Introduction: 1998. It must be said that the year 1998 was undisputedly an excellent year for storytelling and characters in wrestling. This is true. But as far as ring work goes? Not so much. Under the guiding influence of Vince Russo and Ed Ferrera, the WWF flourished in the mid-90's at the expense of the things that made it good in the first place. Real wrestling.

No pay-per-view from this period illustrates this point quite as well as the 1998 Survivor Series, a show riddled with bad work, dumb finishes and overall inanity. I can count the number of matches that end cleanly on about four fingers. Its an issue that would pervade wrestling all throughout the mid-90's.

Anyway onto the show. For those that don't know the Survivor Series in 1998 hadn't one traditional elimination match, instead it featured a 14 man tournament for the vacated WWF title that would run the whole show. It also features a women's match (!) and a triangle tag-team match (!). Tonight I will be looking at part one of the show; this includes all of the first round matches.

- We open the show with Vince being propped up by Bossman and Brisco. He introduces Mankind. He's wrestling a "mystery opponent". Amusingly, we get a big "HBK" chant from the crowd. We could only be so lucky.....

McMahon now introduces Mankind's "opponent". It turns out to be Dwayne Gill. Perhaps better known as "Gillberg".

Mankind vs. Dwayne Gill

Talk about a bait and switch, huh? Mankind pounds Gill on the apron, flings him in over the top, hits a couple stomps, a double-underhook DDT and then locks in a rolling underhook cradle for three. An obvious DUD.

- Now we get a replay of what happened on HeAt with Jackie jumping Sable.

- Interview: Sable's pissed and gives a quick interview.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Al Snow

Ah, yes a good looking match here. Al Snow is hella underrated and Jarrett actually worked back then (unlike today, where his daddy owns the company he works for....) And I'll tell you, its amazing how over Al Snow is. I guess people just want head......


Debra distracts Snow to start, Jarrett stalks Snow to the outside but gets beaten to the punch. Snow with a running flipping senton splash off the ring steps. Talk about building to your highspots, huh? Snow tosses Jarrett back in and hits a springboard legdrop. Snow with some punches, whip reversed and Jarrett hangs Snow up. Jarrett with some stomps, punches and a reverse elbow. Snow to the buckle, Jarrett with some rights. Snow fights out with an eyepoke. Snow turns it around with punches and chops, whip across reversed but Snow goes up and over and lands on his feet. Clothesline ducked and Snow gets one from the apron. Neckbreaker over the top (neat move) from Snow. Snow with a guillotine leg drop, but it misses. Jarrett with a seated punch and a dropkick for two.

Snow whipped in now, reverse elbow ducked and he gets a crucifix for two. Jarrett with a doubleleg into a cradle for two, reversed by Snow into another pinning combination for two. Back up and Snow gets a clothesline. Jarrett reverses a whip and takes a tornado DDT. Two count. Jarrett goes under off a whip, but gets a kick caught. Snow spins him into an atomic drop. Snow tries to follow it up, but their heads simply wind up clonking off the impact as Jarrett springs back off the ropes. Both men down now as Debra distracts the referee, and gives Jarrett head (yeah, I said it, lets just be mature about it....). Meanwhile Snow grabs Jeff's guitar. Snow with a wild swing, Jarrett ducks and gets Snow with head. Snow knocked back into the corner, he kicks the head into Jarrett’s, umm, head. Snow with a headshot to the head with his head as the referee is tending to the guitar, for three.

Winner: Al Snow

*- Not too bad. A perfectly acceptable little match. There's only so much you can do in ten minutes (ten minutes being the time limit for all first round matches.) As you'd imagine when Snow was on offense the match was brisk and entertaining and when Jarrett was on offense most of it was punching and was generally pretty boring.

Big Bossman vs. Stone Cold

This one's gonna be ugly as shit. Let me tell you something about Bossman in 1998; he sucked. Any goodwill Bossman might have had for coming back in the best shape of his career should have certainly dissipated when you saw his ring work. Its odd to think he was better when he was morbidly obese, but its true.

