1998 was a significant year for WWE as they finally beat WCW in the Monday Night War ratings for the first time in 84 weeks. However, some things happened in WWE that year that failed to add up.
In 1998, WWE gained momentum to be the top North American promotion as WCW were their biggest adversaries. The Attitude Era was in full swing in 1998 and many positive things occurred. It was the year that Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock rose to prominence as certified main eventers. The likes of The Undertaker, Kane, and Mick Foley were constantly involved at the latter stages of pay-per-view years in 1998 also.
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Unfortunately, Shawn Michaels was ruled out of action for four years with Triple H revamping DX. Nevertheless, 1998 was a successful year for WWE with many memorable moments. However, whilst WWE generally got most things right in 1998, there were still some nonsensical moments.
10 Goldust Ditching His Character
Dustin Rhodes was doing a remarkable job as Goldust and he had his real-life wife Marlena by his side. However, in 1998, Goldust changed his character and was called "The Artist Formerly Known as Goldust."
It was illogical for Goldust to portray this character, and Luna Vachon was now his manager. Ultimately, the angle was dropped and Goldust famously burned his outfit on an episode of Raw. He began to preach in some segments which were not well-received. By the end of 1998, his infamous Goldust character returned.
9 Ken Shamrock Not Beating The Rock For The Intercontinental Title
The Rock has had many legendary rivalries in his illustrious WWE career. However, Ken Shamrock is often forgotten as one of Rock's rivals, and the two had exceptional chemistry together. At Royal Rumble 1998, Shamrock defeated The Rock for the Intercontinental Title but the decision was reversed.
Their feud was far from over as they collided once more at WrestleMania XIV. Again, The World's Most Dangerous Man dominated The Rock and The Nation and he should have taken the Intercontinental Title from The Great One. It was the perfect time to put the Intercontinental Championship on Shamrock, but he had to wait to win the title in October 1998.
8 DX Mimmicking The Nation
DX and The Nation's rivalry was one of the greatest rivalries between factions in WWE history. Both factions were looking to be the most dominant faction in 1998, and they would not hold back when it came to getting the upper hand on the other.
However, the lowest point of their rivalry came on the July 6, 1998, edition of Raw when DX impersonated The Nation. X-Pac's version of Mark Henry called Mizark Henry went way over the line as it would have offended many people. Furthermore, Peacock has removed this segment from their offering so fans don't have to view it again.
7 Kane Holding The WWE Championship For One Day
The rivalry between Kane and The Undertaker was one of the most captivating storylines in 1998. Moreover, at King of the Ring, Kane defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin in a First Blood match for his lone WWE Championship reign.
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It was a shocking victory as Austin was the hottest commodity in WWE in 1998, that he was virtually unbeatable. The Big Red Machine's title win is in the history books as one of the shortest WWE Championship reigns of all time. He dropped the title to Austin just 24 hours later on Raw. It made no sense for Kane to win the championship in the first place if he wasn't going to hold the title for a while.
6 NWA Invasion
The NWA has been around for decades, but The NWA was featured heavily in the first few months of WWE programming in 1998. Jeff Jarrett held the NWA North American Championship, and Jim Cornette tried to relive past glories with a new iteration of The Midnight Express. Bart Gunn and Bob Holly were repackaged as Bodacious Bart and Bombastic Bomb which saw them hold the NWA Tag Tag Team Championship.
It was pointless for WWE to have NWA Championships on their programming as the angle did not work. Barry Windham was past his prime, and The Rock N' Roll Express wasn't a dominant force like they were a few years prior.
5 Gillberg Winning The Light Heavyweight Championship
WWE tried to emulate WCW's Cruiserweight Division by introducing the Light Heavyweight Championship in late 1997. Unquestionably, Taka Michinoku brought legitimacy to the Light Heavyweight Title and he held the title for 10 months until he dropped the gold to Christian.
However, Gillberg defeated Christian for the Light Heavyweight Championship which was one of the worst title changes in WWE history. Gillberg did not need to hold a championship as he was more of a Goldberg parody act. He became the longest-reigning Light Heavyweight Champion but he did nothing to make the title meaningful.
4 Multiple Hell In A Cell Matches On Raw
Hell in a Cell is one of the best gimmick matches in WWE history. The match is brutal and the stipulation has been so successful that, since 2009, Hell in a Cell has its own pay-per-view dedicated to the match.
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Not every Hell in a Cell match has been memorable but there has been some pointless Hell in a Cell matches. Steve Austin and The Undertaker collided with Kane and Mankind in a Hell in a Cell match on Raw. A couple of months later, Kane and Mankind squared off in one-on-one action. It's illogical to have a Hell in a Cell match on Raw as it looks out of place and should be reserved for high-profile matches on pay-per-view.
3 Shawn Michaels Joining The Corporation
Controversy and Shawn Michaels go hand-in-hand, and Michaels was unfortunately on the shelf after sustaining a back injury in a casket match with The Undertaker at the 1998 Royal Rumble. However, The Heartbreak Kid turned heel once again, and he joined The Corporation as The Corporate Commissioner.
Whilst, HBK and The Corporation sounds great on paper, it did not work out. The McMahons were the leaders of the group, and HBK was relegated to managing Ken Shamrock and Big Boss Man. His stint in The Corporation was short-lived, but he shouldn't have joined in the first place.
2 WWE Championship Is Vacated For Two Months
Mr. McMahon had a hatred for Steve Austin and he did not want him to represent his company as the WWE Champion. The Chairman of the Board went to extreme measures as The Undertaker and Kane could not pin each other in their triple threat match with Austin at Breakdown: In Your House.
It was one of the worst WWE Championship matches, as it was virtually a handicap match. The ending was confusing as both Kane and Undertaker pinned Austin with no definitive winner. Ultimately, the prestigious WWE Title became vacant for two months which was senseless since Austin or someone else could have held the title. Nonetheless, The Rock went on to win the vacant WWE Title at Survivor Series in an extraordinary double turn.
1 Brawl For All
Unquestionably, the Brawl For All was one of the worst moments for WWE in 1998. The Brawl For All was shootfighting as wrestlers voluntarily entered the tournament to have boxing matches on Monday Night Raw.
It was extremely dangerous and put a plethora of talent on the injury list. The likes of Brakkus, The Godfather, Savio Vega, and pre-tournament favorite "Doctor Death" Steve Williams all fell victim to getting injured. The whole idea was nonsensical since multiple wrestlers were put on the shelf and Bart Gunn emerged as a surprising victor.
