WWF: Raw is War
August 24, 1998
Philadelphia, PA
CoreStates Center

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: Kane & Mankind (8/10/1998)
European Champion: D’Lo Brown (7/20/1998)
Light Heavyweight Champion: TAKA Michinoku (12/7/1997)

The Undertaker is walking out of his dressing room – and KANE IS WALKING BEHIND HIM. They are totally in cahoots! What’s going to happen?!

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

The most destructive pair of brothers you’ll ever find head to the ring. I like Taker’s new theme. At least I believe it’s new. It’s pretty new if it’s not *brand* new. Vince McMahon joins Undertaker and Kane in the ring – and he looks pretty happy about what he’s seeing. The Hell in a Cell is hanging over the ring and not even JR knows why! Vince says that finally, the Undertaker and Kane have come out of the casket. He considers this the best TV he’s seen since President Clinton’s “mea culpa” a week ago. Imagine a WWE Superstar using Latin on TV nowadays. IMAGINE. Now that Kane is at Taker’s side, he no longer needs Mr. McMahon to become the WWF champion at SummerSlam. It’s a done deal. No doubt about it. However, Vince lets Taker know there will come a time when he’ll need him for his strategies and what not. As Taker lays down the mic on the mat and looks down, Vince chastises him for looking away when he’s speaking to him and Taker gets up in his face to let Vince know he’s got his full attention. Taker needs to decide: is Vince McMahon friend or foe? Think about it, Taker. Get him an answer by the end of the night. Paul Bearer heads down and looks pretty fat and sad. In fact, some fan calls him “fatso”. FAT SHAMER. Bearer – Kane’s father may I remind you – pleads with Kane not to side with the Undertaker. He calls Kane’s mother a “sleazy whore” to make the crowd and JR groan. Kane puts his head down in shame and when Bearer begs him to destroy Taker, he turns away and lets Taker pummel Paul Bearer. JR is totally convinced now that these two brothers are working together. Mankind runs down to help Uncle Paul, but he’s destroyed as well by BOTH BROTHERS. Mankind and Kane are WWF tag team champions might I remind you AGAIN. Taker and Kane deliver a SPIKE TOMBSTONE. Pssh, he didn’t even do a springboard flippy do or anything. DAVE MELTZER WOULD NOT BE IMPRESSED. Anyways, tag Mankind’s toe and haul him out of here because he’s done. Vince then reminds the Undertaker that there’s only man left between him and the WWF championship and that man is quaking in his boots as we speak. That man is Stone Cold Steve Austin. THOSE BOOTS AREN’T QUAKING, THOSE BOOTS ARE WALKING. The glass breaks and Austin walks out onto the ramp. Before he can walk any further, A WALL OF FIRE shoots up from the ramp to keep him at bay. JR thinks the brothers must have pre-planned that one. Austin seems thrilled about the family reunion. However, he doesn’t appreciate nearly being set on fire. He could have lost his hair! He knows it will take a hell of an effort to beat the Undertaker at SummerSlam, but he knows he won’t have much a chance against them both. Hey, Austin is a realist after all. Austin promises to take out one of these SOBs tonight and it doesn’t really matter which one. Austin says he’ll burn Taker’s ass at SummerSlam and that’s the bottom line because Stone Cold Said So. Taker stares back pretty hard at Austin as we move on, BUT WHAT IS THE HELL IN A CELL DOING HERE?

• Ken Shamrock vs. Dan Severn

Shamrock is a raving lunatic, says JR. These two are meeting for the first time tonight. Mankind is shown being taken out on a stretcher and sent to the hospital. JR thinks we’ve seen the last of Mankind, but I think we all know better. They take us back to last week when Dan Severn and Owen Hart’s alliance became public. Both guys go for leg submissions to start – trying to snap a leg and get the quick tapout. Ross talks up the Lion’s Den match for SummerSlam between Shamrock and Owen. Severn hits a powerbomb from the lockup position and then takes his time getting back to Shamrock. He follows up with a gourdbuster type move but gets two. Shamrock throws Severn off him, but they get tied up in the ropes. Shamrock starts slugging away, but Severn finds a powerslam for another two. Severn forces Shamrock into the ropes and while ref Tim White pushes Severn back, Owen Hart shows up and starts attacking Shamrock. There’s only so much interference Severn can run here as Tim White turns around and sees Owen slapping the BEAST CHOKER on Shamrock for the DQ. (2:53) Steve Blackman runs down and bicycle kicks Severn away while Owen escapes to the floor. Now Shamrock turns back into a raving lunatic and throws Blackman away with a belly to belly suplex. Blackman didn’t like it and gives Shamrock the same as the zebra shirts run down to keep the two separated. Once Blackman is gone, the refs jump out of the ring and let Shamrock go crazy. He starts headbutting the steel steps and everything! ¾*

We go backstage to see Tony Garea and another agent down on the floor. Mankind is out of the ambulance and he’s wheeling the stretcher around! WHAT.

