We're live from the San Jose Arena in San Jose, California for the Royal Rumble. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler will do the commentary for this evening.
The Man They Call Vader vs. The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust
This match to see whose name is closest to a sentence. Goldust came out in green makeup and wig, and wearing spandex with a thong worn on the outside. Vader came out in the same tights he always wore. Vader rolled in the ring and Goldust immediately attacked with stomps and punches. He whipped Vader into the ropes but it was reversed, and Vader body checked him. Vader whipped Goldust into the corner and hit an avalanche. Goldust rolled out of the ring and Vader followed. He ran into Goldust, knocking him into Luna. He rolled back in the ring while Goldust and Luna got up. He went back outside and rammed Goldust head-first into the steps. He picked the steps up, but the ref warned him against using them. Vader dropped the steps and followed Goldust back in the ring. Goldust begged off, but Vader responded with a stiff left and right. He whipped him into the ropes and executed a back bodydrop. Vader went into the ropes, but Luna grabbed his foot. Goldust got up and hit a clothesline, knocking Vader down. Goldust bounced off the ropes and went for a sunset flip. Vader tried to sit on his chest, but Goldust moved and bounced off the ropes, knocking Vader over with a clothesline. He elbowed Vader's thigh and then went to the second rope. He hit a forearm to the midsection, and the crowd went "Ohhhh!" because it looked like a groin shot. They went outside the ring, where Goldust hit him with right hands and then rammed him into the steps. Goldust distracted the ref while Luna got a few shots in. Vader rolled back in and Goldust raked the eyes. He backed him into the corner and laid in some shots to the ribs. He got on the second rope and went for the ten punches. After the tenth one, he kissed Vader on the forehead. He got off to gloat, but was met with a left handed clothesline from Vader when he turned around, flipping him. They both got up, and Goldust stuck his thumb in Vader's eye. He attempted a bodyslam but hurt his back. He hit Vader in the ribs and tried again, but it had the same effect as before. Goldust bounced off the ropes, but Vader met him with a boot to the midsection and hit a vertical suplex. Vader bounced off the ropes and hit a big splash for a two count. He followed with a short arm clothesline and went for the Vader Bomb. Luna distracted the ref, allowing Goldust to get in a low blow. They both made it to their feet and Goldust bounced off the ropes. Vader swept his leg and whipped him into the ropes to body check him once again. He whipped Goldust into the ropes and put his head down. Goldust tried for the sunset flip again and Vader sat out, connecting this time. He dragged Goldust to the corner and went for the Vader Bomb. However, Luna ran in and jumped on his back. The ref decided to let it go, and Vader ignored her and executed the Vader Bomb anyway, with both his weight and Luna's weight crushing Goldust. He covered for the pin at 7:51.
Ad for the WWF Superstar Line. Remember, you have to be eighteen years of age, or make sure your parents are out of the room before calling.
We cut to the parking garage and Michael Cole, who attempts to get a word with Stone Cold as he arrives in his truck. Austin tells him to park his car and if he scratches it, he'll get his ass whipped. As Austin disappears into the building, the Godwinns arrive on the scene and demand to know where Austin went. Cole says he's not sure, and they go into the building.
Back in the arena, Sunny comes out in a referee's outfit. She's announced as the special guest referee for the next match. After she arrives, Mankind's exit music plays but they quickly cut to Max Moon's old music for the Mini match.
