WWF: SuNDAY NiGHT HeAT
December 13, 1998
Vancouver, BC, Canada
General Motors Place

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)

Vince McMahon comes out to a HORRENDOUS amount of boos. He declares there will be no chance in hell Stone Cold Steve Austin will ever be the WWF champion. He knows he said that if Austin wins the “Buried Alive” match tonight against the Undertaker, he would qualify for the Royal Rumble. However, McMahon feels Austin’s hopes of reaching the Royal Rumble will be literally “buried alive” by the Undertaker on the Rock Bottom PPV here tonight. As far as the Rock is concerned and his condition, this PPV tonight will be dedicated to the Best Damn WWF champion there ever has been. Vince asks for the crowd to pay homage to the Rock here tonight and calls for a drumroll. As McMahon points to the stage, fireworks go off and a huge blown up shot of the Rock holding the WWF championship drops and hangs on either side of the entryway. Now that’s out of the way, Vince starts to denigrate Canada just as he did to England a week earlier. Once he’s done slamming Canada for being a bunch of US-wannabes, he brings out Shane McMahon to join Kevin Kelly for commentary.

HOT ENOUGH? Your hosts are Kevin Kelly and Shane McMahon.

• WWF Light Heavyweight Championship: Duane Gill (c) vs. Matt Hardy

Boy they are in promoter mode tonight, eh? They cut to Jeff Jarrett and Debra backstage. She tells us that she can “tease you, but still please you”. Looks like the JOB Squad and Jeff Hardy are sent back to the locker room. Hardy hits a swinging neckbreaker. He follows up with Splash Mountain and a top rope moonsault. Matt is so jazzed over the moonsault that he doesn’t see the BLUE MEANIE jumping in the ring and dropping him with a DDT. As Gill stands up, he falls on top of Matt for the three-count at 1:04. The Meanie Strikes Again.

WWF Bone Crunchin’ Buddies and BOP-IT Game Center (with Kaientai) ads air. But no, they don’t advertise to kids.

From earlier today, Michael Cole talks with the WWF champion the Rock up in a luxury box. While Rock cuts a Rock promo, Mankind stands behind glass wearing Mr. Socko on his hand. When Cole asks Rock about Mankind, Mankind opens the glass and starts beating him up. Lots of bleeping. This feels like a test for what’s to come for their “Halftime Heat” match. There’s talk of “broken ribs” for the Rock, which explains Vince’s comments earlier about concern over Rock’s condition. Rock tells Vince to go let Mankind know he’s just screwed himself out of a title shot.

We catch Mankind wondering around backstage. Kevin and Shane stall until Mankind finds his way to the ring. Mankind pulls out a copy of the match contract and says there’s a clause stating that if the Rock fails to appear, the WWF title goes to Mankind. HAVE A NICE DAY!

Jesse “The Body” Ventura VHS tape ad airs. Well that was *fast*.

Backstage, the Rock reacts to the bad news yelling at the Corporation.

• Brian Christopher (w/Scott Taylor) vs. Kevin Quinn

This is the first time we’ve seen Kevin Quinn. He’s a Chicago indy guy who spent some time in Mexico wrestling for CMLL. Scott Taylor joins Kevin Kelly and Shane McMahon for commentary since he’s on crutches thanks to Droz. Quinn takes a bump over the top rope to the floor. Once he’s on the apron, Christopher gives him a sunset flip powerbomb. Back in, Christopher hits Quinn with a missile dropkick to the back of the head. Quinn stops a vertical suplex and drops Christopher crotch first on the top rope. He delivers a cartwheel into a splash in the corner. The crowd hates Quinn. Christopher shrugs off a tornado DDT and tries for a powerbomb, but Quinn flips out and falls flat on his face. Thankfully, Christopher backs up into a schoolboy for the win. (2:23) I’m not sure what they were thinking here. Canada hates Quinn. *

D-Generation X is shown arriving to the building. Elsewhere, we catch the Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock walking behind WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels.

WWF REWIND << brought to you by Glover for N64 / PC. RAW, 12/7/98. DX swerves the Corporation as Billy Gunn blasts Ken Shamrock with a chairshot to the face.

• Triple H (w/DX) vs. Droz (w/Animal)

Droz gets way more offense on HHH than you might think here. Oh, nevermind. It’s a Lex Luger WCW match. Triple H does come back quickly with the Facebuster and the PEDIGREE for the win in 1:37. Afterwards, Animal walks out leaving Droz behind. They wind up arguing on the rampway while DX celebrates. ½*

Commissioner Shawn Michaels is followed by the Big Boss Man and Ken Shamrock. Michaels bans DX from ringside during the WWF tag title match between the New Age Outlaws and the team of Ken Shamrock and Big Boss Man. To show there’s no hard feelings, HBK awards the Outlaws with a “warmup” match.

Vince McMahon talks with Kevin Kelly and Shane McMahon. The Rock will not be forfeiting the WWF title. As for Mankind due to having the IQ of a Canadian fan, Vince has no doubt they will be able to come to some sort of agreement.

Jeff Jarrett and Debra head down to the ring to talk with Michael Cole. Remember, there’s a STRIPTEASE match tonight on the PPV between Goldust and Jeff Jarrett. When it’s all said and done, Goldust will strip down in front of the whole world. Jarrett says there’s no way he’s going to let everybody in the building get a look at Debra’s perfect body. Debra gives a peak of the puppies while Jarrett starts talking about her body. It’s a little creepy. All of that is meant for one man’s eyes – and that’s Jeff Jarrett’s eyes. Debra starts talking with that voice and I check out.

We get a lengthy video package highlighting the Austin versus Taker match.

There’s only eight minutes left in the show. Michael Cole shows us the burial site. The dirt is cold, dark, and wet. CAN YOU IMAGINE BEING BURIED ALIVE? This is not a match for careers, this is a match for your life.

• The New Age Outlaws vs. The Acolytes

The Acolytes interrupt the Outlaws pre-match schtick. Faarooq tosses out Gunn so he and Bradshaw can double team Road Dogg. This is like the second coming of DOOM. Gunn gets a hot tag and the match breaks down. When this goes on longer than you might expect, the BIG BOSS MAN and KEN SHAMROCK run down to attack the Outlaws for the DQ. (2:00) The Outlaws actually make it out of the ring as we see Triple H heading down a little too late. Next thing we know, the Acolytes start attacking Boss Man and Shamrock. HUH? The lights go out and it’s now an Undertaker segment. He cuts a promo while we hear thunder crashing. UPON THE TOMBSTONE THE UNDERTAKER WILL BUILD HIS MINISTRY. Lightning then strikes the tombstone as we close this edition of HeAT. N/A

Yep, we’ve entered super promoter mode.

ROCK BOTTOM is next. Until then, 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
WWF Tag Team Championship: The New Age Outlaws (c) vs. The Big Boss Man & Ken Shamrock
Striptease Match: Jeff Jarrett (w/Debra) vs. Goldust
Owen Hart vs. Steve Blackman