Raw Deal - Raw recap for May 11, 1998

RAW

WWF owner Vince McMahon shows up to start the show. He says that when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin comes through that locker room door, he will have to take part in tag team action tonight. He then takes the opportunity to introduce someone who has proven he is willing to make sacrifices to the extent that he has become #1 contender to the WWF Championship: Dude Love. Instead of the usual tie-dye, he is wearing a suit, carrying a copy of The Wall Street Journal, has a shaved beard and has artificial front teeth in his mouth. Dude says that last week, he was confused as to what his true identity was, but knows who he is now: a well-educated man, a speaker of four different languages, a reader of Greek tragedy, a student of American history, a lover of women, a leader of man, a surprisingly good dancer for a big man, the king of hardcore wrestling, and - as Austin will find out at Over The Edge - the world's toughest S.O.B. He is the future WWF Champion, and he is Dude Love. Dude Love and Vince shake hands, and Dude Love says that for quite some time, Dude Love had lost his smile and is happy to report that with the support of Vince McMahon and the WWF, he has found that smile and it certainly feels good. He says that this time, a handshake won't do it, and he and Vince both hug. Vince says he is proud of Dude Love, and has a surprise for him: the special guest timekeeper for his and Austin's match at Over The Edge will be none other than Gerald Brisco. Brisco shows up and shakes hands with both Dude Love and Vince, and Vince says he has another surprise: Pat Patterson is special guest ring announcer for the match will be Pat Patterson, who also shows up and shakes hands with everyone in the ring. Vince then gives us one more surprise: a special guest referee in the form of...someone who doesn't show up. Vince McMahon heads to the back to see what's going on, as does Gerald Briscoe. Pat Patterson then introduces the special guest referee, and after teasing it will be Bret "The Hit Man" Hart, he announces it will be Vince McMahon, who comes back in black slacks and a sleeveless referee's shirt. Vince then mocks Austin's ring entrance before all four men raise their arms in triumph.

Kevin Kelly is backstage as Sable shows up. Sable has no time to talk as enters in preparation of her public confrontation with "Marvelous" Marc Mero.

We see footage of D-Generation X ("Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna, X-Pac, "Road Dog" Jesse James, "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) on their way to the CNN Tower in Atlanta, Georgia, where they where they make their way to World Championship Wrestling. They have no way of getting in, however, after being stopped by security, but they still have their fans in the area.

Kevin Kelly opens a garage door backstage when it is banged on. Instead of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, it's Al Snow from Extreme Championship Wrestling, who has Head with him as well as tickets to the show. He admits that he is a little lost, and Kevin Kelly gives him directions to his seats. Kevin Kelly is bemused by the fact that Al Snow is talking to a mannequin head.

Vader, back in action from injury after three months. beats Barry Windham. During the match, it is announced that Vader will face Kane at Over The Edge, and the loser will be forced to unmask. After the match, The New Midnight Express ("Bombastic" Bob Holly and "Bodacious" Bart Gunn) fail to take out Vader, and Vader leaves the ring as soon as it becomes apparent that it will be a 3-on-1 brawl. It is also announced that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin will debut on MTV Celebrity Deathmatch this Thursday on MTV.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin has arrived.

During the commercial break, Kevin Kelly interviews "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Austin says Gerald Brisco, Pat Patterson and WWF owner Vince McMahon don't qualify to be "The Three Stooges" and that they're so pathetic that they're "The Three Jackasses." He says that whatever Vince does, he won't take the WWF Championship from him. As for tonight, he's not a tag team wrestler, and upon being told that nothing about the match has been revealed, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin takes the microphone and heads further into the building.

Skull beats Road Warrior Hawk with a roll-up. Actually, 8-Ball does after he and Skull pull the old switcheroo on Hawk.

We see more footage of D-Generation X ("Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna, X-Pac, "Road Dog" Jesse James, "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) at the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

We see another vignette of Edge, in which he mostly walks around.

We see footage from earlier today of Bradshaw teaching Taka Michinoku how to drive in America while the two of them smoke cigars. When they make it back, they are suddenly jumped by Club Kamikaze, who is accompanied by an older man in a business suit.

Faarooq beats "Double J" Jeff Jarrett after Kama Mustafa and "The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry attack Faarooq and "The Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman." Jarrrett takes advantage of the situation by striking Blackman in the back with his own nunchaku before choking him with them.

Tony Siragusa of the Batlimore Ravens is seen in the crowd.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin shows up. He says that WWF owner Vince McMahon may have stacked the deck against him at Over The Edge, but he doesn't care as it doesn't bother him one bit. He knows Vince can't stand him, and he feels the same way about Vince. He says that if Vince won't tell him anything about the tag team match he is part of tonight, then the least he can do is show up and give him some information if he is any kind of man. Vince shows up on the TitanTron with Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco, saying they're having a board meeting. As for Over The Edge, he says his title reign is going "over the edge." As for the tag team match, Patterson and Brisco say they know nothing, before imitating the "Speak No Evil, See No Evil, Hear No Evil" monkeys. Austin tells the threesome they can cover up their eyes, ears and mouths but they can't cover up their asses, and when it's all said and done, it where he'll stick the WWF Championship.

We see a splicing of Val Venis vignettes before the end of Raw.

WAR ZONE

Sable gets in the ring and calls out "Marvelous" Marc Mero. When Mero shows up, Sable says she never thought he'd take it this far, but if has to come to this, she'll give him her best. Mero tells Sable not to weasel out of this match as it's a little too late, then immediately attempts a TKO only to put her down and says he could have finished her off quickly, only to let her go because he's a gentleman. He gives Sable a chance to apologize for ruining his WWF career, but Sable kicks him in the groin before putting him in the Sable Bomb.

