Original
Airdate: December 15, 1996
From
West Palm Beach, Florida; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim
Ross, and Jerry Lawler
Opening Match: Flash Funk v
Leif Cassidy:
The arena looks so small and dinky here. It's weird, WCW was regularly drawing
smaller crowds than this for Nitro's, but they looked great on TV. JR, bless
him, is trying to get this over as a serious match. Feeling out process to
start, in front of a dead crowd. Funk botches a springboard spot twice before
going back to the armbar to regroup, but Cassidy slugs free in the corner, so
Flash tries a headscissors takedown, but Cassidy counters with a facebuster.
Not sure if that was a botch as well, but it didn't look good regardless.
Cassidy with some trapping headbutts to set up an overhead suplex over the top,
and Cassidy dives after him with a springboard somersault senton. Cassidy adds
a lariat on the floor before rolling Flash back inside, using a dropkick to the
back of the head for two. Cassidy works a chinlock, but Flash escapes, so
Cassidy tries a powerbomb, but Flash escapes that as well. Funk throws a
dropkick, but a criss cross ends badly when Cassidy catches him with a sitout
spinebuster for two. Bodyslam sets up a 2nd rope moonsault, but
Flash dodges, and starts making a comeback. Cassidy tries to superkick him, but
Funk dodges, and uses a handspring kick to send Leif to the outside. Funk is
after him with a dive, and back inside, a bodyslam sets up a flying moonsault
for two. Spinkick, but Cassidy dodges, and clotheslines him for two. Pinfall
reversal sequence ends in Funk throwing an enzuigiri, and a stinger splash sets
up a side suplex, before Funk finishes with a 450 splash at 10:34. This had its
moments, but Flash was working super sloppy, and it always felt like it was on
the verge of falling apart. ** (Original rating: *)
WWF Tag Team Title Match: Owen
Hart and Davey Boy Smith v 'Diesel' and 'Razor Ramon': Even the announcers sound
like they don't want to be out there anymore. Owen starts with Diesel, and
tries a ten-punch in the corner, but gets tossed off. Diesel with a press-slam,
as a tag team from AAA come out to observe. Diesel sends Owen over the top with
a clothesline, and tags are made all around. The crowd has no idea what to make
of the AAA guys, and frankly, neither do the announcers. Ross has to settle for
noting that one has his shirt off as a talking point. Davey and Razor trade off
for a bit, and now we get a cameo from Steve Austin at ringside. That draws
Bulldog to the outside to go after him, and they brawl on the outside, as we
get a weird filter on one of the camera lenses that looks really terrible.
Inside, Owen hits Razor with a flying axehandle, and he works a wristlock, as
somehow the already dead crowd is dying even more. Owen with a missile
dropkick, but Diesel pulls down the top rope as Hart runs
them,
and Owen takes a spill over the top. Diesel runs him into the post out there,
and inside, Razor works to cut the ring in half. Who are the babyfaces supposed
to be in this thing? The crowd is getting behind Owen, but he's the same guy
who was ready to let Austin
break his own brother's ankle a couple of weeks ago. But then, with this
pairing, can you blame them? At least he's a real dude. And Ross feels so out
of his element trying to get this over. Owen fights Diesel off with a leg-feed
enzuigiri to get the tag to Bulldog, and Roseanne Barr the door. Running
Powerslam looks to finish Ramon, but he counters to the Razor's Edge, so Owen
sneaks in with a spinheel kick to block it, and the momentum sends Bulldog into
a somersault cradle at 12:26. Well, at least a better result for Owen than when
he faced real Diesel at last years December In Your House. So there's that. And
then afterwards, Austin
shows up to clip Smith's knee to further that feud that ended up going more or
less nowhere in the long run. This was a weird match, in that it felt like they
kinda wanted to have a good match, but there was no way that was ever going to
happen, so they were also phoning it in. And then surrounded by overbooking on
top of it all. Just not a good situation. ¾* (Original rating: ¼*)
WWF Intercontinental Title
Match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley v Marc Mero: Feeling out process to start, with Mero
dominating. Dropkick and a clothesline sends HHH to the outside, and Marc dives
off the apron with an axehandle out there. Inside, Mero uses a corner whip to
set up a backdrop, and he unloads a ten-punch, but Hunter counters by dropping
him across the top turnbuckle. He goes for the Pedigree early, but Mero
backdrops him over the top to block, so Helmsley uses Sable as a shield,
allowing him a cheap shot. He whips Mero into the steps out there, and a tilt-a-whirl
backbreaker gets two on the way back inside. Helmsley works an abdominal
stretch next, but gets busted using the ropes for leverage, and he rips off the
old Ric Flair spot where he gets in the referee's face, with the official
barking right back. And it gets a huge pop! HHH tries a dive off the middle,
but Mero lifts his boot to block, and delivers an inverted atomic drop. Marc
adds a jumping clothesline, and a corner whip sends HHH flipping in the corner.
Mero with a kneelift and a headscissors takedown for two, and he takes the
champ up to the middle rope for a rana. Wild Thing time, but Helmsley shoves
the referee into the ropes to knock Marc off before he can dive. That gets
Hunter a two count, and he tries the Pedigree, but Marc counters with a
catapult into the corner for two. Ross is getting really annoying on
commentary. I love JR, but he doesn't mesh well when Vince is also out there.
