Goody Bag 77: Chance of Snowflakes

 

Randy Savage v Jake Roberts: TV taping dark match from Springfield Massachusetts on November 12 1991, with Savage working as 'Mr. Madness,' as a replacement for Sid Justice. 1990 - 1991 Savage’s gear was an odd period of transition between the awesome 80s stuff, and the really cool early 90s stuff he picked up by 1992. Macho dominates early, and hits a flying axehandle, so Jake goes low, and tosses him over the top. Inside, Roberts delivers an inverted atomic drop, and hammers on him with jabs. He grabs a sleeper, and a short-clothesline drops Savage. Backdrop, but Macho blocks, so Jake dumps him to the outside again. Jake follows for a whip into the post, but Randy reverses, and dives with a flying axehandle on the way back into the ring. Jake responds by going for the snake bag, so Macho counters with a chair, and he unloads with it for the DQ at 4:46. Not much here. This was surprisingly tame, as it was before the infamous snake bite angle, and so there was no real intensity to it. DUD

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Mr. Perfect: TV taping dark match from Phoenix Arizona on April 5 1993, the day after WrestleMania IX. Perfect charges in, attacking with a flurry of right hands, and backdropping the champion. Perfect adds a kneelift, and he takes Shawn into the corner to unload on. A cross corner whip sends Michaels flipping over the top, and Perfect follows to the outside to smash his face into the steps. Perfect continues hammering him out there, but Michaels manages to drop him onto the guardrail to buy time. Back in, Michaels pounds his challenger into the corner, and a snapmare sets up a chinlock. Perfect fights free, so Shawn tries a backdrop, but takes a matslam from the rising challenger. Perfect with a ten-punch, and a cross corner whip flips Michaels into a punch for two. Headlock, so Shawn shoves Perfect into the referee, and he grabs the title belt. He goes to take a shot, but Perfect blocks, and hooks the bridging fisherman suplex, only there’s no referee. A second official runs in and count the pin at 5:44 (to an enormous pop), but then the first referee recovers, and announces a DQ win for Perfect over the shove from Michaels. This wasn’t bad, but it’s unbelievable that they were all but promising the greatest match ever for SummerSlam when this is what they were doing in the lead up. * 

WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Mr. Perfect: TV taping dark match from Tucson Arizona on April 6 1993. Perfect blitzes the champion before the bell, and delivers a backdrop, then a kneelift. A cross corner whip launches Michaels over the top, and Perfect follows to unload on him out there. Into the post, but Shawn shoves him into the rail to block, and the champion takes control as they head back inside. Michaels with a variety of chokes, and a turnbuckle smash follows. A snapmare sets up a chinlock, but Perfect escapes, and crotches the champion on the post. Perfect with an inverted atomic drop, and a corner whip flips Shawn into a punch for two. Michaels responds by shoving him into the official to buy time, and he grabs the title belt. But - surprise surprise - Perfect blocks, and hooks the bridging fisherman suplex. No referee, a second slides in and count three at 5:59, you know the drill. And, just like the day before, huge pop… and the original referee declaring a DQ. Same template as the match from the day before. And it’s not like they couldn’t have a great match with each other… they had one I clocked at four-stars at a house show in Providence that May. But, more times than not, they were major disappointments. ¾*

Warrior v Hercules: From a WWS event in Vienna Austria on April 27 1993. Warrior knocks him around early on, but Hercules throws a kick during a criss cross, and delivers a piledriver. Warrior no-sells, and clotheslines him over the top. Warrior follows to bash Hercules into a table out there, so Hercules’ manager tries getting involved, but gets battered. Inside, Hercules goes low to buy time, triggering literally the funniest sell I’ve ever seen. Warrior just rocked back and forth like the love child of a mental patient and that little drinking bird toy. Warrior tries a corner splash, but misses, and Hercules gets him in a bearhug. The cameraman decides to sell this like he’s been inspired by Warrior. Seeing this, Warrior is so moved that he break out of the hold, and he makes a comeback - finishing with a splash at 8:59. Not good, but I’ve never seen one of Warrior’s matches from the independents, so it was interesting to me. DUD

