Monday Night Raw – December 30, 1996: The Golden Hour
Monday Night Raw
Date: December 30, 1996
Location: Knickerbocker Arena, Albany, New York
Attendance: 6,855
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross
It’s the last show of the year and we are closing in on the Royal Rumble. In this case that means we have a live show to close out 1996, which should be a decent one. Shawn Michaels is still after the WWF Title and Sid, but he doesn’t think much of Bret Hart either. I’m sure nothing will come of that so let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Michaels and Hart’s recent issues, including at It’s Time.
Hart wants to see Michaels face to face.
Michaels says Hart is out of excuses.
Opening sequence.
Faarooq/Steve Austin vs. Jesse Jammes/Savio Vega
Hold on though as Austin jumps Jammes in the aisle (apparently not a fan of his singing). Vega slugs away at Austin and is willing to go it alone but can only get so far. Faarooq plants him with a spinebuster but walks into the spinwheel kick as we see Hart watching in the back. Austin stomps away in the corner and hits a running clothesline for two. Vega fights up again and rolls over for the tag to Jammes, who has managed to get back to his feet (if that wasn’t clear).
Jammes gets knocked out to the floor and Austin beats him up even worse, apparently injuring him. Cue Hart in street clothes to take Jammes’ place (which apparently he can just do) as we take a break. We come back with Faarooq holding Vega in a chinlock as Jammes has been taken to the back. Austin comes in for his own chinlock and cuts off the comeback with a shot to the face.
Faarooq plants Vega for two more and then does his cannonballs down onto Vega’s back. Vega manages to reverse into an electric chair and Hart comes in to clean house. The Sharpshooter is loaded up on Faarooq but the Nation Of Domination comes in for the DQ at 13:30.
Rating: C. Well it was kind of a mess, but it felt like another case of “hey, you need to keep watching to see what is going on”. That’s a nice thing to see after so much dull stuff, though that doesn’t really mean this was good. Hart was only involved at the end and the DQ saved Faarooq, who needs something to do at the moment.
Post match the beatdown is on but Ahmed Johnson, in some very striped pants, makes the save.
Intercontinental Title: Flash Funk vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Funk, with the Funkettes, is challenging. We get a pre-match interview from Helmsley, who says Goldust doesn’t deserve to be in the same ring as him. He’ll be showing Marlena what a real man does. Speaking of Goldust and Marlena, here they are to watch in the crowd, just like last week. Helmsley jumps him to start but Funk takes him with a quick rollup.
A backdrop and right hand have Helmsley in more trouble but he ducks a spinning crossbody. Helmsley sends him outside as Goldust and Marlena don’t look impressed. Back in and Helmsley stomps away before grabbing the reverse chinlock. We take a break and come back with Funk hiptossing his way out of an abdominal stretch but getting suplexed down.
A middle rope fist drop gives Helmsley two and he knocks Funk outside again. Back in and Funk grabs a belly to back suplex so Jerry Lawler gets off commentary to mock Goldust. Funk connects with a moonsault for two so he goes to yell at Lawler. That’s enough for Helmsley to get in a belt shot for the win at 12:13.
Rating: C+. Another nice win for Helmsley here, as he’s getting protected more often than not. What matters the most is that he is getting a nice boost and becoming a bigger deal. There are wrestlers who want the title and that’s only going to make the championship feel that much more important. Keep doing that kind of thing and see where it goes.
Post match Funk beats Helmsley up and crushes him with a 450.
Here are Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels for a face to face chat. Jim Ross brings up that Hart is facing Vader next week, with Michaels saying that he’ll be on commentary. Michaels mocks the idea of getting the first question, saying “the almighty” Hart can go first. Hart says that attitude is what he finds disrespectful. When Jose Lothario cost Michaels the WWF Title, he apologized the next day. When Michaels cost Hart the title at It’s Time, there was no apology at all.
Hart brings up the Playgirl shoot and suggests it doesn’t have much of a female audience. So whose man is Michaels? That’s enough for Michaels to take off his jacket as Hart threatens to kick his “a**”. Cue Sid, who wants competition, so cue the Undertaker. Vader comes out to jump Undertaker from behind but it’s broken up, with Undertaker stalking Vader to the back. Sid and Michaels get into it as well and Pat Patterson, with that amazing sweater, tries to break it up.
Goldust vs. Jerry Lawler
Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Honky Tonk Man are on commentary. We’re joined in progress with Helmsley distracting Goldust so Lawler can get in a cheap shot from behind. Lawler chokes away on the ropes but Goldust fights up with a running clothesline. Helmsley gets up to kidnap Marlena but Marc Mero cuts them off. This leads to a big crash and the countout at 2:49.
Marlena is hurt to end the show.
Overall Rating: C+. Definitely a somewhat better show this week, with the focus being more on the titles. If the WWF and Intercontinental Titles are treated as a bigger deal, the whole show is going to feel more important. That’s what we need to be seeing here, especially with the Royal Rumble coming up so soon.
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Monday Night Raw – December 2, 1996: And The Reason Is Clear
Monday Night Raw
Date: December 2, 1996
Location: New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut
Attendance: 4,968
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler
We’re just done with Survivor Series and on the way to It’s Time, which means we could be in for a lot of Vader. That’s in theory only though, as Vader isn’t actually scheduled for the show, but the focus will be on Sid instead. He’s going to need some competition though and we might find out some more about that this week. Let’s get to it.
The Funkettes are here with Funk. Goon jumps him from behind to start fast and hammers away. Funk kicks him to the head and gets two off a sunset flip out of the corner. We go split screen to look at Sid vs. Bret Hart in London last week as Funk takes him down with an armbar. Goon is sent outside for a middle rope clothesline, followed by a top rope moonsault. We take a break and come back with Funk working on the armbar again. That’s broken up and Goon drops a middle rope elbow. Funk suplexes him out of the corner though and a moonsault legdrop finishes Goon at 9:04.
Rating: C-. Other than the cool finisher, there was no reason for this to go so long. At the end of the day, occasionally you need to see someone just get a squash win and that was the case here. Funk isn’t a big star, but he’s a bigger deal than the Goon and it shouldn’t have taken nine minutes to get to the proper result.
Last week in London, Steve Austin wasn’t happy. This was very Stone Cold and that’s only going to get better.
Diesel vs. Phineas Godwinn
The bell rings and we IMMEDIATELY cut to a split (and then full) screen look at Jerry Lawler breaking Tiny Tim’s ukulele back in July 1993. We actually go back to the match with Diesel hitting an elbow in the corner and a side slam. The running crotch attack to the back connects as Jim Ross hypes up Diesel and Razor Ramon getting a Tag Team Title shot at It’s Time. Phineas sends him into the corner and a belly to back suplex but here is Ramon for a distraction. The Jackknife finishes for Diesel at 3:43.
Rating: D+. As has been the case before, it’s not a good sign when the match is ignored for the sake of talking about something that has nothing to do with the match. In this case it was over three years old and had no major connection to anything here. If they don’t care about Diesel (and Razor Ramon), why keep having him on TV?
Shawn Michaels joins us to say he was defensive last week but not defensive enough. He’s fine with Sid hitting him with a camera at Survivor Series, but he’s not ok with Sid attacking Jose Lothario. Michaels goes into a rant about giving the fans what they want and promises to win the WWF Title back at the Royal Rumble. We also hear something about dragging skeletons out of the closet and having his navel pierced. If Michaels was on something here, I wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised.
Justin Bradshaw vs. Jesse Jammes
Bradshaw has Uncle Zebekiah (Dutch Mantel) with him and Jammes is the former Roadie, who has since been revealed as the real singing voice behind Jeff Jarrett’s music career. Believe it or not, this wasn’t the big break he was looking for. Jammes crossbodies him to start and Bradshaw is already bailing out to the floor. Back in and Bradshaw shrugs ff some right hands before kicking Jammes in the face.
Jammes gets knocked into the ropes but comes back with a suplex. A swinging neckbreaker cuts that off in a hurry and Bradshaw yells at the referee for being slow. The sleeper is countered with a belly to back suplex (clearly something he learned from Jarrett) and Jammes starts the comeback. Some right hands and a dancing clothesline set up a knee lift but Jammes goes outside to yell at Zebekiah. Back in and Zebekiah trips him down, setting up Bradshaw’s lariat for the pin at 5:55.
