- Okay, another CRAPPY WWF PPV from 1996, this time
October's IYH, Buried Alive. (This one was originally written in 2000)
- Live from Indianapolis,
Indiana
- Your Hosts are Jim Ross, The King, and Vince McMahon. JR's
mic. doesn't work, and he smells conspiracy, because this was during his "feud"
with Vince.
- Opening Match: Triple H vs. Steve Austin:
Currently, this would be the main event (14 years later, and this could still be the
main event), here it's nothing but an opening match. The WWF champ, in
the opener, with STEVE AUSTIN? How times change. Hunter has zero heat, and Austin has VERY little.
Which, again, is odd to see. Long stall fest, and the top of this building is a
bit empty. These two dumb ass fans in the front row keep pissing the wrestlers
off. Something they would do ALL NIGHT. Hunter is subbing for Savio Vega, and
it appears they seem lost, as they wrestle VERY slowly. G-D this is boring. No
one really gets the advantage for more then 5 seconds, because they basically
trade nothing moves. Eventually, Steve gets pissed, and just starts beating the
hell out of him, then locks on a boring arm bar. Austin keeps working the arm, after a few
power moves, and the crowd is DEAD. Hunter comes back with punches, and Austin returns the favor.
Triple H with a big backdrop, to put in the first GOOD move of the match.
Hunter uses the knee for a 2 count, and goes to more wrestling. Austin draws the only
pops of the match, BTW. Stun Gun hits, and then he hits an elbow from the 2nd
rope for a few 2 counts. MORE knee from HHH, one in the jaw, and then one from
the 2nd rope. Double KO spot, and then Mr. Perfect wonders out, drawing the
only big pop in the match, and wakes the crowd up. He and Hunter had the issue.
He steels his woman, and then gets in Austin's
face, which gets him in trouble. In the ring, Triple H works on Austin, while Perfect
takes his woman. he has the pedigree, but goes after Hennig instead, allowing Austin to kick his ass
from behind. Slingshot to the post knocks him out, and Austin moves in for the kill. Stunner gets 3,
and a big pop. He won them over during the match. Heated up near the end, but
still sucked. 1/4 *. (This was such a weird period for Austin, as he’d won King
of the Ring, challenged Bret Hart… and then went out and curtain jerked every
night until Survivor Series)
- WWF Tag Team Titles: The British Bulldog and Owen Hart
vs. The Smoking Gunns: Crowd pretty dead here. Note to self: Never hold a
PPV in the Market Square Arena. Owen starts with Billy, and they trade mat
wrestling to bore everyone. Lots of stalling. Owen tries to carry this, and
can't, but tags Bulldog, and some double teaming gets it moving a bit. Davey
controls with nothing of note. Bart in, and Bulldog headlocks him for a while,
and they do some criss crosses, ending with Bart slamming him. Bart misses a
crossbody from the top, and Davey controls. Owen tagged, and a missile
drop-kick him. Gets 2. Owen is carrying this whole match. Chinlock by Owen
takes forever. Miscommunication spot by the faces allow Owen a two count.
Cheating by the FACES gets them control. Double Russian Leg Sweep gets two for
the Gunn's. I'll never know how this teams (Gunns) won all those Tag Titles. (Well,
because the division was horrible in the mid-90s. They were a solid choice, but
certainly not a team you could compare to The British Bulldogs or Demolition)
Bart with a big swinging neckbreaker for
2. They use Edge/Christians "steeping stone" spot, which wakes the
crowd up. Sidewinder set up, but Bulldog pulls Bart away. Spin kick by Owen to
pin Billy. DUD. Just terrible.
- Ross leaves because his mic. doesn't work, then goes in
the ring, and shoots on Vince. He's pissed because "Vince's butt kissers
turned my mic. off." Hell Yeah! He announces Bret Hart will be on RAW
tomorrow.
- Mr. Perfect comes out, and does commentary. He hypes RAW,
which is a HUGE theme tonight. WCW was killing them around this point.
- WWF IC Title: Marc Mero vs. Goldust: Sable is with
Mero, and isn't AT ALL like what she looks like now. Oh look at the fire works
for Mero.... yep, that'll get him WAY over, Vince. Slow start, as Mero
controls. Oddly, Mero is wrestling the guy who is playing it gay, after his WCW
stint, it's weird to see. Match picks up, and Marc uses his speed, and LOTS of
arm drags too. Perfect was "with" Mero at this point (Not
Lenny and Lodi
style. This isn’t WCW), helping him win the IC title, and I think he
turns on him the next night. Mero on offense is actually pretty good, lots of
high flying stuff, including a sort-of senton bomb. Goldust turns the tide with
a slam from the top, and beats the hell out of him. Chinlock up Goldust ruins
the flow of the match. Mero comes back, and a long criss cross hits a flying
body block. Crowd gets behind Mero, but Goldust kills it with a clothesline. He
grabs a mic. and insults the crowd getting HUGE heat for it. Side suplex by
Mero to a pop, and a big moonsault. Crowd is REALLY into Mero. (Well,
I guess those fireworks were working just fine, then) Curtain Call set up, but Mero flips out, and
rolls him up for 2. Goldust backdrops him to the floor, and Perfect helps him
up. Hunter comes out to threaten him, and then leaves, and Hennig follows. Back
in the ring, a Samoan Drop by Mero, followed by the wild thing for 3. HUGE pop.