USWA Unified World Title Match: Jerry Lawler v Mr. Perfect: From USWA A Perfect Night of Wrestling on August 9 1993 in Memphis Tennessee. Memphis was such a bizzaroworld. Lawler was one of the top heels in the WWF at this point, and Perfect one of the top babyfaces… but here Perfect is a hated heel, and the King a beloved hero. Posturing to start, and Perfect gets control, targeting the knee. Perfect works the part, and gets a figure four on, but gets busted using the ropes. He relinquishes, but then goes right to a leglock. Perfect goes upstairs, but Jerry knocks him off, and makes a comeback. Lawler with a bulldog, so Perfect shoves him into the referee to buy time, and snags a chain from Vampire Warrior. Perfect knocks him cold, and covers at 13:37. Oh, but another referee runs out, and orders a restart. That allows Lawler a cradle for two, and a sunset flip gets another two. A bulldog gets two, but a catapult sends Perfect into the official again. That allows Perfect to grab the chain, but he misses, and takes out Warrior. Lawler grabs the chain, knocks Perfect silly, and covers at 15:54. This sucked. DUD

WWF Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Steve Austin: From Des Moines Iowa on April 30 1996 in a TV taping dark match. Shawn takes him down in a hammerlock early on, and they feel each other out, with Michaels dominating. Steve tags him with a backelbow coming out of the ropes, however, and the challenger adds a pair of forearm drops. Chinlock, but Michaels reverses. Steve escapes, and uses a snapmare to set up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop for two, and he chokes HBK on the ropes. Austin takes him to the apron for an axehandle drop, and he stomps Michaels in the stomach for two. Chinlock, but Shawn fights free, and wins a criss cross with a sleeper. Steve uses a jawbreaker to escape, but a straddling ropechoke misses, and both guys stagger up for a slugfest. Steve tries whipping him into the ropes, but Michaels rebounds with a jumping forearm, and the champion makes a comeback. A flying axehandle gets him two, but he walks into a (sloppy) hotshot, giving Austin two. Steve goes for the cobra clutch, but Michaels counters with a cradle for two, and adds a facebuster ahead of the superkick at 11:49. A pretty dull, phoned in effort. ¾*

Ultimate Warrior v Vader: From a live event in Rockford Illinois on June 6 1996. Warrior blitzes him with clotheslines, and hits a jumping shoulderblock for the pin at 0:18. Really giving the fans their money's worth. DUD

WWF Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Vader: TV taping dark match from Seattle Washington on July 22 1996. Vader rushes in, so Shawn greets him with right hands, and lands a jumping forearm to win a criss cross. Superkick, and good night at 0:24. Was Vader still recovering from his injury at this point, or something? What’s with all the sub-one minute matches? DUD

WWF Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Vader: From a live event in San Francisco California on July 25 1996. Vader tries to attack before the bell, but Shawn is ready with right hands, and plants a jumping forearm on the challenger. He sweeps Vader off of his feet to crotch on the post, and he tries a sunset flip, but Vader blocks. Shawn responds by trying a rana, but Vader powerbombs him to block. He set him down like he was handling a child there. Vader was so neutered in the WWF. It’s too bad he never got a program with Mick Foley, where he could really cut loose. Vader unloads in the corner, and a cross corner whip flips Shawn into a clothesline for two. Vader grabs a clutch from there, but Shawn fights free, so Vader dumps him to the outside. Jim Cornette whacks him with the tennis racket out there, but Michaels beats the count, so Vader tags him with a headbutt. Suplex, but Michaels blocks, and throws rights. He charges, but runs into a bodyblock, and Vader sets up a powerbomb, but Michaels fights him off. A criss cross allows Shawn a jumping forearm, and he dives with a flying axehandle, ahead of the superkick at 6:46. Solid enough, just really short, and kind of flimsy in terms of Vader’s work. *