Rating: C. Match of the night thus far, partially because it didn’t feel like it went on far too long. Bradshaw is basically what he would be for years to come, at least in the ring, while Jammes still isn’t showing much in the way of in-ring action. It’s a fine enough match, but it’s not like either of these two are known for what they do in the ring.
Jerry Lawler takes Sid’s place in the Karate Fighters tournament and beats Todd Pettingill.
Last week, the British Bulldog cut off Steve Austin from Pillmanizing Bret Hart’s leg. This led to a brawl in England last year, with Hart saving Bulldog. Then Sid beat up Hart, who can’t catch a break.
Owen Hart and Bulldog are ready to beat up Austin.
Bret Hart will see Austin down the road and wants to win the WWF Title again.
Sid is ready to beat up Bret at It’s Time.
Merc Mero/Jake Roberts vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley/Billy Gunn
Roberts chases Gunn into the ropes to start before hitting a running knee to the floor. We get a split screen interview with Jesse Jammes, who is ready to face Bradshaw again next week. Mero comes in to chase Helmsley out to the floor so Mero settles for a running knee to Gunn instead.
It’s back to Roberts to work on the arm before Mero chases Helmsley to the floor again. Gunn gets his arm cranked on even more as that’s the extent of the heroes’ offense. A backdrop gives Mero two and Roberts comes back in for the short arm clothesline. Gunn finally gets over to Helmsley, who gets to stomp on Roberts in the corner.
We take a break and come back with Helmsley grabbing a front facelock. Gunn gets to do the same but Roberts fights out for a double down. Mero comes in to clean house as Gunn and Helmsley get in an argument. Mero’s Samoan drop into the Wild Thing finishes Helmsley at 15:28.
Rating: C+. It was long and the parts with Roberts were rough, but I’ll take just about anything after this mess of a show. Mero is starting to figure things out in the ring at this point and it’s making for some fun watches. He’s already in the Intercontinental Title picture and that result is only going to get him closer.
Post match Roberts gives Helmsley the snake treatment to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. There’s a reason Monday Nitro was smashing through Raw at this point and…well ok it was the NWO, but this show wasn’t helping itself at all. Other than a just ok main event, there was nothing worth watching here and it was not an easy show to sit through. Maybe it gets better with some bigger names involved, but what we got here was not good and there was no way around it.
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Today is one of my guilty pleasures in wrestling: Kurrgan.
Allegedly Kurrgan started in 1990 but I can’t find anything earlier than 1997. He was part of the Truth Commission stable in Memphis, including this match on February 22, 1997.
Truth Commission vs. Super Hysteria/TD Steele
This is a regular tag match with the Commission being comprised of the Interrogator (Kurrgan) and Tank (Mantaur from the mid 90s). Tank works over Steele’s arm to start and plants him with a big slam. Off to Interrogator for a slam of his own but he misses an elbow drop, allowing for the tag to Hysterio. Tank comes back in and puts on a chinlock but it’s quickly back to Interrogator for a headbutt. A big boot is enough for a fast pin on Hysteria.
It was off to the WWF with basically the same gimmick but with Sniper and Recon instead of Tank and whoever else was used in Memphis. Here they are on Shotgun Saturday Night, November 15, 1997.
Dave Dalton/Larry Bruun vs. Jackyl/Interrogator
Jackyl is the manager but sits in on commentary to make this a handicap match. Interrogator runs over I believe Larry to start before it’s quickly off to Dalton (who looks like CM Punk) for about the same result. Both jobbers try to pick up Interrogator at the same time and it has about the same expect you would expect. Kurrgan slams Larry down and catches Dalton in midair. A double clothesline is countered into a double Boss Man Slam and now Jackyl is willing to come in for a double pin.
Rating: D. Total squash here and that’s all it was supposed to be. Jackyl was supposed to be a big deal soon after this, possibly even being revealed as the Higher Power. The Interrogator scared me when I was younger and it’s easy to see why. He looked totally unstoppable and Jackyl made it even better.