*** 1/4.
- WWF Title shot at Survivor Series: Sid vs. Vader:
Sid gets a big pop. Odd, Sid always gets big pops before a world title reign
(here, and in WCW) but once he gets the belt, it seems to die off, and sink a
company. Just saying. Shawn Michaels (who was the WWF champion at that point)
comes out to do commentary, and gets a pretty good pop. Shawn was really cool
around this time, and I was *WAY* into him. Sid controls early on, and is
pretty good at it, entertaining the crowd. Vader comes back and works STIFF in
the corner. Sid gets tossed on the floor, allowing Cornette to work the Smokey
Mountain Magic. Sid comes back really stiff, and does a SUNSET FLIP (!!!), but
Vader sits down on him. Vader LOVES forearm shots, doesn't he? Had this been
the Main Event of Starrcade 1993, it would have been allright. Sid goes to the
TOP ROPE (!!!) and goes for a cross body, but gets caught and slammed. Big
splash would be 3, but he pulls him up at 2. He goes up for the Vader Bomb, and
hits knees. Sid comes back, and SLAMS (!) Vader. Powerbomb set up, but a low
blow breaks for Vader. Crowd LOVES Sid, BTW. Vader tries a Powerbomb, but can't
do it. Quick chokeslam by Sid gets 3. Whoa, match is good. ***. Sid and Shawn
face off, because they have to fight at Survivor Series. (Okay, I used to overrate things,
but seriously, THE FUCK?! ***?!? Was I on crack in 2000?!)
- Dok tries to interview Sid, but JR comes in, and does a
REAL interview asking the tough questions. Funny, as Dok is insulted, because
HE SUCKS!
- Buried Alive Match: The Undertaker vs. Mankind:
GREAT video package leading to this match. Slugfest to start, which Undertaker
wins. Foley comes back, and hammers him. Did Mick really pull out all that
hair? Mick takes a huge bump, head first, to the railing, then UT hits a
clothesline from the top to the floor. They brawl to the grave site, where
Mankind controls on top on the dirt mound, and UT SMALL PACKAGES him, and they
roll down the hill that way. They fight back to ringside, and Mick eats stairs.
In the ring they go, and that doesn't last, as UT knocks him to the floor.
Foley takes a huge bump to the railing, from the crowd, then UT hits a flying
clothesline over the railing. Cool. Mick crotches UT on the top rope, and beats
on him for a while. Mick then pulls out a nail, and goes to work on the head.
UT gets it after a while, and uses it on *him.* UT loves to do that flying clothesline
spot, eh? Super high leg drop by 'Taker, and he goes after Paul to a big pop.
Foley finds a chair, and clobbers him. Mankind then LICKS THE CHAIR. Okay, that
was weird. Mick controls on the floor, and pulls UT to the grave, and puts him
in, giving everyone a heart attack. UT comes back, and hammers him in the
grave. Dirt to the face turns the tide, but UT him tosses him down the dirt.
Ouch. Back in the ring, and Mick cheats to win, and hits a big piledriver. I
always liked Mankind's piledriver. UT puts Mick's face under the chair, and
drops a leg. Vicious spot. Mick is SKINNY here, BTW. (Yeah, compared to later he was
practically a crusierweight) Mankind then tries the
garentueed-to-never-eeever-work spot (Jericho
reference!) of piledriving someone on the exposed floor. UT escapes,
that and drops him VICIOUSLY to the steps. He tosses them in, and nearly kills
him with the stairs. Tombstone
sends the crowd into a giant frenzy. He carries him to the grave, but Foley
hooks on the Mandible Claw, and he's got the urn. It backfires, and UT
chokeslams him in. He covers him with dirt, and we're done. Whoa. *** 1/4. He
then continues pileing on the dirt, trying to kill Mankind, but the Executioner
comes out, and nails him with a shovel, HARD. He digs Mankind out, and they
(along with some other heels) proceed to bury the Undertaker, ALL THE WAY
under. That takes about 10 minutes too. To this day I don't know how they did
it without him, you know, dying. Anyone know? Anyway, after all the burying is
done, a lightning bolt strikes the grave, and UT's hand comes up, to a big pop.
Anyone know how it was done?
- Bottom Line: Well, it's definitely not a BAD show, as the
last 3 matches save it. The first two SUCKED, but the last 3 are all at *** or
more. 3 out of 5 is pretty good for a two hour show, and even though the
wrestling is okay, the show didn't FEEL like a good show.
So we'll go, Mildly Recommended.
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