Raw is War 2/13/99
Skydome
Toronto, Ontario, CN
- This is a special Saturday Night Raw, relocated due to the Westminster Club Kennel Dog Show on USA...we start with clips from the Rumble, focusing on Austin and McMahon...the next night, Vince gave up his Mania title shot so Rock would get through Mania without Austin as opponent, but Commissioner Michaels reemerged from his Texas home and stated that with Vince giving up his Mania shot, the runner up would assume that slot, meaning Austin would indeed face the champ, which was now Mankind...Austin then put that title shot back up on the line if Vince would wrestle him at SVDM...Vince agreed but decreed Austin would face Mankind in a non-title bout on this show...Thorn In Your Eye brings us inside a jam packed Skydome and we are welcomed by Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler...nearly 40,000 fans are here tonight, making it largest crowd in raw history
- The glass breaks and Steve Austin marches out to an ear-splitting pop...in just 24 hours, Austin and McMahon will officially square off inside a steel cage...this has been building since April of last year and finally comes to a head in Memphis...Lawler thinks the match here tonight is a win/win for the Boss...Austin grabs a beer and these fans are unreal right now...he has respect for Foley and is fine with having a battle tonight...there won't be anything Vince can do other than run around the cage regardless of what happens tonight...he guarantees he will beat Vince up and down, step over his carcass and walk right to Mania...he also promises there will be a lot of Vince's blood shed...great promo to fire up the crowd and set the tone...as he wraps up, we are joined by the WWF Champ, Mankind...he regained the title during Halftime Heat a couple of weeks ago...Mankind may visit the cage to get some of Vince's blood on his shirt...after Sunday, he fully intends to be the last man standing and will be staring down Austin come Wrestlemania...the fans want to see someone get their ass kicked tonight and he promises that somebody in this ring will take a beating...he is the WWF champion until he isn't...and now the Boss joins us as No Chance fires up...the Corporation is out with him and they stop at the top of the ramp...Rock tells Mankind that he plans on making his death wish come true on Sunday...he goes into his usual Rock stuff, telling us he is the chosen one and the best damn Champ there ever was...Vince takes the mic and the heat is off the charts...he promises Austin has no chance in hell, just like he did at the Rumble...he vows that no Corporation member will interfere tomorrow night...he threatens to fire anyone that gets involved in the match...Cole & King are confused...Vince promises the company will never be the same again for Austin after tomorrow night...he also names himself as the guest referee for tonight's main event...with that, we are out to break...great opening segment that sets the tone for tonight as well as a hard sell for the PPV...done to perfection by four of the best
- D-Lo Brown vs. Jeff Jarrett...Mark Henry is out with D-Lo and we are told he has been crushing on Debra lately...she used that crush to set Henry up two weeks ago, leading to an attack by the tag champs...Debra & Owen accompany JJ down as Cole wonders if Henry will ever learn from his foibles...these teams will square off for the titles tomorrow night...King is as infatuated with Debra as Henry is...D-Lo grabs a mic and warns Henry to step down and focus on the gold...because he knows what Henry enjoys, he has decided to give Henry a present, someone that will give Henry whatever he wants, wherever and whenever he wants it...he officially brings out Ivory and Henry is smitten immediately, embracing Brown to say thanks...Ivory struts out, scarf in tow...is Ivory supposed to be a hooker, because it sounded that way based on Brown's explanation...everyone clears out of the ring and we are ready to get under way...JJ attacks off the bell and plants D-Lo with a leaping armbreaker...Brown comes back with a spinning heel kick and a flurry of punches as Ivory and Henry flirt at ringside...Owen trips up Brown and JJ is able to lock in the figure four...Ivory hops in the ring and uses her wiles to distract JJ...D-Lo grabs him and lands the Sky High for the win...Ivory pays off immediately, giving Debra some of her own medicine...Debra gets in her face and we get a catfight to the joy of this rowdy crowd...the four men calm things down, but this will reignite tomorrow
- We get grainy footage from earlier today of a cameraman that zoomed up to one of the Skydome hotel suites and caught Val Venis and Ryan Shamrock in towels, getting frisky...this could have been one of the earliest celebrity sex tapes if he kept filming...call TMZ...time for a break
