Survivor Series 1998

- St. Louis, Missouri. November 15th 1998.
- Attendance: 21,779
- Buys: 478,000. (Found online as always could be debateable)

 Video is about people hoping to be Champion. Heading into this PPV Rock was building momentum as face but Vince had a problem with the people therefore he had a problem with the Peoples Champion. The thing going in is that Mankind is being handpicked and therefore given an easy ride in the Deadly Games tourney, also Taker/Kane go straight to the 1/4 finals.

1st Round - Mankind Vs. Duane Gill
 Some thought HBK would be Mankind's opponent here. Mankind is Hardcore Champion and wrestling in a tux to prove he's title material, I love things like that. Duane's pyro scares him. Double Arm DDT and Mankind wins with an amateur style pin. UNR as under 3 minutes.

Jacqueline attacked Sable on HeAt and Sable tells Kevin Kelly that she'll win tonight, you know I always thought WWE missed a trick by not saying Kevin was Kelly Kelly's dad.

1st Round - Jeff Jarrett Vs. Al Snow
 Winner faces Mankind. Springboard leg drop by Snow but soon Jeff's on top. Snow does Flair Flip then hits a clothesline but soon misses a top rope leg drop. Jarrett gets 2 off a dropkick. DDT gets Snow 2 after he counters a spinebuster. Al hits Jeff with Head for the 3 count. *1/2 - Not much time to do much but nothing was bad about it necessarily.

1st Round - Stone Cold Vs. Bossman
 JR asks if Bossman is here to win or injure Austin. Austin was fired at Judgment Day but Shane McMahon gave him a new 5 year deal, funnily enough 2003 would host his last match. Match starts ringside, Thesz Press and elbow gets a 2 count. A low blow gives Bossman some offence. Nightstick assault on Austin gets the DQ. *1/2 - Didn't do much, at one point we had a chinlock, which in review world is unforgivable in a match this short.

1st Round - X-Pac Vs. Steven Regal
 Steven's Mans Man theme is legendary. X-Pac is European Champion. Regal attacked X-Pac on RAW as he doesn't feel an American should be European Champion. Back suplex gets Pac an early 2 as do a few leg drops. Regal rolls through a roll up and catapults X-Pac across the ring. Gutwrench gets Regal a 2 count then X-Pac gets out of a headscissors on the mat and applies a cloverleaf variation, Minneapolis Cloverleaf maybe? Double underhook off the top gets Regal a 2 count. Real poor ending as they get counted out fighting ringside and Slaughter gets an overtime period however X-Pac walks out and Regal chases him. This gives Austin a bye. ** - Docked for stupid ending, this was best match so far but as this is 1998 and they actually *gasp* wrestled, wrestling in 1998?! The crowd didn't like it. St. Louis was an NWA hot bed at one time, how times change.

1st Round - Ken Shamrock Vs. Goldust
 Ken is IC Champion. JR notes that Ken has had tournament success - IC, KOTR and UFC. Ken has the advantage to start and ducks a clothesline but Goldust connects on another. Ken has been on top 95% of the time so far. ken avoids a powerbomb but is bulldogged not long after. Shattered Dreams is signalled but Jimmy Korderas blocks it. Ken leaps off the top for a hurricanrana which he hits but spikes himself, i'd be surprised if he's not hurt from that. Ankle Lock gets the win for Ken. **

1st Round - The Rock Vs. Bossman
 HHH was meant to have his big return here. Stooges come out to HHH's music doing crotch chops. Pop for Rock. Bossman replaces HHH and is pinned straight away by a Small Package. UNR

1/4 Final - Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) Vs. Kane
 Quarter Finals are now underway. Their match at Judgment Day the month prior got *1/2 from me, hopefully this does better. JR points out Kane debuted in this arena. They trade corner punches. Taker does his clothesline to outside but lands on his feet bit. Kane misses an elbow as Deadman sits up. Taker repeats his JD strategy of working the knee. Kane gets the first 2 on the board with a top rope clothesline. Undertaker gets the win via Tombstone. *1/2 - Same score as their Judgment Day match and yet again they can't top the 'Mania 14 match.

1/4 Final Match - Mankind Vs. Al Snow
 These two would be Tag Team Champions if I remember rightly. Mankind is still in his tux, winner faces Stone Cold. Snow starts the match better and sends Mankind through the ropes with a dropkick. A chair is put into play and neither is DQd, Snow hit Mankind with it and you'd think Vince would demand a DQ to help Mankind. Enziguri by Snow. Backstage it's revealed Vince put Socko on Head, which Mankind discovers after he suplexes Snow. he punches Head. Sitout powerbomb gets Al a 2 count. Double Arm DDT and Mandible Claw gets Mankind the win. ** - Match was meh but I enjoyed the story of Socko being hidden so Mankind would find it and beat Snow. 

1/4 Final - Ken Shamrock Vs. The Rock
 These two feuded for a lot of 1998. Winner gets the Deadman. Shamrock dodges a corner charge and gets some kicks in. Rock explodes out of the corner with a clothesline. Ken is on top of the match which had spilled ringside and is now in. Bossman in the house!!!!!!, well the arena. Ken applies the Ankle Lock but Rock gets a rope break. Floatover DDT and People's Elbow gets a 2 count. Bossman tosses his nightstick to Ken but Rock catches it and KOs Ken for the 3 count, man Bossman's been more help than hinderance to Rocky tonight. *** - Feeling generous after the rest of the card and to be fair this is the best match so far. 

