The Dynamite Sid Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 Recently I began playing a save file set in 1997 and I began to really get into it, more than I have any other save file on TEW 2013 and as I thought about it more and more I thought I could record these thoughts in a diary. This is that diary. This is my first ever crack at a Dynasty (as you can probably guess from my post count) and to be honest it wasn't ever really meant to be a dynasty. This is just a way for me personally to flesh out my current game and make sense of everything a bit more, while hopefully entertaining some people and maybe giving you your own ideas. In these first few posts I'm going to fill in the background and spell out what this is really all gonna be about before getting into the real meat and potatoes of this thing later on. So I suppose I shall start from the beginning Who are you? Well I used to post here several years ago in the 2010 days but my log in details are now sadly long forgotten. I've been lurking for a while since I got 2013, stealing ideas and keeping abreast of mods and I recently began a new game in the Attitude Era as I was inspired by the AE podcast and watching a ton of late 90s stuff with my girlfriend. As I was playing through it I realised I was putting an inordinate amount of thought into things that only I was ever going to see so I figured I would start a Diary here basically as a way of justifying the amount of time I was spending playing this game What is this Dynasty all about? I want this diary to be a little different. I'm playing through this in an-almost-true-to-life way and won't be re-writing history massively (at least not in the short term) and I'm taking a sort of "warts and all" look at the Attitude Era. I wanted to both set myself a challenge and take an honest look back at wrestling's biggest ever boom period - both the highs and the lows. The WWE (and especially Triple H) are very creative with their history of the Attitude Era. If you believed their press it was three years of Austin on a beer truck and DX invading WCW. But there was some real missteps. Some very questionable angles, awful politics and some ideas that either fell flat on their face or just don't hold up at all. I'm certain I could book this company and create an absolute powerhouse with relative ease. But I want to see if I can create a more true-to-life Attitude Era and still defeat WCW in the Monday Night Wars. Can I book a show with characters and angles that I actively dislike and still make it a success? On the flip side to this, can I give props to some of the Attitude Era's unsung heroes? Was I right that certain members of the roster could have been big stars or is it just childhood nostalgia playing tricks with my mind? Can I turn some of the "Billy Gunns" into true main event stars, or was it simply never meant to be? I've also always enjoyed playing through these mods and giving certain gimmicks to different workers (for example what if Brian Lee had been the REAL Undertaker and not just the Underfaker?) or giving gimmicks to workers which were suggested but never followed up on (What if Luke Gallows HAD been brought in as the third Brother Of Destruction? What if John Cena was given Mr Kennedy's gimmick instead of his rapper gimmick?) so you may see some familiar characters being portrayed by unfamiliar faces. Can these workers be a bigger success in these gimmicks or will they flop? What's the format like? The format, I admit, is going to be kind of all over the place. First of all I should note I'm using Genadi's excellent Montreal Aftermath mod (my favourite mod on TEW 2013 as it was on TEW2010). My diary entries will be written in a combination of "newsletter" style reviews, full show write ups presented "as live" and probably some in-character diary entries of my own. For the latter option I will be taking on the role of a member of the staff working closely with Jim Ross and Vince Russo. Both influencing talent and booking but ultimately not having the final say. This is my way of rationalising why somebody like, say, Sable will be featuring on Raw and pay-per-view despite my having no interest in her whatsoever. This is also why I will be sticking quite faithfully to the booking of the Attitude Era (again, at least in the short term). This is still Vince McMahon's company being run his way, I just want to have a little input here or there. The main problem with formatting (and the part where this diary may be a hard sell for some of you) is that, as I write this, I am already around 6 months in. As I said earlier, I was never intending to write a diary when I started out with this save file. The first six months of this diary will be recapped in individual posts giving an overview of the important happenings which have occurred thus far. This will save me having to retroactively do write ups for 6 months of shows and it will save you having to read through it. In the next few posts I will give you the picture of the wrestling world at the start of the