Original Airdate: October 5, 1997
From St. Louis, Missouri; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler
Opening Handicap Match: The Legion of Doom v Rocky Maivia, Kama Mustafa, and D-lo Brown: The LOD are down a man because scheduled partner Ken Shamrock is injured. During the entrances, Vince announces that Brian Pillman was found dead earlier today, and that's literally all they have to say about that, as they just get back to talking about the match like he was making a passing remark about his flight being late, or something. Honestly, I'm sure a lot of people thought it was an angle at first. Hawk and Brown start, which sounds like an 80s buddy cop TV show. Hawk knocks him to the outside with a dropkick, so D-lo tries to steal the high ground on the way in, but Hawk shrugs him off with a big boot. Tags to Animal and Rocky, and Maivia stalls on the outside. Rocky pounds him into the corner once they get going, but misses a clothesline, and Animal barrels into him with a jumping shoulderblock, then uses a dropkick to put Rocky on the outside. Ross notes that the LOD are the 'premiere tag team in the WWF,' which is quite the statement in 1997. Over to Hawk to dive at Rocky with a 2nd rope punch, and Rocky is just selling like crazy for them here. He manages to tag out to Kama, and he pounds Hawk into the corner, but misses an avalanche. Hawk fires off an enzuigiri before snapmarring him over for a chinlock, and it's back to Animal for a powerslam. That draws Rocky in to drop Animal with a DDT before he can continue, however, and Kama capitalizes with a savate kick as the heels take control. They cut the ring in half on Animal, and Brown comes off the top with a flying frogsplash, but it only gets two. Rocky messes up to allow the hot tag to Hawk, and Roseanne Barr that door! The LOD clean house to isolate Maivia, and the Doomsday Device looks to finish, but Faarooq shows up with a distraction. That allows Kama to kick Hawk in the head, and Rocky drops him with a uranage at 12:13. This was energetic, and mostly okay, though it went on for a bit too long. * ½ (Original rating: ¼*)
Max Mini and Nova v Mosaic and Tarantula: Haven't we had enough tragedy on this show tonight? The heels gang up on Nova to start, but it goes mostly nowhere, and they end up on the outside, where Max swats them away. Dust settles on Max and Mosaic, and Mosaic misses an avalanche to allow Max to fly around on him for a bit. Tarantula tries coming in, but Max is ready with a rana into a cradle, and Mosaic saves at one. They gang up on Max with a tandem big boot, and Tarantula is such a geek that he literally has 'WWF' written on the side of his tights like it's his gimmick. Tarantula hits Nova with a flying splash for two, and they just can't seem to settle on a guy to work over, with Nova and Max switching on and off at will, without even so much as tagging. Tarantula press-drops Max on the announce table, but even that's not enough to settle into a heat segment, since Nova just takes his place in the ring. And then they switch to working Max over anyway, since why not. And then Max hooks Tarantula in a crucifix cradle at 6:41 - despite Mosaic pretty clearly breaking the count at two. This was okay, I just don't have a lot of patience for this style. And I get that this was a last minute replacement for the Pillman match, but man, no one wanted to see this shit on pay per view, no matter what the reason. ¾* (Original rating: ¼*)
WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Headbangers v The Godwinns: Sunny acts as the special guest ring announcer for this one. The challengers try a sneak attack, but the Headbangers see it coming, and clean house. Dust settles on Mosh and Phineas Godwinn, and Phineas ends up back on the outside after blowing a charge. That allows Thrasher to dive at him from the apron, though the camera totally misses it. Thankfully, they manage to catch Mosh doing his own dive, and he rolls Phineas in to cover for two. A replay of Thrasher's dive shows that we're lucky we missed it the first time. Dust settles on Thrasher and Henry Godwinn, and the champ ducks a clothesline to allow him a schoolboy for two. Rollup, but Henry blocks, so Thrasher uses a dropkick to knock him to the outside instead. He passes back to Phineas on the way back in, as the announcers discuss Marilyn Manson's MTV VMA performance. That's a surprisingly timely reference for these three, though they were generally a lot better about that in 1997 than pretty much any other time in history. A double team manages to give the Godwinns control, and they go to work on Thrasher. Mosh gets the hot tag, and the Bangers go for the kill with a combo, but Henry saves Phineas at two. Mosh tries a flying seated senton, but Phineas catches him in a sloppy powerbomb, and that's enough to win the title at 12:15. Ugh, really, the Godwinns got the belts again? I'd completely forgotten that. The Headbangers weren't exactly setting the world on fire, but they probably should have given them a little more time before giving up on them. It felt like they were making an effort here, but it ended up being super boring. ¾* (Original rating: ½*)
