WWF: Raw is War
April 6, 1998
Syracuse, NY
Oncenter Complex

The current WWF champs are as follows:
WWF Champion: Steve Austin (3/29/1998)
Intercontinental Champion: The Rock (12/8/1997)
World Tag Team Champions: The New Age Outlaws (3/30/1998)
European Champion: Triple H (3/17/1998)
Light Heavyweight Champion: TAKA Michinoku (12/7/1997)

TIME TO GET RAW! Your hosts are Jim Ross and Michael Cole.

Vince McMahon comes out and gives us all an update on the status of Stone Cold Steve Austin. He tells us Austin was released from jail the very same night as his arrest. Since last Monday, Vince feels Austin has learned his lesson and he learned it the hard way. No longer will he be the beer-swilling, trash-talking, blue-collar Stone Cold. Oh no, he has been reformed! Vince just wants us all to have a WWF champion we can be proud of. Tonight, Vince says we will see a *new and improved* Stone Cold Steve Austin. He guarantees it or the Syracuse crowd will get their money back. Boy, this crowd is HOT. Ross says he’ll believe it when he sees it.

• Dan Severn (w/Jim Cornette) vs. Flash Funk
  

This is the first time we’re seeing the Beast Dan Severn on RAW as a wrestler. He is the NWA world champion since defeating Chris Candido back in February 1995. Cornette carries with him several UFC belts that he’s also won. Severn grounds Funk and tries to hyperextend the elbow with a cross armbreaker. Funk finds the ropes before that happens. He corners Severn and starts the shoulder butts, but Severn drops him on the mat trying to slap him around because “punching down with bare knuckles can break your knuckles” says Cornette. He throws Funk away with a suplex, but then he charges into a spinning heel kick. Another suplex by Severn and he grabs an MMA armbar to make Funk tap. (2:56) I feel like Severn never really had the dexterity to be a professional wrestler. He moves around the ring like a wet noodle. ½*

When we come back, D-Generation X makes their way to the ring. JR says that the injured Shawn Michaels was asked about the restructuring of DX and he would not give a response. HHH says he delivered on his promise. The New Age Outlaws do their usual bit. Road Dogg says that DX is now comprised of the best young talent in the business today. X-Pac makes a shoot comment directed at WCW saying that if you came to see grumpy old men stink up the joint, you’ve come to the wrong place because DX is young and hungry and they get jiggy with it. Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah. Helmsley’s bazooka is locked, cocked, and ready to unload. I’m sure your parents are very proud. Two words for ya – SUCK IT.

After a break, DX bullies around some stage hand backstage. They start spraypainting “DX” on things. Where have I seen this before?

• Steve Blackman vs. Brian Christopher
  

Ross puts over that Blackman has only one pinfall loss in his WWF career – and it’s to Jeff Jarrett. Tennessee Lee comes out and joins JR and Cole. The big surprise he promised last week is Sawyer Brown will join Jeff Jarrett to do “backup vocals” at Unforgiven In Your House on April 26 for a big concert. He refers to Sawyer Brown as a CWA award-winning singer and realizes he means “CMA”. Blackman gets a little concerned that Tennessee Lee is at ringside allowing Christopher to take control. He hits the Full Nelson Facebuster and nails Blackman with the missile dropkick to the back of the head. Blackman blocks a piledriver with an Alabama Slam to mount his comeback. He misses a dropkick as Christopher puts on the brakes, but then Blackman catches Christopher in the gut on the way down. A bicycle kick sets up a hold where he hammerlocks one arm and pulls back on the other arm for the submission win. (5:03) Afterwards, Tennessee Lee returns down the aisle and works up this big introduction for his man Jeff Jarrett. When the lights go out and Blackman has his back turned, Jarrett appears in the ring and KABONGS Blackman as the lights come back on. Now THAT is a *smash hit*. ¾*

More DX shenanigans backstage. Helmsley dares the New Age Outlaws and X-Pac to wiz on the DOA’s “Titan Bikes”. They start to piss on the bikes and the DX censored logo appears.