Their styles are just too different. Mero with a flying moonsault press for
two, but HHH ducks a clothesline, and the referee eats it instead. That allows
Hunter a neckbreaker, and he grabs the title belt, but Mero blocks a blow with
it. Marc tries a double-underhook cradle, but the referee is down, and the
count is delayed - HHH kicking out at two once it finally happens. Cross corner
whip sends HHH flipping to the floor, and Marc dives after him with a
somersault plancha. Didn't really get all of that one. That draws Goldust out,
and he nails both guys with the title belt, as the dazed referee starts the count.
Marc beats the count in, but HHH doesn't, giving Mero a lame countout victory
at 13:03. This was pretty good, but the finish was really weak. ** ½ (Original
rating: * ½)
Armageddon Rules Match:
Executioner v Undertaker: This is basically a no holds barred match, where after a fall
(which count anywhere), the guy must answer a ten count. Undertaker attacks
before the bell, and unloads on the guy. Big boot hits, and Undertaker uses a
pair of cross corner whips to leave Executioner in a tree of woe. Executioner
looks like he's working on a different planet than Undertaker tonight.
Seriously, his timing is way off, and it looks like they keep having to repeat
even simple stuff like Irish whips so he can get his shit together. They spill
to the outside, where Undertaker pulls up the mats for a Tombstone on the concrete, but Mankind runs
in to save. Unfortunately, he trips over the pulled up mats as he does, and
wipes out on the floor while trying to clip the knee. Well, things really can't
get much worse out there, no worries. The heels double up on 'Taker, but he
makes a comeback, and all three brawl up the aisle. Undertaker chucks Mankind
through pieces of the house set, but here comes Executioner to double up again,
and they brawl back to the ring. A bunch of security guys show up to deal with
Mankind, as Undertaker brawls back up the aisle with Executioner, and they end
up backstage. They brawl out of the arena, but apparently that's outside the
camera's range, and we lose them for a while. We finally pick up again with
Undertaker chucking Executioner down a flight of steps and into a fountain in
front of the building, and he leaves him out there to go chasing after Mankind
again. By now, security has gotten Mankind in a straightjacket, so he's pretty easy
pickings. Executioner shows up again, so Undertaker hits him with a clothesline
in the ring, and the Tombstone
finishes at 11:33. This was such a mess, as Executioner was just embarrassingly
bad, and adding Mankind into the mix didn't do anything for it. Even the
referee was a mess here, counting the pin and calling for the bell, before
suddenly remembering that, hey, he still needs to do a ten-count too. DUD
(Original rating: ¾*)
Main Event: WWF Title Match:
Sycho Sid v Bret Hart:
Shawn Michaels joins us for guest commentary here. Bret attacks before the
bell, pounding Sid into the corner, as Shawn wastes no time taking shots at
Bret on commentary. Sid fights him off and uses a bodyslam, as the announcers
note that it was pretty stupid of Hart to try to turn it into a brawl from the
get-go. They have a point. From a kayfabe perspective, that's out of character
for Bret, but then the story was how he was getting increasingly frustrated
with the new lay of the land in the WWF, so it works. Sid knocks him to the
outside with a right, so Bret tries to steal the high ground, but Sid to too
fast for him. Shawn is quick to note that Bret is no longer in his prime.
Inside, Hart manages to throw a headbutt to shake Sid off, but the champ
backdrops him over the top, and Bret eats guardrail. Sid pulls up the floor
mats for a Powerbomb on the exposed concrete, but Hart manages to railroad him
into the post to block, and he gives Sid another couple of trips into the steel
for good measure. Inside, Bret works the back that he damaged with the post,
and he uses a side suplex for two. Snap suplex sets up a 2nd rope
pointed elbowdrop to the lower back for two, and Bret goes upstairs, but Sid
slams him off the top before he can leap. Sid makes a comeback, and a powerslam
gets him two. Legdrop misses, allowing Bret to try for the Sharpshooter, but
Sid sends him to the outside to block. Cue Steve Austin to clip Hart's leg, and
here come Owen and Bulldog to fight Austin
off. Seriously, will EVERY match tonight have outside interference? Bret beats
the count, but his leg is battered, and Sid works him over. Snake-eyes, so Bret
tries shoving him into the corner, but Sid blocks. They totally botched that
whole sequence, so they try it again, and this time we see what the desired result
was: Bret eating an exposed top turnbuckle. Oh man, this is falling apart fast.
Sid with the chokeslam for two, and the crowd is at least finally engaged
because the right guy is playing the heel. Sid with a charge, but Bret
sidesteps, and a clothesline from the Hitman sends them both tumbling over the
top. Hart steals Shawn's chair out there, but he takes too long, and Sid knocks
it away from him. He gets into an altercation with Shawn out there, drawing
Michaels onto the apron, but Sid whips Bret into him, and then finishes the
Hitman with the Powerbomb at 17:02. I wouldn't quite say Bret was phoning it in
here, but he also wasn't being the guy who wanted to go out and steal the show
either. It was just kind of a match for him, and Sid (who's lucky to work up to
the level of his opponent on his best days), was just along for the ride. It
was also laid out really oddly, with Bret dominating a large portion of the
match, tasking Sid with having to sell for extended periods, instead of
dominating and building crowd sympathy for Hart. Also, looking back at all the
RAWs building up to this, it's clear that Sid is Shawn's giant to slay, so the
result here was never really in any doubt. * (Original rating: ¾*)
DUD
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