Original Airdate: September 15, 1997 (taped September 9)
From Muncie, Indiana; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
WWF Intercontinental Title Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Faarooq v Ken Shamrock: Despite having the low ground, Faarooq is able to attack to kick start the match, but Shamrock quickly fights him off. He goes for a submission on the leg, but Faarooq goes to the eyes to block. He tries diving off the middle, but Ken gut-punches him to block, and delivers a belly-to-belly suplex for two. Leapfrog, but Faarooq catches him in a spinebuster to block, and Ken bails to regroup. Faarooq sends him into the steps out there, but he walks into another belly-to-belly on the way back in, and Ken advances at 2:42. If I didn't time it myself, I'd swear this was at least twice that long. Afterwards, the Nation of Domination immediately run in to beat Ken down, but the Legion of Doom quickly make the save. ¼*
Steve Austin is hanging out backstage, by the forklifts, since that's where manly men do their hanging out
Taka Michinoku v El Pantera: Pantera comes at him with a dropkick at the bell, but Taka quickly fights him off, so Pantera uses a headscissors to dump him, then dives out after the kid. Taka comes back in with a dropkick of his own, and a spinheel kick sends Pantera to the outside for Taka to dive at with a springboard flying bodypress deep into the aisle. He really went for it with that one. Inside, Pantera comes back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker, and a headscissors puts Taka back on the outside to set up a tope. Pantera with a rana off the top for two on the way back in, and a flying moonsault press gets him two. Rana into a cradle gets two, and a magistral cradle is worth two. He takes Taka upstairs, but Taka fights him off with a tornado DDT for one, and he dives with a missile dropkick, before wrapping up with the Michinoku Driver at 3:58. Solid match here. ** ½
The Truth Commission are not interested in 'American originals.’ Poor Bill Abranowicz
The Legion of Doom v Recon and Sniper: Hawk and Sniper trade clotheslines to start, dominated by Hawk. Tags all around, and Recon tries unloading on Animal in the corner, but Animal doesn't do much selling, so the Interrogator pulls him to the outside, and sends Animal into the steps. In, Recon delivers a legdrop for two, and Sniper follows with a backelbow. They continue cutting the ring in half for a bit, until Recon eats a clothesline while trying a corner charge, and Hawk gets the hot tag. Doomsday Device looks to finish, but Interrogator runs in for the DQ at 3:39. They kept things moving well enough here, but it wasn't much of a match. Afterwards, the Truth Commission triple team, but Shamrock makes the save. That draws the Nation of Domination out, however, and they gleefully team with the Commission for a beat down. Militant black guys and Afrikaners? That's quite the combo. ½*
Max Mini and Mr. Lucky v Piratita Morgan and El Torito: I guess this is here to prove, beyond a shadow of doubt, that there is actually more than one other person in this division besides Mini. Sunny is the guest ring announcer here, since they had no idea what to do with her after 1996. Max and Torito start, and Max tries messing with him, but that gets him brutalized with a big boot. Lucky comes in to dropkick Torito, but then Morgan knocks his ass down, so Lucky starts flying around to get control. Dust settles on Max and Torito again, and Max gets crazy with the flips. He falls prey to a double team, and Torito press-drops him into the turnbuckle to put him on the outside. But since it's lucha rules, that just means Lucky gets to come in, so who the fuck even cares. The heels knock him to the outside as well, and Morgan press-slams Max for Torito to senton splash for two. They keep trading stuff with very little direction, until Max manages to dodge a dive from Torito, and he delivers a flying splash for the pin at 6:46. And this crowd, bless them, actually pops huge for it. I really dislike lucha rules tag matches, and I really dislike midget wrestling, so this was an uphill battle for me right from the start. And the fact that it felt like it went on forever didn't really help matters. ¼*
WWF Intercontinental Title Tournament Quarterfinal Match: Brian Pillman v Dude Love: Pillman has Marlena with him, who pleads for the welfare of her child during the entrances. This angle is uncomfortable, especially since it's her real child. Dude dominates with basic stuff in the early going, allowing Marlena to try and sneak off, but Brian drags her back. Inside, Dude gets control again, but misses a charge, and goes flying over the top. Brian follows with chops on the outside, and Love eats steps. Inside, Pillman delivers a jumping clothesline for two, and he works a chinlock, in between shouting stuff at Marlena. Dude gets to his feet and makes a comeback, and it's Sweet Shin Music time, but Goldust runs in on Pillman for the DQ at 4:45. This was mostly angle focused, but that was the best use of Pillman at this point anyway. DUD
