Deadly Game Tournament

At Survivor Series 1998, the WWF held a special one-night tournament called “Deadly Game” to crown a new WWF Champion. This was a tournament for the vacated title following a controversial finish at Breakdown: In Your House.

In that match, Stone Cold Steve Austin defended the title against both The Undertaker and Kane in a triple threat match, but both Kane and The Undertaker pinned Austin at the same time after a double chokeslam.

There was no clear winner, and Vince McMahon refused to award the title to either man. He then made a match between Kane and The Undertaker at Judgment Day: In Your House to decide the new champion, with Austin forced to be the referee. But that match ended in chaos too. Austin refused to count the pin and attacked both men, leading to a no-contest.

With the championship still vacant, McMahon set up the Deadly Game tournament to finally crown a new WWF Champion.

The tournament took place on November 15, 1998, in St. Louis, Missouri. Instead of the usual Survivor Series elimination tag matches, the whole event focused on this 14-man bracket.

Big names like The Rock, Mankind, The Undertaker, Kane, Ken Shamrock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin were part of it. Vince McMahon, who had been feuding with Austin for months, made it clear he didn’t want Austin to win. Meanwhile, Mankind appeared to be the boss’s favorite, believing McMahon would help him become champion.

The tournament had twists at every turn. Big Boss Man interfered in multiple matches, including an attempt to stop Austin. The Undertaker and Kane fought each other and were both eliminated by disqualification.

Austin got through tough matches but was eventually screwed out of the tournament when Shane McMahon turned on him, costing him a win against Mankind.

In the finals, it came down to The Rock and Mankind. It looked like Mankind would finally win the big one, but in a shocking moment, The Rock put him in a submission hold, and Vince McMahon rang the bell even though Mankind never tapped out, mirroring the real-life Montreal Screwjob from the year before. The Rock was declared the winner and revealed as Vince’s true choice all along.

The ending changed everything. The Rock became the new WWF Champion for the first time and joined McMahon’s Corporation, turning heel in the process. Mankind, who thought he was part of the plan, was left betrayed.

The match kicked off the major feud between The Rock and Mankind. It also strengthened the ongoing Austin vs. McMahon rivalry. The tournament is remembered as one of the most storyline-driven events of the Attitude Era, full of surprises, betrayals, and the rise of a new main event star in The Rock.