15. Stone Cold Steve Austin Vs. Dude Love - WWE Title (Over The Edge 1998)
There was a lot of eye-rolling going on when Mick Foley debuted his third gimmick in the WWF. The comedic Dude Love was a far cry from the sadistic Mankin and Cactus Jack personas that had found Foley success in the past. It seemed like a strange move at the time. Dude Love started feuding with Austin as the Austin/McMahon feud was really beginning to heat up. They had a great brawl at Unforgiven but bettered it the next month at Over The Edge in a match that was pure Sports Entertainment. The match had plenty of extras, such as guest referee Vince McMahon and guest timekeeper Gerald Brisco with The Undertaker stationed at ringside as an enforcer. Vince, who was trying to screw Austin out of the title and make Dude Love a corporate champion, kept changing the rules throughout the match. The match itself was a wild, arena-wide brawl that established the style Austin would use to great effect in future matches. Foley took his requisite sick bumps and the match had an interesting story. What more could you want? Like many shows during the Austin era, a weak undercard was completely bailed out by a Stone Cold main event.