diary (so not the start of the save file but the point at which you join me now) and begin filling in the backstory of the last 6 months of WWF programming as well as the major cliff notes from around the wrestling world So please. Adjust those coke bottle lenses, dig out your XFL baseball cap, strap in and join me on this walk down memory lane taking a look at the highs and lows of the greatest period in wrestling history Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dynamite Sid Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Chapter 1: Setting The Stage/The Austin Era Has Begun "Stone Cold! Stone Cold! Stone Cold! ... The Austin Era has begun!" The story so far... The story begins, of course, in Montreal, Quebec Canada in November 1997. When Vince McMahon screwed Bret Hart out of the WWF Championship he transformed his departing champion into the most sympathetic and talked about babyface character in professional wrestling. WCW had added the hottest commodity in the industry to its ranks. 2 months later and the man who claimed the title from "The Hitman", Shawn Michaels, suffers a devastating back injury at the Royal Rumble PPV which forces him into an early retirement. At this stage the writing should have been on the wall. But all hope is not lost for the WWF. WCW is a "den of wolves", rife with backstage politics and incompetent management. And the World Wrestling Federation has a glut of young stars on their books, who are quickly rising to the top of the industry. Young blue-chipper Rocky Maivia, styling himself The Rock, has caught on as an arrogant heel. "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock is one of the most well-protected and legitimate stars anywhere in the sport. The monstrous Kane has recently debuted and quickly become the most dominant heel in wrestling. And of course Stone Cold Steve Austin captured the World Wrestling Federation Championship at WrestleMania XIV and sits poised to lead the WWF into the so-called "Attitude Era" Bullet Points: Significant happenings in the WWF --Capitalising on the Screwjob, Vince McMahon has become an on-screen character, creating the ultimate foil for Steve Austin. Vince is becoming a hated heel as the corrupt boss of the WWF --Also stemming from the Montreal Screwjob was a main event push for Owen Hart. As the vengeful brother of the wronged Bret Hart, Owen has been locked in a heated rivalry with D-Generation X since December, affording him the biggest push of his career since his rivalry with his brother several years earlier. Recently, however, Owen's heat has begun to cool as other stars headline PPVs opposite Shawn Michaels and he slips slowly down the card --The Undertaker and Kane are locked in a fierce rivalry which has pushed the envelope in terms of shocking TV, seeing angles based around the desecration of graves and the supposed burning alive of the Undertaker. At the WWF's most recent Pay Per View, Unforgiven, the two men competed in the first ever Inferno Match. This rivalry more than anything else on WWF programming has gotten the company into hot water with TV and PPV providers and perhaps best encapsulates the company's edgy new direction --Mick Foley has stepped into the breach as the top heel in the WWF in place of the departed Shawn Michaels. After a brief run (one night) as tag team champions with Terry Funk - the highlight of which was a dumpster match at WrestleMania XIV so violent that it saw the WWF lose a PPV provider in Europe - Foley has donned his "Dude Love" persona and become a Corporate zombie under Vince McMahon. At Unforgiven, The Dude entered a losing effort against Steve Austin --The youth movement in the company is very apparent in the early part of 1998 with established names like Ahmed Johnson and Vader being marginalised while names such as Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw, Steve Blackman and D'lo Brown become more familiar. In addition, fresh talent is flooding into the company. Vignettes for a new character "Val Venis" have been airing on WWF TV and the company has recently signed youngsters Adam Copeland and Darren Drosdov, with many more expected to follow in the coming months. --A direct result of this building period for the company is a bloated roster. While certain talents are riding out their contracts and new talents are beginning their own, the company has also brought in a number of trusted veterans such as The Quebecers, Steve James and Marty Jannetty to bolster the ranks and help to put the younger talent over. Post-WrestleMania the company has begun to streamline its roster, cutting Barry Buchanan and Matt Bloom, with other casualties expected in the coming months --The WWF continues to try to build it's Light Heavyweight project, scouring the globe for established talent to try and legitimise the ranks of the young division. Vince McMahon is apparently ready to abort the plans just months after crowning the first champion, TAKA Michinoku, but with support from Jim Ross and others backstage the company is forging ahead and