- When we return, Cole warns that you should never mess around with someone's sister...well, that doesn't seem like a shrewd idea, that would eliminate a large portion of the female population...he takes us to a video package recapping the Shamrock/Venis feud...Val is a horny asshole, Ryan is a slut and Ken is not happy about sums this all up...at one point, Val caught a brutal beating back in the garage as Ryan screaming that she was in love with the Big Valbowski
- Val Venis and Ryan saunter out for a chat with Kevin Kelly...Cole thinks Val is ballsy coming out with Ryan with only hours to go before he has to face Ken at SVDM...Ryan is looking quite fetching tonight but we wonder if Val will reciprocate his love...KK wants to know if Val is really into Ryan or if he is just trying to get a rise out of Shamrock...Val Venis that accusation but before we get any further, Ken attacks and beats Val silly...officials pour out, but Shamrock beats them all down too as Val and Ryan escape...hot segment that shows just how crazy Shamrock has gone...we have to wonder if this emotion will blind him and cost him his gold tomorrow
- After a break, Ryan is massaging Val, and he vows that this will all end tonight
- Goldust vs. Gillberg...the Golden One shimmies out for our next match...an usher hits the ring and gives Goldust some blue roses and candy as Cole notes that Goldust will face Bluedust tomorrow night...looks like Blue Meanie is going old school to play mind games with Goldust...we head backstage as Gillberg emerges from his locker room...Cole tells us he is 0-2 and wonders who will be first...he is escorted out by security and is playing up all the usual Goldberg mannerisms...the Gillberg chants pipe in and this makes for a great atmosphere...we are told Earl Hebner will have a statement on Ken Shamrock later tonight...Gillberg fights his way through the sparklers and marches down the ramp...this was a brilliant parody...Gillberg is swatted away on a spear attempt...Goldust follows with a clothesline and then viciously stomps away...King rants about Meanie and calls him an ECW reject...Goldust hits the Final Cut but his music fires up and Bluedust appears on the Tron...this is disturbing as Meanie is painted blue from head toe, is sprawled out naked on a couch with a blonde wig and is wrapped in grape vines...in other words, vintage Goldust head games...Gillberg sneaks up from behind, rolls up Goldust and picks up the win...Goldust snaps after, pounding on Gillberg and finishing him off with Shattered Dreams...the lights then go out and blue spotlighting flickers...Goldust circles the floor but when the lights come back on, he has been doused with blue paint...Goldust has officially experienced a bluebath...fun segment that really shows how deep into Goldust's head the Meanie has gotten...it was a cool story seeing someone play these games in retaliation...Gillberg wins too, which is kind of sad as I think it would have been better to keep his winless streak up longer
- Backstage, KK is with Hebner...as senior official, he is decreeing that no WWF official will referee Shamrock's match tomorrow night and that if nobody steps up to call the match, Shamrock will forfeit his IC title...interesting development there
- Back in the arena, it is time to break it down as the entire DX troop makes their way out as Cole tells us that last week on Heat, Vince announced that Triple H & X-Pac would face Kane & Chyna at SVDM...also, Road Dogg is set to defend his hardcore title against Al Snow in match two of their series...big pop for DX, natch...Hunter tells Chyna this is her big chance to compete in a man's world...she is stepping up to the plate without a bat and can't draw a walk because she isn't playing with balls, but I would disagree with those statements...Hunter will prove that he and Chyna are not equals tomorrow night...X-Pac speaks next, talking about making Kane bleed last Monday courtesy a steel cage door...he isn't afraid of Kane and then tells Shane McMahon to come bring it if he thinks he can kick Pac's ass...Dogg does the usual catchphrase for the fans and then issues a warning to Snow, promising he will win tomorrow night and prevent a third match in the series...Gunn is up last and feels sheepish for not having a PPV match...he is supposed to be the number one contender for the IC title...he then pulls off his sweatshirt to reveal a referee shirt...after Dogg makes a Foot Locker joke, Gunn reveals he will officiate the Venis/Shamrock title match...very good segment, crisp, to the point and sold us on three PPV matches and a Raw bout
