The Year in PPV- 1998, Part III

The year 1998 comes to an end with an electrifying shakeup to the main event scene...


9. Breakdown: In Your House

Following SummerSlam, the WWF headed to Canada for a show full of filler (see the pattern yet?) and a handful of memorable matches with big name superstars. The opening match is a short but sweet encounter between two of Canada's greatest wrestlers, Edge (in his first PPV singles match) and Owen Hart. Not only do they open the show to a warm reception, full of back and forth momentum, but we also get a surprise performance from a certain superstar that would become very integral in Edge's career.

The show boasts TWO Triple Threat main events between 6 of the biggest names of the year. The show's actual main event saw Stone Cold Steve Austin defend the WWF Championship against Kane and the Undertaker. The match is alright, with a lot of focus on how Kane and Taker were both working for Mr. McMahon and were not going to allow Austin to walk away with the title. If you are looking for something a little more unbiased though, check out the Triple Threat cage match between The Rock, Mankind, and Ken Shamrock. The match was to determine the number one contender for the WWF Championship, and I find it fascinating how the crowd can alter the course of history. On this night, it seemed as if fan favorite Ken Shamrock was being booed for his efforts, the underappreciated Mankind was being cheered for putting his body on the line, and mega-heel The Rock was being cheered as the favorite to win the match and a sign that the People wanted him as their champ.

Recommendation


10. Judgment Day: In Your House

After having his WWF Championship taken away from him, Stone Cold Steve Austin found himself in a tense situation by being the guest referee in the match to crown the new champion. Austin not only had to ref the match between Kane and the Undertaker, but if he did not crown a new champion, he would be fired. I will say that of the Kane/Taker matches from this year, this is their worst. Something about adding the title to it and putting Austin at the side felt wrong. Their other matches capitalized on their lengthy feud, but this had Austin/McMahon written all over it with the Brothers of Destruction acting as pawns or puppets for that feud to add something "fresh" to the feud.

This night also featured Christian's PPV match debut, a bizarre feud where Val Venis (the babyface) is having an open affair with Goldust's wife Terri (I have no idea how the crowd could cheer for that garbage), and an Intercontinental Championship match between Ken Shamrock and Mankind that is memorable thanks to its ending. Honestly, the matches on this show aren't bad, but the entire show just feels like a HUGE transitional PPV between the events of Breakdown and Survivor Series that it has a tough time standing out on its own.

Recommendation


11. Survivor Series

Now we're coming to something REALLY good: the Deadly Game tournament. After all the shenanigans revolving around the WWF Championship, Mr. McMahon vacated the belt and put it on the line at the Survivor Series in a 14 man elimination tournament. The tournament was centered on some of Mr. McMahon's darlings (Mankind, Ken Shamrock, Big Boss Man, Kane, and the Undertaker) getting as much help as possible, while keeping the fan favorites (Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock) as down and out as possible.

There are two other matches on the card, a Women's Championship match of Jacqueline vs. Sable, and a Triple Threat match for the WWF Tag Team Championships with the New Age Outlaws, the Headbangers, and D'Lo Brown and Mark Henry, but really who cared about those on this night? The tournament final tells the perfect story of a McMahon favorite against a fan favorite, and thanks to a throwback to the previous year's Survivor Series, an incredible double turn takes place to close the night: with a new sentimental fan favorite and an absolutely detestable Corporate Champion.

Recommendation


12. Capital Carnage

Once you make it past some of the random matches, this show is actually pretty solid for a UK event. Of course, NO match is of historical significance, but at least they keep the show entertaining and it goes by pretty quickly. One match that's worth mentioning is a mixed tag between Sable and Christian against Marc Mero and Jacqueline. This was Mero's last PPV match with the company, and I would just like to take this time to acknowledge him as a character during this time. The feud between him and Sable lasted for most of the year and Mero isn't a bad in-ring performer, which would certainly label him as an underrated performer of the era.

In a match for....well, nothing...Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mankind, Kane, and the Undertaker gave the UK fans a fun Fatal 4-Way to end the night. Since summer booking surrounded these four, I'm surprised we never got this match on a bigger stage. Naturally, these guys aren't the most technically sound in the world so prepare for 15 minutes of fists and slams. Also, because they're in the UK, they throw British celebrity Vinnie Jones into the mix...because...Britain.

Recommendation


13. Rock Bottom: In Your House

It's a good thing the crowd was invested, because this feels like a pretty poor way to end the year. Most of the show is full of filler matches, and of course because it's an Attitude Era crowd, they make every wrestler feel like a main eventer. There's a "Strip Tease" match that's worth mentioning between Goldust and Jeff Jarrett, which is made memorable thanks to Debra and Shawn Michaels (gotta love anything involving Commissioner Michaels, proof that you should never give a D-Generate power...eh Triple H?), a WWF Tag Team Championship match between the New Age Outlaws and Ken Shamrock and Big Boss Man, and a WWF Championship match between The Rock and Mankind.

Surprisingly, a PPV that's named after The Rock doesn't have him in the main event. Instead, we have Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. the Undertaker in a Buried Alive match. The winner would be able to compete in the 1999 Royal Rumble match. I've never been a big fan of the match gimmick myself, but Austin and Taker are able to do a fine job of making the fans go home happy, so I guess that's where it counts right?

Recommendation


Final Thoughts: Simply put, the Attitude Era is all style and very little substance. The audience was more focused on the character gimmicks and the strength of the feuds, they didn't care if they couldn't put on 5-star classics. A lot of the main event matches also have a specific outline (which I highlighted in my Over the Edge review) and have the most overbooked moments of the nights, but those are what get the loudest receptions. So, if you are judging shows on match quality, you should probably pay attention to my recommendations. But, if you are all about crowd reactions and gimmicky characters, you're probably going to enjoy the year as a whole...which is a perfect summary of how I feel about this overrated Era. I'm more of a Ruthless Aggression guy myself.


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