Anyway, the "match" is on as Austin and Bossman brawl in the aisle to start. Austin gets the better of it, and Bosssman tastes the steps off of a whip. Bossman tossed back in as Austin continues hammering on him. We cut away to see McMahon watching the match on closed circuit TV in the back and come back to see Austin with a Lou Thesz press. Austin with his elbow drop fo two. Bossman on his knees retreats to the corner and gets a lowblow. Bossman with a standing body stomp (the butt splash's distant cousin) and another, as this match slows waaaaayyyy down. Bossman with some more generic pounding, and he gets his goofy as shit wind-up right hand. You know the one I mean. Somehow that shit gets two. Bossman with a chinlock now. Amusingly, just after JR says he "expects these first-round matches to be fast paced and offensive minded". Austin now fights his way back up, hammers away and hits a clothesline. Bossman whipped in, but Austin takes a kick to the face as he ducks his head too soon.

Bossman with a running bodysplash across Austin's neck on the rope. Bossman with his trademark slide through uppercut for two. Bossman show the extent of his repertoire by going back to a chinlock, for the second time- in a ten minute match. Again, Austin fights back out muscling Bossman into the corner with shoulder thrusts and rights. Austin with some mudhole stomping now (but he fails to walk it dry). Bossman whipped to the ropes but he slides through. Austin goes to follow him and winds up getting busted up with the nighstick to draw a DQ. To add further injury, to umm, injury Bossman comes back with one more nasty shot to the upper chest and throat area.

Winner: Stone Cold

DUD- Ugly, ugly, boring brawl with a completely predictable ending. Bossman's offense was slow and plodding as hell and nothing Austin could do helped to deter that. I'm giving it the score its getting because of the hot crowd.

Next!

Interview: McMahon cuts a promo threatening Austin saying "Austin's in for it."

X- Pac vs. "The Man's Man" Stephen Regal

Yes, its that Stephen Regal. For those that don't know, upon leaving WCW, where he was, all things considered, used quite seriously- Stephen Regal was saddled in the WWF with a painfully stupid gimmick. He's "The Man's Man". And yes its as stupid as you'd think. Actually, in all fairness its probably even stupider. The crux of the gimmick is the music and the Tron video which depicts Regal doing many "manly" things including construction work and standing stoically in front of a waving American flag.

Why am I wasting all this time explaining such an awful gimmick?

The answer is quite simple, I don't really want to review this match.....

Tie up to start, Regal works his way into a headlock. Pac whipped off, hiptoss blocked, Pac flips over the top and scores a big roundhouse kick. Regal with a backflip bump into the corner off a whip. Pac with a back-suplex for two. Pac with a pair of legdrops for two. Pac tries a charge in the corner but winds up getting crotched instead, as JR calls Regal "Blackman" about forty-seven times in four seconds. Regal with an uppercut knockdown. Regal with a double armed, abominable stretch style move. Regal picks him up for another uppercut. Regal with some knees, a snapmare and a kneedrop to the forehead. Regal with a whip, Pac floats up and over with the Jack Brisco rollup, but Regal rolls through and catapults Pac halfway across the ring. Regal now with some choking in the ropes. A surfboard applied now. X-Pac turns into the pressure and takes a kick for his trouble. Gutwrench and now a headscissor by Regal. X-Pac rolls through now and locks in a double leg lock. Back up, X-Pac fights back with punches and kicks. Regal whipped to the corner, but he moves on a charge.

Regal with a top-rope doublearm suplex for two. Another cover and another two. Regal with another submission. Back up again, Regal whipped to the corner, X-Pac charges and both men collide. Regal with a forearm, whip in but Pac hits a big jumping spinkick out of nowhere for two. Pac with a dropkick. Pac with a broncobuster. Snapsuplex, Pac to the top but Regal knocks him off to the floor. Regal follows Pac out, double underhook suplex blocked Pac spins out and gets quick snapsuplex and some mounted punching, as we get a double count out.

