Dude Love vs. Steve Austin

[10.0] "Peak Attitude Era nonsense right here in the very best way. You've got two of the best wrestlers from the era in Stone Cold and Mick Foley, guest referee Vince McMahon, enforcer The Undertaker, and Vince's stooges at ringside. The rules of the match are made up on the fly to give Foley the advantage, and everything seems stacked against Austin. They brawl all over the place, even making it to the cars near the entrance, and both guys take some pretty rough bumps on the concrete. Meanwhile the crowd is going nuts at every little thing that happens in the match. It's pure chaos and so, so entertaining. The finish with Vince getting knocked out and Undertaker chokeslamming both stooges through the announce tables, only for Austin to get the pin using Vince's hand himself is just fantastic. *****"

[10.0] "This match defines attitude era style match. First of all, the arrival of Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco and Mr. McMahon is absolutely wonderful in terms of announcement and presentation; The Undertaker arriving as the enforcer is a huge surprise. The whole match is covered in chaos, storytelling, brawling, crazy crowd and action. ****1/2"

[8.0] "Great match with a great atmosphere. Very solid action and physicality throughout, with a couple of memorable spots at a consistently fast pace. The clotheslines on the guardrail, the brawling on the cars, and the chair shot to the head all stand out. It's a rare example of Austin in his prime facing someone truly on his level as together they create something genuinely memorable. It's undeniably overbooked and gimmick-heavy, but it makes sense within the context of the story and the era as a whole, which by turning those limitations into strengths allow the interference to be very entertaining without ever crossing the line or becoming tedious. It's hard to imagine how a match like this, almost intentionally designed to exemplify the Attitude Era style, could be any better."

"The match had everything working in its favor: Austin at the height of his anti-authority popularity, Dude Love as the unhinged corporate puppet, and Vince McMahon stacking the deck as the corrupt special referee. With Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco serving as biased ringside officials, Austin was essentially fighting five people at once, which made every comeback feel electric. The action spilled everywhere--ringside, the entranceway, even onto cars--showcasing the gritty, anything-goes style that defined the era. Despite all the interference, crooked officiating, and constant attempts to screw him over, Austin's refusal to quit had the crowd roaring the entire time. The finish, with Austin using Vince's hand to count the pin himself, remains one of the most iconic and satisfying moments of his career. Overall, the match is remembered not just for being good, but for being peak Attitude Era: chaotic, character-driven, hilarious, intense, and endlessly entertaining. It's still cited as one of the best examples of how Austin's feud with McMahon elevated everything around it and helped define a generation of WWE fans."

[10.0] "[4.75*] I Couldn't Stop Thinking About How Beautiful This Match Is. It's not "beautiful" in the sense of a technical masterpiece, but as a piece of pure, flawless sports entertainment, it is one of the highest accomplishments of the Attitude Era. The 4.5 Stars it received are entirely deserved, not for the moves, but for the story, the crowd, and the perfect execution of the angle. This main event of Over the Edge 1998 is the definitive blueprint for the chaotic, overbooked WWF main event that followed, but it's the rare example where the overbooking works perfectly. Every single stipulation--Vince McMahon as the corrupt referee, the last-minute rule changes to Falls Count Anywhere, the stooges Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco at ringside--doesn't distract; it simply ratchets up the drama and highlights the immense odds stacked against Stone Cold Steve Austin. The in-ring action served the narrative brilliantly. It was a vicious, non-stop brawl that spilled over the set, utilizing the unique visual of the wrecked cars on the entrance ramp. Mick Foley (as Dude Love) took some absolutely brutal bumps, including that dangerous elbow drop miss to the concrete, selling the intensity of the fight perfectly. But the final sequence is what makes this an all-time classic. The moment The Undertaker clears the ring of the stooges, followed by Austin hitting the Stunner and then physically using Vince McMahon's unconscious hand to count the three-count is the ultimate expression of the anti-authority hero sticking it to the boss. It's a spectacular visual, an emotional catharsis for the audience, and the most satisfying way possible to end the escalating conflict. It's less a wrestling match and more a perfect action movie finale. An absolute must-watch for any fan of the era."

