In this WWF SummerSlam 1998 review, Stone Cold Steve Austin defends the WWF title against The Undertaker, Triple H faces off with The Rock in a Ladder Match for the Intercontinental title, and much more.
Let’s jump in.
- Show: WWF SummerSlam 1998
- Date: August 30, 1998
- Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY
VIDEO: We see highlights of the rivalry between Steve Austin and The Undertaker. Vince McMahon tells Taker that with Kane, he will become the WWF champ.
IN THE RING: Val Venis says he’s in the Big Apple, and that he came, he saw, and he came again. Big Valbowski does it again!
Val Venis vs. (c) D’Lo Brown – European Title
Tony Chimel announces that D’Lo now resides in Helsinki, Finland. I can appreciate his commitment to the title. Edge is in the crowd, and he’ll be in action a bit later. D’Lo controls the action, but Venis moves out of the way after a splash attempt off the top. An awesome counter from D’Lo as he catches Venis off the top into a powerbomb. D’Lo tries his hand at a top rope move, but Venis counters into a bodyslam for a near fall. Venis goes for the Money Shot, but D’Lo gets his knees up. Huge D’Lo chant from the MSG crowd. D’Lo goes for a powerbomb and he just drops Venis on his head. JR thinks it was from the perspiration. D’Lo finally hits the powerbomb, but Venis kicks out at two. D’Lo up top for the Frog Splash, but Venis moves out of the way. The chest protector is off! Venis grabs it and goes up and top, and referee Jimmy Korderas accidentally racks him! That’s some bias right there. Venis throws Korderas down, and D’Lo takes the chest protector back. Korderas then calls for the bell for the DQ. Well that was fun until the finish. Val slams Korderas, and then hits the Money Shot.
BACKSTAGE: Michael Cole tells us that Austin destroyed a hearse on Sunday Night Heat. They thought Taker and Kane were in it, but they weren’t. Mankind is pissed because he was the one in there, and he has a sledgehammer in his hand.
IN THE RING: Insane Clown Posse perform The Oddities’ entrance. Kurrgan, Golga, Giant Silva, and Luna Vachon are dancing their asses off. You’ve got to love them.
The Oddities vs. Kaientai – 4-on-3 Handicap Match
The fact that John Tenta was so into this Golga role was just tremendous. He’s the best. Mr. Yamaguchi-san tries some shenanigans, but the Oddities aren’t having it. JR says “well, we never advertised this to be a classic.” JR always keeps it real. Silva throws Taka Michinoku onto everyone on the outside. Kaentai hits four frog splashes off the top onto Golga, and their confidence is up….until Golga clotheslines all of them. Luna bodyslams Yamaguchi, and the Oddities hit a chokeslam before Golga pins all four Kaentai members. Fun was had by all.
BACKSTAGE: Don Hendrix is with Shawn Michaels. Call the WWF superstar line, only $1.69 per minute!
Jeff Jarrett vs. X-Pac – Hair Match
Jarrett and Southern Justice cut poor Howard Finkel’s hair on Heat. That was clearly a noteworthy show. Fink joins X-Pac, and he’s wearing a DX shirt. Fink tells Jarrett to “suck it” before the match, so it’s on. Jarrett on offense in the early going, but X-Pac hits a tornado DDT off the top to turn the tide. X-Pac misses a flying cross body, and Fink is getting a little nervous. Jarrett locks on the Figure Four, but X-Pac eventually gets to the ropes. X-Pac counters the Figure Four and hits a suplex to send both men down. Bronco buster in the corner from X-Pac, and a sit-out powerbomb gets two. Fink gets on the apron and Jarrett knocks him silly. Southern Justice is back, and Dennis Knight goes to hit X-Pac with the guitar but he blocks it. X-Pac then hits Jarrett with the guitar with the referee’s back turned to notch the victory.
IN THE RING: Road Dogg and Billy Gunn bring chairs to hold back Southern Justice. Droz and The Headbangers come in to hold Jarrett while X-Pac shaves his hair. Method Mod is in the crowd enjoying the festivities.
IN THE THEATRE: Hendrix is standing beside the Lion’s Den ahead of the match between Owen Hart and Ken Shamrock.
BACKSTAGE: Michael Cole asks The Rock about him ambushing Triple H with the title on Sunday Night Heat. Everything happened on that show! Rock is guaran-damn-teeing that he’s gonna retain the championship.
IN THE RING: Marc Mero and Jacqueline make their entrance, and Sable does the same. She introduces her partner, and it’s Edge!
Marc Mero and Jacqueline vs. Edge and Sable – Mixed Tag Team Match
The rules are that this is your typical mixed tag where the men fight the men, and the women fight the women. Let’s see if it stays that way given the rivalry between Mero and Sable. That doesn’t take long, as she goes to hit the Sable Bomb on Mero, but Jacqueline pulls her off of him. Edge flies over the top onto Mero, and then throws him into the steel steps. Jacqueline jumps onto Edge’s back, so he does what anyone would do and proceeds to put him over his leg and spank her. Attitude era does it again! A couple of dramatic near falls, and Edge proceeds to rack Mero on the top. Sable hits a hurricanrana on Mero off the top, and Jacqueline accidentally headbutts Mero right in the balls. Edge picks up Sable and slams her onto Mero for the win. This was pretty entertaining.
VIDEO: Home Shopping Network is gonna have a content drop right after SummerSlam!
BACKSTAGE: Taker says he will stand alone in his match against Austin, and he wants to know if he’s ready for him.