- Steve Austin vs. Mankind...we are back from break and special guest referee, Mr. McMahon struts out, looking all sorts of pumped up...what a great heel...the Champ is out first but this is a non-title affair...nice warm welcome for Mankind...Austin gets another massive pop from the Toronto fans...Cole reminds us that Austin is not allowed to touch Vince before tomorrow night or he will be fired...Vince has the mic and calls both men to the center of the ring...he wants to the rulebook tossed out the window, no hand shakes, eye gouging, chairs and tables are all legal and acceptable...kicks to the groin are appreciated...this is fantastic...he wants to see them act like animals...Austin tells Vince that neither he or Mankind will have their ass kicked...Vince taunts Austin, allowing Mankind to pull Socko out and drive it into Vince's mouth...the Corporation is out and the brawl is on...Austin doles out stunners as Vince is ushered to the back by Chyna and Shane...hot brawl there and I am not too upset about the bait and switch because I never really expected the match to happen anyway...the Corporation is wiped out and Austin and Mankind have some momentum for tomorrow night
- After a break, we are rejoined by the Corporation...Vince hopes the fans are happy and informs us that Austin & Mankind did not get the best of the Boss and that Austin will rue the day...tonight, Austin will be in action, involved in a gauntlet match against the entire Corporation except the Rock...Vince smugly walks off as he regains the upper hand
- Godfather vs. Viscera...Godfather and his hos are out, bringing smiles to many a horny Attitude Era fan...it is time for everybody to come aboard the ho train and if we like these whores, we need to scream "pimpin ain't easy"..."pimpin ain't easy!"...Mideon leads out Big Vis and this should be quite the challenge for Godfather...Cole plugs the pre-PPV Heat, tomorrow at 7PM...Mideon joins in on commentary as we gaze into Vis's creepy eyes...and speaking of eyes, Mideon has a jar with an eyeball in it...fun times in the Ministry...Vis knocks Godfather down with a shoulderblock but Godfather kicks his way back into the match...Vis splashes him in the corner and then clothesline him to the mat...Vis drops an elbow as Mideon rambles about the power of the Undertaker and how he is inside everyone...well, then...he demands that Cole and King accept the power of evil...Godfather comes back with a Lou Thesz Press...that was kind of cool...Mideon has seen enough and jumps in to the cause a DQ...Mideon takes Godfather down so Vis can splash him...Mideon will face Boss Man tomorrow night...Vis drops another splash...strong showing for the Ministry and Mideon was actually pretty good in the booth
- Backstage, Venis and Shamrock are brawling...Gunn tries to calm it down but he gets pulled into the fight as well...DX and Corporation members bust it up as take a break
- X-Pac vs. Kane...the Chris Warren Band fires up one more time as X-Pac jogs out to the ring, European Title around his waist...Kane is of course still being held hostage by Shane & Vince...Chyna leads Kane out as King notes Shane is probably sitting in the back and lounging, watching Kane take care of their dirty work...Kane marches right at Pac and smacks him around in the corner...Pac ducks a clothesline and tries a heel kick, but Kane catches and slams him down...Kane shoots Pac into the corner and follows with some big uppercuts and a huge toss out of the corner...Kane chokes away as Pac just can't get it going...Cole finds it funny that Austin and McMahon have to spend Valentine's Day together...Kane slams Pac down and tosses him to the floor...Kane tosses Pac into the barricade but Pac is able to dodge a shot from the ring steps...Pac is back in first and is able to dropkick Kane off the apron...back inside, Pac hammers away and breaks Kane down with a low dropkick...Pac sets up for the X-Factor but Chyna hops in to block the move and cause a DQ...Chyna slams Pac and then stomps away along with Kane...Chyna calls Kane off and loads up the Pedigree but Hunter comes out to make the save...he doesn't touch Chyna, but he and Pac knock Kane to the floor...Chyna wants a piece of the Game but Kane pulls her to the floor before anything can happen...Shane is out as well and he ushers Kane & Chyna away...fine match to add heat for tomorrow night
- After a break, we go backstage where Road Dogg is wiped out and bleeding from the ear...he is muttering a bit and the medics fear he has a concussion...Dogg asks for Billy but the medics don't know who that is
- Al Snow makes his way out to the ring, and of course he is supposed to face Dogg tomorrow night...Snow has come here to prove a point...he and Head respect Dogg but he isn't the Crown Prince of Hardcore like Snow is...this Sunday, he is coming to take his title in match two...he isn't going to wait until Sunday and issues an open Hardcore challenge right here...he hums the Jeopardy song as nobody emerges...Snow & Head are men of their word, so he decides to have a hardcore match by himself instead...he beats on himself with the mic and then rams his own head into the announce table...he sets off a fire extinguisher in his own face, breaks a broom over his head and then heads to the top rope and puts himself through a table...what an odd segment...fellow JOB Squad member Bob Holly comes out and tries to talk sense into Snow, but Snow smacks Holly away...Holly isn't pleased and triggers a brawl that spills into the crowd...they fight back to ringside and continue to just trade blows...King thinks Snow should have stayed in the stupid ECW and never even been hired...Snow cracks Holly with a chair and Holly then returns the favor...Snow is laughing as he battles back...Cole tells us that these two are great friends...Holly kicks Snow down and tosses him back in the ring...officials finally break this up after a few tries...I guess Snow is ready for tomorrow night despite the troubles within the JOB Squad, but who knows
