WWF Shotgun Saturday Night (February 8, 1997)

Original Airdate: February 8, 1997

From New York, New York; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon and Sunny

Undertaker arrives on an Amtrak train

The Godwinns v Faarooq and Crush: Penn Station is such a cool and unique place to run a wrestling card. The early episodes of this show are just incredible, atmosphere wise. Clarence Mason sits in on commentary for this one, and they take forever to get the match started, with all kinds of stalling ahead of it. We finally get Phineas Godwinn and Crush to kick things off, and Crush works a standing side-headlock. A really sleepy one, too. They’re just standing around, really. Phineas fights free and lands a clothesline, so Faarooq comes in, but Phineas clotheslines him as well, and the Nation of Domination bail. The dust settles back on Phineas and Crush, and a slugfest goes Phineas’ way, so Crush goes to the eyes. Tag to Faarooq for a bodyslam, and an elbowdrop finds the mark, as Savio Vega makes his way down to ringside. Henry Godwinn tags in to get a headlock on Faarooq, but quickly runs into a double team, and the heels work him over. Faarooq telegraphs a backdrop to allow Henry a facebuster, but Crush cuts off the tag. That’s impressive, considering how small these Shotgun rings are. Even for WCW this would be tiny. Henry collides with Crush during a criss cross to buy enough time for the tag, and Roseanne Barr the door! Vega quickly gets involved, tripping Phineas up, and Faarooq clobbers him to allow Crush the pin at 10:26. Weak stuff. ¼*

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley v Undertaker: Undertaker charges in to blitz him, but the referee gets bumped early on. That allows HHH to grab the title belt, and he brains the challenger with it to turn the tide. Helmsley with a ropechoke, and a snapmare sets up a kneedrop. Kneeling facebuster connects, and it’s pretty funny watching these two big guys try to work in this half-sized ring. HHH unloads in the corner, and a neckbreaker is worth two. Swinging neckbreaker is worth another two, so HHH grabs the title belt again, but Undertaker blocks him this time. He steals the weapon away and blasts Helmsley with it, and that’s a DQ at 7:50. And then afterwards, we get the bit that this match is perhaps best known for, as Undertaker chases him up onto the street level, and gives him a tombstone on the escalator - leaving a slumped HHH to ride down in a heap. The match was junk, but the atmosphere was cool. ½*

Todd Pettengill is making friends in the crowd

Savio Vega v Aldo Montoya: Mason is back to do more commentary. Aldo wins a criss cross to start, and a pair of dropkicks put Savio on the floor for a tope. Aldo with a flying bodypress for two on the way back inside, so Vega slows things down, and manages to nail him with a knee. That allows Vega some vicious chops in the corner, and a cross corner whip rattles the ring. Vega with a turnbuckle smash and a backelbow, and he works a crossface chickenwing for a few seconds before abandoning it. Vega with a series of corner whips ahead of a corner spinheel kick, and he works an armbar, but Montoya escapes with a leg-feed enzuigiri. Montoya makes a comeback, but Vega fights off a ten-punch count, as Faarooq and Crush make their way to ringside. Savio stays on Montoya with a spinkick to set up a nervehold, as the Godwinns join us to counter the Nation’s presence at ringside. Meanwhile, this nervehold just keeps dragging on and on, until the heels and babyfaces start scuffling on the outside. That leads to Montoya and the Godwinns chasing them off, and Henry challenges them to make it an impromptu six-man tag. The heels accept, and we’re on! The Nation work Montoya over, as Todd finds two women in the crowd fighting over a man, and we cut away to that since the match is so terrible. The heat segment on Aldo just keeps going and going, like a deranged Energizer Bunny, until Aldo finally fights Savio off with a missile dropkick, and the Godwinns finally just burst in to start a brawl. They’re terrible at it, however, and Montoya just gets clobbered, and pinned by Vega at 20:10. This felt endless, and really dull, despite the chaos booked. Seriously though, what were they thinking when they gave them that much time? DUD

Backstage, the Godwinns chase the Nation around with the slop bucket, ending in Pat Patterson getting hit with it, in what was likely a rib

Todd catches up with the founder of the Guardian Angels, who may or may not be looking for Ray Traylor

BUExperience: One of the more memorable venues in history. One of the worst episodes.