Winner: Damn sure not us..... Austin gets a bye.

*- Pretty much on keel with the rest of the stuff on this show so far. Pretty boring, no real flow. Although I do commend both men for trying their best to mesh two completely different styles into a solid match. It really didn't work out that well, as we had too much boring Regal submission and pounding and not enough high-energy exciting X-Pac offense. Also, the countout finish was lame.....

Commissioner Sergeant Slaughter hits the ring area to force the match to continue. Stupidly enough, X-Pac just kind of wanders away as Regal does the same.

Goldust vs. Ken Shamrock

Here’s a match I’m actually really looking forward to. Shamrock is good and I like Goldie quite a bit.

Tieup to start, Shamrock with a series of punches and knees. Shamrock with a jumping heel kick and a bodyslam followed by a kneedrop, Shamrock with some rights now. Choke over the ropes. Goldie fights back with some punches but catches a sidekick. Shamrock with a whip, clothesline ducked and Goldie gets one of his own. Bodyslam and a kneedrop, Shamrock to the buckles. Shamrock whipped to the buckles but he explodes out with a clothesline for two. Goldie to the buckles. Shamrock with some knees Shamrock with some crossface shots and stomps. Shamrock with a kneedrop to the head. Goldust with some rights and lefts driving Shamrock back to the corner. Whip across, but Goldie misses a splash. Shamrock with some punches to Goldie’s head. Shamrock’s suplex attempt is blocked as Goldie gets his own, but Shamrock is back up first. Shamrock whipped in, Goldie with a monkey-flip but he gets tossed off, Shamrock charges into a drop toehold. Powerbomb attempt by Goldie but Shamrock turns it into some mounted punches and he gets two. Shamrock with a whip, Goldie gets a bulldog. In the corner Goldie sets up Shamrock for some shattered dreams, but while the referee is keeping Goldie from finishing the move Shamrock comes loose, hits a hurricanranna, a belly to belly suplex and locks in the ankle lock for the quick submission.

**- Really quite a solid match. Neither man tried anything special, but it all just kind of clicked. Its especially notable that this is the first match all night to actually have a legitimate clean finish.

The Rock vs. Triple H

This should be quite good. Except, well you see McMahon’s stooges makes a rather unwelcome appearance giving us all the bad news that Hunter couldn’t compete due to injury. His replacement will be none other than The Big Bossman. Oh God, please no more Bossman….

Bossman hits the ring quickly, Rock gets him in a front chancery and rolls him up for three in about eight seconds apparently setting a new Survivor Series record.

Winner: The Rock

DUD: I really shouldn’t have to explain why, should I? We could’ve had a good match here, but whatever.

- So far so-so. Pretty much what you'd expect from a PPV of this vintage. Pt. 2 and 3 tommorrow.

Umm...wouldn't that be a headbutt?

Or did he smack him with with his HEAD mannequin?

Wasn't Regal a "Real Man's Man"? That would be different from being a plain ol' "Man's Man", wouldn't it? According to the WWF, REAL Men wear gay flannel vests and construction helmets.

Yeah, Snow used the mannequin head.

I'm not sure if Regal was "A Real Man's Man" or "The Real Man's Man". Because really, whats the difference of one word?

Ignore.

The embedded player won't work here, for some reason.

What're you trying to embed? a YouTube video?

Actually its Daily-Motion. There's a little link at the bottom of the page that you can copy and paste in order to view the video from another page. But it doesn't seem to be working. Oh well.

Embedded videos are never a good idea...and an annoying pain the keister. Just post a link.

Sure. Sounds good to me.

This show does not sound much good thus far, hopefully the rest of it will be kinder to you, brave Tempest.

I never bothered with Survivor Series 1998. I know it's historically significant, but the stench of Russo always seemed a bit too strong for me to handle.