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Kevin’s Random Reviews: WWF Over The Edge 1998
Loading...WWF Over the Edge 1998
May 31st, 1998 | Wisconsin Center Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Attendance: 9,822
With Steve Austin as WWF Champion and his feud with Vince McMahon red hot, the WWF had finally beaten WCW in the ratings war. Sandwiched in between two lackluster PPVs I previously covered (Unforgiven and King of the Ring) came this event that featured the culmination of the Austin/Dude Love rivalry, with the deck stacked against the champion like never before. This was the first of two Over the Edge events.
I love this show’s opening video package. “YOU CAN’T STAND THE FACT, YOU CAN’T STAND THE FACT, YOU CAN’T STAND THE FACT.” “YOU MUST CONFORM. YOU MUST RESPECT AUTHORITY.” Great stuff to showcase the Vince/Austin feud. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler were in the booth.
The Disciples of Apocalypse w/ Chainz vs. LOD 2000 w/ Droz and Sunny
This was during that period where Droz was LOD’s protégé, before it all went to shit. The DOA were represented by Skull and 8-Ball. JR hyped this as kind of a number one contender’s match. That poor tag division. Both teams used their power, since it’s all they really had. Hawk got to no sell a piledriver, though at least it was a shit looking piledriver this time. Hawk hilariously oversold missing a flying clothesline. He went all the way outside on the opposite side. Chainz and Droz brawled about which name with a “z” at the end sounds better. Hawk took the heat for a while. Jacob or Eli Blu missed an elbow, leading to the hot tag. Droz attempted to get involved, but missed his cue. They redid the spot and he got in a club that led to an Animal powerslam for the finish in 9:56. Not a good way to start the show. Though the crowd liked LOD, their shine had worn off a lot by 1998. This was messy and pretty boring. [½*]
The Rock came out to cut a promo where he ran down the people of Milwaukee. It was just there so Faarooq could run out and attack him. Faarooq was scheduled for a shot at Rock’s Intercontinental Title tonight. A chair comes into play, with Rock hitting the top rope with it and rebounding it into his face. Faarooq drills Rock with a piledriver on the chair (Rock’s bump was fantastic). The Nation of Domination arrive to run Faarooq off. Rock did a stretcher job.
Boy band member Michael Cole interviewed Steve Austin about the odds not being in his favor. Austin didn’t care about it. When questioned about someone coming to ringside to have his back, Austin said nobody stepped up but again, he didn’t care.
Jeff Jarrett w/ Tennessee Lee vs. Steve Blackman
Oh my god, it’s TENNESSEE LEE. I loved him spelling out his name. Anytime I hear Blackman’s original theme, I think of his tron video from the WrestleMania 2000 video game, which was just his name flashing on the screen and then him swinging his karate sticks around. On a loop. Anyway, talk about a styles clash. Jarrett was all about old school stuff, while Blackman wanted to do his faux kung-fu stuff. Blackman was in control until a Lee distraction led Double J to a cheap shot. Al Snow and Head joined the Spanish commentary team in a sombrero and poncho. Jarrett’s hilariously audible, “I GOT HIM” as he applied the world’s slowest sleeper hold, was the highlight. Like the opener, this had a missed spot where Lee was too late putting Jarrett’s foot on the ropes, so Jarrett just did it himself. Lee got it right when he had to trip Blackman. Jarrett added a kendo stick shot and won in 10:18. Not a bad match technically, though there were a few awkward moments. It was just very dull. [*½]
Marc Mero vs. Sable
Sable was supposed to pick someone to face Mero. Instead, she came out in ring gear, because she fights her own battles. If Mero wins, Sable must leave WWF forever, but if she wins, she’s free from Mero. He felt bad and laid down so she could win der freedom. As she covered him, Mero kicked out at two and rolled her up to steal it in 0:21. Not a match, but I’ll always love this for how enthusiastically Mero celebrated. [NR]
Michael Cole interviewed a distraught Sable, who couldn’t believe Mero would stoop that low.
Backstage, Rock wore a neck brace as the NOD checked on him. Though Rock was in a ton of pain, Commission Slaughter stated he must defend his title or be stripped of it.
Bradshaw and WWF Light Heavyweight Champion TAKA Michinoku vs. Kaientai w/ Yamaguchi-San
This was introduced as a special bonus match. The handicapped team got hot to start, with Bradshaw press slamming TAKA onto Kaientai. The running gag was that Kaientai were scared of Bradshaw, so they ran from him. After TAKA hit a ridiculous dive to the outside, he ended up taking the heat. Dick Togo brought the big offense, hitting a sweet wheelbarrow powerbomb at one point. When Bradshaw got the hot tag, he ran over everyone and no sold everything. Bradshaw’s kind of match. They finally got something going after a low blow, but they stopped to do a weird pose on him. He threw them around, including freaking release tiger suplex. He tagged TAKA back in for some odd reason, which led to a Togo senton that got Kaientai the win at 9:54. They all brought energy, even Bradshaw, which made this better than it probably should’ve been. The Japanese guys had good chemistry, while Bradshaw worked as a good monster. [**¾]
Sable was shown leaving, still in her gear, which made Lawler laugh.
