WWF: SuNDAY NiGHT HeAT
December 6, 1998
New Haven, CT
New Haven Coliseum

The current WWF champs are as follows:
WWF Champion: The Rock (11/15/1998)
Intercontinental Champion: Ken Shamrock (10/12/1998)
World Tag Team Champions: The New Age Outlaws (8/30/1998)
European Champion: X-Pac (10/18/1998)
Light Heavyweight Champion: Duane Gill (11/23/1998)
Hardcore Champion: The Big Boss Man (11/30/1998)
Women’s Champion: Sable (11/15/1998)

We have not really heard much out of Kaientai since TAKA Michinoku lost the WWF Light Heavyweight title to Christian back at Judgment Day: In Your House back in October. Now that Duane Gill from the JOB Squad has managed to capture the Light Heavyweight title away from Christian, now is the time for TAKA Michinoku and Kaientai to win back the gold. We see Yamaguchi-san cutting a short Japanese promo from a stairwell. Standing behind him are TAKA Michinoku and Sho Funaki with their arms crossed looking pissed while Dick Togo and Men’s Teioh stand behind *them* waving Japanese flags.

HOT ENOUGH? Your hosts are Kevin Kelly and Jim Cornette.

• WWF Light Heavyweight Championship: Duane Gill (c) (w/the JOB Squad) vs. TAKA Michinoku (w/Kaientai)

The JOB Squad carry an American flag with them to make this matchup a national pride thing for some reason. As we’re used to seeing with these Duane Gill matches, the aggressor is always his opponent and this match is no different. TAKA hits a tornado DDT and catches Duane with a missile dropkick to set up the Michinoku Driver – only for Gill to counter with an inside cradle for an upset three-count. (2:17) After the bell, Jackyl’s Acolytes (Bradshaw and Faarooq) come down and destroy Kaientai and Yamaguchi-san.

Kelly and Cornette go over what we’ll be seeing on the show tonight with the main event being the Undertaker versus Mankind. WHAT MORE DO THEY HAVE TO PROVE?

Stone Cold Steve Austin is in the building!

When we come back, Michael Cole is standing outside of a door and he thinks Steve Austin is in there!

• LOD 2000 vs. Too Much

Animal and Droz beat Too Much into powder to start. The story here is that Droz is – get this – hurting people (for real). This reeks of Russo to me. Anyways, Droz chopblocks Taylor’s left leg and applies a half crab. He wrenches Taylor’s leg to a nasty angle and gets him to submit in 1:38. Christopher picks up Taylor and carries him back to the locker room in his arms.

Backstage, Michael Cole is standing by with Steve Austin wondering why Austin is here. Austin says he’s bought a front row ticket to watch the main event later tonight. Now get out of his face, Michael. He’s got things to do!

Should they really be airing a “Bone Crunching Buddies” ad right here after that last match? And furthermore, I thought Linda McMahon stated that the WWF wasn’t marketing to children at this point. Hmm. WEIRD.

WWF REWIND << brought to you by Glover for N64 / PC. Gotta love the Glove! HeAT, 12/6/98. Droz wrenching Scott Taylor’s knee! HE’S GONE TOO FAR NOW!

Elsewhere, we see Brian Christopher praying over Scott Taylor while a doctor attends to his partner.

Out comes a somber looking Owen Hart to make a blockbuster announcement. Since Steve Blackman has desecrated the honor of the Blue Blazer, Owen will come out of retirement to fight Steve Blackman at Rock Bottom: In Your House. To close out the announcement, Owen lets us know there’s a little bit of the Blue Blazer in each and every one of us! Well, isn’t that nice.

We go to the back where D-Generation X (sans the New Age Outlaws) enter the building.

• The Rock, Ken Shamrock & The Big Boss Man vs. The Brood

All the rage is the thought of the New Age Outlaws leaving DX behind and joining the Corporation. Besides all that, what an opportunity for the Brood here to face the WWF champion, the IC champion, and the Hardcore champion in the same match. Shamrock and Edge start the match. Shamrock lands a jumping kick on Edge, but then Edge fires back with a spinning heel kick. Tag to Christian, he runs into a drop toehold. Boss Man tags in and throws Christian across the ring by his head. Christian stops a corner charge and comes off the top with a flying bodypress for only a one-count. Gangrel tags in, but he’s overtaken by Boss Man. Rock gets a tag and the crowd goes nuts. He tattoos Gangrel in the corner with right hands and whips him across for a clothesline. Tag to Shamrock, he nails Gangrel with a back elbow. In comes Boss Man, he and Shamrock deliver a double clothesline. Boss Man backs Gangrel in the Corporation’s corner for a triple-team beatdown. Rock hits a Russian legsweep on Gangrel for two. Gangrel makes a short comeback and Rock decides to retreat to the floor. Next thing you know, TRIPLE H and X-PAC run down and attack Boss Man and Shamrock for the DQ. (3:52) The NEW AGE OUTLAWS join the fray and beat up on the Brood to continue the shenanigans. Once everybody but the Outlaws, Triple H, and X-Pac clear out, the two sides have a stand-off. Nobody throws a punch, but we don’t have any questions answered. As the Outlaws bow out, Triple H *moons* Shamrock, and nobody seems to care. It’s the Attitude Era, folks!

