Original Airdate: December 15, 1997 (taped December 9)
From Durham, New Hampshire; Your Host is Jim Ross with Michael Cole and Kevin Kelly (hour one), and with Jim Cornette (hour two)
Michael Cole brings Undertaker out to talk about his WWF Title match with Shawn Michaels at the Royal Rumble, but they’re soon interrupted by Kane, who is annoyed that he isn’t getting Undertaker’s full attention. Kane gets physical with his brother, but Undertaker refuses to engage, and walks away
WWF The Music, Volume II ad
The 1-800-COLLECT Rewind is Jerry Lawler and Brian Christopher’s sneak attack on Taka Michinoku last week
Taka Michinoku v Jerry Lawler: Taka's WWF Light Heavyweight gold is not on the line here. King powers Michinoku around to start, as the announcers hype up a UFC event, complete with an onscreen graphic. Taka fights back with well placed strikes, and a dropkick knocks Jerry to the outside. Michinoku dives after him with a springboard flying bodypress into the aisle, but Jerry lands a dropkick of his own on the way back inside. Taka with another dropkick, so Jerry tries a second, but Michinoku responds in kind for a stalemate. Michinoku with another dropkick as they recover, but a flying moonsault misses, and the King turnbuckle smashes him. Jerry with a vertical suplex, followed by a backdrop, and Lawler works a headvice. Lawler works him over for a bit before dumping Michinoku to the outside as a taunt, and it’s piledriver time as Taka climbs back in. Jerry delivers, but goes up to the middle rope for a fistdrop instead of covering, and Michinoku dodges. Michinoku Driver looks to finish, but Brian Christopher runs in for the DQ at 5:43. This went on for a bit too long for a match where neither guy broke a sweat, but it managed to be decent anyway. *
The Legion of Doom are ready to clash with DX later tonight
Jakks action figures ad
The Nation of Domination join us, and WWF Intercontinental Champion Rock still doesn’t have the title belt that Steve Austin stole from him at the end of last week’s show. Well, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Pretty funny bit here, as Faarooq tries to take control of the group, but Rock brushes him off, telling him that “the champ is talking.” So, Rock demands that Austin return the title belt immediately, which draws Steve himself out, though sans belt. Rock wants it? He’d better come and get it
WWF Attitude ad
Jesse James v Dude Love: They’re still working on the catchphrases here, this week using “oh, you didn’t know? Then you’d better recognize.” Doesn’t quite roll off the tongue. WWF Tag Team Champion Billy Gunn sits in on commentary, and immediately talks about ratings, since of course. Dude dominates him to start, as Ross coins the term ‘New Age Outlaws’ to describe the tag champs - and Gunn really likes it. Yeah, that one might stick. Now work on the catchphrase, and you might really have something, gents. Billy gets involved to help Jesse turn the tide, and James does a worm into a cover for two. That one looked ridiculous, and it’s a good thing he dropped that one pretty quickly. Jesse with a standing dropkick, but a cross corner charge gets blocked with the mandible claw. James falls out of the ring to save himself, but Dude follows, and James eats the guardrail. Back in, Dude delivers the double-arm DDT at 4:34. This was kind of surprisingly terrible. Afterwards, the Outlaws attack, and chuck Dude off of the entrance stage, with Love taking a bump through a table. Good bump, though it fell surprisingly flat with the crowd, perhaps because the match that preceded it was so ridiculously dull. DUD
Mark Henry lifts weights
Mark Henry v Brooklyn Brawler: This is Henry’s first televised match since In Your House Mind Games way back in September 1996. Also, Brawler? In 1997? Where’s Marc Mero to call him a jobber, or something? Henry gets to squashing, as the announcers note that Austin has been confirmed to have left the building, but he’s taken a camera crew with him. Henry with a bearhug at 2:01. Henry seemed like such a dud at this point, it’s incredible how long of a career he had, and how much success he ended up finding. DUD
Vince McMahon summons Owen Hart out, and Vince doesn’t like his sneak attacks of late, as they’re ‘endangering’ the fans. Owen arrives, and gets right in Vince’s face, swearing up a storm, and telling him that he’s staying right here in the WWF so he can make WWF Champion Shawn Michaels’ life a ‘living hell.’ Owen was great here, but the guy needed some lifts in his shoes in the worst way, as having Vince tower over him didn’t do him any favors