Max Mini, Mosaic and Nova vs. Batallion, Tarantula and El Torito
These six are so fast I'm not going to be able to keep up with everything. Nova and Tarantula start. Nova charged but a Tarantula shoulderblock sent him to the mat. Tarantula whipped him into the ropes, but Nova countered with a Mexican armdrag. He bounced off the ropes and hit a flying headscissors. Tarantula kicked him, whipped him into the ropes and charged. Nova moved as Tarantula went for a hurricanrana but hit his head on the mat. Nova hit a dropkick that sent Tarantula to the outside. Nova tagged Max. Batallion came in and Max went for a cross body that missed. Batallion missed a senton splash and Max hit an armdrag. He jumped onto Batallion's shoulders and hit a Mexican armdrag. Off the ropes, Max hit a shoulderblock that didn't take Batallion down. He vaulted off the ropes and hit an armdrag which took Batallion outside the ring. El Torito came in and Max tagged Mosaic. They did a test of strength, but Torito kicked Mosaic and stomped him. He gave him a military press slam and whipped him into the ropes, hitting a flapjack. He tried to do it again, but Mosaic countered into an armdrag. Mosaic missed a clothesline, but Torito hit a waistlock takedown. He turned him over and Mosaic kipped up and executed another armdrag that sent Torito out of the ring. Tarantula came in and attacked Mosaic, whipping him into the ropes and hitting a clothesline. He tagged Batallion, who beat Mosaic out of the ring. Nova ran in and dropkicked Batallion, sending him out of the ring. Torito ran in and charged, but Nova leapfrogged and hit a hiptoss. They did a test of strength and Torito tried to flip him over, but Nova countered with an armdrag. Nova vaulted off the second rope and hit a Mexican armdrag and tried for a hurricanrana. Torito threw him off but received an armdrag that sent him out of the ring. Mosaic and Batallion came in, and Mosaic missed a dropkick. Batallion went to the corner as we take a look at Mike Tyson. Mosaic charged but was backdropped out of the ring. He landed on the apron and hit Batallion with a right. He flipped over the ropes into a hurricanrana. He missed a back elbow, hit an armdrag, got up on Batallion's shoulders and took him down using his leg. He hit a flying headscissors and tagged Max. Max charged, but Tarantula met him with a boot to the head. He whipped Max into the ropes and hit a clothesline. He whipped him into the corner and charged. Max moved and charged right into a backdrop. Max landed on the ring apron and hit Tarantula. He went up top and executed a top rope hurricanrana. Tarantula went into the ropes and Max hit a back bodydrop and then a Mexican armdrag. Tarantula ran up the aisle, trying to get away, and Max followed him. After taking him out, Max got back in the ring but was attacked by Torito before he could make a tag. Torito whipped him into his team's corner, where Batallion brought his feet up into Max's face. Torito posed as Max got up. Max punched him in the gut and applied a side headlock. Max was sent into the ropes and met with a punch to the head. Max reapplied the side headlock, but Torito whipped him into Sunny. Max crawled under her legs and she lifted him so he could kick Torito and Tarantula in the chest and take Batallion over with a hurricanrana. Batallion hit two knife edge chops on Max, which sent him out of the ring. Mosaic came in and Batallion applied a wrist lock. Mosaic bounced off the ropes and Batallion went for a tilt-a-whirl only to have it countered into an armdrag. Batallion rolled out of the ring, but Mosaic bounced off the ropes and hit a somersault plancha. As they got up, Torito took them both out with a pescado. Max responded with a corkscrew moonsault from the second rope on all three of them. Tarantula hit a tope as Max and Torito got back in the ring. Finally, Nova charged and faked a plancha. Instead, he executed an Asai moonsault. In the ring, Torito slammed Max but missed a senton. Max went up top and hit a hurricanrana as well as our thirteen millionth armdrag of the match and then cradled Torito for the pin at 7:49. Whew. After the match, Max got a congratulatory hug from Sunny.
Backstage, the Nation of Domination, sans the Rock, looks for Austin. They're about to break down a door, but Faarooq tells Mark Henry to be the first to go in to prove he's worthy of being a Nation member. They charge in but only find a chair with an Austin foam middle finger sitting on it. Kama tears up the paraphernalia while Faarooq orders them to find Austin.
Kevin Kelly interviews Jim Cornette, who's talking to the fans on AOL.
Mike Tyson is then shown during the previous match, talking to Vince and Shane McMahon.
They show a recap of the Rock/Shamrock feud. Shamrock has taken out every member of the Nation with the Ankle Lock except for the Rock. He almost did it during a tag match on Raw, but Mark Henry attacked Shamrock, joining the Nation.
Michael Cole interviews the Rock, who goes on a pointless rant about President Clinton and Paula Jones. He then tells Shamrock there will be people standing by to carry his sorry ass out of the building.