From two weeks later on the same show.
Kurrgan vs. Hardy Boys
Jeff’s dropkick and Matt’s cross body are easily countered and Jeff is tossed off the top, landing right on his brother’s face. A few stomps set up a double clothesline (with one arm) drops the Hardys and the Claw launches Jeff against the ropes. The regular Claw is enough to knock Matt out in a hurry.
Kurrgan’s singles debut was on Raw, December 8, 1997.
Kurrgan vs. Flash Funk
Jackyl is on commentary here and he talks about how tonight is the start of a revolution. This is the same kind of monster dominance that you would expect. Kurrgan pounds Funk down, Funk gets in a few shots, the Claw ends Funk quickly.
Another singles match, against a guy who had some very low level success. From Shotgun on January 25, 1998.
Michael Modest vs. Kurrgan
There’s no Jackyl this week for some reason. Something resembling an AA puts Modest down and a big boot does so even worse. There’s a Boss Man Slam for good measure and the Claw is good for the win.
The Truth Commission would continue it’s wars with the gangs, including this match on Raw, February 23, 1998.
Disciples of Apocalypse vs. Truth Commission
Well at least it’s not Los Boricuas. That feud would go on FOREVER. The rosters are Skull, 8-Ball and Chainz vs. Kurrgan, Sniper and Recon. Jackyl is the manager of the Truth Commission and would be gone soon. Chainz vs. Recon starts us off. None of these guys are guys that you would want to see wrestling the majority of a match so we’re kind of stuck here.
The twins get a double back elbow to Recon as the crowd is deader than something that is rather dead. All DOA so far. One of the worst big boots ever by Chainz puts Recon down again. Kurrgan finally comes in and shrugs off Skull and 8-Ball. A big boot and the Paralyzer (Claw) ends 8-Ball via a pin.
Rating: D-. Boring match on all accounts. These gangs never worked at all but they kept up with it time after time. Kurrgan would be a comedy guy rather soon as this Truth Commission idea (how many people actually got what it was referencing anyway) would go away, as would Jackyl.
We do get a singles match in here from Raw on March 30, 1998.
Kurrgan vs. Chainz
There’s a rift in DX apparently. Vince is still here but is pacing around in the parking lot. All Kurrgan here to start as he no sells clotheslines. He drills Chainz with a lariat but a shoulder in the corner misses. Big boot doesn’t work for Chainz but one by Kurrgan does. Claw ends this in like two minutes. He doesn’t let go of the hold and drags Chainz to the back with it.
Kurrgan would turn face and join the Oddities stable soon after this. Basically they were a freak show that liked to dance. Here’s one of his earlier matches on Raw, August 24, 1998.
Marc Mero vs. Kurrgan
Sable dances with the Oddities pre match. No Jackie this week. She’d be at Summerslam for a mixed tag though. Mero asks the Oddities to leave which they do willingly. Kurrgan overpowers him down and dances a bit. Mero goes for the knee until Kurrgan picks him up and hits what we would call a Punjabi Plunge. Jackie runs through the crowd and beats down Sable as Mero hits Kurrgan low for the DQ. This was pointless.
Here’s the biggest match of the Oddities’ run, from Summerslam 1998.
Insane Clown Posse plays the Oddities to the ring to a HUGE reaction.
Oddities vs. Kaientai
The Oddities are Golga (Earthquake under a mask), Giant Silva (Great Khali’s size and about a tenth of the skill) and Kurrgan (uh….yeah). Kaientai is a four man heel team here and not the comedy guys they would become in a year or so. Golga starts with Light Heavyweight Champion Taka Michinoku and the big man rams his own head into the buckle for some reason. He shoves down all four members of Kaientai as we’re firmly in comedy match territory.
Golga steals Kaientai’s manager Yamaguchi-San’s shoes and blasts various people with it before it’s off to the dancing Kurrgan. He gets on his knees to fight Funaki in a funny bit before dancing even more. Three of the four Japanese guys swarm Kurrgan to no effect as he cleans house anyway. Yamaguchi-San is shoved down again and it’s off to Silva to clean the little bit of the house which isn’t taken care of yet.