rumours abound that a major star from Japan is to debut on WWF TV perhaps even before the Over The Edge Pay Per View in two weeks --With the company gathering momentum in the first quarter of 1998 TV ratings have consistently risen though the same is true for WCW and the gap, though not widening, is not being closed quickly enough for the WWF. The company has hit other problems too. A poor run of PPV buy rates has seen DirecTV pull the plug on the WWF's largest PPV deal and while the company is still turning a profit, the purse strings are being tightened somewhat so that the month-to-month finances remain in the black. The good news is that live gates for WWF events continue to dwarf those for their southern rivals. Meanwhile the WWF continues to expand its TV markets, resurrecting WWF Shotgun Saturday Night and expanding Monday Night Raw coverage to Japan and Mexico. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dynamite Sid Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Meet The Gang: The WWF Roster (Week 2, May 1998) Blue = babyface Red = Heel Main Eventers Dude Love Jeff Jarrett Kane Ken Shamrock Steve Austin The Rock The Undertaker Triple H Upper Midcard Ahmed Johnson Billy Gunn Farooq Goldust Kama Road Dogg Road Warrior Animal Road Warrior Hawk Vader Midcard Barry Windham Bodacious Bart Bombastic Bob Chainz D'lo Brown Henry O. Godwinn Justin "Hawk" Bradshaw Marc Mero Mark Henry Mosh Phineas I. Godwinn Savio Vega Steve Blackman Thrasher X-Pac Lower Midcard 8-Ball Adam Copeland Aguila Al Snow Brian Christopher Dan Severn Dick Togo El Pantera Flash Funk Kurrgan Marty Jannetty MEN's Teioh Quebecer Jacques Quebecer Pierre Skull TAKA Michinoku Tiger Ali Singh Val Venis Openers Miguel Perez Jr. Puke Scott Taylor Shoichi Funaki Enhancement Talent Brooklyn Brawler Kid Kash Jeff Hardy Matt Hardy Steve James Occasional Wrestlers Honky Tonk Man Luna Vachon Terry Funk ----------------------- Stables D-Generation X Triple H Billy Gunn Chyna Road Dogg X-Pac Disciples of Apocalypse 8-Ball Skull Chainz KAIENTAI Dick Togo MEN's Teioh Shoichi Funaki Mr Sato (Manager) Nation of Domination The Rock D'lo Brown Kama Mark Henry NWA Invaders Jeff Jarrett Barry Windham Bodacious Bob Bombastic Bart Dan "The Beast" Severn Jim Cornette (Manager) ---------------------- Tag Teams Disciples of Apocalypse (Skull & 8-Ball) Hardy Boyz (Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy) Headbangers (Mosh & Thrasher) KAIENTAI (Dick Togo & MEN's Teioh) LOD 2000 (Animal & Hawk) New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn & Road Dogg) The Godwinns (Phineas & Henry Godwinn) The New Midnight Express (Bodacious Bob & Bombastic Bart) The Quebecers (Jacques & Pierre) Barry Windham And Double J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMarc9-8 Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 Best of luck with this. As a fellow Montreal Aftermath user in my dynasty (albeit as the enemy ), I know this is a great time period to use, and I hope you have great success writing this Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dynamite Sid Posted January 24, 2016 Author Share Posted January 24, 2016 Current Champions (Week 2, May 1998) WWF World Heavyweight Champion http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt16/Squidmanv1/Steve%20Austin%203_zpsc7gqpoo8.jpg "Stone Cold" Steve Austin WWF Intercontinental Champion http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt16/Squidmanv1/The%20Rock%207_zpsbwa4dq0b.jpg The Rock WWF Tag Team Champions http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt16/Squidmanv1/Road%20Warrior%20Animal%202_zpsmjjht9ua.jpghttp://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt16/Squidmanv1/Road%20Warrior%20Hawk%202_zpsdi0mvfjb.jpg Legion Of Doom 2000 (Road Warrior Animal & Road Warrior Hawk) WWF European Champion http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt16/Squidmanv1/Triple%20H%2015_zpsnhgfsbpx.jpg Triple H WWF Lightheavyweight Champion http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt16/Squidmanv1/Taka%20Michinoku%202_zps2ln10vgq.jpg TAKA Michinoku NWA World Heavyweight Champion Dan "The Beast" Severn http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt16/Squidmanv1/Dan%20Severn_zpsvjtpbaeb.jpg NWA Tag Team Champions http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt16/Squidmanv1/Bob%20Holly%204_zpsjcda91iu.jpghttp://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt16/Squidmanv1/Mike%20Barton%204_zpsnjolnnlk.jpg The New Midnight Express (Bodacious Bob & Bombastic Bart) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dynamite Sid Posted January 29, 2016 Author Share Posted January 29, 2016 Chapter 2: The Month In Review - December 1997 This Month In The World Wrestling Federation[/Quote] December 1997 promised to be a tumultuous month for the world leader in Sports Entertainment. The fallout of the Survivor Series event in Montreal on Thanksgiving weekend was far reaching, with stars jockeying to earn a shot at Shawn Michaels' World Heavyweight Championship and Owen Hart