#162: D’Lo Brown vs. X-Pac, WWE Judgment Day (10/18/1998).
This is for Brown’s European Championship.
These are two of my favorite wrestlers to watch in the Attitude Era. In a time where the actual wrestling took a backseat to the bullshit, these two were some of the most dependable guys on the roster to put on a great match – at least until the midcard of WCW started showing up in 1999.
Two weeks before this, Mark Henry attacked Pac and cost him the European Title to Brown. I loved the gimmick Brown had around this time, where his residency changed every time he wrestled. Now he’s from Milan, Italy, because he’s the champion of Europe.
Brown taunts Pac, who responds with a Suck It. They lock up, and Brown takes the side headlock. Brown connects with a shoulder tackle. They lock up again, and Brown forces Pac to the turnbuckle, then explodes with crisp shots to the face. Brown works on the arm, twisting and turning it. Pac is able to flip out of this, and hit a nice kick to the head. Pac takes the side headlock now, until Brown sends him to the ropes. Shoulder tackle by Brown, and then Pac tries a hip toss, but Brown counters with a nice clothesline.
Powerslam by Brown, followed by an elbow drop. Brown chops Pac in the corner. Pac fights back with a hip toss, and more kicks to the chest and head in the corner. Brown is down, and Pac gears up for the Bronco Buster. Brown gets his foot up and lands right on Pac’s jewels! Leg drop by Brown next, and that gets him a nearfall. Snap mare by Brown, and the champion goes right into the chin lock. Pac, with the help of the crowd, fights back, until he walks into a spinning heel kick by Brown for a 2 count.
Brown goes for a powerbomb, and he hits it! He makes the cover, and Pac kicks out. He sends a Suck It to Chyna at ringside, and then places Pac on the top rope. He goes for a suplex, but Pac knocks him to the mat. Pac hits a crossbody, and Brown reverses it into a pin for a close 2 count. Brown goes back to the chin lock. Pac is back up, and kicks him right in the mouth. He whips Brown to the corner, and Pac accidentally lands right on the top, contorting himself. Brown hits a middle rope drop to the throat for a 2 count.
Backbreaker by Brown, and that also gets a 2 count. Brown applies a Texas Cloverleaf to Pac next. Pac escapes the submission, but Brown thumbs his eye. The fans chant “D’Lo Sucks”, as Brown hits another powerslam. He goes to the top rope, and misses a senton. Pac unloads with strikes to the head, and a spinning heel kick. Nice corkscrew clothesline, and a dropkick sends Brown to the corner. Pac goes for the Bronco Buster, to glorious applause, and hits it!
Chyna takes a shot to Brown, and Pac gets a nearfall off of that. Brown knocks the referee down by accident, and Pac hits a back suplex. Here comes Mark Henry to taunt Chyna, while Brown grabs the championship and decks Pac in the head with it. Henry rolls the ref back into the ring, and Brown makes the cover. Somehow, Pac kicks out! Brown hits a powerbomb to Pac, and the challenger kicks out again.
Brown goes to the top rope, and comes down right into the X Factor by Pac! He makes the cover, and that’s enough for the win to regain the European Championship! Like I said at the beginning, you can always rely on these two to put on a great match, and a great match this was! Well wrestled, and nice back and forth between two of the best workers in the company at this time. The crowd loved X-Pac, and shit all over D’Lo Brown whenever they had the chance. There was a good story here of Brown working over the back of Pac, as well as the outside influence of Mark Henry toward the end, but Pac’s innovative offense – that X Factor mid air – is what won him the day after a fantastic little gem of a match. WWE’s midcard in the Attitude Era is hugely underrated.