Original Airdate: June 8, 1997
From Providence, Rhode Island; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Jim Ross
Opening King of the Ring Tournament Semifinal Match: Ahmed Johnson v Hunter Hearst Helmsley: You'll recall that Ahmed already beat HHH in the Quarterfinal round, and he seems super grumpy tonight. Ahmed knocks HHH around to start, so Hunter throws a cheap shot during a test-of-strength, but Ahmed no-sells the follow-up in the corner. Ahmed with a press-slam to send HHH bailing for the outside, so Hunter goes to the eyes on the way back in, but Ahmed no-sells him again, and hits a big lariat. Johnson with a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop, but HHH dodges, and that's finally enough to get him some momentum. He quickly dumps Ahmed to the outside for a whip into the steps, and he barrels into him with a baseball slide, before taking things back inside. HHH with a flying axehandle for two, but Ahmed starts no-selling again, and an axekick puts Hunter down. Ahmed with a backdrop and a spinebuster, but Chyna hops on the apron to distract him from hitting the Pearl River Plunge, and HHH capitalizes with a high knee. Pedigree follows for the pin at 7:19. This was pretty rough, with timing issues galore. ½* (Original rating: ¾*)
King of the Ring Tournament Semifinal Match: Jerry Lawler v Mankind: Mankind is without Paul Bearer tonight, further pushing him along towards a babyface turn. And, of course, being matched up with Lawler usually helps, too. Mankind attacks on the outside while Jerry is unloading with insults, and the idiot referee actually rings the bell before they even get inside. That's probabaly my biggest pet peeve in wrestling. Mankind goes to work, and tries for the Mandible Claw early, but Jerry bails. The King stalls, and uses the time to pull out a weapon from his tights - loading his fist and going to town on Mankind. Jerry with a bulldog, and he dumps Mankind to the outside, but Mankind beats the count to the apron, so Jerry rams him into the post to put him back on the floor. Lawler follows to beat on him with more loaded fists, and he decides to try and bite the rest of Mankind's half-ear off. Back in, Jerry keeps pounding him with rights, and they spill to the outside again, this time Mankind able to send him into the guardrail out there. He tries a running kneesmash against the steps, but Lawler dodges, and Mankind crashes into the head-first. Jerry adds a pair of head-first bumps into the rail for good measure, and those are just uncomfortable to watch. I know Mick Foley is hardly in great shape today, but it's a small miracle he's not in a wheelchair. Or worse. King with a Piledriver on the floor, but Mankind beats the count to the apron, so Jerry knocks him back off with a running dropkick. Mankind beats the count in anyway, so Jerry welcomes him with another Piledriver, but it only gets two. Lawler responds by loading his fist again for more abuse, but Mankind fights him off in the corner, and delivers a legdrop. Mankind makes a comeback, and even throws a 'bang bang' out. Cross corner whip works, but he telegraphs a backdrop, and Jerry counters with... something. Looked like Jerry wanted a swinging neckbreaker there, but Mankind swung the wrong way, and they just kind of fell down. Looked horrible. Jerry with a 2nd rope fistdrop, and it's Piledriver time, but Mankind counters with a backdrop into the Mandible Claw at 10:20. This didn't really work from a workrate perspective, but it was a good way to build fan sympathy in support of Mankind's face turn. * (Original rating: *)
Goldust v Crush: This one didn't really get any buildup on TV, so I guess it's just a match. OR, we could invent our own backstory! Maybe the Nation started targeting Goldust after finding out he's actually a straight white guy from a red state, and not actually gold. Crush knocks him to the outside right away, but loses a brawl out there, and eats steps. Back in, Goldust unloads in the corner with a ten-punch count, and yep, he's still doing the creepy sexual assault version. Oh, maybe that's what this is about. Crush is recently released from prison at this point, after all. Goldust with a jumping clothesline and a neckbreaker for two, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Crush delivers a belly-to-belly suplex. I never liked Crush as a heel. The 1994 version wasn't terrible, but he's just so much more well suited to working babyface, and using those power moves for comebacks. Goldust tries fighting him off with a