WWF Superstars (May 4, 1996)

 

Original Airdate: May 4, 1996 (taped April 30)

From Des Moines, Iowa; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Mr. Perfect

#1 Contender's Match: The Godwinns v The New Rockers: Ross catches up with the Rockers in the aisle during the entrances, and they’re confident that they’ll be cruising through to winning the title. They also punt a toy pig into the crowd, and it draws a huge pop. Henry Godwinn starts with Leif Cassidy, and Henry knocks him around. Henry with a press-drop, and it’s over to Phineas Godwinn for a wristlock. Phineas with a pop-up flapjack, as we see the Bodydonnas watching on the monitor backstage. Leif reverses Phineas into the corner, allowing Marty Jannetty a cheap shot, and the Rockers work Phineas over. Leif works a chinlock, as the Bodydonnas make their way out for a closer look. Phineas manages to fight off a double team long enough for the hot tag to Henry, and he runs wild on Marty. A backelbow gets a great spiral oversell from Marty, but Skip trips Henry up. That allows Marty a flying splash, but Godwinn dodges, and tags Phineas. Phineas tries a DDT on Jannetty, but Cassidy comes off the top with a flying sunset flip for the pin at 6:18. This was fine. *

Dok Hendrix is in the studio with the In Your House Slam Jam. Did he just say the previous In Your House took place in ‘Omaho?’ Shawn Michaels defending against Davey Boy Smith is announced, and it’s kind of insane that they’re saying stuff like Shawn Michaels wants to ‘sleep with’ Bulldog’s wife on WWF TV. I mean, it’s super tame compared to where they’d be a couple of years later, but it feels really odd in the New Generation era

Mankind v Scott Taylor: Mankind was such a great character, and what’s even better is that he was great from day one. It didn’t really take any fine tuning or tweaking. Bob Holly split screens in here, putting over the damage of the mandible claw. They did a great job with that as well, making it the most dreaded heel finisher since the crossface chickenwing in 1994. Mankind with the claw at 2:10. DUD

Ted DiBiase recently fired his chauffeur, and decides to agree to sign Steve Austin against Savio Vega in the proposed Caribbean Strap match… if Savio is willing to put up becoming Ted’s driver should he lose

The Bodydonnas v The Bushwhackers: The WWF Tag Team title is not on the line here, thank God. Skip and Butch start, and Butch dominates, but wastes time gloating, and Skip nails him from behind. Skip hammers Butch down, but gets caught with a short-knee, and Butch delivers a facebuster for two. Butch with an atomic drop and a clothesline for two, and he passes to Luke for a wristlock, but Skip goes to the eyes. Tag to Zip for a turnbuckle smash, and he unloads in the corner. Zip with a cross corner whip, but Luke rebounds with a clothesline for two, as Harvey Wippleman scouts the referee from the aisle, apparently interested in improving the officiating in the WWF. The Bushwhackers pinball Zip, but a distraction from Sunny allows him to put Luke down, and the heels take control, just as the Godwinns show up to observe. Couldn’t they have stuck the Wippleman bit in during the Mankind match, instead of overloading this one? Butch gets the hot tag and runs wild, but gets tripped by Sunny, and Zip pounds him down. That draws the Godwinns over with the slop bucket, and Phineas nails Skip to allow Butch the pin at 4:44. ¾*

Warrior University ad. I’m not even touching that one

Owen Hart v Duke Droese: A criss cross goes Duke’s way with a monkey flip, and Droese adds a bodyslam from there, so Owen wisely bails. Duke takes the opportunity to throw Owen’s Slammy in the trash, and you know it’s on now. Hart blitzes him, and a bodyslam sets up a legdrop. Backdrop, but Droese blocks, and delivers a backdrop. Droese with a powerslam, and a cross corner whip rattles the ring from there. Owen pulls off a top turnbuckle pad and suckers Duke into the corner, with Droese hitting it with his knee. That allows Hart a Sharpshooter at 3:48. Not much to this one. Owen won’t let go of the hold after the bell, so Bob Holly runs out to make the save. That draws Bulldog out, and all four guys brawl to end the segment. ½*

Dok is back with another Slam Jam

Backstage, Droese and Holly are fuming, and want Owen and Bulldog in a tag match next week

BUExperience: A pretty crazy stacked card this week, likely due to sweeps. We’ll take it however we can get it.