Jim Ross hosts an in-ring segment paying tribute to legends of the St. Louis wrestling scene, bringing out Gene Kiniski, Jack Brisco, Dory Funk Jr, Terry Funk, Harley Race, Sam Muchnick, and Lou Thesz, along with a video tribute for each. This was well done, if completely unexpected, and out of step with the general direction of the promotion at this point. Also weird to see them honoring a bunch of guys not really known for their WWF careers (and highlighting achievements like their NWA World Title reigns) in any era
WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Owen Hart v Faarooq: This is a tournament final for the vacant title, with Steve Austin joining us at ringside, and being a general nuisance. Owen looks absolutely miserable here, and Vince talks openly about reports that Pillman's death may have been the result of a drug overdose, which is another really weird thing to hear them highlight on one of their shows. This was a very weird night in a very weird era. They measure each other to start, as Steve annoys the announcers by stealing their headsets and ranting. Poor guy sounds like he's on a different planet, and just trying to hold it together here. Owen nails Faarooq with a spinheel kick to get control, and he goes to work on the leg, as Austin takes his show on the road by messing with the Spanish and French announce teams. And that's all the crowd can watch, literally not even looking at the ring, since Steve just chatting is more interesting. Hart tries a figure four, but Faarooq blocks, and makes a comeback. Backbreaker gets him two, but Hart topples him during a bodyslam for two. Faarooq keeps control with a clothesline, and a slam sets up a 2nd rope legdrop, but Owen dodges. That allows Hart to try for a Sharpshooter, but Faarooq blocks. Owen stays on the leg, but Faarooq reverses him into the ropes, and delivers a powerslam for two. That draws Jim Neidhart out, as Faarooq delivers a spinebuster for two. Jim distracts the referee as Faarooq misses a straddling ropechoke, and Austin uses the cover to blast Faarooq with the title belt - allowing Hart a pin at 6:01. This was a pretty flat tournament final to begin with, and clearly Owen didn't have his heart in it at all. ¼* (Original rating: ¼*)
Eight-Man Tag Team Match: Savio Vega, Miguel Perez Jr, Jesus Castillo Jr, and Jose Estrada Jr v Crush, Chainz, Skull, and 8-Ball: Boy, the hits just keep on coming tonight, huh? After some switching off, we get Savio choking Crush down in the corner, but he hits boot on a charge, and Crush delivers a belly-to-belly suplex for two. He passes to Chainz, as the announcers hype up a Goldust/Marlena wedding vow renewal segment for RAW. Kind of a weird choice to push, considering Pillman literally dropped dead in the middle of the angle. Ross notes that this kind of brawling reminds him of Bruiser Brody (since things aren't morbid enough tonight), but Lawler thinks it's just 'WWF attitude.' He may have something there. They cut the ring in half on Chainz for an eternity, until Crush finally gets the tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! Crush manages a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker in the chaos for the pin at 8:29. That's it? Felt like six hours. DUD (Original rating: ¼*)
Flag Match: Bret Hart and Davey Boy Smith v Vader and Patriot: This is capture the flag rules, but can also end by pin or submission. The Americans call them out to the floor for a brawl before the bell, and they pair off with Vader/Hart and Patriot/Bulldog. Bret and Vader brawl over to the announce tables to smash each other into shit, and Hart gets control by beating on him with a flagpole. Meanwhile, Patriot gets control of Davey by doing the same on the other side of the ring, and Vader fights Bret off long enough to take the high ground in the ring. Bret and Bulldog stall on the outside, which seems like a really dumb strategy, considering the Americans could easily just grab the flag and end it. Luckily for them, they are idiots, however. Patriot finally wises up and goes for the flag, but Bulldog slides in, cutting him off before he can get it. Patriot with a shoulderblock for two, and he adds a suplex, but Bret cuts him off when he goes for the flag. Over to Vader to knock Bulldog around for a bit until Davey tags out, and Hart stupidly triggers a slugfest with big Vader. More weirdness tonight, as they refer to him as 'Big Van Vader' on a WWF show. Hart dodges a corner charge to allow him a Russian legsweep, and he goes for the flag, but Vader