bodyslam, but Crush topples him for two, and adds a backbreaker for two. Crush takes it to the mat with a reverse chinlock, as JR talks about the pre-PPV King of the Rings that took place in his building. I wish they'd release those on the Network, if they were taped. This chinlock drags on and on, and it's not even a good chinlock. Even poor Marlena looks bored. Goldust finally escapes and starts making his comeback, but Crush fights him off with a press-gutbuster for two. Crush whips him into the rope for a backelbow, and just when you think things might finally be picking up... he works a nervehold. That time with Yokozuna was clearly time well spent. Goldust escapes and starts making another comeback, so the Nation starts advancing on Marlena to distract him. That draws Goldust to the outside, and Crush is able to recover, and attack from behind. Back in, Crush goes for the kill, but Goldust fights him off with a DDT at 9:54 - about four of which were that chinlock. ½* (Original rating: ½*)
Six-Man Tag Team Match: Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Jim Neidhart v Sycho Sid and The Legion of Doom: I always find it weird when guys spit on the mat. Like, a little respect for your fellow worker, please. But then, considering all the stories of what wrestlers do with actual shit, I guess a little saliva is a minor issue. Owen starts with Animal, and gets tossed around. Never liked how the Hartsall updated their gear in 1997 to feature that giant oversized logo in the center. Animal uses a catapult to put Owen in the babyface corner for some abuse, and a powerslam gets him two. Tag to Sid for a 2nd rope axehandle, but Hart slugs out of a wristlock, so Sid shoulderblocks him down. Always fun to see Owen pinball for someone. Sid wants a test-of-strength, so Owen decides to pass to Bulldog to give it a proper try, and Sid seems to be Eugene'ing tonight. Davey with a hanging vertical suplex, but Sid pops back up, and steamrolls him with a clothesline - along with the rest of the Foundation. Dust settles on Jim and Hawk, and both guys no-sell each other. Hawk with a flying clothesline for two, so he passes to Animal, and they somehow mess up working a headlock. Neidhart in 1997 was a joke at best. He was never an elite level worker, but talk about a guy who fell hard and fast. Hawk hits him with a standing dropkick, so Jim passes back to Bulldog to try a piledriver, which Hawk of course no-sells. Considering that happens literally always, you have to wonder why guys who almost never do piledrivers otherwise keep trying to do them on Hawk. Or maybe they're trying to prove a point. Animal gets into trouble when the Harts sucker him into a spinheel kick from Owen, and Anvil whacks him with a chair to turn the tide. Good thing it wasn't the King of the Ring inflatable chair, he may have killed the guy. Poor Jim is so dilapidated at this point that he can't even properly do his Anvil launcher spot. No matter, the Harts go to work on Animal, but Owen somehow fucks up holding Animal in a sleeper, with the big man getting a tag while still in the hold. And this man is Intercontinental champion! Hawk comes in hot, but immediately misses a dive, and the Harts go to work on him now. He fights off a double team to allow another hot tag to Sid, and this one sticks - Roseanne Barr the door! Chokeslam on Bulldog leads to the Powerbomb, so Owen comes off the top with a flying sunset flip to break it up - hooking Sid for the pin at 13:29. This felt like something off of Colisieum Video in 1992. * ½ (Original rating: **)
WWF King of the Ring Tournament Final Match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley v Mankind: Feeling out process to start, dominated by Hunter. Mankind fights off some headlocks and throws a backelbow to put him down for a stomping, so HHH bails to regroup for a bit. Hunter goes right to the eyes on the way back in, and he literally kicks Mankind out of the ring - but Mankind pulls him right out with him! HHH eats rail out there, but beats the count, so Mankind takes him into the corner for some biting. HHH fights him off with a hotshot into the top turnbuckle, however, and Hunter uses a swinging neckbreaker to put turd man down. HHH chucks him into the ropes to try and remove Mankind's other ear, but luckily it's only his mask he loses. Hunter with a baseball slide, and he feeds Mankind some steps out there for good measure. Back in, HHH with a pair of kneedrops, so Mankind tries a hotshot of his own for two, then delivers a second one for