BACKSTAGE: Mankind doesn’t know if he will defend the WWF Tag Team titles since Kane isn’t in the building. Mankind says maybe he should forfeit, but he doesn’t want to disappoint the people and suggests Michael Cole be his partner. Bad idea, Mick! Vince McMahon brings up Mankind’s memories of MSG and tries to convince him to compete by himself. Vince grabs a few weapons and hands it to Mankind.
VIDEO: Highlights of the ongoing rivalry between Owen and Shamrock. That included the Dungeon Match, which I enjoyed more than most. Reminder that Dan Severn turned on Shamrock, so he’s furious about it.
Owen Hart vs. Ken Shamrock – Lion’s Den Match
The setup and atmosphere is something. It’s a UFC octagon in the MSG theatre. Severn was Owen’s trainer for the match, so that only adds to Shamrock’s frustration. Shamrock uses Owen’s shirt to try to choke him out, which is not something you’ll see in a UFC fight. Shamrock also jumps off the side of the cage like Spider-Man in a rather unique offensive maneuver. He does it again, and Owen finally catches him on a third try. Owen goes for the Sharpshooter and locks it in, and Shamrock starts climbing the cage to break it up. Owen goes for the choke, but Shamrock walks up the cage and reverses it into the Ankle Lock. Severn is pissed and hits the road, and Owen taps to give Shamrock the victory.
BACKSTAGE: Austin doesn’t trust anybody, and he’s not afraid to cheap shot Taker to keep the title.
The New Age Outlaws vs. (c) Mankind – No Holds Barred Match for the WWF Tag Team Titles
Dogg and Gunn bring out a dumpster full of weapons, so business has just picked up. My guess is Mankind is going to take a beating here, which is not easy to watch a few decades later given what we know about head injuries. Dogg and Gunn deliver a few unprotected shots with some baking sheets, and eventually they throw his head into the side of the dumpster. However, Mankind throws Gunn through a table in the corner, but the numbers game catches up to him. They powerbomb him onto two chairs…and Mankind kicks out at two. Then it’s a spike piledriver on Mankind onto a chair for the win.
IN THE RING: Gunn says they are gonna put Mankind in the garbage where he belongs, and that’s what they do. Simple enough. Dogg and Gunn celebrate, but Kane stands up in the dumpster. Kane smashes Mankind with a sledgehammer and pushes the dumpster to the back. JR is pissed!
VIDEO: Highlights of the rivalry between Rock and Triple H, including the infamous segment where DX mocked the Nation of Domination, Rock and company humiliating Chyna, and more.
IN THE RING: Triple H gets the live entrance treatment, as Chris Warren sings the DX theme.
Triple H vs (c) The Rock – Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Title
I rewatched this match a few years ago for my Top 10 Rock Matches column, so I’ll just use that for reference:
“I wasn’t sure how this one would hold up watching it for the first time in a while. But even with all the insane ladder matches since, I still thoroughly enjoyed it as a monumental stepping stone for both Rock and Triple H. Rock was only 26 at this point, which is pretty wild to think about.
“As far as ladder matches go, this one didn’t have the high spots we’re used to in this era of wrestling, but the psychology and selling from both men were great. Every big move felt important. Rock using the ladder and a chair to decimate Triple H’s injured knee (due to Rock attacking him with the belt on Sunday Night Heat) made complete sense, and there were several innovative spots for a 1998 ladder match.
“Also, the MSG crowd went NUTS when Rock hit the People’s Elbow on Triple H on the ladder. The Rocky chants afterward told you all you needed to know about this dude’s potential as a mega star.
“Of course, the real highlights of this match were Triple H’s purple tights (still one of my most prized action figures) and the old school yellow ladders!”
Yeah, I still agree with all of that. A very enjoyable match that embraced the old school psychology needed to tell a good story.
COMMENTARY: JR and Jerry Lawler are once again questioning whether Kane will play a role in the main event.
The Undertaker vs. (c) Steve Austin – WWF Title
The reaction to Austin’s entrance says it all about how much the people were into him at this point. The crowd came unglued when that glass shattered. Their heads collide early in the match after an Irish whip, and that didn’t exactly look pretty. Austin focuses on Taker’s leg to which JR equates to someone chopping down a tree. JR was so good in this era, and I hope people realize just how important he was to the success of it. Kane arrives to stir shit up, but Taker demands that he go to the back. Surprisingly, Kane listens to his brother, but Austin isn’t too sure about it.
Taker picks up Austin from the apron and chokeslams him into the middle of the ring in what was an impressive sequence. They brawl into the crowd in front of a sign that says “Vince Fears Talent” and another that says “Goldberg Is Da Man.” Kevin Dunn was working overtime on getting away from those camera shots! Taker clears off the Spanish announce table, and that was never good for those dudes. Taker goes up top and hits a leg drop onto Austin on the table. WOW. I did not remember that. The table doesn’t break, which wasn’t a good development for Austin’s back.
Taker hits a chokeslam on Austin, but Austin reverses the Tombstone attempt. Taker regains momentum and goes old school, but Austin hits a low blow and then the Stunner for the win.
IN THE RING: Taker grabs the title and hands it to Austin. Taker gives a nod to Austin and leaves the ring, and Kane comes out to stand by Taker in the aisle as Austin celebrates.
Blake’s SummerSlam 1998 Review
- Recommended Matches: Triple H vs. The Rock
- Show Rating: 7.5/10
- Thoughts: An enjoyable Attitude Era show that featured an excellent ladder match and plenty of entertainment elsewhere.
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