- After a break, KK and his goatee are chatting with Droz...Droz asks KK if he thinks he is a punk...KK says no but Droz wants to know why KK called him a punk on Heat last week...Droz isn't happy with KK's stammering so he smacks him in the face and then kicks him around until Steve Blackman shows up and makes the save...King rips KK in a funny moment
- Steve Blackman vs. Rock...Cole plugs Heat once again...big match here for Blackman as Rock is tuning up for tomorrow night...Rock works Blackman over to start the match as Cole warns that he cannot look ahead past the Lethal Weapon...Rock slugs away in the corner but Blackman finally shows a little fight with some right hands and a little smack talk...good for you, Blackman...Rock answers that with a clothesline and some stomps...Cole thinks Rock may be the best pure athlete in the WWF today...Blackman comes back with an array of fists and a chop to the throat...Rock ducks a clothesline and plants Blackman with a DDT...he mocks Blackman's martial arts and then heads to the booth to rant on the headset a bit...Rock heads back in but walks right into a suplex...Blackman hits a back elbow and diving shoulderblock as he looks for the upset...Blackman misses a dive and careens into the ropes...Rock capitalizes with the Rock Bottom and finishes him off with the Corporate Elbow, which still gets a huge pop...solid outing and a good showing for Blackman
- Steve Austin vs. Corporation...Vince leads his crew out as it is gauntlet time...Austin gets his third monster pop of the night, unreal...Cole mentions that Ray Allen and Robert Traylor of the Milwaukee Bucks are in the house...Shamrock starts things off and he and Austin hammer away at each other...they keep trading heavy blows but Shamrock seems to have a bit of an edge...he grounds Austin and gets a near fall as Vince is sweating things out at ringside...Toronto busts out a "You Screwed Bret" chant as Shamrock starts to target the legs...he trips Austin up and hooks the Anklelock, but Austin kicks him off and drops him with the Stunner...Test hops in to bust up the pin, giving Austin the DQ win...Test pounds on Austin, but Austin blocks a big boot and kicks Test to the mat...Test does whatever he can to maintain control, going to the eyes when he can...Austin ducks a charge and hits the Stunner...Kane hops in, getting Test DQ'd but we go right into he next match...Kane kicks away in the corner and follows that with a choke...Austin reverses a whip and takes Kane down with the Thesz Press...he drops an elbow but eats a big boot on a whip reversal...Kane drops Austin with a chokeslam, but Austin kicks out of the cover...Austin slips out of a Tombstone and drops Kane with the Stunner...Chyna slides in and drops Austin with a low blow but he shrugs it off and hits her with a Stunner...Boss Man makes the save and he is the last entrant for the Corporation...he beats on Austin as Cole gives another hard sell for tomorrow night...Austin ducks a clothesline and hooks Boss Man in a sleeper...Boss Man rams Austin into the corner as Vince tosses him the nightstick...he beats on Austin with it, slamming into his head and ribs...Boss Man is really taking it to him as Vince orders the rest of the team into the ring...Vince gets inside as well...now he orders everyone out and removes his jacket and shirt...jeez, is he shredded...Vince jaws at Austin and covers him for the win...Vince wins the gauntlet
- After the bell, Vince chugs a beer over a beaten Austin...he pours the beer on Austin as the Corporation pounces and beats on Austin some more...they pull him into the corner and hold him there, choking him, as Vince gets right in his face, screaming at him...this was some awesome heat building and really got everyone jacked up for SVDM...Vince keeps berating him as we fade out to close the show
- This was a great episode of Raw, a nice balance of Crash TV and focused storytelling...we even got some decent matches...also, a quick note on Michael Cole...he was much improved from December...not great by any means, but he was learning...I also enjoyed Lawler here as he was still in heel mode and not quite a full on letch yet...this was a very hard sell for the PPV and they did an awesome job pushing each match on the card and adding depth to all the feuds...good show that definitely has me excited for St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Review Date: March 2013
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