WWF Intercontinental Title Match: "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock vs. The Rock
The Rock took some time to let the crowd know that he was their Intercontinental Champion and that he was the best damn Intercontinental Champion there ever was. When the bell rang, they both got into fighting stance, intensely staring at each other. The Rock broke off to respond to some fans. They got back into a fighting stance, and Shamrock tried for a kick that the Rock avoided. They locked up and Rock backed Shamrock into the corner. The Rock tried for a cheap shot, but Shamrock ducked. They locked up again and Rock tried to back Shamrock into the corner. Shamrock reversed and Rock tried another cheap shot. Shamrock blocked and caught the Rock with a right hand of his own. The Rock kicked Shamrock and laid in some rights. An Irish whip was reversed. Shamrock missed a back elbow and a clothesline, but managed to lay in a kick to the Rock's side. Rock got up and a right hand from Shamrock sent him over the top rope. Rock got back in and kneed Shamrock in the midsection. He hit some rights and whipped Shamrock into the corner. He charged and hit a clothesline as well as some kicks and some rights. He whipped Shamrock into the corner again, but Shamrock charged out with a clothesline. He bounced off the ropes and hit another clothesline and then went for a hurricanrana. However, the Rock dropped him across the top rope, which got him a two count. The Rock stomped him and Shamrock fought back with right hands. Rock raked the eyes and rammed him into the top turnbuckle. He stomped Shamrock some more and choked him with his boot. Shamrock fought back with lefts and rights, but Rock raked the eyes again. He whipped Shamrock into the ropes but missed a clothesline. Shamrock hit a cross body for a two count. He hit a fisherman's suplex for another two count. The Rock hit a clothesline that took Shamrock down. He threw Shamrock out of the ring and rammed him into the steps. They both got back in the ring and Shamrock tried to fight back with right hands. He whipped the Rock into the ropes but missed a clothesline, which the Rock turned into a floatover DDT. That got him a two count. Rock applied a reverse chinlock. Shamrock immediately got to his feet and nearly escaped, but the Rock hit him with some right hands and reapplied the hold. Shamrock fought out but the Rock raked the eyes again. He whipped Shamrock into the ropes, but it was reversed. Rock went for another floatover DDT, but Shamrock countered into a Northern Lights suplex. Shamrock hit rights and lefts and whipped Rock into the ropes. He missed a clothesline and blocked a right hand from the Rock before nailing him with one of his own. The Rock begged off, but Shamrock whipped him into the ropes and hit a powerslam for a two count. He laid in some rights and then snapped. The Rock raked the eyes once again and rammed Shamrock's face into the turnbuckle. A whip into the corner was reversed, and Shamrock hit a hurricanrana. Kama and D'lo Brown ran down to the ring, but Shamrock took them out with rights. D'lo got his foot caught in the ropes, and the ref tried to get him out. Meanwhile, the Rock pulled some brass knuckles out of his tights and nailed Shamrock with him. He put the knucks in Shamrock's tights and covered him. He got a two count. The ref went back to try and free D'lo. The Rock tried slamming Shamrock, but he escaped and hit a belly-to-belly suplex. He covered and got the pin at 10:53. However, as Shamrock was celebrating, the Rock told the ref that Shamrock hit him with the brass knuckles. The ref pulled Shamrock down from the second rope to search him. He felt the knucks and Shamrock, confused, pulled them out of his own tights. He denied using them, but the ref rang the bell and reversed the decision, awarding the match to the Rock via DQ. As the Rock escaped with his belt, Shamrock suplexed the ref and applied the Ankle Lock. Other refs ran in to try and get him off, but Shamrock snapped.
Three Faces of Foley t-shirt ad.
We take a look at the 1-800-COLLECT blimp. Lawler wonders if Max Mini's the pilot.
Backstage, Los Boriquas look for Austin. They see him in a locker room and attack. However, 8-Ball and Chainz attack them in response, revealing they had really seen one of the members of DOA from behind.
They show a Legion of Doom/New Age Outlaws feud recap. The Outlaws give out free haircuts while Animal goes through a table and Hawk slobbers a lot.
Out in the arena, the New Age Outlaws make their entrance. The Road Dogg makes fun of the 49ers, saying that the only role Steve Young will have in the Super Bowl is telling his fat wife to fetch him another brewski.
Michael Cole interviews the Legion of Doom. They say they may not be one hundred percent, but they're going to put the NAO on ice.
WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Legion of Doom vs. The New Age Outlaws
As the LOD made their entrance, the NAO attacked. The Legion of Doom got the upper hand and Hawk and Billy Gunn went to the outside. Animal whipped the Road Dogg into the ropes but it was reversed and Road Dogg leapfrogged him. He tried for another leapfrog, but Animal caught him and powerbombed him. He covered and got a one count before Gunn ran in to break up the pin. Road Dogg rolled out of the ring and Hawk tossed Billy out. The New Age Outlaws walked back up the aisle, trying to run away. The LOD went after them and brought them back to the ring. Hawk and Road Dogg stayed in. Hawk kicked Road Dogg and whipped him into the ropes, hitting him with a flying shoulderblock. He whipped him into the corner and charged with a clothesline. He followed with a big boot and a fist drop, and then tagged Animal. They whipped Road Dogg into the ropes and hit a double back elbow. Animal twisted Road Dogg's head sideways in a submission hold and we saw that Road Dogg was bleeding from the mouth. Animal tagged Hawk, who kicked Road Dogg and executed a reverse neckbreaker. He ran over and punched Billy for good measure. Road Dogg gave Hawk a right hand and tagged Gunn. Billy received a hiptoss from Hawk, who then whipped him into the ropes and hit a Thesz Press, following with right hands. He grabbed Billy's hair and spun him around, dropping him face first onto the mat. He tagged Animal. Billy went for a clothesline that missed, and Animal hit a back suplex. Billy got up, hit Animal and whipped him into the ropes. Animal reversed and caught Gunn in a powerslam. Road Dogg ran in and got powerslammed as well. Animal utilized a modified camel clutch on Gunn. He tagged Hawk, who snapmared Billy and applied an STF. He let up and tagged Animal, who ran over and gave Road Dogg a right hand. He applied a side headlock on Billy and got whipped into the ropes. Road Dogg grabbed his foot, which allowed Billy to give Animal a forearm from behind that took him out of the ring. On the outside, Animal blocked a right hand from Road Dogg and hit him with one of his own. He tried an Irish whip, but Road Dogg reversed and sent Animal into the steps. He stomped Animal in the back while Billy distracted the ref. Hawk ran into the ring and attacked Billy, but Road Dogg jumped in and helped his partner double team Hawk. They whipped him into the corner, but Hawk came flying out (no pun intended) with a double clothesline. He whipped Road Dogg into the corner and charged, but Road Dogg moved. Hawk crashed shoulder first into the ring post and fell out of the ring. Road Dogg rammed him face first into the steps. He then went and retrieved a pair of handcuffs. He ran toward Hawk, hitting Animal in the head with them on the way over. He handcuffed Hawk to the bottom turnbuckle and helped Gunn double team Animal. They attempted a double back suplex, but Animal escaped, bounced off the ropes and took them out with a double clothesline. He whipped Gunn into the ropes and hit a flying shoulderblock that got him a two count. Billy stuck his thumb in Animal's eye and went to the top rope. He went for a flying bodypress, but Animal countered with a powerslam and cover. At the two count, Road Dogg ran in and hit Animal with a chair, drawing a DQ at 7:55. The Outlaws continued their attack on Animal's back with a chair, and Billy splashed him from the second rope. Hawk finally managed to break the handcuffs and ran in. He got the chair and hit Road Dogg with two stiff shots. The Outlaws ran for it while Hawk helped Animal.
Commercial for No Way Out: In Your House next month. The voiceover guy fails to come up with a catchy tag line.
Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross announce that Mildred Bowers from Nashville, TN has won Stone Cold's truck.
They show a recap of why Stone Cold's a marked man in the Rumble. For the past four weeks, he's been going after everybody in the Rumble, hitting them with Stunners.