After the break, JR talks about how great Philadelphia is when we cut back to the arena to see Mankind ride down the ramp on the stretcher and he crashes into the side of the ring! HAHA. Looks like a sack of thumbtacks with him. Mankind gets on the mic and says since it’s now clear Kane and Undertaker are “in cahoots”, Vince McMahon has offered him his chance at redemption tonight inside the Hell in a Cell with Kane. Mankind says he’s got a plan. He’s going to climb to the top of the cell and throw Kane down or through the cell. And if he’s successful, he’s got a surprise for the “big burnt bastard” and it’s 7,000 thumbtacks. If things do go his way tonight, history will be made and if it doesn’t, then it won’t be the first time he’s got his ass kicked in Philadelphia. Either way, Mankind says he doesn’t give a damn and he’ll see Kane tonight in hell. Have a nice day.

We then get highlights of the Hell in a Cell match between Mankind and the Undertaker at King of the Ring.

Sable randomly stops by before the commercial to get you to come back.

AND WE’RE BACK. All she does is introduce Kurrgan from the Oddities. ICP is be performing at SummerSlam, by the way.

• Kurrgan (w/the Oddities) vs. Marc Mero

Sable dances with Luna and boy howdy she has no rhythm whatsoever. Jacqueline is “conspicuous by her absence”. Mero wants Kurrgan to make the freaks leave. Well, they do actually leave. Sable sticks around. JR announces Mero and Jacqueline will meet Sable and a “mystery partner” at SummerSlam. Mero can’t do anything with this big goof. Jacqueline comes from outta nowhere and attacks Sable with a Rastafarian hat on. Not sure why she needed a disguise. While Kurrgan stands there and watches, Mero gives the old fashioned Golotta and gets DQ’ed at 1:40. Mero and Jackie escape through the crowd while Kurrgan holds onto what’s left of his dick and balls as Luna helps Sable backstage. N/R

Elsewhere, X-Pac guides the cameraman back into a locker room as he proceeds to urinate in someone’s boots. Safe to say it’s Jeff Jarrett’s boots.

• The New Age Outlaws vs. Southern Justice

A drunken Road Warrior Hawk happens to be at the commentary table with a headset on mumbling to Ross and Lawler. JR tells the production guys to “cut his mic” and then proceeds to have a conversation with him. He’s here to help with some “color dysentery”. He mentions to Lawler about wrestling him in the Mid-South Coliseum in 1986 and being told to “no-sell the piledriver”, but he did it anyway. Oh boy. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. Ross mentions Kane and Mankind will meet the New Age Outlaws over the WWF tag titles at SummerSlam. Hawk is still talking. Jeff Jarrett comes down and grabs the house mic, but it’s not working. He grabs Hawk’s headset and demands X-Pac come out. Jarrett’s not wearing any shoes. The match is happening, but who cares. Jarrett continues to threaten X-Pac and hypes the hair match for SummerSlam. Shake Rattle and Roll on Knight gets two. Knight comes right back and delivers a stalling suplex. Jarrett is super pissed. While Canterbury goes to defend Jarrett, Gunn lands a piledriver on Knight while Road Dogg jumps on the pin for the three-count. (3:16) Still no X-Pac. Jarrett and Southern Justice are DONE. They jump a cameraman and shave his head. And that goes for every cameraman who shoots a guy’s boots getting pissed on! YEAH. ½*

