WWF: Raw is War
July 27, 1998
Anaheim, CA
Arrowhead Pond

The current WWF champs are as follows:
WWF Champion: Steve Austin (6/29/1998)
Intercontinental Champion: The Rock (12/8/1997)
World Tag Team Champions: The Undertaker & Steve Austin (7/26/1998)
European Champion: D’Lo Brown (7/20/1998)
Light Heavyweight Champion: TAKA Michinoku (12/7/1997)

TIME TO GET RAW! Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler.

The Undertaker starts the show and comes to the ring carrying both WWF tag belts. In order for he and Steve Austin to remain partners, he wants an apology from Austin for mistrusting him. Vince McMahon and his stooges interrupt because McMahon still thinks Taker and Kane are in cahoots. It took THREE Tombstone Piledrivers to beat Kane at WrestleMania, but only ONE Tombstone Piledriver last night? Something still smells fishy to Vince. If anybody deserves an apology, McMahon feels its him for sustaining a neck injury after the chokeslam last week. Vince then announces that Steve Austin and the Undertaker will defend the WWF tag belts tonight against the New Age Outlaws. Here comes Stone Cold Steve Austin to the ring. McMahon and his boys decide it’s best to leave. He debuts the “Smoking Skull” title belt tonight. Austin will accept that he and Taker have to work together to wrestle the New Age Outlaws tonight, but gives Taker the bird instead of an apology.

• Vader vs. D’Lo Brown
  

D’Lo says EuroDisney has two new rides at the park: the Sky High and the Lo Down. Vader can come pick out which one he wants. Sassy! They trade blows, but D’Lo NO-SELLS when Vader sits down on a sunset flip. Brown hits a pair of avalanches and beats Vader down some more. D’Lo SLAMS Vader and buries the shoulder into him in the corner. He hits a Flying Moonsault for 1-2-NO! Vader avoids a charge and Brown goes flying out to the floor. Having had enough of the chest protector nonsense, Vader rips it off and splashes D’Lo. Vader then crawls back into the ring and wins via countout. (4:18) Lawler is quite concerned over D’Lo’s chest. Vader may have reinjured it! ¾*

It’s “Droz’s World” – where puking is *cool* and snakes and guns and tongues and other stuff happens.

• Brawl For All: Dr. Death Steve Williams vs. Bart Gunn
  

Doc beat Pierre Oulette to get to this point, while Bart defeated Bob Holly. This looks as worked as all the other “boxing” matches in WWE history. Doc wins on points (15-5 at the end of round two), but Bart knocks him out with a massive left near the end of round three. JR does his darnedest to try and maintain Doc’s credibility as a legit tough guy, but he just lost to Bart Gunn, so what can you really say there.

Owen Hart comes out to the ring to let everybody know he’s not a nugget and he’s proven to be the toughest man in the WWF. He offers an open challenge – and out comes Jason Sensation in his Owen Hart outfit. Oh boy. He makes fun of Owen’s nose and calls him a nugget. Well, before Owen can rush Jason, Dan Severn comes out and stands between them.

• Owen Hart vs. Dan Severn
  

Owen hits from behind to start the match. Owen does the IRS technique, grabbing Severn’s tie and punching away. The SHARPSHOOTER is locked in, but Severn powers out and strikes away. Now here’s Ken Shamrock running in from the crowd, thus ending the match by DQ. (:53) He drills Owen with a clothesline and grabs a DRAGON SLEEPER. Severn breaks it up with a choke on Shamrock of his own and includes a bodyscissors. While Owen has left the building, Steve Blackman is out to try and help the refs separate the two UFC guys. [N/R]

After the break, Michael Cole confronts a very angry Ken Shamrock and gets pushed back into the chain link fence backdrop.

• Faarooq & Scorpio vs. Disciples of Apocalypse (w/Paul Ellering)
  

Bradshaw is sitting at the commentary table talking about beating up people who cross him, which is an interesting look into the future of WWE commentary. The action picks up as the DOA and Faarooq brawl to the floor so that Scorpio can plancha on top of all of them. When Lawler says to Bradshaw that Terry Funk should maybe be put out to pasture, it strikes an angry chord in Bradshaw as he grabs Lawler by the suit and tells him to just call the match. Once one of the twins gets close to the announce table, Bradshaw jumps up and starts beating up everybody for the DQ. (3:23) Now all five men are brawling (hey, where’s Paul Ellering?) and out come the WWF officials to break it up. ½*

Backstage, The Rock promises that he’ll hold onto his Intercontinental title tonight – even if his two opponents are both members of DX if you smell what the Rock is cookin’.

