WWF Sunday Night Heat- September 6, 1998
by Scrooge McSuck
- Last week on Sunday Night Heat, Bradshaw and Vader tagged for the first time and for the last time in a losing effort against the D.O.A., Gangrel runs his Heat record to 2-0 with a victory over Dustin Runnels, and Too Much scored a victory over the LOD, when Hawk's personal problems rendered him to be in no shape to be at ringside. Oh, and SummerSlam happened last Sunday Night, but that didn't happen on Heat, so let's carry on.
- Jim Ross and Shane McMahon are at ringside to call all the action, unless otherwise noted.
Gangrel vs. Dick Togo (w/ Yamaguchi-San):
We highlight the curious relationship between newcomers Gangrel and Edge, as well as their tendencies to attacking each other. Togo doesn't even get an "and in this corner" introduction, so he's DOA (not to be confused with the Harris Brothers). Gangrel quickly goes to work, pounding away. Whip to the ropes and Togo connects with a heel kick. He plants Gangrel with a slam and comes off the second rope with a moonsault for too. Togo is so short, he makes Gangrel look like a giant. He catches Togo off the ropes with a powerslam, and drops a twisting elbow drop. Gangrel with a Tiger Suplex and a headbutt to the back of the neck. Togo tries to be badass taking rights, but Gangrel keeps on him and connects with a suplex. Gangrel with the Implant DDT, and it's all over at 2:15, pushing Gangrel's Heat record to 3-0. Decent, rushed, action. I'm surprised Edge hasn't done a run-in. The pre-match stuff should've telegraphed it.- Marc Mero and Jacqueline have some home footage of Marc Mero giving Jacqueline a trophy for winning the Bikini Contest at Fully Loaded. A Trophy for a contest that had a field of two contestants? That makes sense to Vince Russo.
- The WWF airs a commercial that hates on the U.S. Open because it means pushing Monday Night Raw out of it's time-slot for several weeks. They've instead been on Saturday Nights.
Ken Shamrock vs. Bradshaw:
The drama that began at SummerSlam (or I should say the Summerslam Heat) between Vader and Bradshaw means they will face each other one-on-one next week on Saturday Night Raw. I told you that wouldn't be the last we saw of them two! Shamrock was successful in his match with Owen at SummerSlam, so he's riding high right now. Bradshaw starts with knees, and Shamrock responds with a fisherman suplex for two. He comes off the ropes with a diving shoulder tackle, but a body press is countered with a fallaway slam. Whip to the corner, followed in with a clothesline. Shamrock fights free of a suplex and puts Bradshaw down with a slam. Shamrock with some crappy offense that looks to be a pair of spinning heel kicks. Bradshaw catches him off the ropes with a powerslam for two. The crowd wakes up, and it's Vader running in for the DQ at 2:00, laying Bradshaw out with a pair of short-arm clotheslines. Bradshaw retaliates with a big boot and Lariat, and they brawl up the aisle. Shamrock just stands around watching, until finding out he's the loser, and chases down the referee.Road Dogg (Tag Team Champion) (w/ Billy Gunn) vs. Dennis Knight (w/ Mark Cantebury):
Remember that short program between the New Age Outlaws and Southern Justice? Me neither. All part of that damn angle between Jarrett and X-Pac. Road Dogg does his usual self-introduction, and it's probably all downhill from here. Knight quickly puts the boots to Road Dogg, but the tide is quickly turned and Road Dogg shows off his ability to play to the crowd for a two count. Dogg goes for the arm, but Knight quickly escapes with an eye rake. Cantebury gets a cheap shot in, just to remind us he's at ringside. Knight's offense is just SO boring. It's practically all punching. Suddenly Double J shows up and attacks Road Dogg from behind, drawing another Disqualification at 2:27. X-Pac joins them, and it's a 6-Man brawl between DX, Double J, and Southern Justice. Match was about two minutes too long. Literally all punching and kicking.- We recap Saturday Night Raw, where Vince McMahon called the Undertaker and Kane p*ssies, triggering them to beat the holy hell out of pretty much everyone who worked a match the rest of the night.