WWF Intercontinental Championship: The Rock [c] vs. Faarooq
Rock didn’t come out after his music was played twice, so Commissioner Slaughter came out to demand his presence or lose the title. Rocky finally showed up, still with the neck brace. Faarooq beat on him for most of the match. Rock got in the People’s Elbow and a DDT for a near fall. Faarooq used a spinebuster and got a three count, but Rocky’s foot was on the bottom rope. With Faarooq stunned, Rock used the Ric Flair pin to steal it at 5:02. Even though it was short, it still felt too long. Going the injury route was strange and made for an odd match. [*]
Faarooq dropped Rock with two more piledrivers. The NOD showed up to save him, which brought out DX to send them packing.
Mask vs. Mask Match: Kane w/ Paul Bearer vs. Vader
Well, this was setup for quite the obvious outcome. Despite that and not doing a lot in recent memory, Vader was over. They did a ton of slugging it out and brawling. Kane no sold some stuff before hitting a flying clothesline. Vader would get in some offense, but Kane would mostly remain in control. Vader got a wrench as retaliation for their match back in February, but never got to use it. Vader had an attempt at the moonsault, but missed. Kane hit the Tombstone for the relatively easy win in 7:20. Nothing match that was just here to get Kane a PPV win after dropping two in a row to his brother.[¼*]
Post-match, Vader gave his infamous, “I’m just a fat piece of shit” promo.
Michael Cole introduced Mad Dog Vachon and the Crusher to honor them. Jerry Lawler got involved and talked smack, until he got beat up. He eventually stole Vachon’s artificial leg. The crowd didn’t care for this at all.
D-Generation X w/ Chyna and X-Pac vs. The Nation of Domination w/ Mark Henry
DX was represented by Triple H and the Tag Team Champions, the New Age Outlaws. NOD had D-Lo Brown, Owen Hart and Kama Mustafa on deck. Both units were technically heel, but DX was getting ridiculously popular. For most of the early portions, everyone got a bit of shine. Billy Gunn showcased his power, while HHH came across as the biggest star. Road Dogg obviously played the face in peril, in a heat segment that felt like it lasted forever. Gunn surprisingly got the hot tag. He and HHH hit D-Lo with a spike piledriver onto one of the titles. The referee was busy focusing on the fighting going on at ringside. Owen snuck in and planted HHH with his own Pedigree onto a title, giving the Nation the victory in 18:33. This would’ve benefitted from having a few minutes shaved off. The early stuff was entertaining and the finish was cool. The Dogg heat segment lasted far too long. [**¼]
WWF Championship: Steve Austin [c] vs. Dude Love
Vince McMahon is the special referee, Gerald Brisco handles timekeeping and Pat Patterson was the ring announcer. Patterson’s introductions took forever. Before the match began, the Undertaker came out to play the role of guest enforcer. Right off the bat, Vince gave a quick count for Dude, foreshadowing how the rest of the match would go. A loud “Vince is gay” chant began. Dude’s fake teeth came out and Austin stomped on them, prompting a “Dude has lost his smile” quip from Lawler. As the fight moved outside, Vince made Pat announce this as a No DQ match. They moved to the aisle, where it then became a Falls Count Anywhere match. The brawling was top notch, with Austin and Foley excelling in that aspect. The stage was set up with battered cars, leading the fight to go on those. Austin took a wild bump when Dude blocked a Stunner and sent him flying. He even bladed. It’s hilarious that Undertaker walked up there with them and just stood there. Back to the ring they went, where Dude came close to winning a few times. Austin finally caught him with a steel chair shot, but Vince refused to count. They got in each other’s face, while Dude snuck up. Austin ducked and Dude clocked Vince. Austin hit the Stunner and covered, but Patterson pulled the replacement ref out. Mandible Claw by Dude, but Undertaker pulled out both Patterson and Brisco, hitting them with Chokeslams through the announce table. Another Stunner hit and Austin grabbed Vince’s hand to count the three at 22:28. Incredible. I can see why the typical WWE main event style was taken from this match, though it doesn’t often work as well as this. Often, overbooking is messy, but this was the rare occasion where it made a match better. Fantastic sports entertainment. [****½]