Rock Bottom: In Your House! LIVE on PPV next Sunday at 8PM EST / 5PM PST.

After the break, we catch some highlights of Mark Henry’s big date with Chyna and the ensuing barroom brawl.

• Jeff Jarrett (w/Debra) vs. Mark Henry (w/D’Lo Brown)

Mark Henry whoops Jarrett’s ass for about thirty seconds when Debra gets in the ring to tempt him with the goods. It’s sexual, baby. D’Lo saves Henry from the KABONG of a lifetime and KABONGS Jarrett instead to cost Henry the match by DQ in 1:06.

While Debra checks on poor Jarrett, GOLDUST comes out and challenges Jarrett to a match at the Rock Bottom PPV with a special stipulation in mind. If Jarrett beats Goldust, then Goldust will strip down to his birthday suit. If Goldust beats Jarrett, then Debra will have to show us her “tasty cakes”. Debra seems fine with that. Jarrett accepts the challenge. I mean, except for a chance to see Debra’s “tasty cakes”, why else would anybody be interested in this match, right?

Elsewhere, Steve Austin talks to a girl at catering and leaves.

WWF.com ad airs. Dial up on your 56K modem, folks!

• Kurrgan & Luna (w/Golga & Giant Silva) vs. Tiger Ali Singh & Babu

Now this is a match that will put some butts in the seats. Luna takes her frustrations with the Headbangers out on Babu and rips him a new asshole – both in and out of the ring until the ref throws the match out in about a minute.

A beatnik ad for WWF Cologne for Men (and a separate scent for women!) airs. It’s only $20 bucks plus S&H. 100% Pure Attitude in a Bottle! This seems to be done tongue-in-cheek to see if people will actually buy such a thing, but WCW seemed to take the cologne game seriously one year later.

We get a cool video package highlighting all the ways Undertaker has shortened Mick Foley’s life over the last two and a half years.

• The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) vs. Mankind

After Mankind and the Undertaker both make their entrances, Steve Austin’s theme music plays. He pulls a Diamond Dallas Page coming in through the crowd and sits right down in his little ringside seat beside a twelve year old mark wearing a DX t-shirt and a Kane mask. WHO IS THAT KID? I really do wonder. Taker is ready to give up on Mankind and go after Austin. They stand face to face at ringside. Austin throws a beer in Taker’s face as Mankind blindsides Taker to beat him around ringside. Out comes a chair armed by Mankind, but ref Earl Hebner grabs the chair away allowing Taker to boot down Mankind. They make it into the ring as the bell finally rings. Mankind stops a corner charge and runs down Taker. We get the running knee while Taker is down in the corner. Taker fires back as we head back to the floor. He wraps a camera cable around Mankind’s throat right in front of Austin. Taker runs Mankind into the post and brings him back inside for further assault. Hebner gets ran off by Taker when he won’t listen to reason. We get a great shot of Taker looking crazy while he’s ripping at Mankind’s face. Mankind tries fighting back, but gets booted down. He rolls to the apron and snaps Taker’s neck on the top rope. With Taker staggered, Mankind flies off the top into a goozle. While Hebner is messing with Paul Bearer, Mankind kicks Taker in the nuts and follows up with a Mr. Wrestling II knee lift. Out comes Mr. Socko. HEY LOOK, THE ROCK is in the ring for the DQ. He runs down to get him some of Mankind, but winds up eating Mr. Socko due to the MANDIBLE CLAW. (4:00) Steve Austin leaps up from his seat and jumps into the ring to join the other three guys as he beats on Taker to close the show.

Until next time, so long for now.

THE WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION PRESENTS: ROCK BOTTOM: IN YOUR HOUSE
LIVE on PPV from the General Motors Place in Vancouver, BC, Canada on December 13!
MAIN EVENT: WWF Championship: The Rock (c) vs. Mankind
MAIN EVENT: “Buried Alive” Match: Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker