WWF Shotgun Saturday Night (August 30, 1997)

 

Original Airdate: August 30, 1997 (taped August 23)

From Chicago, Illinois; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Jim Cornette

WWF Title Match: Bret Hart v Vader: From Friday Night’s Main Event on August 29 (taped August 23) in Chicago. Bret mouths off, so Vader attacks to kickstart things, and he breaks the Canadian flag for extra mustard. Vader clotheslines Hart to the outside, and the challenger follows for a splash on the guardrail, but the Hitman sidesteps. Bret whips him into the steps out there, and a 2nd rope axehandle connects on the way back in. Hart uses a side suplex to set up a 2nd rope pointed elbowdrop, and he takes Vader into the corner, but that backfires. They get into a slugfest, and Bret actually wins it, but Vader throws a clothesline as the referee tries to intervene. That allows Vader to unload in the corner, but Hart keeps slugging, so Vader short-clotheslines him. A splash gets the challenger two, and Hart wisely bails to avoid a follow up. Hart comes back in with a chair, but Vader goes low to prevent him from using it, and the challenger grabs the chair. He gears up to use it, but the Hart Foundation run in for the DQ at 4:37. This wasn’t bad, but too short to be of any real note. I have no idea why they selected this one for inclusion on one of Bret’s DVDs. Afterwards, the Foundation keeps attacking, but Patriot makes the save. ½*

Austin 3:16 t-shirt ad

Goldust v Salvatore Sincere: Also from Friday Night’s Main Event. Goldust dominates early, but Sal blocks a backdrop, and he goes to work. Goldust fights him off in the corner, and the Curtain Call finishes at 3:21. Ross on Marlena, as her nipples poke out of her top like Rachel in every episode of Friends: “Marlena, very excited about Ground Zero!” Afterwards, Brian Pillman shows up in the crowd, continuing to claim that Goldust’s daughter is actually his. ¼*

Friday Night’s Main Event ad

The Godwinns v Jesse James and Flash Funk: Henry Godwinn starts with Flash, and dominates him, but Funk catches him with a headscissors and a dropkick to knock Henry out of the ring. Godwinn regroups out there, and he passes to Phineas Godwinn on the way back in. Phineas charges, but Funk is ready with a drop-toehold. Phineas fights back with a pair of bodyslams, but Funk toughs through it, and delivers a bodyslam of his own, then a dropkick. Tag to Jesse to put Phineas in a front-facelock, but Phineas railroads him into the heel corner for Henry to beat up on. The Godwinns cut the ring in half on Jesse, until a double knockout allows the tag to Flash, and Roseanne Barr the door! The Godwinns bash Flash with the slop bucket, and Henry adds an inverted DDT at 4:30. ½*

On Friday Night's Main Event, Ross brings Shawn Michaels out to kick things off, looking to discuss how Shawn has gone from accidentally hitting Undertaker with a chair to doing it on purpose. Shawn explains that he’s been pushed too far, and he’s doing what he wants now. And, if Undertaker has a problem with that, then he can come out right now and deal with him. Anytime he’s ready

From Friday Night's Main Event, Ross brings Undertaker out to respond to Shawn’s comments from earlier. Undertaker explains that he and Shawn haven’t crossed paths in their entire WWF run intentionally, because Undertaker wanted to leave one witness to his path of destruction. But now, Shawn has ruined that plan, and Undertaker is going to destroy him. But first, he’ll make an example of Hunter Hearst Helmsley 

Dude Love v Rockabilly: From Friday Night’s Main Event. Dude dominates early, but Rockabilly fights him off in the corner, and stomps him down. Dude comes back with a jumping clothesline, and the double-arm DDT finishes at 4:03. Weak stuff. Afterwards, Ross gets a word with Dude, who says that whatever comes his way regarding the tag title, it’ll be okay, so long as he and Steve Austin remain on the same page. DUD

Tiger Ali Singh v Adam O'Brien: Tiger doesn’t even look impressive beside the jobber. That should have told them everything they needed to know about his prospects. Tiger gets the pin at 2:27. DUD

BUExperience: That Friday Night’s Main Event special felt like an episode of Shotgun, so this was fitting.