Minutes to Bell Time

                    I Was There for Raw March 1998

                    I Was There for Raw March 1998

                    Chapter 15 – I Was There for Raw – March 1998

                    I Was There for Raw – March 1998

                    Event: Monday Night Raw – I Was There for Raw – March 1998

                    Location: Pepsi Arena – Albany, NY

                    Date: March 30, 1998

                    Headline: Cactus Jack and Terry Funk vs. The New Age Outlaws

                    Miles from Home:  66 Miles

                     

                    The Memory

                    I recently rewatched Monday Night Raw from March 30, 1998. I was there. It was the first televised wrestling event that I ever attended in person. I was 14 and accompanied by my older cousin. The tickets were his, and I felt lucky to be invited.

                    The Memory of the Show

                    To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember a lot from that day, but four things have always stuck out.

                    • Steve Austin doing things the hard way and giving Vince McMahon a Stone Cold Stunner.
                    • Feeling the heat from Kane’s pyro. We didn’t sit anywhere near the ramp at all, but I felt the warmth of that pyro on the side of my face. For years, I would tell people how that took me so off guard. Pyro technology must have changed over the last 20 years because I have never felt anything like that again.
                    • The birth of the DX Army. I specifically remember Triple H saying “you look to your friends” and then having X-Pac come to the ring.
                    • The DX run in during the cage match for the tag team titles where the New Age Outlaws defeated Cactus Jack and Terry Funk.

                    The Memory of March 1998

                    While the memories of specific actions and moments have faded, the memories of my emotions remain. Those four memories are all that I can recall about the show itself. To be fair, I can’t tell you much of anything else I did or experienced in March of 1998. That tells me this event was very important to me. I can remember the feeling of anticipation and the excitement of attending the Raw after WrestleMania. Wanting to see Shawn Michaels, and feeling disappointed afterwards. The roar and intensity of the crowd. Signs everywhere. Forming a bond with my cousin that waned and resurfaced when he became interested in AEW.

                    I love pro wrestling. At 14, everything feels like a pivotal moment. You can’t know then what moments truly are meaningful. But if you can remember something like this 20 years later, then you know it had an impact.  And. . .contrary to the iconic Jim Ross call made on this show. . . Steve Austin would go on to be employee of the month many times over.

                    Thanks for reading this week’s installment of “I Was There.” Stay well and keep safe during the pandemic. Follow me on Instagram to stay current on all I’m doing.  If you have any questions or want to talk wrestling, feel free to reach out. – Ryan ([email protected]).

                     

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