[10.0] "This match is a core memory for me from 1998. This was the time when the Austin/McMahon feud was really heating up and the fans were starting to abandon WCW for this feud. Jim Ross was overdoing it on commentary a bit. Austin and Foley fighting on cars and Vince changing the rules in the middle of the match were so great, I couldn't stop watching. Just a terrific match with Austin at his intense best. This was just beautiful chaos."

[8.0] "Really fun match, that's another one of those hot and cartoonish matches that the Attitude Era made remarkable, but it's also a good mix, it has overbooked moments, but the wrestling is also great, so it's a very good experience, and of course a great match. Dude Love defeated Austin via DQ at the previous PPV, but the title didn't change hands, and this was another shot for him, this time, with Mr. McMahon itself as the special guest referee, a very difficult task for Austin. The entire experience is very eccentric, it all starts with a hilarious introduction for Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco, Vince McMahon and Dude Love, the people involved in this whole scheme, and then Steve makes his entrance, with no introduction. To frustrate McMahon's plans, right before the bell, the Undertaker arrives, as some kind of special enforcer, he was there to make sure Vince don't do any screwjob, as he's probably the only person that McMahon is afraid of. The match begins with an ordinary action, but then Vince keeps adding those new elements, according to what may favor Dude Love at the time, so first he announces that the match is a No DQ, and then a Falls Count Anywhere. After that, the bout significantly improves, and an incredible brawl happens at the outside, where Austin bleeds, and they keep demolishing each other around the scenario, filled with cars, like a junkyard. They eventually return to the ring, and the ending is very hot, Foley has the upper hand most of the time, but he can't put Austin down. When Austin recovers, Vince McMahon refuses to perform the pinfall, and Undertaker chokeslam Patterson and Brisco trough the table. The finish is very similar to the previous match, because Austin gave himself the win both times - {****}"

[8.0] "Greta fun, what you think of when you think of the era. Not a technical masterpiece but as a worked fight it's class. The choke slams to the stooges through both announce tables are perfect."

[8.0] "Is the match overbooked? Sure, but it makes sense. Mr. McMahon makes himself the referee to screw over Austin, Undertaker makes himself the enforcer to ensure that McMahon doesn't screw Austin. In my opinion, you can overbook a match all you want as long as everyone and everything has a valid reason for being there. The match itself was also a total brawl, I loved it."

[9.0] "[4.5*] This match is the best use of overbooking i've ever seen, is very cartoony but in a good way."

[9.0] "[4.5*] I watched this match with my friends on a call and laughed from beginning to end. The pre-match introductions, the blatant disregard when introducing Stone Cold, and the amazing appearance of The Undertaker, combined with the over-the-top moments of this match, made it something really special."

[9.0] "[4.5*] This is a very story-heavy match so I suggest you to do some research before watching it, otherwise it may feel quite weird. The Dude Love character debuted in 1997 helping Steve Austin, but here we are one year after and hes a completely different person. He still presents himself as the same and still has the same discourse, but he turned himself into a corporate stooge. In April 13th he interfered during the Austin vs Vince WWF Title Match and attacked Austin. Then, Austin defended the WWF Title against him at Unforgiven and Love won via DQ after Steve hit Vince with a chair, bur Austin kept the belt, so Vince announced rematch and declared himself as the Special Guest Referee so he would be impartial (lmao) and he would guarantee that Austin would not do the shit he did at Unforgiven. This was obviously a trap. Not only that, but we have the Special Ring Announcer Pat Patterson and the Special Guest Timekeeper Gerald Brisco. Foley hugs and embraces with all of them. The match starts with the fucking Undertaker coming out of nowhere to be some sort of an enforcer. He had a gigantic pop. By the time passes, Vince added stipulations that would help Love. No Count-Out, No DQ, Falls Count Anywhere (when Austin was attacked at the ramp lmao). This was the epitome of the Attitude Era. Hot overbooked stipulation crazy match with a lot of elements and multiple stories going on with Vince being a fundamental part of it. Sometimes it may go wrong but on this match it was simply incredible and executed to perfection. This match was an all-around mega brawl with both guys taking bumps on the concrete or on car hoods. Steve got color and was screwed by Vince a couple of times, but not every single time Vince wanted because Taker was there to stop him. Vince refuses to count for Austin, which creates space for Foley to pick up the chair and he tried to hit Austin but he hits Vince instead. A lot of messy stuff happens there lmao, Taker chokeslams both Patterson and Brisco through the announcers tables for amazing pops, Austin hits Foley with the Stunner and he picks up Vinces hands and counts 1, 2, 3. The ending stretch was absolutely crazy and highly entertaining with a phenomenal crowd and energy. The whole match is a blast and one of my favorites from the Attitude Era."

