#148: Ken Shamrock vs. Mankind vs. The Rock, WWE Breakdown: In Your House (9/27/1998).
This is a Triple Threat Steel Cage Match, where the winner will become the Number One Contender to the WWE Championship.
Rock and Shamrock go at it right away, and Shamrock unloads with right hands. Rock gets a thumb to the eye, as Mankind goes right to the door. Rock grabs him and sends him into the corner. Shamrock rakes Rock’s face off the top rope. The crowd is hot for The Rock. Mankind strikes Shamrock against the turnbuckle, and then drives his knee into his face. Rock explodes with a clothesline to Mankind. Shamrock cuts Rock off from escaping through the door, and gives him a thrust kick.
Shamrock stomps away at Mankind’s midsection. He drives his boot right into his face. He locks in the abdominal stretch next. Rock sneaks up behind Shamrock and puts him in the abdominal stretch next! Shamrock hip tosses Rock over, and Mankind hip tosses Shamrock over. All three men stare each other down, as we have a stalemate thus far. Rock pummels on Mankind, and Shamrock attacks Rock. Mankind smashes Shamrock’s head off the turnbuckle, and then he goes to climb the cage. Rock pulls him down, and then gets his head bounced off the turnbuckle by Shamrock.
Powerslam to Mankind, and Shamrock goes for the door. Rock tackles him down, and drags him back inside the ring. Mankind and The Rock double team Shamrock, holding his throat against the middle rope. They toss Shamrock into the cage head first. Clothesline by Rock, and a high knee by Mankind. Rock clotheslines Mankind now, and stomps on his head. Rock goes to climb out of the cage, but Shamrock cuts him off, and goes to assault Mankind.
Now Shamrock and Rock double team Mankind against the cage. They double clothesline Mankind to the ground, and they take turns stomping on his body. Shamrock applies the Ankle Lock, and Rock breaks it up. Oh hey, now Shamrock and Mankind take turns stomping away at The Rock. Mankind chokes him against the cage. Mankind punches him down, and Shamrock attacks Mankind against the corner. They give Rock a back body drop, and Mankind follows with an elbow drop.
Shamrock runs Rock’s head into Mankind’s boot, then they give Rock a double suplex. Rock fights back with a clothesline to Mankind, but Shamrock clotheslines him. Rock with a DDT to Mankind, and he gets decked immediately after by Shamrock. Rock with a powerslam to Shamrock and Mankind, and the crowd pops hard as The Rock sets up for a Double People’s Elbow. He connects with it flush, and then goes to climb the cage.
Rock is on top of the cage, but he gets cut off by Shamrock and Mankind. Shamrock eats an elbow, while Mankind hits Rock hard enough that he crotches himself on the top rope. Rock ends up low blowing Shamrock, then hits the Rock Bottom. Shamrock breaks up the pin attempt, and hits a reverse elbow to Rock’s chest. Rock sends Shamrock into the turnbuckle and unloads with right hands to the head. Shamrock fights back with a belly to belly suplex. Shamrock then traps Rock in the Ankle Lock.
Just as Rock is about to tap, Mankind kicks Shamrock in the head to break the hold. Mankind makes the climb, and he’s over the top, but Rock is up there to bring him back inside. Both men sit on top of the cage, and they throw fists back and forth. Mankind kicks Rock to the mat, and he stands atop the steel structure. He goes for the elbow drop, and Rock moves out of the way! A 15 foot drop for Mick Foley!
The Rock is busted open. Shamrock makes the crawl towards the cage door, but here comes Mankind to grab his foot. Shamrock grabs a chair from under the ring, and brings it inside the ring with him. Shamrock kicks Mankind away, then goes to strike him with the chair. Mankind ducks it, then hits the Double Arm DDT to Shamrock. Mankind has the chair, and he absolutely drills Shamrock in the face with the chair. Mankind begins his climb up the cage, and as this happens, Rock crawls over to Shamrock, and makes the cover for the win and the 3! Mankind thinks he’s won, but Rock was wise to make the pin! He’s the new #1 contender for the WWE Championship.
This felt like two different matches at times. On one hand, it felt dull and repetitive throughout. It was a lot of brawling back and forth, and not much storytelling or psychology. And yet, the big spots throughout - particularly the cage dive from Mankind - worked big time. The Rock came off like a huge star here, while Shamrock and Mankind both came off as dependable guys in a company full of them. Their stuff worked, but The Rock was the one to look out for.
I thought the ending was well done, with Rock sneaking away with the victory after a hard fought battle. Not the greatest match, but in an era where great matches were far and few, this one is a hidden gem.