two. Inverted atomic drop, but HHH fights him off... I think. They just kind of collapsed in a heap, not sure what happened there. No matter, Mankind pounds him down in the corner for a running kneesmash, and a cross corner whip flips HHH into a tree of woe. Mankind dumps him to the outside for his own try at a baseball slide, but HHH dodges, so Mankind backdrops him on the floor instead. Should have taken the baseball slide while it was on the table, kid. Mankind dives from the apron with an elbowdrop on the floor, and a double-arm DDT looks to finish on the way back in, but Chyna distracts the referee. That gives Hunter plenty of recovery time, and he kicks out at two. Pedigree, but Mankind backdrops him, and slaps on the Mandible Claw - only for Chyna to pull him out of the ring before HHH can submit. HHH capitalizes by snapping Mankind's neck across the top rope with a neckbreaker, and he goes to the top for a dive, but Mankind blocks with the Claw again. HHH fights it off himself this time, but Mankind is in a comeback mood, and uses an inverted atomic drop to set up a clothesline for two. Another clothesline sends both men tumbling over the top, and I realize I'm shocked that we made it through the Attitude Era without anyone ever booking a double countout finish for a tournament final. Mankind tries a dive off of the apron, but Chyna pulls HHH out of harm's way, and Mankind hits the rail. Hunter capitalizes by sending him into the steps next, and then onto an announce table - putting Mankind through it with the Pedigree! He looks for the countout, but Mankind is still coming, so Chyna bashes him with the scepter to knock him silly. That allows Hunter a high knee that sends Mankind flying into some poor production guy, but HHH makes the mistake of trying an arrogant cover, and only gets two. Pedigree finishes for real at 19:19. Funny bit afterwards, as Todd Pettengill comes in to give Helmsley all the kingly goodies, only to have Chyna kick the crap out of him so she can do it herself. These two would have much better matches later on, but this one was pretty slow and dull, despite Mankind actively wanting to paralyze himself. * ¾ (Original rating: * ¼)
The Hart Foundation hit the ring, so Bret Hart can make an open challenge to any five wrestlers who have the guts to cross the border for the next In Your House, which will be in Calgary Alberta Canada. Hmm, that could be interesting. Bret then decides he wants to do guest commentary for the rest of the night, but quickly gets hauled off by officials, while crying about freedom of speech. Anvil seems like suchba good backup guy. Like, I can totally imagine him reacting the same way he does here is Bret is ever asked to leave, say, a pancake house at 2am
Shawn Michaels v Steve Austin: Michaels and Austin are co-holders of the WWF Tag Team Title at this point. A fan rushes Austin during the opening moments, but he's mentally challenged, and Shawn actually takes the time to help him get out of there before the security guys kill him. For all the terrible things HBK did in the 90s, he always seemed to actually care about the fans. I mean, he kicked Vader in the head for being out of position for an elbowdrop, and nearly broke down in tears when his May '96 match with Bulldog got cut short, but here he just takes the interruption in stride, and that's nice to see. They do some feeling out stuff to start, dominated by Michaels. Big criss cross ends in Austin hitting an inverted atomic drop, however, and Steve knocks him over the top with a clothesline - Michaels selling it half way up the aisle. Shawn's selling game was on point during this period. Not that it was ever bad. Austin tries a suplex back in, but Michaels slips free, and takes him down for an armbar. Steve makes the ropes to force a break, and then immediately bails to the outside to regroup. Back in, Steve wants a test-of-strength, and he gleefully pounds HBK down in the knucklelocks. Shawn fights free and uses a backdrop for two, but an elbowdrop misses, allowing Austin one of his own, but Michaels dodges. Shawn capitalizes with another armbar, but Steve forces a criss cross, and takes Michaels down with a Thesz-press into some mounted punches. Shawn fights him off with a sunset cradle for two, triggering a pinfall reversal sequence that ends when Steve blocks a backslide, and tosses Michaels over the top. Shawn gets back to the apron, so Steve knocks him into the rail - though the bump is significantly less impressive following Mankind's attempts to