hits him down low to put a stop to that. Backdrop, so Hart tries countering with a sunset flip, but Vader blocks with a sit-down splash for two. Tags all around, and Patriot plants a dropkick for two. Bodyslam allows him to go for the flag, and even Vince is noting how unenthusiastically they seem to be making their attempts here. Bret blocks him anyway, and he bootchokes him down to Davey can go for their flag, but Vader clobbers him. Hart tries putting Patriot in the ring post figure four, but Vader makes the save, though the damage is done, and Bret bodyslams Patriot to set up a pointed elbowdrop. Headbutt drop to the groin follows, and he puts Patriot in the Sharpshooter, but Patriot manages a reversal! Luckily Smith is able to rush in to save, leading to all four men brawling in the corner, and Patriot tries leapfrogging past them to get the flag, but he gets slammed off. Dust settles on the Hart Foundation giving Patriot a backbreaker/2nd rope elbowdrop combo for two, but Patriot fights Bulldog off long enough for the tag. Vader thumps Davey with a bodyblock for two, and a nice side suplex follows. Splash is worth two, so Vader tries for the flag, but Bret cuts him off on behalf of his team. That buys Davey some recovery time, and he's able to ground Vader in a chinlock. Over to Bret for a Russian legsweep to set up the Sharpshooter, but Vader is in the ropes right away. Boy, they were really killing the Sharpshooter as a finish during his heel run, weren't they? Guys were reversing it or quickly escaping it seemingly every week. Vader tries his own version, but Bulldog cuts him off, so Patriot tags in to nail Hart with a jumping shoulderblock. He follows up with a figure four, but Bulldog tags in while Bret is in the hold, and he saves. For a guy who held a tag title in the past, Patriot really doesn't seem to understand the concept of cutting the ring in half. Smith drops him with a hanging vertical suplex for two, but Patriot comes back with a powerslam for two. Patriot climbs, but Bulldog knocks him off, and passes back to Hart to go to work in the corner. Snap suplex sets up a pointed elbowdrop, and Hart adds a legdrop before going for the flag, but Vader pulls him off the ropes like a child. Both men tag out, and Vader is able to strike first on an incoming Bulldog. Slam sets up the Vadersault, but Bulldog dodges - only for Vader to land on his feet! That was pretty wild! How was this guy not Vince's wet dream? Vader abuses him in the corner instead, and a clothesline sends Davey over the top, but Bret is out there to meet him with back up. He bashes Vader with the ring bell, and Bulldog adds a shot into the post before rolling the big man back inside. Hart uses a bodyslam to set up a pointed elbowdrop, and he adds a (sloppy) version off the middle rope. Legdrop connects, and a DDT is worth two. Tag to Bulldog for a double team, but Vader fights them off, and makes his own tag. Patriot comes in hot, and the Uncle Slam looks to finish Bret, but Smith saves at two. That draws a fan into the ring, but the referee cuts the moron off (though only about 0.5 on the Curtis scale), and Bulldog kicks the shit out of him for good measure. What was with fans rushing the ring during this period. Vader hits Hart with the Vaderbomb, but he's not the legal man, so no cover. Patriot tries capitalizing with a rollup, but Hart manages a reversal for the pin at 21:13 (23:45 total). This was okay, but the lack of a proper heat segment kind of hurt it, and it definitely felt like the Foundation had their minds on other things. ** ¼ (Original rating: * ¼)
Main Event: #1 Contender's Hell in a Cell Match: Shawn Michaels v Undertaker: Shawn's WWF European title is not on the line here, and the winner gets a WWF Title match at Survivor Series. Despite all the bluster, Shawn is actively begging them not to lock the cage door at the bell, and when that fails, goes to plan-b: RUN. He runs right into a big boot, however, and Undertaker gives him a turnbuckle smash that Michaels does a big oversell for. Chokeslam, but Shawn kicks at the leg to block, and he takes Undertaker into the corner for a ten-punch count. He's lucky this is pre-2000. Cross corner whip, but Undertaker reverses, and Shawn flips into the corner, and rebounds into a shot for two. Undertaker with a ropewalk forearm, and a slam sets up a legdrop for two. Backdrop gives Shawn enough hang time that his boots hit the top of the cage, and Undertaker casually chucks Michaels over the top. Boy, Shawn was playing fast and loose with big bumps during this era, wasn't he? It really was a matter of time before he finally took one wrong, and sadly that time came all too soon after this. Shawn tries climbing the cage to get away, but Undertaker pulls him down, and lets Shawn take some more bumps around ringside. Undertaker tries a powerbomb on the