vowing to take revenge on Michaels. The monstrous Kane continued his reign of terror throughout the WWF in an attempt to goad his brother, The Undertaker, into stepping inside the squared circle. Elsewhere: the rivalry between "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Rocky Maivia threatened to spill out of control as the two men battled for possession of the Intercontinental Championship. The New Age Outlaws upped the stakes in their feud with the Legion Of Doom, disrespecting the legendary team at every turn. The Gang Warfare between the DOA, Los Boricuas & The Nation of Domination continued to intensify The WWF crowned it's first ever Light Heavyweight Champion Week1 The showpiece event of the month occured on Sunday, Week1 in the form of In Your House: D-Generation X. Emanating from a sold out Madison Square Garden, full results from the show are listed below On the Raw leading up to the event Owen Hart returned to WWF television, setting his sights on Shawn Michaels. During The Heartbreak Kid's WWF Championship match with Ken Shamrock, Hart assaulted Michaels before the Champion could beat a hasty retreat. This caused Michaels to retain the Championship via DQ victory and set up a Championship match between Owen and Shawn Michaels at the PPV. On that same edition of Raw, after Jeff Jarrett began talking of seeking out a challenge more befetting a Superstar of his calibre, Sgt Slaughter announced that Double J would go one-on-one with the Undertaker. The Undertaker's brother, Kane, also had his presence felt on this edition of the WWF's flagship show, attacking the young Scott Taylor and delivering to him a series of Chokeslams as the youngster made his way to the ring for a scheduled match in the semi-finals of the Light Heavyweight Championship tournament. As a result of this Brian Christopher was declared the winner via forfeit and advanced to the finals to take on TAKA Michinoku The Rock defeated Vader with help from his Nation Of Domination stable-mates however the headlines in this match-up were all Steve Austin's. The Texas Rattlesnake first drove a pick-up truck into the ringside area, blasting AC/DC's Back In Black and then cleared house on the Nation as the attempted a 3-on-1 beat down on Vader. Austin, however, was unable to reclaim the Intercontinental Championship Belt which the Rock had stolen from him weeks earlier. WWF In Your House: D-Generation X Madison Square Garden, New York, NY - 20,000 Sold Out [Pre-Show]Steve Blackman won a 15 man Battle Royal - C- [Pre-Show]Cactus Jack & Chainsaw Charlie def. The New Blackjacks, Los Boricuas & The Headbangers - C+ ------ TAKA Michinoku def Brian Christopher to be crowned the inaugural WWF Light Heavyweight Champion - D+ Goldust def Vader following interference from Luna Vachon - C Farooq, Kama Mustafa & D'lo Brown def. Chainz, Skull & 8 Ball - D+ Jeff Jarrett def. The Undertaker by count out following interference from Kane. - C Following the match Kane laid The Undertaker out with a Tombstone as he had done at In Your House: Bad Blood The New Age Outlaws def The Legion Of Doom to retain the WWF Tag Team Championships - C- Ken Shamrock def. "Marvellous" Marc Mero after answering an open challenge issued by Mero earlier in the show - C "Stone Cold" Steve Austin def The Rock to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship - C+ Shawn Michaels def. Owen Hart to retain the WWF World Heavywight Championship, following interference from both Chyna and Triple H - B+ Overall Rating: B http://www.wwe.com/videos/stone-cold-steve-austin-drives-a-pickup-to-the-ring-and-brawls-with-rock-in-your-27302500 Week 2 The second edition of Monday Night Raw in December featured several pivotal moments of the fledgling "Attitude Era". The night kicked off with a confrontation between WWF owner Vince McMahon and Intercontinental Champion Steve Austin. McMahon summoned Austin to the ring and admonished him for endangering the performers, fans and crew at ringside by recklessly driving his pickup into the arena both at Raw and In Your House. Austin assured McMahon that he didn't give a damn, whatsoever, about what Vince McMahon had to say, threatening that Austin had put his hands on Vince before and he'd damn sure do it again if he didn't get out of Austin's face. Austin gave McMahon the finger before he left to a huge ovation. The segment was the highlight of the show D-Generation X also had their turn at pushing the envelope later in the show. From the safety of their locker room Triple H and Shawn Michaels taunted Owen Hart. In a typically classless remark they said that Owen's brother was a turd that had been flushed away and Owen himself was nothing but a "nugget of s***" that wouldn't go down. Elsewhere on the show The Undertaker spoke with Jim Cornette in the ring, asserting that despite his brother's latest attack The Deadman still refused to step into the ring with his own flesh and blood. For Kane's part in all this, he continued to wreak havoc, laying waste to Road Warrior Hawk and Phineas Godwinn who were