WWF Superstars (July 6, 1996)

 

Original Airdate: July 6, 1996 (taped June 25)

From LaCrosse, Wisconsin; Your Hosts are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Mr. Perfect

Ahmed Johnson v Rock Wagner: The WWF Intercontinental title is not on the line here. Ahmed was not a great worker, but much like an Ultimate Warrior or a Sycho Sid or the Road Warriors, his squashes are fun because he’s super explosive and energetic. And, not surprisingly, all of those guys got over big time. Ahmed with a sitout tiger bomb at 2:25. DUD

Dok Hendrix is in the studio for the In Your House Slam Jam

The Smoking Gunns v Barry Horowitz and RT Williams: The WWF Tag Team title is not on the line here. I can’t get a handle on Horowitz. One week, he’s taking Owen Hart to the limit, the next he’s tagging with a no name jobber, and back to being an enhancement scrub. Meanwhile, the Bodydonnas (with new manager Cloudy) split screen in to cut a promo on the Gunns, who they will meet in non-title action at In Your House. You’d think the slopping segment last week was setting up the Gunns against the Godwinns. You’d be wrong. I guess the tag division was just so crazy awesome that there wasn’t enough time to get in all the hot matches they had on deck. The Gunns with a combo at 2:56. DUD

Unleash the Warrior Inside You ad. There’s no telling what you might achieve 

Savio Vega v Who: Yep, it’s Jim Neidhart under a mask, in a literal joke gimmick. Poor Jim probably thought his career was over at this point, it’s kind of amazing that he’d be part of a main event stable a year later, and even get a WCW contract before he was done. Vega with a schoolboy at 5:26. This was way too long. DUD

Jake Roberts is ready to defeat Mankind at In Your House. For Jesus

Salvatore Sincere v Dan Jesser: I get having these guys like Salvatore, TL Hopper, Goon, whatever to do jobs while ‘looking’ like a pushed guy, but actually giving them squashes of their own is such a step down for the promotion. No one wanted to see these guys get featured. If it wasn’t clicking for an elementary school kid who ate the product up at every opportunity, it wasn’t working. Salvatore at 1:56. DUD

Ross brings Camp Cornette out for an in-ring interview, and there’s nothing of note here at all, just the most basic, basic hype for the six-man main event at In Your House. This was really weak, and did nothing to make you want to see the match. No wonder the show bombed on pay per view. I’m surprised at Cornette here, he usually can make chicken shit into chicken salad

The Godwinns v Sonny Rogers and Kevin Krueger: The Smoking Gunns and Sunny split screen in, still fuming over last week’s slopping. Again, you’d think that would be leading to a match at the pay per view. Phineas Godwinn puts this one away at 1:26. DUD

TL Hopper vignette 

Steve Austin v Aldo Montoya: No match, as Austin thinks the match is beneath him, and forfeits. This is the real start of Stone Cold, as seeing him in jeans, a gold chain, and cutting acidic promos is much better than whatever the combo with Ted DiBiase was supposed to achieve. 

Dok is back with a second Slam Jam

BUExperience: Weak stuff this time around, with horrible characters/gimmicks, and what feels like a phoned-in build for In Your House. Bad news.