floor, but Shawn grabs the cage to block, so Undertaker bashes him into it a few times instead, until he drops limp. Undertaker shows no mercy, scooping Shawn's carcass off the floor, and pinballing him between the cage and post for a bit until Shawn drops again. Snake-eyes into the cell, but Shawn shoves him into it to block - only for Undertaker to rebound with a clothesline anyway. Undertaker is good and pissed off here, and it's wonderful. Shawn tries slugging on the way back in, but Undertaker snaps his throat across the top rope to block, so Shawn knocks him off the apron to try and desperately buy time. He adds a tope into the side of the cage out there, and he climbs halfway up the cell to set up a flying elbowdrop on the floor. Michaels with a clothesline from the apron next, and he grabs the steps to bash Undertaker with a few times. "Those steps weigh at least 150 pounds," notes Lawler. There's puffing, and there's outright lying, and the King is on the wrong side of that line tonight. Michaels with a piledriver onto the steps, and he dives with a flying axehandle on the floor as Undertaker recovers. Shawn brings a chair as they head back in, and he unloads a few shots to give him a two count. Undertaker starts to fight back, so Shawn desperately ties him up in the ropes to buy himself time, and he hammers on him there, but still eats a big boot on a charge. Another charge ends in Shawn getting backdropped over the top, and he takes out the camera guy on the way down. Michaels kicks the shit out of him for getting in the way, and then gets back to Undertaker with a jumping forearm to set up a flying elbowdrop. Meanwhile, the official unlocks the cell door so that they can take the abused camera guy out, as Shawn lands the Superkick. Unfortunately for him, Undertaker immediately no-sells it, so Michaels goes running right out that damn door while he can! Undertaker is hot on his tail, so Shawn tries dropkicking him, but Undertaker absorbs it, and sends him into the cage with a catapult to draw blood. Shawn's blade job here is still one of the most masterful ever, managing to accomplish it in mid-move. Undertaker capitalizes on the cut by ramming him into the cage a bunch of times, until Michaels kicks him down low to buy time. He knows he's still dead, however, so Shawn decides to climb up the outside of the cell, and hope THAT keeps Undertaker away. Shawn gets to the roof, but Undertaker is undeterred, following. Shawn grabs him for a piledriver on the top of the cell once Undertaker catches up, but Undertaker counters with a backdrop, and he grates Shawn's face across the mesh. Undertaker with a press-slam on the roof, so Michaels hustles down the side to try and get away again, but Undertaker stomps his hands - causing Michaels to plummet off the side of the cage, and through an announce table! That was a pretty insane bump, though sadly no one remembered it even a year later, after Mick Foley upped the ante. Undertaker climbs down to slam Shawn around the wreckage without giving him so much as a breather, and they go back inside, Michaels wearing a crimson mask. Undertaker with a clothesline in the ring, and he puts Shawn on the top rope just so he can have the pleasure of chokeslamming him off! Undertaker finds a chair to bash Shawn's brains in as payback for SummerSlam (and RAW), and it's Tombstone time, but suddenly the lights die. A red light comes up in their place, and Paul Bearer is leasing Kane down the aisle! He rips the door off of its hinges, and steps over the top rope to stare down a shocked looking Undertaker. He gives Undertaker a Tombstone before stalking off into the night, and the battered Michaels is able to crawl out of a pool of his own blood long enough to cover for the pin at 29:58. This is undoubtedly one of the most famous matches in history, and for good reason. Not only is it a legendary performance from Michaels (who bumped and bled like he was wrestling his last match), but it was wildly influential, had a great finish, and featured two of the biggest debuts in all of wrestling history in Kane and the match type itself. All that said, I found it kind of underwhelming, and I think it's actually pretty overrated at this point. I came into this rewatch kind of fully expecting to five this (at or around) five-stars, but I dunno, it's just so punchy-kicky for the first fifteen minutes or so. Still a classic for a variety of reasons, but I'd put this well below five-star level at this stage. **** ¼ (Original rating: **** ¾)
BUExperience: Boy, this show really stretches that ‘can one great main event really save a terrible show’ theory to its absolute limit, doesn’t it? The main event is a must see, but the rest is terrible, and all contested under the dark shadow of Brian Pillman’s death to boot.
*
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.