scheduled to have a one-on-one match. Meanwhile, the Deaman's adversary at the previous night's PPV, Jeff Jarrett gave his own backstage interview crowing about his "victory" the night before and stating that he had proved without a shadow of a doubt he was superior to the other superstars the World Wrestling Federation had to offer. Jeff's ego took a blow in the night's main event, however, as Owen Hart defeated Jeff to perhaps once again enter pole position in the race for Shawn Michaels' WWF Championship ------ Week 3 Week 3 of December saw Vince McMahon officially usher in a new era in Sports Entertainment. The WWF Chairman gave a message directly to the fans at home declaring the the "Attitude Era" had arrived in the World Wrestling Federation and fans could expect the company to lead the way in cutting edge television. One tag team who certainly exemplified plenty of Attitude this night were the New Age Outlaws. Following the Road Dogg's defeat at the hands of Dude Love (The Dude had also bested Billy Gunn the week before) the WWF Tag Team Champions viciously beat down the man also known as Cactus Jack and Mankind, but they weren't finished there. In the main event of the evening Shawn Michaels and Triple H defeated the Legion Of Doom. At the climax of this match DX were joined by the Outlaws as all four men assaulted the LOD, driving Road Warrior Animal through the announce table Another brash superstar who took matters into his own hands was Rocky Maivia. After promising backstage that he was going to put a beating on Steve Austin that the Rattlesnake would never forget, the self-proclaimed People's Champion was as good as his word. Aided and abetted by Mark Henry, the Rock laid waste to Austin after luring him to the ringside area. As Stone Cold lay prone on the ground The Rock proclaimed himself the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time before continuing to put the boots to the fallen Austin. To put an exclamation point on things Maivia later defeated Ahmed Johnson - once again with help from his Nation of Domination cohorts. And finally, Owen Hart continued to gather momentum, putting on another show stealing performance as he defeated "the Bizarre One" Goldust, even in spite of the interference of Luna Vachon ------ Week 4 With the Royal Rumble on the horizon, the World Wrestling Federation closed out 1997 on a high. Monday Night Raw began with World Heavyweight Champion Shawn Michaels and his DX comrades in the ring. As HBK and Hunter Hearst Helmsley spouted their usual bravado, they were interrupted by Owen Hart on the TitanTron. Owen assured Michaels that he could not run forever and that sooner or later he would have to put his title on the line in a one-on-one match up. Michaels declared he was a fighting champion and revealed he was actually out to open the show with a title defense. HBK then revealed his hand-picked opponent for the bout: Light Heavyweight Champion TAKA Michinoku. Following a degrading intro for TAKA from Triple H, the smiles were quickly wiped from the faces of DX as the game Light Heavyweight Champ brought the fight to Michaels and more than once looked as though he would pull of the biggest upset in WWF history. Despite TAKA's efforts, Michaels won a tremendous bout with the Sweet Chin Music, though the Champ - or anybody else in the World Wrestling Federation - would not underestimate TAKA Michinoku again any time soon. This was not the only bump in the road for DX as soon after, Commisioner Slaughter came out to announce that on the first edition of Raw in 1998 both the World Heavyweight Championship and Triple H's European Championship would be on the line, as Michaels and Helmsley would defend their titles against Owen Hart and Ken Shamrock respectively Owen Hart himself had no easier time himself in the main event of the evening, as he took on "Badd Ass" Billy Gunn with Jesse James filling in on special guest commentary. Though Hart ultimate emerged victorious he was forced into a huge effort by Gunn's athleticism and the threat of the Road Dogg's interference. It was also a night to forget for the Nation Of Domination. First Kama and D'lo Brown went down to the team of Steve Blackman and Ahmed Johnson and later the leader of the Nation, Farooq, was defeated by Dude Love. The Dude had hyped the match earlier, promising that though the previous week he had taken a licking he would keep on ticking and he was as good as his word. The real story here, however is that Rocky Maivia had inadvertantly clobbered his leader, gifting Dude the opportunity to score the pinfall. Following the match Maivia and Farooq got in one another's faces though Maivia did fall in line to perform the Nation salute. Sadly for Rocky, his night wasn't over yet. As the self proclaimed People's Champion stood in the ring promising that 1998 would be the year of the Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared on the Titantron. The Texas Rattlesnake told the Rock that when his beeper flashed up "3:16" it would already be too late and "his