WWF Shotgun Saturday Night (June 7, 1997)

 

Original Airdate: June 7, 1997 (taped June 2)

From Huntington, West Virginia; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Brian Pillman

Vince McMahon brings WWF Tag Team Champion Shawn Michaels and WWF Tag Team Champion Steve Austin out, separately, as they’ll be meeting at King of the Ring tomorrow. Neither guy is getting the opponent that they were supposed to, but they’re more than happy to kick each other’s asses instead - tag title be damned. But, Austin still wants a piece of Pillman, and he’s right there at ringside, so Steve attacks him for a pull-apart brawl to end the segment. Good open, this felt like it could have been on RAW

Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Jerry Lawler v Ahmed Johnson and Mankind: What a mish-mash. I mean, I get that it’s all four semifinalists for King of the Ring, but the pairings feel insanely random. HHH and Ahmed start, and Ahmed no sells some shots, before pounding Hunter down in the corner. HHH goes to the eyes, allowing him to dump Johnson to the outside, but he wastes time posing instead of following up. That allows Ahmed to come back in swinging, as Ross and Pillman get into a weird debate about the morality of Johnson’s past as a street gang member. Tag to Jerry, and Ahmed throws him around with ease. Tag to Mankind, and that does not go well for King either. Mankind misses a shot in the corner, allowing Lawler to throw a fist, and he tags out. HHH unloads on Mankind in the corner, but telegraphs a backdrop, and takes a swinging neckbreaker. Mankind keeps coming with an inverted atomic drop and a clothesline, so HHH tags out. Ahmed tags in, and Lawler hammers on him, but Johnson starts no selling. Johnson with a bodyslam for two, so HHH comes in, but accidentally hits Lawler. That leads to bickering, so Chyna hits Jerry for getting in Hunter’s face, and Ahmed puts the King down with a spinebuster at 6:16. This was mostly fine, but very basic. ¾*

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Video review of the Undertaker/Paul Bearer storyline, going all the way back to the very beginning 

Video look at Faarooq’s journey to the WWF Title match at King of the Ring

Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith v Bob Holly and Jesse James: Owen and Holly start, as we see Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart watching on a monitor from backstage. A criss cross ends in Holly holding a side-headlock, but Owen reverses. Bob forces another criss cross, and he wins it with a kick to the gut, then back to the headlock. Holly with a hiptoss, and an armdrag allows him an armbar, as Bret and Neidhart make their way out. Tag to Jesse for a wristlock, and a corner whip rebounds Owen into a backdrop. James goes back to the wristlock, but Owen goes to the eyes, and tags out. Jesse takes an incoming Bulldog down with a drop-toehold, however, and he passes to Holly - Bob going for the arm, as the Hart Foundation conspire at ringside. The babyfaces dominate Davey, until Bob ends up in the wrong corner, and gets double teamed. That allows the heels to go to work on Holly, as Ross and Pillman get into an even weirder dialogue about what class various wrestlers fly in. Apparently, Holly flies economy, and is poor. James gets the hot tag, and immediately misses a bodypress, and goes flying out of the ring. What a jobber. Bret hits him with his crutch out there, and Bulldog hits the running powerslam on him at 9:02. ¾*

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Blackjack Bradshaw v Philip LaFon: Bradshaw shoves him around, so LaFon throws a kick to the gut, but Bradshaw largely ignores it. LaFon manages to dump him to the outside, and he tries a suplex back in, but Bradshaw drops him across the top rope to block it. Bradshaw with a hairwhip slam, but LaFon manages some chops in the corner. Bradshaw cuts him off with a corner whip, but LaFon blocks a superplex. That allows him to dive, but Bradshaw catches him, and a punch sends LaFon to the outside. He sneaks in from behind with a shot to the back of the head, and a bodyslam sets up a 2nd rope legdrop for two. LaFon keeps coming with a bridging northern lights suplex, but Bradshaw hits him with a big boot out of the ropes, and adds a pop-up flapjack. Bradshaw with a cross corner clothesline, but he hits a boot while trying another. LaFon with a bodypress, but Bradshaw catches him in a powerslam at 3:16. Didn’t flow well, but it was okay, and they were working hard. Afterwards, Doug Furnas is out to alert the referee that LaFon had his foot on the ropes (he didn’t), but when that doesn’t work, they attack Bradshaw. They deliver a beating, but Blackjack Windham makes the save. ¾*

BUExperience: Good star power this week, and a good push for King of the Ring.