wrestling / Video Reviews
Raw History: Episodes 280 and 281 – The One Where Stone Cold Hit Vince With a Bedpan
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Raw History
Episode #280
October 5th, 1998 | Breslin Arena in East Lansing, Michigan | Attendance: 9,846
WWF Champion: Vacant since 9/27/98
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Triple H (2) since 8/30/98
WWF Tag Team Champions: The New Age Outlaws (6 and 3) since 8/30/98
WWF European Champion: X-Pac (1) since 9/21/98
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: TAKA Michinoku (1) since 12/7/97
I watched this episode with my good buddies Dante and Conair!
RAW! Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler hosted.
WWF European Championship: X-Pac [c] w/ Chyna vs. D-Lo Brown w/ Mark Henry
This is D-Lo’s title shot for winning the weird Four Corners match last week. They started hot, throwing kicks at one another and kept up a quick pace. During the match, a random dude brought Chyna more papers. Mark Henry smirked and said they were from him. No word on what it is, but Chyna ripped them up. D-Lo missed the Frog Splash but faked a knee injury to allow Henry to get involved. Chyna went after Henry and D-Lo hit the Frog Splash on X-Pac’s back to win the title in 5:18. Wasn’t expecting that title change. A fine, fun little title match. That’s what X-Pac gets for donning black face those months ago. [**½]
TONIGHT ~ The Rock vs. The Undertaker! Ken Shamrock vs. Kane!
Vince McMahon will join us later from a medical facility due to his broken ankle. They showed him and he got pissed at a nurse.
EARLIER TODAY ~ The Oddities played football with the ICP. No idea why this was shown.
The Headbangers hit the ring and had the audacity to cut a promo. They called out the ICP to fight. The Oddities appeared instead but the Headbangers demanded the clowns. It took forever for them to get in the ring. The Headbangers beat on them with chairs until the Oddities walked back down for the save. Terrible segment.
LAST NIGHT ~ Steve Austin cut the satellite feed Vince was using to address the fans from the hospital.
LAST WEEK ~ The beating on Vince was shown.
HOSPITAL ~ For no reason, Vince is still in the hospital for a broken ankle a week later. He also has a heart monitor and oxygen tank. He got anxious when he heard he had a visitor, thinking it was Austin. Instead, it was Mankind. He annoyed Vince and brought another guest. Some female entertainment. YURPLE! Iconic segment due to the debut of Mr. Socko. Vince got so agitated he threw them out.
Sable came out to do commentary. She showed love to the still unnamed Tori.
Marc Mero w/ Jacqueline vs. Vader
Sable said she wanted the Women’s Title because she wants to be a serious wrestler. Yeah, okay. Like he did last week, Vader mostly dominated but was just here to do the job. A Jacqueline distraction turned the tide and set up a surprisingly strong Mero clothesline. Another Jacqueline distraction set up the SSP in 4:12. This was a match that happened. That’s about all I can say. [¾*]
Post-match, Jacqueline called Sable in for a fight. She got the upper hand when Sable did and cut a chunk of her hair out.
VIGNETTE ~ Steven Regal is a real man.
Edge vs. Owen Hart was scheduled next in a Breakdown rematch. However, Owen came out in street clothes and was upset about what he did to Dan Severn last week. He fought off tears and said, “It’s over,” before walking out.
WARZONE!
Kane vs. Ken Shamrock
Interesting matchup. Shamrock entered with a smart plan, going after Kane’s leg. He had a rana countered into a powerbomb and that pretty much ended him. Kane took control and dominated with the plodding offense he was known for in this era. The Undertaker showed up and got involved, seemingly hitting the ropes and crotching his brother. JUDGMENT DAY BUILD! From there, Shamrock won with an awesome avalanche belly to belly suplex in 7:10. Most of this was boring, but I really dug the belly to belly spot. [*½]
Gangrel w/ Christian vs. Val Venis w/ Terri Runnels
I love the Brood. These guys worked this at a decent clip. Val did the grind and Terri did it with him. JR was not on his game here. He called Gangrel by Edge’s name and said Christopher was at ringside, not Christian. Edge showed up to shove Christian and Gangrel slid out to DDT him. He got counted out at 2:38. More of an angle. [NR]
Val Venis and Terri celebrated in the ring together. Goldust’s old usher who used to hand letters to Razor Ramon in 1995/1996 showed up. He gave one to Val that invited him to a premiere next week.
