WWF Shotgun Saturday Night (May 31, 1997)

 

Original Airdate: May 31, 1997 (taped May 26)

From Evansville, Indiana; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Brian Pillman

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Undertaker, Mankind, and Vader v Faarooq, Crush, and Savio Vega: It never fails to impress me when we get big star power on these shows. The Nation try ganging up on Mankind, but it doesn’t go too well for them, and Savio ends up getting worked over in the babyface corner. Or, well, ‘babyface.’ I mean. The crowd is surprisingly dead for a match with this much star power. But, maybe not that surprising, considering they aren’t doing much. The heels manage to take control on Vader, and they cut the ring in half. Thing break down, and Roseanne Barr the door - Faarooq schoolboying Vader for the pin at 8:13 during the chaos. This was really dull. DUD

Phineas Godwinn v Blackjack Bradshaw: They measure each other to start, and it turns into a slugfest, won by Bradshaw. Bradshaw grabs a standing side-headlock, but Godwinn forces a criss cross to escape, and throws a shoulderblock to win it. A headbutt sends Bradshaw to the outside, and Godwinn follows to feed him the apron. Back in, Phineas tries a wristlock, but Bradshaw fights him off with a short-clothesline. Despite being in control, Bradshaw goes to the eyes just to be a dick, and a corner clothesline connects. Bradshaw with a Russian legsweep for two, but a dive off the middle hits a boot. Godwinn makes a comeback, so Blackjack Windham trips him up. That leads to a brawl on the outside between the New Blackjacks and the Godwinns, and both guys are counted out at 3:45. ½*

Backstage, Paul Bearer chews Undertaker out, blaming him for the loss earlier 

Vince McMahon hosts Brian Pillman for an in-ring interview, and they’re still hyping him against Steve Austin for King of the Ring. Yeah, about that

The Headbangers v Rocky Maivia and Flash Funk: The babyfaces kickstart the match, and clean house. The continue to dominate once the Headbangers come back in, until Rocky gets caught in a combo, and the heels take control. Rocky manages a uranage on Thrasher to buy him the time to tag, and Flash hits Mosh with a flying moonsault, but Thrasher saves at two, and Roseanne Barr the door! Mosh tries to hit Funk with a boombox, but Flash steals it away, and uses it - only to get disqualified at 6:05. ¼*

Backstage, Faarooq fumes that he beat Vader, but still gets no respect, because he’s black

Scott Taylor v Tony Williams: They feel each other out to start, and Taylor wins a criss cross with a snapmare to set up a seated dropkick for two. “Interesting move by Scott Taylor,” notes JR, to which Pillman retorts, “it was a dropkick… what was so interesting about a dropkick?” Brian is an underrated commentator. Taylor with a bodyslam, and he goes upstairs, but Tony dropkicks him all the way down to the floor. Tony follows with a plancha, but Taylor backdrops him over the top as they head in. Taylor with a baseball slide, and a springboard bodypress on the floor follows. Scott with a dive on the way back in, but Tony dodges. Taylor tries a charge, but Tony dodges that as well, and delivers a snap suplex for two. Taylor fires back with a backdrop, but Williams reverses a rollup at 4:09. I get that this isn’t the A-show, but this felt like the dark match that warms up the crowd before TV. It was okay as a match, though. ¾*

BUExperience: Not the best of these.