5 Worst wrestling matches of 1998

#4 Undertaker vs. Kane – WWE Judgment Day 1998

It’s a bit difficult writing this because Undertaker and Kane are so beloved by fans around the world. However, this match is just so damn bad, both in setup and in execution, that it simply cannot be ignored.

Undertaker and Kane had a bad night here, with their usually-strong chemistry being completely off. The match structure lacked psychology from the beginning, as Undertaker was in complete control after landing Old School one minute into the match. They did some weak brawling outside for a bit, and then botched a move of some kind so badly that the audience – which always cheered for the Undertaker – actually chanted ‘you f***ed up’ at him and Kane.

Although this match could be forgotten if it was judged solely on its below-average action, the story of the match was even worse. The entire premise was built on whether special guest referee Steve Austin would count the pin or not. A person in a non-wrestling role was built to be more important than the wrestlers involved…straight out of Vince Russo’s playbook.

Not only did that gimmick worsen this match, but Austin’s interactions with the Brothers of Destruction were also nonsensical. At one point, Kane punched Austin for no apparent reason, despite the fact that, a) Austin could’ve disqualified Kane for doing this; b) Austin appeared to be showing favoritism for Kane up to that point; and c) the match needed a clean pin to end, so who would do that if not Austin?

Clearly, no one thought of these obvious logic holes when this match took place, making it a complete mess that will definitely not be appearing on the ‘Best of’ special for any of them.