"I love this match. It is the perfect WWE style match. Overbooked to hell but the story works and it might be the hottest crowd the WWE has ever had"

[9.0] "What an incredible match between Steve Austin and Dude Love! The crowd was on fire throughout, and everyone involved delivered spectacular performances. Vince McMahon played his role brilliantly, showcasing why he was so entertaining during this era. The execution was flawless from start to finish, highlighting Steve Austin's status as one of the greatest wrestlers in history. The pop he received for each move was truly amazing."

[8.0] "(****1/4). This match is incredibly entertaining and demonstrates how overbooking can be effective when executed well. Austin and Foley surpass their previous month's performance, hitting all the marks necessary for a match of this caliber. The storytelling is excellent, with all the stakes against Austin, who bumps and bleeds throughout, embodying the resilient badass who refuses to give up despite the odds. The ending is highly entertaining, featuring The Undertaker evening the odds for Austin by chokeslamming Patterson and Brisco through the announce tables, a moment that was both impressive and unexpected. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about Austin using McMahon's hand, as it seems to stretch the rules a bit, but that might be a minor nitpick. Overall, this match is a must-watch from this era of WWF."

[9.0] "This was a cracking main event! While the main structure of the match is the odds being stacked against Austin throughout the match with the involvement of McMahon making himself the guest referee as well as Patterson and Beiscoe getting involved and seemingly making the rules up as the match goes along, it doesn't abandon the in-ring action and I loved how the match escalates when it's turned from a regular match to No DQ and then Falls Count Anywhere the match turns more and more into a really well worked brawl and they use the set with the wrecked cars really well as Austin gets busted up and Foley takes some insane bumps. Undertaker's involvement in the match was fun where he becomes an unlikely ally to Austin and after McMahon is taken out accidentally with the chair he destroys the stooges at ringside. Austin counts the fall with an unconscious McMahon to get the win. Crazy attitude era style brawl, but it really worked with the ongoing storylines going on and I loved the Austin and Undertaker staredown at the end as that felt like a big time main event everyone wanted to see."

[9.0] "Probably the best match of 1998. Foley and Austin were always some of the better in ring competitors during the attitude era and this showed it. The way the match was constantly being updated and the efforts to screw Austin were very interesting and a fun twist to the match. Love it."

[9.0] "This was a definite MOTYC for 1998, as everyone involved in the match delivered, and that includes Brisco, Patterson, Vince and Taker. The wrestling and the storytelling were on point, with great commentary from Ross and Lawler really adding to things. This not only set up Taker as an eventual opponent for Austin but it also created a reason for Mick Foley and Undertaker to wrestle at King of the Ring as well. Just a fantastic match and a great example of how the WWF took the sort of anarchic wild action that ECW was doing so well in the mid-90s and tweaked it so it would work in a mainstream setting. This was the Raven/Tommy Dreamer dog and pony show in all its glory, but with better production values and wrestling, and once the WWF managed to tap into that then the Monday Night War was all but over because WCW just couldnt push the envelope as far as the WWF could"

[8.0] "Unadulterated, in-your-face crass content crashes your typical Attitude Era garbage brawl, and the result? You have a highly entertaining affair. This wasn't particularly a great match, but it was great drama. The three amigos of Brisco, Patterson, and Vince McMahon stole the show with their pesky villain theatrics. Surprisingly so, Austin and Love did start out with basic wrestling before throwing holds out of the ring and embracing the love of two dudes for a stone cold fight (no puns intended). Vince McMahon making up the rules as they went was a page out of cartoon villain genius and the two cronies were pure gold in their roles. The layout of the cars, the production design as such, all added to give this match thematic unity. And with two brawling maniacs like Austin and Foley, we get one match that just defines this punky, grungy era of WWE. Chaos, my friend, chaos."

