WWF Superstars (June 22, 1996)

 

Original Airdate: June 22, 1996 

Your Hosts are Todd Pettengill and Mr. Perfect from the studio

Video on Marc Mero’s path to the King of the Ring tournament semifinal

Video on Steve Austin’s path to the semi

King of the Ring Memory: Jerry Lawler attacking Bret Hart after Bret won the initial tournament in 1993

King of the Ring ad

Ultimate Warrior/Jerry Lawler feud review video

Dok Hendrix is in the studio for the King of the Ring Slam Jam. What is this whole show?

King of the Ring Memory: Roddy Piper beating Jerry Lawler in 1994

Undertaker and Paul Bearer are hanging out in the basement somewhere, talking shit about Mankind

Undertaker/Mankind feud review video

Jim Ross visits a basement, looking for Mankind. No word on whether it’s the same basement Undertaker is hanging out in. It’s dark, hard to tell. It would be really funny if they were literally ten feet away from each other, cutting sinister promos on each other, but unable to find one another

King of the Ring Memory: Owen Hart giving his victory speech in 1994

King of the Ring Memory: Yokozuna winning the WWF Title from Hulk Hogan in 1993

We take a look back at the double pin finish in the Shawn Michaels/Davey Boy Smith match from Beware of Dog. I like how they’re selling it as ‘the most controversial finish in WWF Title history!’ I get that they’re selling a rematch, but come on. In the same world as the twin referee deal in 1988? It’s not even in the same ballpark

Ross hosts a split screen interview between Shawn and Bulldog, like the old Face to Face segments from 1993. Not much of note here

King of the Ring ad. Again, what is this entire show, then?

A look at Jake Roberts’ rough road back to the WWF. I continue to find it laughable that they keep pushing that Jake is 41 years old, with the implication that he’s way too old to even lace up the boots, when Bret Hart was 39 at this point. Even more hilarious: they’re literally saying ‘how’s he going to deal with a young kid like Vader at his advanced age?’ when Vader is 41 as well!

Video on Vader’s road to the semifinal

King of the Ring Memory: Bret shoving his foot in Lawler’s mouth in 1995. They went really heavy on Lawler with these clips

WWF Intercontinental Champion Goldust/Ahmed Johnson feud review video

Dok is back with another superfluous Slam Jam

King of the Ring ad

BUExperience: I’m guessing needing part of the North Charleston tapings for In Your House Beware of Dog II cost them a week of Superstars, and that’s why we got this hype show instead of a normal episode. Not that this is the first time they’ve done one of these, but they haven’t in a while, and it wasn’t really their MO at this point. This one was really slow, but they did a good job of building up all the matches.