ass would belong to Stone Cold Steve Austin". Austin seemingly left the arena then. When the Rock finished his speech his beeper went off and almost before Maivia could register what was happening Austin was in the ring and delivered an emphatic Stone Cold Stunner. Austin stomped a hole in The Rock and as Raw went off the air, the last image of WWF 1997 was the Intercontinental Champion on the turnbuckle, triumphantly drinking beers. Would this prove to be an omen of things to come? And in other news.... - WCW held it's biggest event of the year, Starrcade. Doing huge PPV business the show was headlined by Hollywood Hulk Hogan successfully defending his WCW Championship against Diamond Dallas Page. WCW's latest high profile signing proved his worth, as in the semi-main event Bret "Hitman" Hart stole the show, dragging Buff Bagwell to the match of the evening. Further down the card the young Chris Jericho turned heads as he and Rick Steiner lit up the arena in a surprise gem. - ECW continued its own Pay Per View run with December To Dismember. While not the runaway financial success that Starrcade was, the show continued to raise the profile of the upstart organisation with great performances from Taz, Rob Van Dam and Bam Bam Bigelow. In the main event Shane Douglas retained his ECW Championship against the WWF's Chainz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dynamite Sid Posted February 1, 2016 Author Share Posted February 1, 2016 Chapter 3: January - Demise of the Deadman This Month In The World Wrestling Federation Week 1 1998 in the World Wrestling Federation began as 1997 ended; with Stone Cold Steve Austin raising hell. The first edition of Monday Night Raw of the new year began with the Intercontinental Champion, clad in camo, in the parking lot talking directly to the camera. Austin said that he knew with the Royal Rumble on the horizon he would be a marked man. He promised however that "Steve Austin strikes first. That's the bottom line" and that "until after the Royal Rumble, there's gonna be no more Mr Nice Guy". Austin, never the nicest guy to begin with, would soon make clear what he meant with these words. During the show Austin launched unprovoked backstage attacks on "Double J" Jeff Jarrett and the 400 pound Mark Henry, leaving both men laying in swift, brutal assaults While the hype surrounding the DX title defenses built, TAKA Michinoku reached a landmark as he had his first successful Light Heavyweight Title defense, defeating Aguila in a decent outing And on a night where title defenses were the order of the day The New Age Outlaws retained their Tag Championships against the New Blackjacks. The Outlaws, still locked in a feud with the Legion Of Doom, could be forgiven for looking over their shoulders however. Dude Love was gone from WWF TV and in his place was Cactus Jack. Cactus had teamed up with his friend and rival. Chainsaw Charlie and the two were gathering momentum in the tag ranks. On this evening they handily dispatched Miguel Perez and Savio Vega of Los Boricuas With all the gold on the show it was only appropriate that the Artist Formerly Known As Goldust appeared. Reigniting his feud with Vader, The Bizarre One "interviewed" a drag queen who was impersonating the Mastodon and who admitted to having certain... fantasies... about Goldust. One can only imagine the response which this stunt will garner from Vader With the fun and games over things were altogether more serious as Triple H defended the European Championship against Ken Shamrock. Despite much posing from Hunter, Shamrock battered the Champ and appeared to have him dead to rights in the Ankle Lock before Chyna got Triple H Disqualified by blatantly interfering in full view of the referee. Chyna and Hunter made a hasty retreat with the belt before Shamrock could have his retribution And shortly after, it was main event time. Another great bout between Owen Hart and the Heartbreak Kid was marred when DX yet again made the difference. With Chyna distracting the referee whilst Shawn Michaels tapped out to Owen Hart's Sharpshooter, Triple H ran in to clobber Hart with the World Championship and gift HBK the 3 count. As Shawn looked to apply the Sharpshooter after the bell, however, the arena grew dark and the Undertaker appeared in the ring. DX fled the ring and the Undertaker issued a challenge to Shawn Michaels to face him in a Casket Match at the Royal Rumble, claiming the two had unfinished business. Taker's words were still ringing when the show went off the air Week 2 Week 2's edition of Monday Night Raw was filled with surprises, both in and out of the ring. Openeing the show was Ken Shamrock, still hot after his controversial victory over Triple H the week before. Shamrock defeated Kama in a real gem of an opening contest. Soon after this Rocky Maivia, without the Nation, made his way to the ring. The Rock demanded that Steve Austin be a man and accept the Rock's challenge for an Intercontinental Championship match. In one of his most unpredictable moments yet, Austin walked