Paul Bearer says the only Rock Deadman likes is the granite he writes his victims names on.

Womens Title - Sable Vs. Jacqueline (c) W/ Marc Mero)
 Shane McMahon is ref as Vince wanted to punish and demean him for rehiring Austin. Two notable things Sable Sable Bombs Mero and then Jacqueline suffers the same fate as Sable regains the Title. *1/2 - Didn't care for this at all but Mero's tash ruled, also let me go on record and say that for me Mero is under rated.

Semi-Final - Mankind Vs. Stone Cold
 Austin removes Mankind's suit jacket, giving us the look that Mankind would use for the rest of his career until Cactus' rebirth in 2000. Vince McMahon is wheeled out. Austin starts the better then Mankind goes ringside to avoid the Stunner and gets assuring words from the Stooges. Austin hits a triple noggin knocker. Austin stomps a mudhole. Mankind gets a chair but it's booted back in his face. Double Arm DDT on said chair gets a 2 count. Stunner but Vince gets out of his wheelchair to KO Chioda. Mankind's dress pants are down and there's his brown tights. Mandible Claw is countered with a Stunner but Shane McMahon stops his count at 2 thus screwing Stone Cold and showing that he was with Vince all along. Gerald Brisco hits Austin with a chair for 3. Read in Foleys book that Bossman was meant to deliver the chair shot originally. ***`/1 2 - Well this surpassed Rock/Ken as MOTN so far, amazing what a lively crowd can do. One more piece of the Corporate puzzle was completed as well with Shane screwing Austin. 

Semi-Final - The Rock Vs. Undertaker
 I've seen a handful of Rock/Taker matches and they've not been very good as they don't seem to gel well. Rock starts quick but after a clothesline Taker is on top, this lasts for a bit bar the odd Rock move. Rock gets tied in ropes ala Andre then back drops Taker ringside where they fight through the crowd, one of the things I don't miss from Attitude Era. When they re-enter the ring Taker again takes control but misses a corner splash. Samoan drop, here's Bossman who Rock trash talks after he DDTs Taker. People's Elbow is stopped by Bossman and Taker shows his appreciation by dropping Bossman. Kane comes out and Chokeslams Rock thus making Taker lose via DQ. *1/2 - Not very good, these two just didn't click together in the ring.

WWF Tag Titles - NAO (c) Vs. D-Lo/Mark Henry Vs. Headbangers
 Three people in at any one time. D-Lo heel kicks Gunn but Mosh tries to steal the pin. Outlaws do a simultaneous 10 corner punch on the former Nation members. Dogg plays face-in-peril then goes ringside where Billy Gunn shows what a great partner he is by rolling Road Dogg back in the ring where he gets beaten on again. Mosh gets 2 on D-Lo by rolling through a powerbomb. Billy gets the tag and cleans house until he is Sky Highed. Gunn mercifully ends it by piledrivering Mosh. *1/2 - Pretty bad I must say. This PPV is almost on par with some of WCWs though the fact there was a ***er does hoist it above that level.

WWF Title - The Rock Vs. Mankind
 King says you'll get all of this PPV, a thinly veiled, if at all veiled, shot at WCW there. Fighting in the aisle and around ringside. Mankind applies a chinlock for a while as Vince and Shane come ringside. Fighting ringside again as Foley is kind of suplexed over the barricade then back dropped back over. Back in then ringside again due to Cactus Clothesline, Mankind tries to use ring steps but Rock blocks with a chair then Foley gets cracked over the bonce which gets Rock 2 when he rolls him back in the ring. Cactus Elbow connects as again they're ringside. Back in a chinlock is applied. Mankind leaps from the middle rope and crashes through announce table, which is more than can be said for his effort at 'Mania 16. Peoples Elbow gets a 2 count. Socko's here after a Double Arm DDT but a Rock Bottom eventually breaks it. Rock stares at McMahons then raises his eyebrow, Sharpshooter is applied as McMahon calls for the bell, St. Louis Screwjob. Rock becomes the Corporate Champion, which on a personal note is one of my fave personas. Vince states a hatred for Stone Cold bought them together, because everything of course has to revolve around Austin at the top of the card. Mankind says he didn't quit so Rock beats him down here comes Austin to clean house. ** - 95% was fought around ringside and I didn't like it as much as other Mankind/Rock encounters but at least we have Corporate Rock. The next PPV Rock Bottom featured Mankind/Rock again and had a worse ending than this one - http://july-dec-reviews.blogspot.com/2014/03/iyh-26-rock-bottom.html. 

23.5 / 60 - Not very good at all even with a couple of ***s. Ken/Rock was okay and Austin/Mankind was boosted by the crowd but by god the rest were pretty bad in general.All the pieces throughout the show make sense in the end as Bossman wasn't screwing up at all, and Kane would join Corporation now did he screw Taker to help Rock? Or was that due to him not liking Taker anyway? Thumbs down for Survivor Series 1998.