cripple himself in the last match. Austin drops Shawn across the rail another time, and Michaels eats steps. Steve pulls up the mats to expose the concrete for a press-drop, and back in we go. Criss cross sees Shawn try a bodypress, but Stone Cold hits the deck, and Michaels takes a bump to the outside. Steve rolls him back in, but Michaels is ready with a cradle for two, so Austin clobbers him with a clotheslines him for two. Snapmare sets up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, so Steve takes it back to the mat with a chinlock, using the ropes for leverage. Austin gets busted, and Shawn staggers up for a slugfest, managing to dominate. Criss cross sees Steve try to toss him over the top again, but Michaels sees it coming this time, and reverses. Nice callback there. Shawn adds a baseball slide, but Austin escapes a suplex in from the apron, so Shawn dives at him with a jumping forearm instead. Backdrop works. Inverted atomic drop works. Cross corner whip works. Charge doesn't. Austin with a cross corner whip of his own, but Michaels springboards back with a bodypress for two, so Steve throws a clothesline for two. Another corner whip flips Shawn over the buckles, but a third is reversed - right into the referee. Superkick, but Steve counters to the Stunner - no referee to count the fall. Austin decides to Stun the official for being useless, but that allows Michaels to recover, and he hits the Superkick. Cover, no referee. That draws a second official out, but to check on the first, not count the fall. That earns #2 a Superkick, and Shawn covers again as the original referee recovers enough to count... two. That draws a third referee out, and it's Earl Hebner, so you know shit just got real. And, yep, he just disqualifies both guys right away at 22:48. Well, that was quite the shitty finish. Though still prefferable to a Hart Foundation run-in, which is what I think most were expecting. The match was a lot slower than I remember it being, but the quality of the work itself was strong. *** ¼ (Original rating: *** ¾)
Main Event: WWF Title Match: Undertaker v Faarooq: Faarooq attacks before the bell, and pounds the champion into the corner. Cross corner whip works, but Undertaker blocks the charge, and unloads in the corner himself. Undertaker with a clothesline, but an elbowdrop misses, so he uses a big boot instead. The flow of this thing has been all over the place. A second big boot gets two, but a whip into the ropes gets reversed, and Faarooq powerslams him for two. The Nation attack for a few cheapshots as Undertaker recovers, but Faarooq STILL hits boot while trying a charge, and Undertaker works the shoulder. Ropewalk forearm, but Undertaker abandons it mid way in favor of diving onto the entire Nation instead. Okay, that was pretty cool, and totally unexpected. Back in, Undertaker tries again, but this time the Nation shake the ropes to crotch him, so haha. That allows Faarooq a snap suplex for two, but Undertaker just pops back up and clotheslines him. This thing needs to settle into a groove in the worst way. Faarooq goes low for two, and he goes after 'Taker with the steps on the outside, but gets them kicked back in his face for his efforts. Faarooq is coming off like a total joke here. Back in, Undertaker keeps pounding him, but a backdrop attempt is countered with a piledriver for two. Faarooq grabs a chinlock, as JR starts nearly foaming at the mouth trying to make this match sound exciting. Undertaker uses a jawbreaker to escape, but a splash attempt hits the knees, so Faarooq tries another piledriver, but 'Taker backdrops him. Legdrop, but Faarooq dodges, and seriously, can either guy string more than two moves together here without the tide turning? Faarooq dives off the middle, but gets caught in a powerslam. Jumping clothesline, but Faarooq ducks it, so Savio Vega takes a cheapshot. That draws Crush over to complain for some reason, and their bickering distacts Faarooq long enough for Undertaker to deliver the Tombstone at 13:45. What a boring main event. I mean, there was just nothing going on here. Afterwards, Ahmed Johnson shows up to try and get Undertaker to turn on Paul Bearer, but when that fails, he just hits 'Taker with the Pearl River Plunge instead. ¼* (Original rating: ½*)
BUExperience: This was a terrible pay per view, with one good match, and everything else just kind of there. Some of it was decent, but none of it is worth sitting through this entire card for.
DUD
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