1998 Royal Rumble
In the ring, Howard Finkel announced the rules of the Royal Rumble Match. Number one was Cactus Jack, who came to the ring with several trash cans. Number two was Chainsaw Charlie, who simply brought his chainsaw. He went after Cactus, but he vacated the ring and started to throw chairs in. He finally got in and the match started. They hit each other with chairs for awhile, until Chainsaw invited Cactus to take his best shot. He did, and then Cactus offered the same. Chainsaw nearly floored Cactus with the chair. Number three was Tom Brandi, who was quickly eliminated by the other two combatants. Cactus set up two chairs and suplexed Chainsaw through them. The next participant was the Rock. He went for both of them, but Cactus hit him with a trash can and then put it over his head. After some right hands on Rock, Cactus hit the trash can with a chair, which sent Rock through the ropes. Mosh came in next, followed by Phineas Godwinn and 8-Ball. Chainsaw Charlie eliminated cactus Jack. The next entrant was Blackjack Bradshaw. The next person in was Owen Hart. However, Jeff Jarrett and Jim Cornette immediately attacked Hart. They put such a beating on him that he never made it to the ring. Steve Blackman was the next man in, followed by D'lo Brown. After a few moments, D'lo and the Rock started to fight with each other. Kurrgan was the next entrant, and quickly eliminated Mosh. Marc Mero was the next one down, and Kurrgan eliminated Steve Blackman. Ken Shamrock was the next participant, and he went right after Kurrgan, taking him down after several kicks to the knee and a spinning heel kick. Several people ganged up on Kurrgan and eliminated him. Thrasher was the next person in, and to everyone's surprise, Mankind was after him. Mankind immediately went for Chainsaw Charlie and eliminated him. Goldust came out shortly, this time in a silver body suit, red face paint and a bra and thong outside his clothes. He eliminated Mankind. Jeff Jarrett was the next man in, but shortly thereafter, Owen Hart ran in and attacked Jarrett. After beating him down, Jarrett nearly eliminated him. However, Owen skinned the cat and remained in the ring, eliminating Jarrett as he was doing his strut. The Honky Tonk Man came out, with Triple H and Chyna in tow. Rock low blowed Shamrock and threw him out. Owen was trying to eliminate Goldust as he saw Helmsley. Chyna tried hitting him with a crutch but Owen caught it. Hunter, who had made his way up to the apron, used his other crutch on Owen's back, allowing Chyna to pull him out and eliminate him. Owen chased Triple H back to the locker room as Ahmed Johnson entered. He went after the Nation of Domination members. Mark Henry was in next to help out his Nation brothers by throwing powder in Ahmed's face. The buzzer sounded for number twenty-two, but no one came out. Ross and Lawler speculated that it may have been Austin's number. D'lo and Mark Henry eliminated Ahmed, and Phineas was eliminated shortly thereafter by Henry. Kama Mustafa was the next man out. When it came time for the next man, Stone Cold's music played and the crowd went nuts. Action in the ring stopped as everyone looked at the aisle and waited for Austin. However, Stone Cold came in through the crowd and sneaked in the ring, eliminating Mero before anyone else even saw him. They ganged up on him, but Austin also managed to throw out 8-Ball. We learned that the guy who didn't come out was Skull, who was put out by the attack from the Boriquas. Henry Godwinn was the next guy in, and he went immediately for Austin. Savio Vega was next, and he led Los Boriquas in the ring to attack Austin. He fought them off and almost gave Savio a Stunner. Faarooq was the next man in, and Dude Love came next. Dude quickly eliminated Bradshaw. Chainz was the next entrant. Faarooq eliminated D'lo. The last entrant was Vader, who quickly eliminated the Honky Tonk Man. Austin quickly eliminated Thrasher, Kama and Savio. Goldust eliminated Vader. Dude threw out Henry Godwinn. Chainz eliminated Goldust. Austin eliminated Chainz while Faarooq threw Mark Henry out. Austin paired up with Faarooq while Dude went for Rock. Austin clotheslined Faarooq, while Dude hit Sweet Shin Music and a double arm DDT. They turned on each other, with Dude going for the Mandible Claw on Austin. Austin kicked him in the nuts, and Faarooq clotheslined Dude over the top rope. Rock pretended to be hurt while Faarooq worked over Austin. Rock sneaked up and eliminated Faarooq and then went after Austin. They traded punches, and Austin threw Rock over the top. However, Rock hung on and Austin saw him. Austin hit the Stone Cold Stunner. Rock staggered to his feet and Austin threw him out, winning the Rumble at 55:20. The crowd went nuts, as did Mike Tyson.