Sultan v Tom Brandi: So now Brandi is no longer Salvatore Sincere, following Marc Mero’s evisceration last week. Sultan attacks before the bell, pounding away. Corner charge misses, however, allowing Tom to sweep him, and Brandi unloads a ten-punch in the corner. Backdrop, but Sultan counters with a piledriver for two, and he delivers a big clothesline. Sultan with a backbreaker for two, and he works a chinlock. Cross corner whip works, but the charge in misses, and Brandi DDTs him - no sold. Sultan with a superkick for two, as we learn that Austin is apparently on a bridge somewhere. Brandi comes back with a swinging neckbreaker, so Iron Sheik tries a distraction, but it backfires - allowing Tom a schoolboy at 3:40. Trying something with Brandi wouldn’t have been a bad idea considering his thin the roster was at this point, but booking him like this was certainly not the best start. Afterwards, Mero comes out to beat him down, making him look like an even bigger jobber, just in case. ¼*
The Nation of Domination come back out, and Rock is doing all the talking again. The time he gave Austin to return his property is officially at an end, and he wants his gold. Austin appears on the TitanTron, out on a bridge somewhere, and he tells Rock that if he wants the belt, he can come get it, before chucking it onto the water. Polluter!
Jakks action figures ad
Vince McMahon delivers pre-recorded comments, presenting a sort of manifesto for what the promotion is now. It’s like Seinfeld!
Steve Blackman v Jose Estrada: Jose attacks from behind, but Blackman manages a bodypress for two when coming off the ropes. Backbreaker follows, and he delivers a backdrop. Bodyslam sets up a half-crab, but Jose has the ropes, so Steve knife-edge chops him back down. Bicycle kick finds the mark, and a bridging german suplex finishes at 1:37. Hello maddah. Hello faddah. Here I am, squashing Jose Estrada. ½*
Backstage Shawn Michaels assigns Triple H the task of flushing Owen Hart out of the WWF
The Lazer Tag Slam of the Week is Undertaker squashing Sultan on Shotgun Saturday Night
Shawn Michaels and Triple H v The Legion of Doom: Shawn and Animal start, and Michaels pinballs around for him. Over to HHH, and Animal dominates him with power stuff as well, but Hunter manages to get a wristlock, and he passes to Shawn for a flying axehandle. Animal quickly turns it around with power, so Shawn bails, but Hawk clotheslines him on the floor. Hawk presses him back inside, but Animal clotheslines him right back out, and Michaels is ready to call it a day. He settles for tagging out to HHH, and Animal quickly wristlocks him, before passing to Hawk for a clothesline. Shawn takes a cheap shot to allow Helmsley a high knee, and DX go to work on him. Michaels playing an arrogant heel is a perfect fit for tag wrestling, and that might have been a good direction for him after WrestleMania XIV if he’d been healthy. Not that his ego would have ever allowed it. Shawn collides with Hawk coming out of the corner to allow the tag to Animal, and Roseanne Barr the door! LOD dominates, but the New Age Outlaws show up, and they attack Hawk to prevent the Doomsday Device. Animal tries fighting DX on his own, and is having success, so Chyna slides in with a low blow for the DQ at 8:44. Shawn was a lot of fun here. Afterwards, The Outlaws shave Hawk’s hair off as part of their beat down, as DX direct traffic. They were just loosely associated at this point, not actually a stable yet, though. Funny hearing JR shout about how cutting a guy’s hair off is “unheard of,” when Brutus Beefcake used to do it literally every week in this very promotion. *
BUExperience: Even if the wrestling wasn’t great, it was nice to see actual bouts after the slew of non-matches last week. The angles were all generally entertaining too, but the show feels like it’s missing a really big overarching angle to carry things. Austin/Rock is good, but still not at that level yet, same with Undertaker/Kane, and Shawn just sort of seems to butterfly around without really sinking his teeth into anything. Shame, because Michaels/Hart could have probably fit the bill, and been a fine main event for the Rumble pay per view.
Monday Night Wars Rating Chart
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.