It’s still May 1998 on “Into the Vault” and that means we’re getting into WWE Over the Edge: In Your House from May 31. This one has the anticipated rematch between WWE Champion Stone Cold Steve Austin and Dude Love. We also have…nope, that’s it. Let’s dive in!
The Best of WWE Over the Edge
In the fourth match of the evening—yes, that just lets you know how mid this show was for the most part—we have a fun, fast-paced handicap match as Justin Bradshaw and Taka Michinoku face off against Kaientai. While Bradshaw didn’t stink of the joint, the star on that team was Michinoku as he took on his fellow Kaientai DX members and pretty carried the exciting parts of the match for his team.
As for the Kaientai team—c’mon, now. It’s Dick Togo, Men’s Teioh, and 90s Funaki. That was a ridiculously strong, speedy as hell trio that was only more insane when Michinoku was with them.
The main event was raw, uncut dope. Austin and Foley just gelled so well together. It’s safe to say that the action between these two was amazing, no question. However, there was an added element of Austin vs. McMahon and the owner of WWE stacking the deck against the Rattlesnake.
This was a falls count anywhere bout—great for Austin and perfect for Dude Love—and Vinnie Mac had his goons in every position. He served as the special guest referee because he’s literally the most impartial official ever, Pat Patterson was the guest ring announcer, Gerald Brisco was the timekeeper, and The Undertaker was the special guest enforcer.
You know, just in case the Austin pulled some slick sh** in a no disqualification falls count anywhere match. Totally legit, folks. This match and the story told made the PPV but it’s kind of weird it was just on an In Your House event.
The Rest
Honestly, we don’t need to go into the rest of the show but I do split this into the best bit and the rest of it. The opening match between LOD 2000 and the Disciples of Apocalypse was…it was ass. Too slow, not enjoyable, and too long—most likely because it was too slow.
If anything, DOA should’ve just brawled with LOD 2000 instead of this being a mostly in-ring affair. The Harris Brothers—DOA’s 8-Ball and Skull—were enjoyable brawlers just three years earlier. I want to say that there’s no way they became a chore to watch in three years but it happens in wrestling.
Jeff Jarrett taking on Steve Blackman could’ve been a bit shorter but it actually wasn’t a bad match at all. The fans just weren’t invested here and sometimes that can hurt your perception of a match. A match has to be good for you to just go “F*** these wet blanket fans, this is good!”
Marc Mero was supposed to face an opponent of Sable’s choosing in a “Loser Leaves Town” match. Sable ends up facing Mero herself saying she doesn’t need a man to handle her battles. Mero pins Sable in short order. SKIP.
The Rock defending his IC title against former The Nation of Domination leader wasn’t bad. It definitely isn’t something you’d call good or a “must watch”. This match was just there but it didn’t overstay its welcome. At just over five minutes, it was a good, safe title defense for The Rock.
I don’t know what to say about Kane vs. Vader. This was a “Mask vs. Mask” bout which didn’t make sense at all since sometimes Vader would take off his own mask in a match. However, when all the man has is his wrestling gear, there really isn’t anything else for him to put against Kane’s mask.
He definitely shouldn’t put up the deed to the White Castle of Fear, are you crazy? C’mon now. The match itself was…meh. If you fast-forwarded through this one or skipped it, you missed nothing. Again, this was not a good period for Vader.
Our semi-main event saw The Nation members D’Lo, Kama Mustafa, and Owen Hart defeats D-Generation X in a long, dry match. This match was just…it wasn’t exciting in addition to being over 18-minutes. It got important match time and didn’t deliver that urgency. The handicap match was more eventful and it was shorter.
WWE Over the Edge Verdict: Bronze Medal (2.25/5)
WWE’s Over the Edge beats Slamboree 1998 by a squeaker! Usually, the In Your House events just can’t get the job done against a WCW PPV even with a stronger main event. Most of this card hovered between meh and decent with two matches that really stood out. The main event between Steve Austin and Dude Love for the World title is our obvious match of the show while the handicap match is our runner-up.
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