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

• Hell in a Cell: Kane (w/the Undertaker) vs. Mankind

Despite the referees best efforts, Mankind climbs to the top of the cell. Kane goes after him, but gets the door slammed in his face. Mankind finds a chair and tries to toss the chair up on the top of the cell, but can’t do it. He gives up on the chair and starts climbing, but then Taker follows after him and sends him crashing down through the Spanish announce table. Lawler wants to leave. With Mankind down, Kane walks over and throws Mankind into the cage wall. EVIL IS ALL AROUND US, FOLKS. More ringside cage violence as they head back over to the door. Kane slams the door onto Mankind, which looked less brutal than the Ric Flair spot a year earlier. They are finally locked inside the cell as Kane starts abusing Mankind with the ring steps. Mankind can’t take anymore and rolls out to the floor, but that won’t stop Kane as runs and leaps over the top to land on Mankind! Back inside, Kane grabs the ringsteps and throws them where he thinks Mankind is, but Mankind has rolled under the ring and came back out on the other side. He’s got a chair and his sack of tacks with him! Mankind WHACKS Kane’s cranium with the chair and then once across the back. Mankind starts pouring out the tacks, but Kane pummels him. Kane goozles him, but Mankind somehow applies the MANDIBLE CLAW. That goes nowhere. Mankind slugs him back and hits the Pull-Up Piledriver. His butt falls on the thumbtacks, but I think he’ll be okay. As Mankind heads up top, Kane gets back up and destroys Mankind with a chairshot. Kane then grabs Mankind and gives him the Chokeslam. Taker seems to like what he sees. Mankind staggers into the TOMBSTONE. Kane looks over at his brother and Taker gives him the “thumb across the throat” sign to finish him off. Another chairshot to Mankind’s head. Make that two. Now Kane delivers a TOMBSTONE on the chair. As Kane goes to pin Mankind, STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN appears from under the ring to beat the crap out of Kane. (7:41) Sounds like ref Earl Hebner is calling for the bell. Umm, a DQ? No contest? Taker is going ballistic in his own way. The door is padlocked. He starts the cell to get inside while Austin blasts Kane with a chair. STONE COLD STUNNER to Kane! Taker is doing all he can to break inside the cell. Austin continues to abuse Kane. Taker has his leg through the cell, but we see Vince is raising the cage to protect his investment for SummerSlam. He wants the Undertaker to take the WWF title away from Austin. Another STONE COLD STUNNER to Kane! LOOK AT THE CARNAGE! ONE FINGER SALUTES! KANE AND MANKIND ARE WIPED OUT! Ross doesn’t think we’ve seen the last of Austin tonight since the Undertaker is still around. Austin goes over and starts bringing the gurney to the ring as we go to commercial. **½

After the break, the Hell in a Cell is raised and the Undertaker and Kane are in the ring. Taker calls Austin a “coward” for what he did here tonight. Kane is bleeding from the head. Taker lets Austin know he’s sealed his fate and tonight will come face to face with his destiny. It has nothing to do with SummerSlam, because now this is PERSONAL.

Chyna is now out here for a showdown with the Rock. This is the last time we’ll see the Rock with the IC title on RAW. He’s growing up, folks! D’Lo Brown, Mark Henry, and Owen Hart come out to support the Rock. Henry carries the ladder to the ring and sets it up in the corner. Now the Rock enters the ring since he’s got backup. Rock is giving Chyna what she wants. She’s got the People’s Champ right here in the flesh, but he ain’t about to fall for no DX sneak attacks which is why the Nation is out here. He talks about his $500 shirt and that Chyna needs to know her role and shut her mouth. Hmm, seems kinda catchy. Up on the TitanTron, we see the DX locker room blockaded with a forklift. Did they not hear the beeping? Rock is standing up on the ladder because he’s a big shot. He starts doing a standard ladder match promo, but then reminds us he’s the People’s Champ, People’s Choice, and the Best Damn Intercontinental Champ of All Time. Now Rock turns his attention back to Chyna. He knows she’s a tense uptight lady and feels she just needs to get laid. If she’s lucky, the Rock is just the man to give it to her. When she goes after the Rock, D’Lo and Owen grabs her and put her on her knees, where the Rock feels she belongs. OUCH. He then tells Chyna to “experience the Magic of the Rock”. Rock goes in for a kiss, but the Rock would never kiss a “piece of trash like [Chyna]”. However, Rock lets Mark Henry do the deed. It’s sexual, baby. Next thing we know, SHAWN MICHAELS RETURNS, scares away the rest of the Nation, and then BLASTS Mark Henry with a chair! SHIT. Shawn throws the IC belt at the Rock and hands Chyna a chair. While the Rock and the Nation look embarrassed, Shawn heads over to the announce table and dances to his theme song as we go to break. WHAT.