Jerry Lawler brings Steve Austin out for an in-ring interview, since Ross doesn't want to risk it again, and Vince McMahon isn't here. Lawler, of course, thinks Steve beating JR and Commissioner Slaughter up is the funniest thing in the world. So the Hart Foundation join us, and they serve Steve with a restraining order, since he just can't seem to stay out of their business every week. And, of course, Lawler ends up eating a Stunner to wrap the segment up
Backstage, Lawler is in a neck brace, and getting checked by EMTs to really put Steve's finisher over
Owen Hart v Patriot: With Lawler selling the Stunner, Jim Cornette takes over on commentary with JR. They trade wristlocks to start, and Patriot gets control with a hiptoss and a bodyslam, before armdragging Hart over for an armbar. He works the part, so Owen tries forcing a criss cross, but Patriot blocks a leapfrog with a punch to the jaw. Drop-toehold puts Hart back in an armbar, but he manages to counter to a hammerlock this time, and he blocks a corner charge with a boot. That allows Owen a missile dropkick, and he stomps the groin, as Austin shows up at the top of the ramp to observe. He's quickly sent away by security, however, and Owen stays on Patriot with a chinlock. Piledriver, but Patriot backdrops his way out of trouble, so Owen spinheel kicks him instead, covering for two. Patriot fires back with a bodypress for two, but Owen cuts him off again, and lumps him with mounted punches. Cross corner whip, but Patriot reverses, and he drops Owen with a side suplex this time. Patriot makes a comeback, and he's moving with the confidence of a real greenhorn out there. Powerslam gets him two, and a vertical suplex leads to the Patriot Missile for two. Corner whip allows him a ten-punch, but Owen fights him off with an inverted atomic drop, and he adds a clothesline. To the top, but he gets distracted by Austin (who has come through the crowd), and Patriot schoolboys at 8:37. This was basic, but okay. * ½
Backstage, the cops search for Stone Cold
Ross brings Shawn Michaels out to hype up his match with Davey Boy Smith for the WWF European title at the UK only pay per view One Night Only, as well as his Hell in a Cell match with Undertaker at Badd Blood. Shawn is pretty confident on both fronts, but Undertaker shows up on the TitanTron to make cryptic comments, and we're out. This was pretty weak stuff, with Shawn kind of unfocused, and nothing really developing beyond standard hype
WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Headbangers v Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith: Thrasher and Smith start, and poor JR's voice is on its last legs here. But luckily Cornette can rant and rave for them both. Thrasher dominates by working the arm, and he tags Mosh in for a combo on him. Mosh with a bodyslam to set up an elbowdrop, but Bulldog dodges, allowing the tag to the Hitman. Hart charges in, but Mosh catches him with a series of armdrags into an armbar. Bret gets into the ropes, so Mosh cross corner whips him, and then tags Thrasher back in for a tandem flapjack for two. Thrasher works a chinlock, as JR's voice is getting increasingly difficult to listen to. The Headbangers double team Hart, and the match is dying, since the Foundation are huge heels, but they're working the match like they're in Canada this week. Last I checked, Muncie is not in Canada. Back to Bulldog, but now HE gets into trouble, and the champs work him over for bit. Thrasher tries a cross corner whip, but Smith reverses. Smith tries a suplex, but Thrasher counters with an inside cradle for two, and an armdrag allows him another armbar. Mosh tags in, but Bulldog drops him with a spinebuster for two, and a hanging vertical suplex allows the tag back to Bret. Hart with a Russian legsweep to set up a trio of pointed elbowdrops, and the challengers cut the ring in half. Hart does an uncharacteristically shitty job of doing so, however, and Mosh just kind of gets away from him long enough to tag - Roseanne Barr the door! Bulldog hits Mosh with a running powerslam in the chaos, and we have new champions at 10:21. But wait, the referee suddenly realizes that the wrong guy was in the ring, and decides the match must continue. But then Smith fucking freaks on some fan at ringside, and gets his flag away from him to beat up the Headbangers with for the DQ before the match can even restart. Well, that was certainly a weird reaction. Afterwards, the Foundation unload, but Vader and Patriot run in to make the save. This was competent, and that’s about all. *
BUExperience: Things felt a lot more focused this week, though the gaps in logic and shitty finishes are still all over the place. And it’s only 1997! I can’t even imagine how annoying this show is going to be for me to watch by 1999.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
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