"Superb brawl by two greats out and out attitude era booking at its finest Austin really was the goat"

[8.0] "That was much better than their Unforgiven match. Firstly they made it a No DQ Match, so it made sense that they brawled all over the arena, which by the way looked beautiful, especially with Brisco's cars all over the place. And secondly the drama was on another level. The intruductions by Pat before the match were brilliant, his "remainders" were a fantastic touch as well and Vince was great as a special referee. The brawl itself was fun halfly due to the originality of the set and it was much faster than their previous bout. The finish was also nicely done and this time it didn't feel far fetched like at the last PPV, as it was established that Vince's hand had to count the pinfall. Very good and entertaining main event."

[8.0] "This is a bit too long and the proper wrestling isn't as good as Austin and Foley are probably capable of, but it's all pretty entertaining. Patterson's absurdly long intros, the heels looking smug until 'Taker comes out and scares the shit out of Vince, the changing of the rules on the fly that immediately backfire, the finish of Dude accidentally headshotting Vince followed by the stooges taking damn chokeslams through the table, it all works to set them up as the comical and bumbling but still hateable heels against a red hot Austin who gets a pop every time he breathes at this point in time. Dude controls a lot of it with Austin coming back in bursts to get the crowd going, all well and good but the pure in-ring is the least notable part of the match and could've had more to it. It's made up for with good brawling around the arena with Dude taking a pretty nasty clothesline over the barricade and there are some cool spots on and around the cars decorating the stage. Austin using an unconscious Vince's hand to count the pin pays off the quite unsubtle foreshadowing from the pre-match interview. Dumb fun overbooked brawl where Austin comes through and McMahon gets foiled, all you really need out of '98 WWF. (****)"

[10.0] "Top 5 WWE match of all time. Its not a technical masterclass or a workrate epic, its an overindulged, overbook attitude era mess. But thats exactly what makes it great. Steve Austin is the hottest any wrestler's ever been, but a hero is only as good as his opposition, so the bad guys had to be just as over the top. The entrances of the stooges, vince as the ref and the way he fucks with austin, changing the rules on the fly. Dude love's Foley's weakest persona but he's awesome here and plays his part perfectly. The end with Stone Cold grabbing Vince's hand and counting the pin is phenomenal. five stars."

[8.0] "The typical Attitude Era overbooking is what WWE still uses constantly, but in this case it worked very well, I usually hate matches with lots of interference and ref bumps, but in this case it's fun and leaves Austin as the smart face, which he is not very common to see (****)"

[8.0] "Patterson and Brisco as Vince's cronies don't get enough love! They were fantastic here, with Patterson riling up the crowd by taking his time with the pre-match announcements. Brisco is the timekeeper, Patterson is handling ring announcing (which includes changing the rules on the fly to benefit Dude Love) and McMahon is the guest referee. With the odds stacked against Austin, the Undertaker comes down to make sure that Vince doesn't screw Austin out of the title. They don't jump start this and they actually work some traditional mat wrestling into the opening few minutes. This was an overbooked main event with all the tropes you would associate with the Attitude Era. You've got Austin and McMahon feuding, an enraged Jim Ross on commentary, and mediocre brawling held up by the constant interference and shenanigans. Perhaps I've spoiled myself by watching matches like Slaughter/Sheik and Lawler/Dundee, but the brawling here is a step below those matches. The punching and selling, whilst perfectly acceptable, aren't anything to write home about. The spots they did utilizing the entrance set were cool and the clothesline Foley takes when he takes when he's perched on the ringside barrier was sickening. Vince takes a bump and Austin wins by counting his own pin using an unconscious McMahon's hand. Don't let average brawling and a weak finish stop you from enjoying one of the better matches from the Attitude Era."

[9.0] "I loved the corporate Dude Love character and all of the antics with McMahon as special ref. One of many great chapters in the Austin/McMahon feud."

[9.0] "This was CRAZY and FUN, matches like these are why WWF won the war, the ending was probably the most creative ending ever, nothing bad to say about this one."