When we return, DX has been freed from their locker room and looks pissed flipping over trash bins and looking for the Nation.

• Val Venis vs. TAKA Michinoku (w/the Yamaguchis!)

Shawn Michaels joins Ross and Lawler on the third headset for the rest of the show. Shouldn’t he be somewhere watching the Nitro Girls? Val tears into TAKA to start, but TAKA fires back and takes him to the floor. There’s an Asai Moonsault. Back in, Val comes back with a powerbomb and heads up top for the MONEY SHOT. Hey, Triple H is here. He whacks Val Venis over the back with a chair for the DQ. (1:07) Here he goes burying another guy getting over. Helmsley whacks TAKA as well. He’s PISSED and says the Rock will be his bitch at SummerSlam. ½*

• X-Pac vs. Gangrel

I’m wondering if some segment went long because everybody seems to be in a hurry. Gangrel jumps X-Pac at the bell, but X-Pac hits a spinning heel kick. Gangrel comes back with a powerslam. He catches a second spinning heel kick and powerbombs him down. Gangrel comes off the top, but X-Pac moves. Hey look, it’s EDGE in the audience. X-Pac fires back with his signature kicks in the corner. Bronco Buster! Here comes JEFF JARRETT and he’s here to KABONG X-Pac for the DQ. (1:36) Triple H and Chyna show back up as Jarrett bails out. Well, there’s ANOTHER DQ ending here tonight. While Triple H and Chyna help X-Pac out of the ring, Edge shows up and attacks Gangrel. WHAT. Ross thinks there must be a story here, but he’s clueless as to what it is. ½*

Backstage, Bart Gunn and Bradshaw are getting warmed up.

Elsewhere, the Undertaker is wheeling around a casket. Does he just bring those with him to RAW or something?

• Brawl for All Finals: Bart Gunn vs. Bradshaw

FIRST ROUND: So the winner gets $75,000 while the loser gets $25,000. Hey, I’d take the loser’s purse for a KO. There’s actually a big fight feel here. Both guys are throwing bombs and ultimately Bart lands a good shot on Bradshaw to knock him down. He’s up at eight. Once he’s up, Bart knocks him out with the left hand and puts him on his butt with the right to end the Brawl for All. Unfortunately, that’s pretty much it for Bart Gunn’s career while Bradshaw’s career is just getting started.

Michael Cole is backstage with Mr. McMahon. Cole wants to know Vince’s thoughts on whether Taker will be his friend or foe. Vince says he will get the answer he wants tonight. Vince then acknowledges the fact that this is the first time in about two years we’ve seen Cole without some carnage at the end of the interview.

A Gregorian chant starts up – which can only mean some Undertaker stuff is coming up. Sure enough, eight Druids are out with the casket. After leaving the casket at ringside, they head out single file. I wonder if any of those guys were from ECW. Out comes the Undertaker. He turns the lights back on and grabs the mic. He vows to take the WWF title – which is rightfully his – at SummerSlam. Unlike Austin, he’ll do it like a man. He tells Austin not to worry about Kane because Kane has his own agenda. It will be one-on-one for the WWF title. But tonight, Austin made it personal. When Austin jumped on Kane, he jumped on the Undertaker as well. Taker demands Austin take a ride on the “highway to hell” tonight. Hey look, it’s Mr. McMahon. He grabs the mic away from the Undertaker and asks him again if he’s Mr. McMahon’s friend or foe. Taker stares at Vince and puts his hand out for a handshake. As Vince goes in for the real thing, Taker GOOZLES him and gives Vince a Chokeslam. Well, I think Vince got his answer. Next thing we know, Austin comes out of the casket and he’s ready to fight. BUT WAIT! Kane comes out of the casket as well. He jumps Austin from behind and Taker stands back watching it happen. Austin gets whipped into the ropes and kicks Kane back before exiting to the floor and grabbing a chair. I mean, wouldn’t you? Austin continues his way up the ramp. FIRE STARTS SHOOTING UP THE RAMP IN FRONT OF AUSTIN ON HIS WAY OUT. WHAT.

Despite all the non-finishes and crappy matches, this is still one of the best episodes of RAW I’ve seen.

Next up, we hit MSG for Sunday Night Heat and then SUMMERSLAM!