down the aisle and simply gave Maivia the championship. Austin explained that the belt was "weighing him down" and that with the Royal Rumble just weeks away he had "bigger fish to fry". The next man to issue a surprise of his own was Jim Cornette. Cornette, recently a part of the announce team, revealed he was stepping down from commentary duty and interview segments and was returning to the world of management. Cornette had been vocal for months about the state of the modern wrestling business and he claimed he already had his first client under a contract and, together, they would restore prestige to the WWF and drag it out of the gutter Unlike Steve Austin, Triple was holding on to his Title, succesfully defending against Ahmed Johnson. After the bell, however, a furious Owen Hart appeared from out of nowhere. Knocking Chyna down in his haste, Hart pummeled the European Champion and applied a Sharpshooter, refusing the break the hold despite officials tearing at him. On the other side of the commercial break Hart went on a tirade about Triple H costing him the World Championship, declaring that he knew now; if he was ever going to get his revenge against Shawn Michaels he would have to remove Triple H first. After the main event of the evening - in which Cactus Jack defeated Double J - Shawn Michaels appeared in the ring. HBK had cut an interview earlier mocking the Undertaker and said now that he would face the Deadman any time. When a group of "druids" wheeled a casket down to the ring Shawn over acted and pantomimed fear. As he approached the casket in mock terror, his demeanour changed when he spotted Triple H at the top of the ramp. As realisation dawned on Shawn Michaels, the Undertake emereged from the casket and laid waste to the "Sexy Boy", leaving him laying with a chokeslam. Undertaker closed the show by vowing that at the Royal Rumble, Michaels will Rest. In. Peace. Week 3 The final Raw before the Royal Rumble opened with Steve Austin marching out to the ring and daring any WWF Superstar to try and take out the Rattlesnake before the Royal Rumble this Sunday. Austin vowed to continue getting to his rivals before they could even think of getting to him and he closed the segment by drawing a huge bullseye on his chest. Before the night was out The New Blackjacks, D'lo Brown and Kama would all be victims of Austin's "do unto others before they do unto you" mentality. Next out were DX who dropped a colossal bombshell ahead of the night's main event - which saw the Undertaker and the Legion of Doom clash with Triple H and the New Age Outlaws. DX promised to unveil the newest member of the group and brought out none other than the Undertaker's brother, Kane! DX revealed that Kane was their latest addition and that with his help they were going to destroy the Undertaker Owen Hart dispatched Miguel Perez within minutes and in a post-match interview he vowed that he would win the Royal Rumble so that Shawn Michaels would have no choice but to face him - that is if he survives the Royal Rumble In a truly odd moment the Bizarre Goldust appeared wearing a crude approximation of Vader's ring attire for his match against Ahmed Johnson. With The Mastodon and Goldust set to square off at the Royal Rumble, Goldust performed Vader's trademark Vader Bomb en route to defeating Johnson Elsewhere on the show Jim Cornette revealed the truth behind his statements the previous week. Corny promised a star dripping with class and charisma and he delivered as he brought out his new client, "Double J" Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett said he would win the Royal Rumble match so that the WWF fans could have a wholesome role model, not "some violent psycho in a mask" or "some beer swillin' blasphemer". Cornette also promised that Jarrett was just the first man to join his war to clean up the WWF In the evening's main attraction The Undertaker and the Legion Of Doom defeated Triple H and the New Age Outlaws while Shawn Michaels sat in on colour commentary. At the climax of the match, all six men brawled and Michaels himself joined the fracas. As the Outlaws fled through the crowd, LOD pursued, leaving the Deadman to be attacked 2-on-1. As DX were getting the better of the Undertaker, Kane stalked down the aisle. To the surprise of everyone the monster delivered a Chokeslam to Triple H and set Michaels up for the Tombstone, only for the Champ to wriggle out and flee the scene. The Undertaker, confused at first, eventually offered his brother a macabre salute which Kane returned. WWF Royal Rumble The Spectrum, Philadelphia PA - 17,380 Sold Out (Pre-Show) Blackjack Windham def. Bart Gunn, Steve James, Brooklyn Brawler, Tiger Ali Singh and Al Snow - D- (Pre-Show) The Disciples of Apocalypse def Dick Togo & Shoichi Funaki and The Truth Commision - E+ The New Age Outlaws def. The Legion of Doom to retain the WWF Tag Team Championships after Billy Gunn hit Road Warrior Hawk with the ring bell - C- TAKA Michinoku def Brian Christopher to retain the WWF Light Heavyweight Championship - D Vader def Goldust - C- The Rock def Ken Shamrock to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship following interference from Mark Henry - C Steve Austin won the 30 man Royal Rumble Match - B- Runner Up- The Rock Most eliminations - Farooq Longest time - The Rock After the Royal Rumble match Vince McMahon was shown in the executive box with none other than boxing superstar Iron Mike Tyson! Michael Cole managed to grab some words with the controversial former Heavyweight champ who said he was excited to be here and said he was delighted that Steve Austin had triumphed in the Royal Rumble Shawn Michaels def The Undertaker in a superb Casket Match to retain the WWF World Heavyweight Championship following interference from Kane - A After the match Kane and Paul Bearer locked the Casket and, after Kane had smashed it with an axe, doused it in gasoline. With the Undertaker still locked inside the two men did the unthinkable and lit the casket on fire! <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CmxnXQVjaNQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Week 4 <iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/L5abDK1j5IE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> The final edition of Monday Night Raw in January closed with one of the most shocking and memorable segments in the history of the business, garnering attention even in the mainstream media. Following the main event match between Jeff Jarrett and Chainsaw Charlie (Double J picked up the win) Vince McMahon came to the ring and made an announcement heard around the world as he revealed that 'Iron' Mike Tyson had officially inked a deal with the World Wrestling Federation. Before Tyson and Vince could even reveal what capacity he would ultimately be used in, Stone Cold Steve Austin appeared and made his way to the ring. Austin said that all anybody had spoken about in the back was that Mike Tyson was coming to the WWF and the Royal Rumble winner said it made him absolutely sick. Austin declared that he could take Tyson "any day of the week and twice on Sundays" and things quickly turned physical. Raw went off the air with Austin and Tyson desperately trying to get at one another in a wild scene. While everything else on the show may have paled in significance to the magnitude of that announcement other superstars certainly made their presence known, not least D-Generation X. Shawn Michaels and Triple H gave an interview earlier in the show sharing their "heartfelt" condolonces about what happened to the Undertaker at the climax of the Royal Rumble. HBK and Hunter vowed to locate the Deadman before the night was through. Later in the show Triple H approached the ring as "The Undertaker" floated eerily down to the ring from the rafters. When the lights came up, however, it was none other than the Heartbreak Kid clad in the Undertaker's garb. The two men found this mockery of the Deadman hilarious. Undertaker wasn't the only superstar targeted by DX, as Triple H went on to challenge Owen Hart to a match for the European Championship on the next edition of Raw. Owen - who had been eliminated from the Royal Rumble match the night before as a result of Triple H interfering - reluctantly accepted the challenge, clearly sensing that all was not right DX were not the only ones mocking the absent Undertaker as Paul Bearer and Kane wheeled the charred remains of the casket out to the ring and gloated over the Undertaker's apparent demise. Bearer mocked the Undertaker and all the WWF fans for believing that Kane had allied himself with his brother the previous week. Bearer declared that the Man From The Darkside had finally met the fate he deserved and would never be seen in the WWF again. Also on this show Vader put to bed his feud with Goldust once and for all, defeating him by pinfall for the second night in a row And in other news... - Hardcore fans were left dismayed as ECW favourite Rob Van Dam departed the company. Van Dam worked his final match - at least for now - for the Philadelphia based league the week before PPV offering Guilty As Charged. Van Dam entered a losing effort against ECW Champ Shane Douglas in a great bout. Just a few days later Justin Credible followed Van Dam out of the door. - Even without RVD in attendance ECW Guilty As Charged was a roaring success. The highlight of the show was a wild four way match in which Sabu bested Tommy Dreamer, Al Snow & Lance Storm to earn a shot at the ECW Championship which Shane Douglas retained in the main event, defeating Bubba Ray Dudley - Elsewhere on PPV WCW served up nWo Souled Out. With the company's premier faction front and centre, Hulk Hogan defeated Roddy Piper in the main event of the show and the best match on the card. These two weren't the only stars to roll back the years and enter a great performance as, further down the card, Curt Hennig retained his United States Championship in a fine bout against Chris Benoit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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