WWF Shotgun Saturday Night (August 9, 1997)

 

Original Airdate: August 9, 1997 (taped August 4)

From Bethlehem, Pennsylvania; Your Hosts are Michael Cole and Jim Cornette

Various fans react to the finish of the Undertaker/Bret Hart main event at SummerSlam

20-Man Battle Royal: We've got: Patriot, Vader, Sultan, Henry Godwinn, Phineas Godwinn, Ken Shamrock, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Salvatore Sincere, Faarooq, D-lo Brown, Chainz, Miguel Perez Jr, Rockabilly, Mosh, Thrasher, Savio Vega, Davey Boy Smith, Mankind, Crush, and Brooklyn Brawler in there. We get down to Vader, Mankind, Patriot, and Sultan, and Mankind is quickly eliminated by Vader while fumbling with HHH (which Mankind had just eliminated). That allows the heels to gang up on Patriot, but he fights through it, and last eliminates Vader to win at 9:51. No real reason for this from a kayfabe perspective, but clearly they wanted to get Patriot over, ahead of his sudden introduction into the title picture. I’m not sure that this was the best way to do it (or the best show to do it on), but it’s an effort, I guess. ¼*

Last Tuesday in Toronto, Bret Hart received a hero's welcome at the airport upon landing. Was that a pre ‘fame’ Jason Sensation there?

SummerSlam Home Video ad. They actually show the Owen/Austin broken neck spot here to hype it, which feels kind of shitty

Last Sunday, before SummerSlam, the WWF threw a ‘beach party’ outside of the arena. Nothing says ‘beach’ like the parking lot of an arena in New Jersey, I’ll tell ya

Jerry Lawler brings Marc Mero and Sable out for an in-ring interview, with Jerry wanting to know/stirring up regarding how Mero can handle Sable’s popularity and the fact that guys everywhere are lusting after her. They kind of blow him off, so Lawler asks about a rumor that Sable is hooking up with Undertaker. “You, of all people, should know not to believe every rumer you hear,” quips Sable

We see clips of the WWF’s fight to bring their TV shows back to New Jersey, complete with comments from ‘one of the classiest leaders of our time,’ Governor Whitman

Bob Holly v Tiger Ali Singh: They put Holly over as a former WWF Intercontinental champion, which isn’t even true within their own version of history. Singh dominates, and a 2nd rope fistdrop gets him two. Holly fights back with a dropkick, and a snap suplex gets him two. Bob uses a backbreaker for two, and a backelbow finds the mark. He holds a front-facelock, but Singh drops him into the turnbuckle to break, and Tiger throws a dropkick of his own. Singh keeps coming with a one-handed bulldog, and a flying bulldog finishes at 4:30. This was very flat. ¼*

More fans react to the SummerSlam main event

Six-Man Tag Team Match: Sniper, Recon, and Interrogator v Zolta Bigg, George Fouts, and Jack Hill: Zolta Bigg? What a fucking name on this jobber. And then we have Hill, looking like he’s auditioning to be Marty Jannetty’s next tag partner. Fouts is such a shitty jobber that he literally falls out of the ring on a simple Irish whip spot. Interrogator finishes Bigg at 4:31. This was bad, but I enjoyed this goofy team of jobbers. DUD

Superstar Line ad. Is Stone Cold’s career in jeopardy? What will he do?! That is literally the ad. So, yeah, what will he do?

BUExperience: Hot period, nothing show.