[7.0] "The Fink does a long winded introduction with cue cards for Pat Patterson, pointing out that he won a "grueling tournament" in Rio De Janero for the IC title, Wink Wink says JR LOL! Patterson takes over and introduces Brisco as the time keeper and they plug the body shop. Guy in crowd with sign reads "Brisco Brothers stole my hubcaps" McMahon is introduced as the guest referee and Dude Love gets his introduction wearing a black sports jacket. Mick's got his false teeth in for the show and his hair is nicely combed. Dude gets a shouldeblock for a real fast 2 count. Taker starts into the ring and scares Vince enough to slow down his counts. Austin beats the false teeth out of Dudes face then stomps them. Vince is gay chant is changed into Vince is dead by JR. Dude gets mad and bets him up in the corner. Lou Thez press and Dude is thrown out. They battle on the floor as Vince says now there are no coun touts. Back inside Dude gets a leg sweep for 2. Austin stomps a mud hole but an early mandible claw slows him down. They spill outside and Patterson gets on the mic and say's it's no DQ. JR complains about the new rules. Dude chokes Austin with an electric cable then gets thrown into a table. Austin clotheslines Dude over the railing and sends him back to ringside for more clubbering. Austin gets crotched on the top rope and they fight out again. They fight up the entrance way and Patterson announces that falls count anywhere. Dude walks down the entrance way and Austin runs him over with a clothesline. They fight to the car props used by the entrance way and Dude backdrops Austin on a car which gets him a 2 count. They fight on the roof of a car and Dude throws Austin off who gets busted open. Dude jumps off into a sunset flip for 2! Dude climbs up on a car and tries a flying elbow but Austin rolls and Dude splats. Back into the ring Patterson trips up Austin to let Dude get the advantage. Dude uncovers a turnbuckle and bounces Austins head off the buckle. Dude works on the cut then goes outside for a chair. Double arm ddt on the chair only gets two? ! Dude runs at Austin with the chair and gets it kicked back in his face. Austin annihilates Dude Love with a chair shot and goes for the pin but McMahon refuses to count it. Dude wakes up and runs at Austin again with the chair and Austin dodges and Vince is done for the night! Kick wham stunner, no referee. Another ref runs in and Patterson gets rid of him and makes himself a referee. Dude slaps on the mandible claw somehow then before he can call for the bell Undertaker blows the roof off the joint and choke slams Patterson through a table and the crowd goes nuts! Austin hits another stunner then uses the ko'd McMahon's hand to count the 3. Fun chaos match that was the only thing really worth a damn on this crappy PPV."

"Very underrated match from both men. A typical attitude era brawl with a hot crowd is a recipe for an amazing match. The ending is one of my favorites too. Def worth the watch 10/10"

[9.0] "One of the defining moments of the early Attitude era, and a good demonstration of how an overbooked brawl can work if everyone involved is talented and charismatic, and the story actually makes sense. But it only worked due to those things, unfortunately what it lead to was very much the style and not the substance."

[9.0] "This is stacking the odds against a babyface at its finest. You make Vince the special guest referee, add in the fact that his stooges are timekeeper and guest ring keeper you're in for a hell of a ride. You also get the Undertaker at ringside to make sure that Vince calls this down the line. Mcmahon plays his role perfectly by cheating Stone cold and by selling the fear of the Undertaker. Brisco and Patterson do as well by trying to cheat Steve out of a win. The ending itself was even better with Undertaker taking Brisco and Patterson out, plus Austin makes an out cold Vince Mcmahon count for the 123.****3/4"

[10.0] "It's pretty rare that matches in this particular era kept me hooked to the very end. This was one of those moments. The deck's stacked against him but he still manages to pull out a crazy win. Foley looks absolutely amazing in the ring and out of the ring, and Vince takes a mean chairshot towards the end. Patterson getting chokeslammed through the announcers' table was absolutely crazy too. Iconic match."

[10.0] "The quintessential attitude era main event with the perfect blend of silliness, blood, character, etc. One of the most fun wrestling matches I? ve ever seen."

[10.0] "Yeah this was an insanely good match, truly a classic of the Attitude Era and one of my favorite matches of either men. They just went to war with each other, beating the hell out on one another around the arena. The crowd was on FIRE for this one, and it actually benefited the match, making everything seem much more dramatic. This match honestly had some of McMahon's best antics as a character in this match, he was just such a great villain, eventually just refusing to make the count. To top it all off, the ending was downright iconic. Amazing stuff, and I honestly think this is underrated. ****3/4"

[9.0] "Awesome match, this was the match that defined the whole Attitude era style with arena brawling, violence, blood and lots of swerves and interference. It's something that I think they've tried to replicate many times since, but it's never quite been as good as this match was. Foley was already a top star in the company, but this and the Hell in a Cell match helped make him a main eventer and legend. All whilst elevating Austin even more."