Order of Entrance
1. Cactus Jack
2. Chainsaw Charlie
3. Tom Brandi
4. The Rock
5. Mosh
6. Phineas Godwinn
7. 8-Ball
8. Blackjack Bradshaw
9. Owen Hart
10. Steve Blackman
11. D'lo Brown
12. Kurrgan
13. Marc Mero
14. Ken Shamrock
15. Thrasher
16. Mankind
17. Goldust
18. Jeff Jarrett
19. Honky Tonk Man
20. Ahmed Johnson
21. Mark Henry
22. N/A
23. Kama Mustafa
24. Steve Austin
25. Henry Godwinn
26. Savio Vega
27. Faarooq
28. Dude Love
29. Chainz
30. Vader
Order of Elimination
1. Brandi (Chainsaw and Cactus)
2. Cactus (Chainsaw)
3. Mosh (Kurrgan)
4. Blackman (Kurrgan)
5. Kurrgan (group effort)
6. Chainsaw (Mankind)
7. Mankind (Goldust)
8. Jarrett (Owen)
9. Shamrock (Rock)
10. Owen (Triple H and Chyna)
11. Ahmed (D'lo and Mark Henry)
12. Phineas (Mark Henry)
13. Mero (Austin)
14. 8-Ball (Austin)
15. Bradshaw (Dude)
16. D'lo (Faarooq)
17. Honky (Vader)
18. Thrasher (Austin)
19. Kama (Austin)
20. Savio (Austin)
21. Vader (Goldust)
22. Henry Godwinn (Dude)
23. Goldust (Chainz)
24. Chainz (Austin)
25. Mark Henry (Faarooq)
26. Dude (Faarooq)
27. Faarooq (Rock)
28. Rock (Austin)
29. Winner: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
Michael Cole interviews Mike Tyson, who insists he's a big fan of Stone Cold, despite calling him "Cold Stone."
A video montage of the Shawn Michaels/Undertaker feud, with footage from their Hell in a Cell encounter. They show Michaels coming down in the spray painted casket during a Helmsley interview and then from the next week, Shawn's weakest line ever. "If you two are up there… th, then who… who's in the casket?" Kane also comes down to save Undertaker from DX, so presumably their feud is over before it really got started (ch'a).
WWF World Title Match: "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker
The Undertaker's loud boom when he brought the lights back on scared Michaels out of the ring. When the match got underway, Shawn circled him nervously. He backed himself into a corner and Undertaker swung at him. Michaels ducked and jabbed at Undertaker. He turned to the crowd, but Undertaker grabbed him by the throat and hauled him into the corner. He swung at Shawn and missed again. Shawn jabbed at him some more. The jabs had no effect on Undertaker, and he backed Shawn into the opposite corner. He swung and missed again. This time, Shawn climbed to the second turnbuckle for the ten-punch. Undertaker tossed him off, but Shawn rolled backward and ran back up, continuing the assault. Undertaker threw him off again, and Michaels ran back in and right into a choke. Shawn kicked him in the midsection and hit him with some right hands. He whipped Undertaker into the corner, but he reversed. Shawn tried to vault backwards off the second turnbuckle, but Undertaker caught him by the throat with both hands and lifted him. Shawn raked the eyes and bounced off the ropes. He ducked a clothesline, but Undertaker lifted him into a military press. However, he couldn't hold him and was forced to put him down. Shawn bounced off the ropes and Undertaker backdropped him over the top rope, with Shawn's back striking the edge of the casket. Looking back, I bet Shawn wishes he had let Undertaker slam him. Shawn rolled on the floor in pain for a few moments. Undertaker came out and gave him a military press slam on the floor. When Shawn got up, he was met with a big boot that sent him inside the casket. Shawn quickly scrambled out, accidentally ramming himself into the ring steps. When they got in the ring, Shawn bounced off the ropes and ducked a clothesline. Undertaker lifted him for a Tombstone, but Shawn escaped. Shawn got a waistlock, but Undertaker ran to the ropes. Shawn bounced off backwards and bounced off the ropes, but Undertaker hit him with a hard right hand that floored him. He picked him up and gave him a scoop slam. Undertaker bounced off the ropes and missed an elbow drop, but sat right up. Shawn applied a wristlock, but Undertaker reversed and pulled Shawn's shoulder into his body. He went up to the top rope and walked across, nailing Michaels with a clothesline to the back of the head. Shawn backed himself into a corner, but Undertaker laid into him with left and right hands. He whipped Shawn into the opposite corner and Michaels flipped over the top rope, taking out a cameraman with his legs. Undertaker pulled him onto the apron, but Shawn grabbed his head and dropped, hanging Undertaker on the top rope. He went to the top rope, but Undertaker caught him and hit a powerslam. He rolled Shawn into the casket and tried to close the lid, but Shawn had an arm sticking out. Undertaker tried stepping on it, but Shawn raised the lid and threw powder into his face. Michaels got on the apron while Undertaker punched blindly. Undertaker connected with one shot, but Shawn got in the ring and hit him with right hands. Undertaker got Shawn