The Undertaker suddenly shows up, throws the chair that Jerry "The King" Lawler was sitting in, and punches Lawler in the face for his locker room remarks in his inadvertently-recorded conversation with Paul Bearer from last week. Lawler gets choke slammed, but Kane and Paul Bearer make their presence known before 'Taker can put Lawler in the Tombstone Piledriver. Bearer tells The Undertaker that either the truth hurts him badly instead or he doesn't believe him at all, but then reminds him that he told him Kane was alive and that he didn't believe it, either. Next week, he will prove once and for all that he is Kane's father. After Kane and Paul Bearer leave, The Undertaker stops Lawler from leaving and continues where he left off, hitting him with the Tombstone Piledriver.

Al Snow shows up, this time at ringside, and he and Head almost guest on commentary only to be escorted out by security and Pat Patterson. Snow insists he needs to see WWF owner Vince McMahon, then runs into the ring and into the crowd.

D-Generation X ("Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna, X-Pac, "Road Dog" Jesse James, "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) is still at the CNN Center. He says the Atlanta, Georgia version of "Operation DX" is complete, then we see a computer-generated rocket "hit" the CNN Center and create a computer-generated explosion.

D-Generation X ("Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna, X-Pac, "Road Dog" Jesse James, "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) show up. X-Pac says they have gotten back from Atlanta, Georgia where World Championship Wrestling nearly had them arrested, and tells Eric Bischoff that he doesn't know what he's smoking and that he never asked him for anything, much less an apology, except for him to be a man. As for kissing ass, he never kissed Vince McMahon's ass and he never kissed Bischoff's, and tells Bischoff to "suck on it." The New Age Outlaws (James, Gunn) introduce themselves, then Gunn tells the Baltimore, Maryland crowd that they're either with them or their ass better call somebody. Triple H then tells the Baltimore, Maryland crowd that DX loves them and that he has a surprise for their state bird. Before he can show that surprise, Owen Hart shows up and says he's heard enough before telling Triple H they have unfinished business. Triple H says if they have unfinished business, he's right here waiting, and Owen tells him he's coming down to the ring to kick his ass before bringing out the rest of The Nation of Domination ("The Rock" Rocky Maivia, D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, "The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry).

Jim Cornette guests on commentary for the next match.

Triple H vs. Owen Hart ends with a nasty confrontation between the rest of D-Generation X (Chyna, X-Pac, "Road Dog" Jesse James, "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) and the rest of The Nation of Domination ("The Rock" Rocky Maivia, D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, "The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry) after Owen Hart bites Triple H's ear and Chyna crotches Owen Hart on the top rope.

It is announced that there will be a Six-Man Tag Match between D-Generation X ("Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna, X-Pac, "Road Dog" Jesse James, "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) and The Nation of Domination ("The Rock" Rocky Maivia, Owen Hart, D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, "The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry) at Over The Edge.

The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust shows up as Dustin Runnels, carrying his Goldust outfit, wig and a steel can wit a gas can in it. He takes the suit and wig, places them in the can, pours gas on it, then lights a entire box of matches and throws it in the steel can, setting them ablaze. Runnels tells WWF owner Vince McMahon he has worked "too damn hard" for him for three years, and that the Rhodes name goes way back and has a lot of pride, history and dignity in it. He does not have that dignity because of Vince taking it away from him due to his imagination. He blames Vince for losing his father "The American Dream" Dusty Rhodes and causing him so much heartache his wife Terri and daughter Dakota over the Goldust persona. He says Vince punished him for not beating "Stone Cold" Steve Austin for the WWE Championship by putting him in the ring with Kane, and says he will be punished no more. He then says that Goldust dies tonight, and tells him that he will never forget the name of Dustin.

We finally learn the identities of "Club Kamikaze:" Yamaguchi-san is the older gentleman in the business suit, while the three members are Dick Togo, Men's Taioh and Sho Funaki. (Men's Teioh is better known as Terry Boy from his appearance at ECW's Barely Legal pay-per-view.) Together, they are known as Kaientai. Yamaguchi-san calls the crowd "scumbag Americans," and introduces "the new generation with the new Japanese attitude." He then introduces Kaientai, and says we will never know where or when they will strike. Kaientai then attack Terry Funk and 2 Cold Scorpio from behind.

Kaientai (Dick Togo, Men's Taioh, Sho Funaki) beat Terry Funk and 2 Cold Scorpio by disqualification after Taka Michinoku and Bradshaw clear the ring out, causing Kaientai to flee through the crowd.

WWF owner Vince McMahon is seen talking to somebody backstage, and this person is implied to be "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's tag team partner

Al Snow tries unsuccessfully to enter the building again.

The Nation of Domination ("The Rock" Rocky Maivia, Owen Hart, D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, "The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry) show up. The Rock says the fire between himself and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin finally reignites, and tells Austin that unless his partner is Godzilla, he's ready to lay the smack down on the WWF Championship. Before the commercial break, WWF owner Vince McMahon, Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco pride themselves on what they believe to be a job well done.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin's tag team partner is revealed to be WWF owner Vince McMahon.

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Vince McMahon vs. The Nation of Domination ("The Rock" Rocky Maivia) ends when Vince McMahon clotheslines Austin in response to being flipped off. Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco and Dude Love all attack Austin, and D-Generation X ("Triple H" Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Chyna, X-Pac, "Road Dog" Jesse James, "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) get in the ring to brawl with The Nation of Domination (The Rock, Owen Hart, D'Lo, Kama Mustafa, "The World's Strongest Man" Mark Henry) to end the show.