WWF Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Vader: TV taping dark match from State College Pennsylvania on September 24 1996. Some posturing to start, and Shawn stupidly agrees to a test-of-strength, but then wisely goes to the eyes to escape. He tags Vader with a jumping forearm, and sweeps him down to crotch on the post, but Vader blocks a sunset cradle. Shawn responds by goes upstairs with a flying axehandle, and a rana follows. A big criss cross ends in Michaels delivering another jumping forearm, and a pair of clotheslines follows, ahead of a bodyslam. Not even a challenge there. Superkick finishes at a brisk 2:36. Boy, Vader must have really pissed the wrong people off by this point, he was working as a straight jobber for Michaels here. I think this should dispel any rumors that they had him penciled in to win the title at Survivor Series before switching to Sid. ½*

WWF Title Match: Shawn Michaels v Goldust: Dark match from In Your House Buried Alive on October 20 1996 in Indianapolis Indiana. Goldust antagonizes Shawn by dancing to his entrance music, so Shawn unloads on him, and tosses the challenger over the top. Inside, Michaels delivers a flying axehandle for two, but loses a shoving match, so he grabs Goldust by the balls. Well. Shawn tries a backdrop from there, but Goldust blocks, and nails him with a clothesline. Shawn bails to regroup, but catches a right hand while trying to climb back in, and boy does he sell it. That was an incredible sell. Goldust drops him on the rail out there, and a vertical suplex brings it back inside, giving the challenger two. Goldust goes to a chinlock, but Michaels fights free, so he goes to a sleeper instead. Shawn escapes, and forces a criss cross, ending in a double knockout spot. Both guys stagger up, and Shawn goes on the comeback trail. He lands a flying elbowdrop, but Goldust dodges the superkick, and throws a clothesline for two. Curtain call, but Shawn escapes, and plants a kiss on him to play mind games. Or something. And then the superkick finishes at 8:15, with Michaels squeezing Goldust’s package as the count is made. Well, that was some weird shit. Solid match, though. * ½ 

WWF Title Triple Threat Match: Shawn Michaels v Bret Hart v Sycho Sid: TV taping dark match from Toronto Ontario Canada on January 31 1997, with George Chuvalo at ringside as the guest enforcer. They have a decent sized crowd here, but it’s such a gloomy, depressing looking show. Shawn and Bret slug it out to start, but Sid bashes their heads together, and corner whips Michaels to send him flying out of the ring. That allows Sid to hammer on Hart, as Shawn tries to get back in, but keeps cutting blocked by Sid. Michaels, of course, doesn’t need a written invitation to sell the shit out of all that. Sid misses a charge to allow Michaels to go for the superkick, but Sid blocks, and chokeslams the champion. Sid goes upstairs, but Bret slams him off the top, and delivers a pointed elbowdrop. Hart goes after Michaels in the corner, but a cross corner whip gets reversed, and Shawn plants the superkick on Sid, but it knocks the big man to the outside. Shawn stays focused by turnbuckle smashing the Hitman, and a dropkick follows. A second one misses, allowing Hart to try for the Sharpshooter, but Sid attacks before he can get it on. Sid corner whips Michaels over the top again, and Sid follows to press-drop the champion on the rail out there. Inside, Sid hammers the Hitman, and delivers an axehandle drop for two. A legdrop follows for two, and the powerbomb looks to finish, but Michaels dives in to break up the count at one. Shawn stays on him with a series of rights, but a turnbuckle smash gets reversed, and Sid press-slams him. Hart comes back with mounted punches on Michaels, and an inverted atomic drop on Sid allows Bret to dump him. He hits Michaels with an inverted atomic drop as well, and a backdrop follows. Hart with a Russian legsweep for two, and a backbreaker gets two. A pair of pointed elbowdrops set up a 2nd rope version, but Michaels blocks. HBK hits a recovering Sid with a baseball slide, but a charge at Hart ends badly when the Hitman backdrops him over the top. That allows Sid to get back inside, but Hart wins the resulting criss cross with a hangman clothesline. Sharpshooter, but Steve Austin runs in to break it up. No DQ is called, but instead, Chuvalo takes Austin out. No wonder he hated boxers later on. Sid recovers and tries the powerbomb on Hart, but Bret counters back to the Sharpshooter - only for Michaels to dive in with a flying bodypress to retain at 11:11. A damn fun match, and one that makes me wish the relationship between Michaels and Hart didn’t deteriorate so badly that they couldn’t work together throughout 1997. Even Sid was working hard here! **