in a choke and lifted him, but Shawn hooked his feet on the top turnbuckle and gave Undertaker an eye rake. He hung on to the turnbuckle as Undertaker released him and Shawn executed a moonsault. He followed up with right hands to the Undertaker's head. When Undertaker got up, Shawn clotheslined him over the top and skinned the cat to get back in the ring. However, the Undertaker grabbed his feet and pulled him under the bottom rope. He gave him a right hand and rammed him into the railing and the French announcing table. He tried an Irish whip, but Shawn reversed and Undertaker's knees crashed into the poor ring steps. Shawn lifted the steps, the strain on his back evident on his face, slammed them into the Taker's back twice. He then gave him a piledriver on the bottom half of the steps. Shawn got back in the ring, and HHH attacked the Undertaker with his crutches. Shawn rolled out and grabbed a chair, hitting Undertaker in the back with it. Shawn threw him in the ring and whipped him into the ropes, hitting him with a flying reverse elbow. He rolled Undertaker into the casket, but he fought back, putting Michaels over the top rope and back into the ring with a right hand. He also nailed Helmsley. He got back in the ring, where he headbutted Shawn and whipped him into the ropes. He put his head down and Shawn executed a swinging neckbreaker. He whipped Undertaker into the ropes and applied a sleeper hold. He wore him down onto the canvas, but Undertaker was able to fight out. He grabbed Shawn by the waist and gave him a back suplex. He whipped Shawn into the ropes, but it was reversed. Shawn hit a flying forearm and kipped up. He then hit his elbow drop from the top rope and signaled for Sweet Chin Music. He hit the superkick and rolled Undertaker into the casket. Rather than close the lid, he stood over the casket and did a crotch chop. Undertaker suddenly grabbed Shawn by the nuts and punched him, sending Michaels back in the ring. He gave him some right hands and whipped him into the ropes, hitting a back bodydrop. He whipped him into the corner and Michaels hung himself upside down in the turnbuckles. When he got to his feet and turned around, Undertaker met him with a clothesline. He whipped Shawn into the ropes and hit a big boot. Undertaker bounced off the ropes, but Shawn ducked the flying clothesline, and Undertaker's momentum took him into the casket. Shawn climbed to the top rope and hit a bodypress on Taker in the casket (or elbow drop, if you're Jim Ross). The lid shut on them both, with the casket shaking as the fight raged on inside. Michaels opened the lid and tried to escape, but Undertaker dragged him in by the feet and the lid shut again. The lid finally opened again, with Undertaker landing several right hands. Back in the ring, Shawn bounced off the ropes, ducked a big boot, but Undertaker caught him by the throat. He lifted him and chokeslammed him. Undertaker signaled for the Tombstone, and gave it to Shawn in the casket. Before he could close the lid, Los Boriquas and the New Age Outlaws ran in, attacking Undertaker. They tried to get him in the casket, but the lights went out and Kane's music hit. Kane cleaned house and raised his arms. When he brought them down, the pyro guys missed their cue, so nothing happened. He then attacked Undertaker, chokeslamming him into the casket. Shawn had gotten out during the attack and shut the lid, ending the match at 20:33.
As DX left, Paul Bearer came to ringside and helped Kane lock the casket. They rolled it up to the entrance ramp, where Kane laid into it with an ax. He then poured gasoline over the casket, while Paul lit some matches. He handed them to Kane, and Kane threw them on the casket, which burst into flames. Kane got down on a knee and raised his arm in the Undertaker's pose as the copyright info came up.
This wasn't a great PPV, but it wasn't bad either. There were three good matches in UT/Shawn (best casket match ever), the mini six-man and Shamrock/Rock (surprisingly good, considering both men had the workrate of a slug at that point). Vader/Goldust was watchable, as was the Rumble match, though Austin was the only one who could logically win. Too many over midcarders came in and were thrown out shortly after they entered, such as Shamrock, Jarrett, and Owen while people who weren't over such as Bradshaw, 8-Ball and Mark Henry got to stay in way too long. They also had a chance to build up Kurrgan as a monster, but blew it by only having him eliminate two guys before being ganged up on and thrown out. I liked Rock as the Ironman, drawing number four and going about fifty minutes. The Austin vs. the World angle was played out well, and Foley competing as all three personalities was amusing. I've always had fun watching this PPV, but never expect anything earth shattering from it.