BOP IT Slam of the Week: LOD 2000 giving one of Los Boricuas the Doomsday Device from last week on RAW.

Back to RAW. Cactus Jack comes down to the ring wearing a neck collar due to the abuse he suffered from last week on RAW against the New Age Outlaws in the cage match. He sits in a chair in the ring to put over what pain he’s in. He’ll be damned if he lets a group of scum like DX put him out of the business. Terry Funk must be pretty hurt if he isn’t returning his phone calls. Cactus puts over Terry Funk as the gutsiest old bastard ever. He wanted to retire from wrestling as a WWF champion and said their match with the Outlaws at WrestleMania would be his last. Talk turns to the fans chanting Steve Austin’s name. Ever since he came to the WWF, people have just been wanting to see Cactus Jack. Well, they got Cactus Jack and now look at him. Cactus starts to get upset that people were chanting someone else’s name after all the energy and effort he’s put into his time here. He rips off the collar and wants an apology from the fans for cheering Austin. They don’t seem too warm to that idea. Cactus says that after thirteen years, it just isn’t worth it anymore. He says it will be a long time before you see Cactus Jack in the ring again and drops the mic before walking out. He picks up the mic again on his way out and thanks the fans who got something out of his matches. As for anyone else who didn’t care for him, he’s got nothing to say to them. Cactus heads up the ramp with his head down and raising his arm for his fans. COULD BE THE END OF MICK FOLEY?!

From earlier today, they show the Nation of Domination led by the Rock doing a number out in the parking lot on Faarooq.

• WWF Intercontinental Championship: The Rock (c) (w/the NOD) vs. Owen Hart
  

Amazing what difference a year makes as one year ago Owen defeated the Rock for his first IC title. Rocky wasn’t exactly beloved then, but he wasn’t told repeatedly that he sucks either. Armdrags and wristlocks are traded to start. Kama gets caught trying to trip up Owen and gets the whole NOD sent back to the locker room. Rock angrily charges into a sleeperhold, but fights out and hits a DDT for two. He hits the shoulderbreaker to set up the People’s Elbow for 1-2-NO! Owen stops a charge in the corner and begins his comeback with a swinging neckbreaker for two. Ten-count corner punch and the Spinning Heel Kick gets 1-2-NO! Owen gets caught in the Rock Bottom, but elbows Rocky away and delivers the ENZIGURI OF DEATH. There’s the SHARPSHOOTER. Chyna is here and whacks Owen with a ball bat across the shoulders to signal the DQ. (5:46) The rest of DX stands up on the ramp and has a good laugh. Otherwise, a good little back and forth affair here. *½

ENTER THE WARZONE! Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

Vince McMahon comes out to the ring with two policemen to reveal the new and improved WWF champion Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin saunters down the ramp and into the ring in a nice blue suit. He’s still wearing his Austin 3:16 hat and his wrestling boots. Out of habit, Austin wants to stand on each of the four corners and Vince tells him to knock it off. Austin OBEYS! Instead, he just goes to each corner and raises his arm for the crowd. McMahon knows that Austin is a work in progress, but wants to know why he’s not wearing the Gucci shoes Vince told him to wear. Austin says they hurt his feet and his wrestling boots didn’t. Perfectly valid reason. Vince takes off Austin’s hat and throws it into the crowd because it “doesn’t go with the suit”. Now Vince wants to know what made Austin grab hold of reality and bend a little bit to his wishes. He realized when he was in the jail cell that he he had to bend to Vince’s ways and couldn’t beat the leader of industry. Since they don’t have a selfie stick, Austin has one of the policemen take his and Vince’s picture holding up the WWF title belt. The old Stone Cold would have told Vince to take that camera and stick it up his butt. The new Stone Cold tells Vince that he needs to get the film developed because this is the last time you’ll ever see Stone Cold in a suit. He starts ripping off the suit and throws it into the audience. Ross – “Rattlesnakes don’t make corporate pets!” Austin tells Vince he’s a redneck from south Texas and he won’t change for anybody. He’s now down to his black tights and SCSA t-shirt with the sleeves cut. Austin jimmy taps Vince and takes a picture of him doubled over holding his balls for laughs.