HEAT ~ Steve Austin interrogated Shane McMahon about Vince. It ultimately somehow led to a stare down with The Rock. Wow. On Heat.
HOSPITAL ~ Mr. McMahon was still mad and demanded a new nurse.
Al Snow vs. Jeff Jarrett
Commissioner Slaughter came out a few minutes into this for a closer look. Snow went to sneak around the ring to get him, but Jarrett snuck up on him. Tit for tat. It wasn’t bad but it also had a cheap finish. Slaughter shook the ropes to crotch him and get Jarrett DQed in 4:14. Blah. [*¼]
Mark Henry w/ D-Lo Brown vs. WWF Tag Team Champion Road Dogg w/ X-Pac
For some reason, Road Dogg came out with a Mrs. Ass blow up doll. Billy was still nowhere to be seen. I have no idea why, but Dogg’s Titantron and match graphic said Dog with one “g” although his tights had two. Dogg came out firing. Henry slowed the pace and used his power to take control. D-Lo got involved and instead of X-Pac doing something about it, Chyna showed up and hit him. Pac used the distraction to hit the X-Factor on Henry and Dogg stole the win in 3:36. Not bad back and forth. [*½]
HOSPITAL ~ After another recap of last week, we went back to Vince in the hospital bed. He was a dick to a nurse. She asked the doctor a question and the doctor removed his mask to reveal himself to be Austin. He beat the hell out of Vince, destroyed the room, hit him with a bedpan, and shoved an enema up his ass to close the segment. Legendary stuff here. Vince was so great.
The Rock vs. The Undertaker
Two guys who I felt have never had great chemistry. Things with them never clicked the way you’d expect given who they are. Though Rock has been rude to his Nation members, he wanted their help in this. However, Kane intimidated them and made this more of a one on one bout. The match was worked at a slow pace for most of it. Rock hit a People’s Elbow and hadn’t seemed to master doing it towards the hard camera yet. Following an Earl Hebner bump, Kane whacked Undertaker with a chair. With no referee around, Undertaker had time to recover and beat Rock with a Tombstone onto that chair, winning in 13:10. Though it picked up late, too much of this felt like it was wasting time. [**¼]
MVP: Mr. McMahon
LVP: Headbangers/Oddities
Raw History
Episode #281
October 12th, 1998 | Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York | Attendance: 10,632
WWF Champion: Vacant since 9/27/98
WWF Intercontinental Champion: Vacant since 10/4/98
WWF Tag Team Champions: The New Age Outlaws (6 and 3) since 8/30/98
WWF European Champion: D-Lo Brow (2) since 10/5/98
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: TAKA Michinoku (1) since 12/7/97
It’s the go home show before Judgment Day.
VIDEO PACKAGE ~ The events surrounding the WWF Title at Breakdown and Raw two weeks ago were shown, as well as Austin’s attack on Vince in the hospital last week.
RAW! Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler hosted.
In the parking lot, Vince McMahon arrived in a Corvette. Oh, it’s THAT episode. He had an issue with the parking attendant. Then, the Stooges came up and helped him into a wheelchair. Vince also wanted to make sure Austin could arrive, as he personally invited him.
WWF Tag Team Championship: The New Age Outlaws [c] vs. LOD 2000 w/ Hawk
There had been a lot of teasing a turn for Billy Gunn, but he said he was down with DX before the match. I believe that’s it for a Billy turn until the following year. Though Hawk accompanied LOD, he joined commentary. He said he was the alternate for now until he got his life back in order. About two minutes in, the DOA ran down and attacked Hawk. That made the LOD help, causing them to get counted out. More of an angle than anything else. [NR]
While the Outlaws watched the brawl, the Headbangers came out and broke a boombox over Road Dogg’s head. Apparently, they face the Outlaws at Judgment Day. Where has that build been? The Headbangers have been having bad segments with the Oddities for weeks.