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

• WWF Intercontinental Championship: The Rock (c) vs. Triple H (w/Chyna) vs. X-Pac
  

During the introductions, Triple H tells everybody that today is his birthday. X-Pac and Hunter treat this like a handicap match, so it makes you wonder how this is going to work when it’s time for a decision. X-Pac gets leveled with a clothesline by the Rock, but Triple H hits the High Knee and the PEDIGREE. Now Helmsley and X-Pac argue over who will pin the IC champ. Rock hits Triple H to the floor. X-Pac connects with a spinning heel kick for two. Once Helmsley is back on the apron, X-Pac collides with him knocking Triple H to the announce table. Samoan Drop gets two. There goes the People’s Elbow on X-Pac for 1-2-NO! He hits the ROCK BOTTOM, but Triple H breaks up the pin and starts putting the boots to the Rock. He catches the Rock with the Facebuster and clotheslines him down for two. Rock clotheslines Triple H back, but turns around into the X-FACTOR! Cover, 1-2-NO! Triple H pulls X-Pac off the cover. The argument between DX comes to blows while the Rock rolls out to the floor and grabs his IC title to go. (6:55) Say whaaaat? You can’t win or lose a triple-threat match by countout? Good match, but a real copout finish. ***

• Brakkus vs. Jesus Castillo Jr.
  

Castillo is here to take a SPINEBUSTER to give Brakkus the win. (:53) Something tells me we won’t be seeing Brakkus anymore. [N/R]

In the back, we catch Yamaguchi-san’s wife getting out of the shower with Val Venis! Oh my.

• Val Venis vs. Brian Christopher (w/Scott Taylor)
  

Before the bell, Kaientai and Yamaguchi-san appear on the ramp with sausages and a samurai sword. Pretty much another squash as Venis wins with the Fisherman’s Suplex. (2:13) Afterwards, Too Much do a number on Venis. TAKA Michinoku saves the day and helps Venis clean house. Yamaguchi-san tells Val Venis that Kaientai challenges him for next week. When they get through with him, they will “choppy-choppy your pee-pee”. Well, it’s no longer subtle now.

Backstage, Michael Cole interviews LOD 2000 – well, Animal, anyway. Hawk just stands there looking rather inebriated.

• LOD 2000 vs. Mark Henry & The Godfather (w/three whores)
  

Godfather reminds us he’s a pimp. Hawk trips on his way into the ring – and he forgot his shoulder pads, too. I guess he’s supposed to be doing his Scott Hall impersonation for us. Animal starts out with Mark Henry. It takes Henry a while to go down to some shoulderblocks. Tag to Godfather, he has a bit more success. Animal gains the advantage and turns to make a tag, but Hawk has apparently fallen asleep. Ross says Hawk received some rather disturbing personal news earlier today, but neither he nor Lawler tell us what that new is. Animal tries coming back and putting Godfather in position for the Doomsday Device, but Hawk falls to the floor. Godfather fights out and finds the Death Valley Driver for the win. (3:49) So now there’s a big problem with Hawk, which we’ll hopefully learn a lot more about in the coming weeks. ½*

Jerry Lawler brings out Jacqueline (accompanied by Marc Mero) and Sable for the trophy presentation for last night’s bikini contest. Lawler gets handed a note directly from Mr. McMahon that body paint doesn’t count as a bikini, so Sable has been DQ’ed and is declaring Jacqueline as the winner. Sable says in her horrible voice that she’s not surprised this happened, but only wishes McMahon was “man enough” to tell her to her face. Well, of course Vince can’t stand having his manhood put into question, and comes out to respond. He reminds Sable that the only reason she’s still here in the WWF is because of him. He also tells Sable that people like her are “a dime a dozen” and would have no problem replacing her with any number of bimbos and airheads. He makes it clear that she is in debt to him and he plans on collecting as he twirls her hair around his finger. When Vince tells her not to be an “ungrateful bitch”, Sable gives him the double bird when his back is turned and takes off her shirt to show off her “RAW” bikini.

Sunday Night Heat debuts on the USA Network this Sunday at 8pm EST! And yes, we will be covering Sunday Night Heat – at least throughout the rest of 1998 when it was somewhat relevant.

• WWF World Tag Team Championship: The Undertaker & Steve Austin (c) vs. The New Age Outlaws
  

Yes, Taker has new music, and it was first used last night at Fully Loaded. He’s still carrying both tag belts as well. Stone Cold punts a beach ball from the crowd. People are trying to wrestle here! Gunn catches Austin with a shoulderblock off a headlock and does that bicep pose he does. Austin does the same, but then flips him off for the lulz. He delivers an atomic drop and a clothesline to set up a catapult to Gunn. He tries for the Stone Cold Stunner, but Gunn shoves him off and retreats to the floor. As Austin goes after him, Road Dogg runs him down. Gunn drops Austin on the guardrail and rolls him back in the ring. Taker beats up Road Dogg leading to Old School and tries a Chokeslam, but Gunn clips the knee. Fans continue to bat beach balls around, causing Jim Ross to remark that the fans are in a “festive” mood. The Outlaws continue to work over Taker’s leg on their side of town. Road Dogg, however, misses a Bossman straddle. Gunn misses a Stinger Splash allowing Taker to reach Austin for the hot tag. DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER to the Outlaws! Thesz Press to Gunn! Austin then throws him out and drops Road Dogg with the STONE COLD STUNNER for the win. (8:10) After the bell, Taker grabs Gunn for a Chokeslam! JR – “WHO’S YOUR DADDY, BILLY GUNN? IT’S THE UNDERTAKER!” Austin still doesn’t actually apologize, but tosses the Undertaker a beer instead. Ross wonders if that was Austin’s way of apologizing for not trusting him after all. Next thing we know, Kane and Mankind come out to attack them both as we close out another week. **½

Until next time, so long for now.