L.O.D 2000 vs. The Undertaker & Kane:
This is the Animal and Droz version of L.O.D 2000, by the way. Considering that they couldn't beat Too Much, how in the hell are they believable competition for Kane and the fucking Undertaker? Kane and Droz start, with Kane unloading with his clubbering offense. Whip to the corner and Kane follows with a clothesline. Hawk calls in to tell us he's going to Rehab. Jim Ross sounds like he doesn't care. I don't care about the angle, either. Kane misses an elbow, allowing Droz to take Kane down following a pair of diving clotheslines. Animal and Undertaker tag in. Undertaker with clotheslines, but an elbow misses. Animal off the ropes with a diving shoulder tackle for two. How DARE he interrupt the Zombie sit-up! Whip is reversed, Kane clotheslines him from the apron, and Undertaker clips the knee. Undertaker drops a series of elbows across the knee and hooks a leg grapevine. Vince McMahon wanders to the ramp as Droz stomps away on the Undertaker. suddenly the bell rings at 2:56, and Kane plants Droz with a Chokeslam. Did Undertaker make Animal tap out or what? We don't get a formal announcement. That's WCW levels of poor television production.Edge vs. TAKA Michinoku (Light-Heavyweight Champion) (w/ Yamaguchi-San):
They really need to stop putting the members of Kaientai in the ring with these considerably taller workers. Edge is tall enough at around 6'4", but next to TAKA, he has nearly a full foot on him. Non-Title Match, of course. Edge chases TAKA around to start. He presses him into the air and takes him down with a bulldog. Whip to the corner, Edge meets a boot on a charge attempt. TAKA with a tornado DDT, but a second attempt is easily countered. Edge connects with a spinning heel kick for two. Edge with a reverse suplex, followed by a pair of clotheslines. Whip to the ropes, and he takes TAKA down with a flapjack. He heads to the top, missing a headbutt. TAKA to the top rope with a missile dropkick. He signals for the Michinoku Driver, but Edge counters with the Downward Spiral, and it gets three at 2:13. Again, I'm surprised there was no run-in, considering all the attention called to the fact it keeps happening. That's three TAKA matches that combined for 6-minutes so far on Heat.- The Undertaker and Kane wander down to ringside, dragging Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco by their ties. They want Vince McMahon to come to ringside, and amazingly, he doesn't show, allowing his Stooges to continue taking a beating. Brisco takes pretty good bumps for a man who hasn't been a full-time wrestler for at least a decade. They both take a Chokeslam to cap the segment.
WWF European Championship Match:
D'Lo Brown © vs. Val Venis:
Here we go with a rematch from SummerSlam, which saw Venis get Disqualified for using D'Lo's chest protector against him. These two had a decent, lengthy match on that show, so expect something along the three-minute mark this time around. D'Lo is announced to be from Poland here. Cute. Unlike when Al Snow did it in 2000, D'Lo didn't dress as racially insulting characters from the countries he represented. Venis attacks on the floor and sends him to the post. Back in the ring, Venis connects with a DDT for two. D'Lo eventually takes Venis down with the Sky High, and sends him to the floor for more punishment. He climbs the security wall for whatever reason, and gets slammed on his face for it. Val brings it back in the ring, and takes D'Lo over with a back drop. Venis with mounted punches in the corner. The referee pulls him off, allowing D'Lo to remove a turnbuckle pad. Venis meets it on a charge, and D'Lo takes him down with a German Suplex for the three count at 2:50. Well, that was even shorter than I thought it would be. Jim Ross speculates this being Val's first pinfall loss, but I'm sure it's not. Venis removes the chest protector, plants D'Lo with a Powerbomb, and comes off the top with the Money Shot. At least he got redemption for the loss.
- Vince McMahon makes his way to ringside to address The Undertaker and Kane, as well as WWF Champion "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. At least we get to see Undertaker's cool entrance for a second-time. I always liked that rock version of his Deadman Theme. Vince offers an apology for calling them p*ssies (but without saying that word, again). Short and sweet, he's making Steve Austin defend the WWF Title against both The Undertaker and Kane in a Triple Threat Match at Breakdown on September 27th (the September PPV, which would later be renamed Unforgiven the following year).
Final Thoughts: They managed to pack in a lengthy Main Event Promo that announced the Main Event for Breakdown, as well as SIX matches, as well as other non-rasslin nonsense. They definitely seem to be pushing a Gangrel/Edge feud, except they don't know where they're going with it. Vader and Bradshaw continue to cross each others path, Hawk is going to rehab and nobody cares, and DX is saddled with carrying Southern Justice. Lots of bullshit finishes, and I don't understand why TAKA Michinoku is constantly being jobbed when he's his Division's Champion, but the show continues to follow a steady pace and nothing annoys me to the point I need to single it out.
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