losing a match earlier in the Summer that offered such a stipulation. Sgt. Slaughter is going to discipline him himself tomorrow night on Raw Is War in a Boot Camp Match. On Raw Is War. Snow wants to know whats in it for him if he wins. Slaughter says he will reinstate him, then bops him across the back of the head with the microphone and slaps on the Cobra Clutch... or Chicken Wing. Whatever.
The Undertaker & Kane (w/ Mr. McMahon) vs. D.O.A. (w/ Paul Ellering):
Another match where you have no one to really cheer, because everyone involved as a heel. Kudos for featuring high-level talent on the B-Show, but they can't keep being paired up against lesser people like D.O.A., or like a few weeks ago, L.O.D. 2000. Vince joins commentary, which should've created a black hole at ringside. DOA attack from behind, knocking Kane to the floor. Double clothesline to Undertaker gets a one count, as Kane makes the save. Whip to the ropes, and Undertaker comes back with a diving clothesline. Kane comes in for an epic back-and-forth with Skull... or 8-Ball. Who cares, they both suck. Even Shane shares my sentiments. Kane with a sidewalk slam, followed by the flying clothesline from the top rope. Whip to the corner, Kane walks into an elbow, but no-sells and comes in with a clothesline. They do it again, for whatever reason, and a double boot puts both men down. DOA #2 tags in, gets kicked from the apron, courtesy of the Undertaker, and Kane plants him with the Chokeslam. DOA #1 breaks the count and gets knocked to the floor. HORRIBLE Piledriver by DOA #2, but Kane no-sells it and finishes with the Tombstine Piledriver at 3:58. Another bad match in a series of them. You would think a group of babyfaces would run in, but nope, Mankind, Rock, and Shamrock really did take the rest of the night off, I guess.Final Thoughts: Not much to see this week. The Undertaker and Kane go over a useless, heatless team, X-Pac takes another pinfall loss after interference from the former Henry Godwinn, and TAKA Michinoku does a 30-second job like some ham n' egger from a Wrestling Challenge taping. Throw in a terrible match between Luna and Jacqueline, and a poorly put together angle featuring Dustin Runnels and Val Venis, and you have a wonderful hour of WWF action.
Sound Off!Comment about this article on Da' Wrestling Boards!