The WWE Championship was vacant at Survivor Series 1998, and a tournament was held to crown a new champion.
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Mr. McMahon did everything in his power to make sure "Stone Cold" Steve Austin did not win the tournament. McMahon was intent on crowning a "Corporate Champion," which looked to be Mankind.
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The deranged persona of Mick Foley was given a makeover prior to the event, competed in a tuxedo and was given an easy first round opponent in a pre-Gillberg Duane Gill.
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Austin, on the other hand, was forced to face off with the intimidating Big Boss Man in the first round.
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Austin advanced after winning by disqualification, but Boss Man set to badly injure Austin with a nightstick.
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X-Pac and Stephen Regal battled to a double-countout, giving Austin a bye to the semi-finals much to the frustration of Mr. McMahon.
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In one of the most competitive matchups of the tournament, Goldust faced off with Ken Shamrock in the first round.
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The referee prevented Goldust from delivering Shattered Dreams, and Shamrock won with his limb twisting Ankle Lock.
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Kane and The Undertaker each received a bye to the second round and faced each other.
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The two Brothers of Destruction had been at odds for more than a year, since Kane's debut at Badd Blood in October 1997.
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It was a controversy with a WWE Championship Match between Kane and The Undertaker that necessitated a tournament in the first place.
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After back and forth action, The Undertaker pinned Kane following a Tombstone piledriver and assistance from Paul Bearer.
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Mankind faced off with Al Snow in the second round.
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Mrs. Foley's Baby Boy was victorious and advanced to the semi-finals, much to the delight of Mr. McMahon.
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The Rock's rivalry with Ken Shamrock was renewed in the second round, which The Great One won after avoiding interference from the Big Boss Man.
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The Corporate-sponsored Mankind took on Austin in the first semi-final matchup.
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Foley quickly slipped out of his tuxedo jacket and later eased out of his slacks as the brawl intensified.
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Even Mankind's shoe was not immune to getting involved in the contest.
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Foley advanced to the finals after Shane McMahon refused to count the pin for Austin and Gerald Brisco and Sgt. Slaughter nailed the Rattlesnake with a steel chair.
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The Undertaker met The Rock to determine who would face Mankind for the WWE Championship in the finals.
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The Rock was victorious by disqualification after interference from both Boss Man and Kane.
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The finals between Mankind and The Rock was a hard-hitting back and forth contest. It would become the first of seven WWE Championship matches between the two over the following four months.
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In a stunning moment, Mr. McMahon called for the bell while The Rock had Mankind locked in The Sharpshooter. It was all a ploy to crown The Rock as The Corporate Champion, not Mankind.
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The moment was eerily reminiscent of the Montreal Screwjob one year prior, and it gave The Rock his first WWE Championship.
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Following the shocking conclusion of the main event, a furious Austin ran to the ring and attacked the new champion.
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The historic tournament made a bona fide star out of The Rock, a sympathetic hero in Mankind and set the stage for an epic main event at WrestleMania XV several months later.