Jim Ross informed us that Triple H was stripped of the Intercontinental Title due to injury. JR made this out to be some sort of personal vendetta by Vince. Tonight, there would be a one night tournament to determine a new champion.
Kane was shown arriving. He looked hilarious in his mask and a blue windbreaker outfit.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Ken Shamrock vs. Steve Blackman
Commentary was sure to note that Ken Shamrock doesn’t like getting booed. They guys have been involved in something of an angle over the past few months. As part of Ken’s heel turn, their friendship has waned. Blackman came in with a bad leg, so Shamrock targeted that. It was kind of a squash. He won with a kneebar in 2:28. [*]
Post-match, the Blue Blazer ran into the ring and attacked both men. When he left, a pissed off Shamrock put the Ankle Lock on Blackman. HE SNAPPED!
The Undertaker arrived. He WALKED in through the parking lot entrance. Dude, where’s your car?
Val Venis and Terri were all sexual backstage.
VIGNETTE ~ A video package aired to remind everyone who Goldust is. They played it off like he beat the hell out of Razor Ramon and Roddy Piper in 1996.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Marc Mero w/ Jacqueline vs. Val Venis w/ Terri
Hey, it’s PMS! Also, a one night tournament in the Attitude Era can’t be anything other than rushed. Val caught Mero with a pretty sweet powerslam and suplex. Commentary noted that Mero is a former IC Champion, but not that he won a tournament for it. That seems like a key thing to mention. Side note, Jacqueline was wearing Sable’s blonde hair that she cut last week in her own ponytail. Both women got on the apron, which set up Val to win with a fisherman suplex in 2:17. Rushed and the finish was kind of nonsensical. [½*]
After the match, Jacqueline beat up Terri. It was clearly one sided.
MOMENTS AGO ~ Paul Bearer showed up to the arena with a briefcase.
Michael Cole attempted to interview Sable. She ignored him and went straight to the locker room, where she pulled Jacqueline out and brawled with her. They fought to the arena and were separated by officials.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Mankind vs. Mark Henry
We got a clip from earlier today where Mankind said he wasn’t worried about Ken Shamrock at Judgment Day because he doesn’t swing a chair hard enough. He also showed off Socko, which got a huge pop. He may be onto something there. Mark Henry also got promo time from earlier tonight, reciting a poem for Chyna. Speaking of Chyna, she came out here within seconds. Another relatively quick match that saw Mankind win with a Socko assisted Mandible Claw in 3:18. Fun for what it was. [*½]
Chyna tried to find out why Mark was suing her for sexual harassment. He said it was out his hands and left.
Steve Austin has arrived! In a cement truck! Michael Cole asked him about it, but all Austin said was that Vince and his Stooges would be interested in it. Cut to Vince’s office, where the Stooges promised to check it out. Slaughter hilariously fell onto Vince’s bad leg.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament Quarterfinals: Jeff Jarrett vs. X-Pac
A SummerSlam rematch. This time, the stakes are higher because the title is more important than hair. Like the rest of this show, the match was rushed. However, these are two good wrestlers who understand how to make the most of their time. Following a ref bump, Jarrett got his foot up on a Bronco Buster. He went to use the guitar but found Head in the guitar case instead. Wait. He never used a case before. They just did it for this spot? X-Pac rolled him up and stole this in 3:08. Decent fun. [*¾]
Backstage, Steve Austin drove the cement truck by Vince’s Corvette. He famously filled it with cement, destroying a sweet ass ride. Again, this was an iconic moment in the Austin/McMahon rivalry and Raw in general. The WWF was trying wild shit.
WWF REWIND ~ The cement spot we literally just saw.
WARZONE!