STONE COLD DON’T CHANGE FOR NOBODY – AND THAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE ‘CUZ STONE COLD SAID SO. Some real epic stuff just went down.

After the break, the Disciples of Apocalypse come out to the ring to call out D-Generation X for giving their Titan bikes a golden shower.

• Luna (w/TAFKA Goldust) vs. Matt Knowles
  

Goldust attacks Knowles before the bell and gives him a few moves. The ref just stands there and lets it happen. Knowles is still willing to face Luna though. She monkey flips Knowles out of the corner and gives him a flying headbutt for the win in :28.

We get a Val Venis vignette. Jack Nicholson has got nothing on this guy.

• Ken Shamrock vs. Marc Mero (w/Sable)
  

This is another week where Mero is tired of all the attention Sable is getting, so he sends her back to the locker room. Ross tells us that the DX has accepted the challenge for a six-man tag against DOA in tonight’s main event. Shamrock kicks around Mero and goes for a cross armbreaker. Mero makes the ropes. He blocks the hurracanrana from Shamrock with a powerbomb. Shamrock slips away from the TKO and hits the Belly to Belly Suplex. As he calls for the ANKLELOCK, the Nation of Domination hits the ring and runs off Shamrock for the DQ. (2:45) Shamrock scares them out of the ring with a chair, but the Rock and D’Lo provide enough distraction as Mark Henry catches him from behind and drills Shamrock with a belly to belly suplex. Henry gives Shamrock a big splash off the ropes before D’Lo delivers the Frog Splash. Rock puts the boots to Shamrock and talks a good game while refs and agents come down to get the Nation out of the ring. ¾*

Time to hear from the Undertaker for the first time since WrestleMania 14. Kevin Kelly meets him in the ring. He calls the inferno match a desperate act by desperate men. Whether there’s fire or not, Unforgiven will be the beginning of Kane’s eternal damnation. The lights go out and we see Paul Bearer and Kane LIVE from the gravesite of Kane and Taker’s parents. Bearer ensures Taker will face a slow and antagonizing death at Unforgiven. Kane then takes a sledgehammer and breaks up the two tombstones. As if that’s not enough, he then SETS THEM ON FIRE! OH YESSSSS.

• The New Age Outlaws & Triple H (w/Chyna & X-Pac) vs. Disciples of Apocalypse
  

Total slobberknocker to start as DOA cleans house. X-Pac joins us at the commentary table. Gunn sells for the Harris twins. He takes this nice big double slam from the DOA. Tag to Helmsley, he isolates one of the twins. He fights out, but runs into a facebuster. Road Dogg tags in and hits the Shaky Knee Drop. X-Pac tells Ross he did his time down south and now he’s back where he belongs in the WWF. Commercials! When we return, Helmsley takes a spinning side slam by 8-Ball or Skull. Hot tag to Chainz, the match breaks down. Gunn helps out with the distraction on Chainz allowing Helmsley to hit the PEDIGREE for the win. (6:35 shown) X-Pac helps out his DX buddies with a chair. To make matters worse for the DOA, Gunn gives Chainz a piledriver on the chair. With Chainz out, they tie him to the ropes so they can flog him some more. That’s when LOD 2000 came down for the save. The fight continues as we go off the air. *

Considering how hot some of the segments were here with the show-long setup of the Austin-McMahon angle, this ended on a pretty weak note. But hey, next week is going to be a gamechanger, so stay tuned.

Until next time, so long for now.

10-321 presents WWF Unforgiven: In Your House LIVE ON PPV April 26 from the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, NC
MAIN EVENT
WWF Championship: Stone Cold Steve Austin (c) vs. ???
WWF Tag Team Championship: The New Age Outlaws (c) vs. Legion of Doom 2000 (w/Sunny)
Inferno Match: The Undertaker vs. Kane (w/Paul Bearer)
Evening Gown Match: Sable vs. Luna