WWF at Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena (November 2, 1997)

Original Airdate: November 2, 1997

From Binghamton, New York

Opening Match: Brian Christopher v Scott Taylor: Feeling out process to start, dominated by Christopher. He gets arrogant, allowing Taylor to clothesline him over the top, and Christopher stalls. Inside, Brian tries to take control in the corner, but Scott gets the better of him, and works an armbar. Taylor with a springboard flying clothesline for two, but Christopher comes back with a bulldog, and he takes control. Another one, but Taylor sends him into the turnbuckles to block, and he unloads a series of rights. An ugly leg lariat (he didn’t commit to it) gets him two, and a seated dropkick is worth two. Scott goes upstairs with a flying bodypress, but Brian rolls through for the pin at 6:25. They both had it in cruise control here. ¾*

Jesse James v Salvatore Sincere: Major Rick Martel vibes from Sincere. Salvatore gets a side-headlock on to start, but Jesse whips him into the ropes, and manages to dump him over the top on a criss cross. Sincere skins the cat and pulls Jesse over the top, however, then knocks into him with a baseball slide. James stalls, and tries suckering Sincere with a handshake on the way in, but Sal senses that he’s being insincere, and dodges. Sincere with a pair of clotheslines, but Jesse blocks a third, and drops him with a DDT. That allows Jesse a straddling ropechoke, and a kneedrop gets him two. Jesse unloads in the corner, but Sincere no sells, so Jesse goes to the eyes instead. Corner whip sets up a corner high knee, but Sincere side steps, and makes a comeback. Backdrop, but Jesse blocks, and tosses him over the top. Sincere tries a slingshot sunset flip on the way back in, but Jesse counters with a leveraged cradle at 4:29. Basic stuff. ¾*

The New Blackjacks v Recon and Sniper: Blackjack Windham starts with Recon, and wins a criss cross with a shoulderblock. Over to Blackjack Bradshaw to work a wristlock, and back to Windham for a bodyslam. Snapmare sets up a chinlock, so Recon counters to a hammerlock, but he’s too close to the cowboy corner, and Bradshaw tags in. He pounds Recon’s arm before using a fireman’s carry into an armbar, but Recon fights him off long enough to tag out. Sniper comes in with fists, but Bradshaw shrugs him off, and delivers a corner clothesline. Tag to Windham to nail Sniper with a shoulderblock, and a hiptoss follows. Jumping clothesline gets him two, and Bradshaw tags back in - only to promptly fall prey to an attack from the Truth Commission on the outside. The heels cut the ring in half, until Windham manages the tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! Windham falls prey to a double team, however, and Recon pins him at 7:07. Even burned out and out of shape Barry Windham was making everyone else in this match look like jobbers. *

Brakkus v Jackyl: Battle of the guys with names everyone misspelled a bunch in 1997! Brakkus blitzes him, but makes the mistake of going to the outside, and getting clobbered when he relinquishes the high ground. Jackyl tries a vertical suplex, but Brakkus reverses, so Jackyl throws a few clotheslines, and works a chinlock. Brakkus side suplexes his way out of the hold, and delivers a short-clothesline, followed by a press-slam. That draws the Truth Commission onto the apron, but Brakkus fights them off, and finishes Jackyl with a weak spinebuster at 2:47. Brakkus looked like a million bucks, but couldn’t work worth a nickel. DUD

Flash Funk v Interrogator: Boy, they were going all in with the Truth Commission on this show, huh? Posturing to start, and Interrogator pounds him into the corner to take control. Funk tries using some speed to evade him, but ends up trapped in a bearhug, and Interrogator keeps slowly working him over like a combination of 1991 Undertaker and 1989 Andre the Giant. Funk finally gets away from him long enough for a comeback, but he gets caught in a backbreaker while trying a flying bodypress, and Interrogator chokes him down. Clothesline sends Flash over the top for the Commission to abuse, but he kicks out of an arrogant cover at two. Flash tries making a comeback, but gets caught in another bearhug, so he goes to the eyes. Another try at a comeback, but Interrogator catches him in a hotshot for two this time. They spill to the outside, where Interrogator does nothing, and then goes back to the bearhug for a third time on the way into the ring. Flash tries the eyes again, then goes down low to make sure Interrogator gets the message, and that’s finally enough to allow him a comeback. Interrogator no sells, so Flash goes low again, and sunset cradles him for two. Interrogator is so inept that he couldn’t even take the cradle properly. Flash uses a pair of spinkicks to take him down, but a headscissors gets countered with a sidewalk slam at 10:13. I’m pretty sure there’s some circle of hell that’s just a guy forcing you to watch an Interrogator v Brakkus Iron Man match on an endless loop. -¾*

BUExperience: This version omits a terrible sounding Los Boricuas/DOA eight-man main event, Marc Mero/Sultan, as well as perhaps the only intriguing part of the show in Vader/Kane (with Kane in his early entrance gear that includes a cape). Luckily, we get snippets of that last one, and said cape was definitely best left in the discard pile.

Regardless, this is seriously one of the worst house show cards I’ve ever seen. And I don’t just mean in practice, even on paper this is an absolute dumpster fire of a card, and I’m surprised they even managed to draw 3,000 people with this lineup. The original advertised lineup included Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Goldust, and Brian Pillman, so maybe that had more to do with it. 

I’d have asked for a refund, personally.

DUD