Steve Austin made his way to the ring to a huge pop. He got on the mic and promised to continue to make Vince McMahon’s life a living hell. As for Judgement Day, he said he’d watch Undertaker and Kane beat each other up and then raise his own hand in victory. Vince interrupted on the stage in his wheelchair and with guard dogs to keep Austin at bay. He told Austin he’d be in action tonight, teaming with The Rock against Undertaker and Kane. That is a mighty main event. The fans called Vince an asshole, which Austin was sure to point out. Vince ranted about how his past few weeks have been hell because of Austin. He dropped the hilarious, “YOU VIOLATED ME, AUSTIN!” line. To end the promo, Vince guaranteed that if Austin didn’t raise the hand of a new champion, he’d fire his ass. When Austin said Vince didn’t have the balls to do it, Vince said he had balls the size of grapefruits. The first mention of that famous line. Great segment. Venom from Vince and it set up our main event, as well as a major storyline for the next week or two.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Ken Shamrock vs. Val Venis w/ Terri
An angry Shamrock jumped Val during his entrance. He’s just been in a bad mood for weeks. That gave him a target in the lower back. Not something I see Ken work often, so I appreciate the change of pace. Honestly, I was surprised at how little Val got in. He’s mostly been protected before this. The back work didn’t play into the finish, as Shamrock won with the Ankle Lock in 4:35. Not bad for what it was. [*½]
Following the match, Goldust made his official return. He hit Val with Shattered Dreams, though it didn’t have the name yet. I dig it.
Outside, Vince and the Stooges checked out the Corvette. Gerald Brisco suggested they get shovels and dig out the cement. Mankind arrived and attempted to get Vince’s keys from the car, but just made him more upset.
The Rock was interviewed backstage. He disrespected Michael Cole and cut an electric promo. D-Lo Brown and Mark Henry interrupted to question him for tagging with Austin. As if he had a choice. Rock called them candy asses and said they could talk about it.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Mankind vs. X-Pac
Interesting matchup here. Their styles are way different, but Mankind often worked well with all styles. And yes, this was fun. Mankind busted out a neckbreaker outside, threw X-Pac into the steel steps, and tried using a chair as a weapon. Shamrock showed up and used the chair on Mankind’s leg. They have a match set for Sunday. X-Pac used that to win in 3:16. It was rushed and short, but fun.[**¼]
Ken Shamrock proceeded to attack X-Pac after the match. He wrapped X-Pac in a Figure Four headlock. A battered Mankind threw a chair in to try and break it up. The Stooges showed up and convinced him to leave to see Mr. McMahon. Interesting.
WWF Intercontinental Championship Tournament Finals: Ken Shamrock vs. X-Pac
Triple H came out on crutches to check on X-Pac. Despite being beaten, X-Pac wanted the match to start. HHH put over X-Pac’s heart on commentary. Due to X-Pac being hurt, this was another squash of sorts. X-Pac showed fight and survived the Ankle Lock, only to get pulled to the middle of the ring. He tapped in 3:56. Mostly a squash but an effective one. [*]
Kane and The Undertaker vs. The Rock and Steve Austin
Massive match when you consider how all their careers turn out. About a minute into this, which was off to a hot start, Paul Bearer made his way out. No word on why he was there, though. There’s clearly tension between Kane and The Undertaker ahead of their WWF Title match on Sunday. The Rock continued to do the People’s Elbow opposite the hard cam. I loved this one because Undertaker sat up during it and Rock kicked him back down. D-Lo Brown and Mark Henry also came down to ringside. Rock played our babyface in peril. It took a while to get something interesting going in that section. Austin got the hot tag, but then Rock was taken out by his former Nation buddies. Austin battled both bigs until Vince McMahon’s masked security goon ran in and hit him with a nightstick for the DQ in 11:13. That was a fun main event with some good tag formula and a hot crowd. The heat segment wasn’t too great, though. [***]
The security guard revealed himself to be the returning Big Boss Man. I never would’ve expected his career had a few more years in it after he stunk up WCW in the mid 90s. Austin continued to take a beating, including Undertaker putting him in the kneebar he used on Vince a few weeks ago. That’s how the show ended.
EXTRA ATTITUDE ~ The heels continued to beat on Austin. When they left, Vince sent the Stooges in. They added insult to injury. Of course, the fans had to go home happy. Austin fought back and hit both Patterson and Brisco with Stunners. The Rock rejoined the fray and hit a double People’s Elbow on them. Huge pop for that. Austin hit Slaughter and Vince was hilariously stuck because his wheelchair couldn’t go up the ramp. Austin beat him up and left. Vince trying to get back in his chair and yelling at the Stooges for failing to do so was priceless.
MVP: Steve Austin
LVP: Hawk
