Flashback Friday! Survivor Series '98: Bound for Glory or Victim to Deadly Game?

As promised this week I'm discussing Survivor Series 1998: Deadly Game. It was such a great year for the WWF all thanks to the big four pay-per-views (otherwise the year wasn't that memorable) that were fantastic: SummerSlam in Madison Square Garden, the casket match at Royal Rumble, Stone Cold's first title at WrestleMania XIV and then finally the Deadly Game!

It's fitting that I review this event this weekend as pay-per-view had a 14-man tournament for the vacant WWF Championship in 1998 whereas this weekend at Bound For Glory, Jeff Hardy squares off against Kurt Angle and Mr. Anderson in the final of a Tournament for the vacant TNA Heavyweight Championship.

I hope to hear back on your memories of the event or if you hadn’t seen it before, and watched it on my recommendation, what you thought of it. Suggestions for future Flashback Fridays are welcome also.

There were only six first-round matches as both the Undertaker and Kane got a bye into the quarterfinals so they could face each other once more. Vince McMahon vowed to crown a corporate champion with members Big Bossman and Ken Shamrock competing. More importantly Vince vowed that Stone Cold Steve Austin would not win the tournament.

The first-round matches featured Mankind against McMahon's surprise entrant which turned out to be Duane Gill (he would later compete in the WWF as Gillberg—a parody of Bill Goldberg), Mankind had spent weeks leading up to the event trying to impress the corporation so he could be the corporate champion. Al Snow defeated Jeff Jarrett to earn a spot against Mankind in the semifinals.

Big Bossman purposely got disqualified against Stone Cold but beat Stone Cold down in the process to try and ensure he would not compete later in the night, but when X-Pac and the "Real Man's Man" Steven Regal were both counted out, Stone Cold was granted a bye to the semifinal and more time to recuperate. Goldust and Ken Shamrock had a good match in which Shamrock won with an ankle lock.

In what was meant to be a rematch from SummerSlam, The Rock and Triple H were to face off against each other but due to Triple H's injury, Vince McMahon nominated the Big Bossman to replace Helmsley only to lose to The Rock in a quick three-second match.

In the first quarterfinal match the Undertaker defeated Kane in an OK match but a match that we had seen far too many times already that year and would never live up to their original match at WrestleMania XIV in Boston. Next up, Mankind beat Al Snow when he rediscovered Mr. Socko wrapped around his head (he had been missing Mr. Socko for several weeks.)

The Rock took on Ken Shamrock in another good match, better than their King Of The Ring final match earlier in the year but this time it was The Rock who came out on top after Big Bossman tried to interfere on Shamrock's behalf to eliminate the Rock who had been a thorn in the corporation's side. But when Bossman threw his nightstick to Shamrock, it was intercepted by The Rock who nailed Shamrock with it and got the three-count.

The final four in the tournament were Stone Cold against Mankind and Undertaker against The Rock. Although Mankind had been trying his best to gain the corportation's approval they hadn't wholeheartedly endorsed the idea of him being the corporate champion but with Stone Cold, 'Taker and The Rock as the others in the tournament, Mankind was the clear favorite in Mr. McMahon's mind!

First he had to get through the former champion Stone Cold and with the help of Shane McMahon who had been demoted to the position of referee by Vince rejoined with his father when he refused to count the three after Austin hit Foley with a Stunner, then helping Mankind get through to the final.

All that had to be decided was his opponent: The Rock or Undertaker. Vince wanted neither but his decision was made by none other than the Undertaker's brother Kane who interfered in the match and attacked The Rock. It became apparent that he did so just to get his brother disqualified and eliminated from the match.

So the final came down to The Rock and Mankind,. They fought inside the ring, outside the ring, behind the announcers, brawling everywhere! Then the match ended suddenly when The Rock placed Mankind in a Sharpshooter, it was at this moment that Vince instructed the timekeeper to ring the bell even though Mankind had not tapped out, it looked all too familiar to that night in Montreal a year before when McMahon had done the same to Bret Hart.

As Vince and Shane climbed in the ring and put the WWF Championship around The Rock (his first ever), the confusion on Rock's face quickly turned into a smile and then he gave a big hug to both McMahon's and declared himself the new corporate WWF champion. He was in cahoots with them all along and Mankind was being used. It would lead to one of the best feuds in WWF history.

The matches these two would have for that belt—the "I Quit" match, the "Last Man Standing" match, and the "Empty Arena" match— were classics in the business that helped the Attitude era burn bright.

Other matches on the card included Sable and Jacqueline for the women's title and the New Age Outlaws and the Headbangers for the tag belts. Both matches were passable and filler just to break up the tournament. But the tournament itself overall was fantastic. I highly recommend this pay-per-view to anyone who hasn't seen it and if you have, go and watch it again!

Next week I don't know what to do so leave suggestions in the comments box below. Thanks! 

Duane Doogan runs The Wrestling Voice website, who recently interviewed Chris Jericho, Rob Feinstein, Chris Daniels and others so look out for that and is also looking for new writers to write for the site. So check out WrestlingVoice.net if you are interested.