[9.0] "Purest form of insanity! Stone Cold has the deck stacked against him in almost every way (referee, time keeper, guest announcer) and was fighting Mankind as Dude Love. The Undertaker getting involved was perfect as this was building the great Highway to Help for that year's Summerslam. ****1/2"

[9.0] "Pretty much the perfect blend of violent brawling and 'sports entertainment', an example of the Attitude era at its best."

[8.0] "This was a really great, highly entertaining brawl, enhanced with the match-long storyline of Vince McMahon, as guest referee, constantly changing and adding to the stipulations of the match in order to favour Love."

[10.0] "Great match. Basically the perfect Attitude era match. A brawl with loads of extra booking to top on to the wrestling and a decent crowd. The crowd went mental for Austin every time he made a move, they didn't react to Foley much sadly but both were very good. Austin sold everything well with Foley being a great heel and Vince as ref. One flaw this match has is Foley kinda shrugging off the Stunners very earlier before eating another. It felt rushed and judging from Lawler's "are we still on comment" I suspect that is the case. Great match. ****3/4"

[9.0] "It's overbooked, it's chaotic, it's a brawl from start to finish, it's an absolute classic of an Attitude Era main event. The storytelling in this match is phenomenal with the cards constantly being stacked against Austin with new rules and stipulations constantly being added during the match yet Austin somehow managing to overcome it. The brawling is super fun especially once the falls count anywhere stip is announced and they brawl near the entranceway. The ending is super fun with the Stooges trying to count Austin down but Undertaker interfering and chokeslamming both Brisco and Patterson through announce tables. Super fun match in general, absolute must watch. ****1/2"

[7.0] "Good brawl, but it is lacking. Some have claimed overbooking, and that might not be wrong, but I think it adds something to the charm of the match. That being said, this is still just a typical late-90s WWE-style brawl, with a couple of cool spots but nothing groundbreaking. The booking actually elevates it to ***1/2."

[8.0] "This is a match where Dude Love gives one of his best brawl, the action is good and Stone Cold is always a strong champion during the fight. It's overbooked and full of twists, great entertainment for a match with cars and many objects enter the field. The ending is the best part, it's a typical total destruction as many Steve Austin matches. ****"

[10.0] "From an in-ring standpoint this match leaves a lot to be desired but it is one of the few times overbooking helps to elevate a match rather than hinder it. All the different moving parts from Jack Briscoe to the Undertaker help add to this spectacle. This is less wrestling and more 'sports entertainment' but it is no less awesome."

[7.0] "Really good match, but kind overrated. Funny brawl and storytelling, but not as good as people rate it. *** 1/2"

[9.0] "This match is great, and just a lot of fun. It had a lot of overbooking, but it worked well. Great match."

[10.0] "I thought this match wouldn't quite hit a 10 for me, but it sprinted to the end with some crazy stuff and really hit a home run! Sometimes the McMahon stuff was too over the top during this time, but this was a great example of when it went perfectly. Vince is stupendous at playing that hateable boss asshole, and Foley's work as "Dude Love" at this time is definitely underrated as he tries to be the perfect corporate suck up. In some ways though, the highlight of the match has got to be Undertaker unexpectedly chokeslamming the elderly Patterson & Brisco through the announce tables! Wild punctuation to a crazy creative brawl, this match is a real treat."

[9.0] "This match is like the Halloween of wresting matches, where it was so copied that it actually became associated with all of the inferior clones that followed. Accept no substitutes, though. Even if the booking hasn't aged well, the brawl itself is wild, and the match is an emotional rollercoaster at the end. ****1/2"

[6.0] "Ok match, but I really dislike the constant brawls of that era. Austin really was a shadow of his former self in the ring after his neck injury and this match serves to me as a prime example of that."

[8.0] "It was a very good match to end the Austin-Dude feuds and to continue the Austin-McMahon rivalry. Nice to see Undertaker take care of injustice of the referee, and very impressive the end with Austin in total control. Workrate was also good, but the main aspect of the match, I think, it was the storytelling and the build-up."