Kaientai gets in a fight over who comes in but it’s Dick Togo (Best name EVER) who gets the job. All four guys come in again but they can’t combine to lift Silva’s legs. Silva sends all four of them into the corner and crushes them at once before Kurrgan comes in to whip one into the other three. Silva throws Taka over the top onto the other three as this is complete dominance. Back in and Golga tries a seated senton on Mens Teioh but Taka and Togo hit a double dropkick to stagger him.
Two members of the team combine to slam him and four straight top rope splashes followed by four straight legdrops get no cover. A quadruple dropkick has Golga in trouble but a quadruple clothesline puts Kaientai down. The hot tag brings in Kurrgan who takes down everyone in sight and hits a wicked side slam on Funaki. Everything breaks down as managers Luna Vachon and Yamaguchi-San get in a fight. A quadruple chokeslam is good for the pin by Golga on everyone from Japan.
Rating: C-. The match was nothing but comedy, it was overly long, Golga is the only Oddity that could do a thing in the ring…..and I can’t help but love the Oddities. There’s just something so innocently goofy about them that I smile every time I see Kurrgan do his dance. The match sucked but it has no expectations coming in so it’s completely harmless.
Back to Raw on September 28, 1998.
Oddities vs. Headbangers
The ICP, Detroit natives, play the Oddities to the ring. It’s Golga/Kurrgan here. The Headbangers jump Golga to start and it’s Mosh officially starting for the Bangers. Golga gets beaten up for awhile but shrugs it off and makes the tag to Kurrgan. The ICP trips up Thrasher and Kurrgan splashes him for the pin. This was nothing.
Another TV match from Raw on November 2, 1998.
Oddities vs. Mankind/Al Snow
Golga/Kurrgan here. ZZ Top is here. Mankind and Kurrgan start and we get a dance off until Snow jumps Kurrgan from behind. Off to Snow who has a bit less success. Snow fires off some kicks to the legs and Kurrgan goes down before Mankind comes back in. Golga comes in with a splash in the corner and an elbow drop for two. A side slam from Kurrgan gets the same as we’re told Vince is yelling at the Fink.
Mankind grabs a double arm DDT on Kurrgan and reaches for Socko, but he’s not there. Snow hits Kurrgan in the head with Head as Mankind leaves in panic. Snow walks into a bad Bossman Slam from Kurrgan. Snow makes both Oddities miss a few times but Kurrgan chokeslams him and the Earthquake gets the pin.
Rating: D+. This was a comedy match at times and a major upset at the end. Well maybe not major but still an upset. Kurrgan is a total guilty pleasure for me and when he’s in there with my all time favorite, what else am I going to say here other than it wasn’t all bad. This was nothing great but I had to like it a bit given who was in there.
The Oddities had a rare PPV appearance at In Your House XXVI.
Headbangers vs. Oddities
The Oddities are a group of guys who have some sort of deformity. In this case it’s Kurrgan, a giant called insane, and Golga, who allegedly has ridges and bumps on his head, necessitating a mask. He also carries a doll from some new show called South Park. They’re accompanied by the abnormally large Giant Silva and Luna who is just strange in general. Luna is the reason the match is happening after the Headbangers cut her hair recently. Kurrgan throws Mosh into the corner to start but Mosh snaps his throat across the top rope to get a breather.
A sidewalk slam puts Mosh right back down but he avoids a big boot to bring in Thrasher. Another sidewalk slam puts Thrasher down this time and both Headbangers are sent into the corner for a big splash from the 400lb+ Golga. A legdrop gets two for Golga on Thrasher and it’s back to Kurrgan who misses a middle rope splash.
Both Headbangers come in again for a double suplex and work on Kurrgan’s back a bit. The giant finally gets tired of the beating and shrugs them off, allowing the hot tag off to Golga. The monster cleans house and powerslams Mosh down but Thrasher springboards in with a cross body for the pin out of nowhere.
Rating: D. This was really dull and didn’t do much to pick up the bored crowd. The Headbangers wouldn’t be around much longer and the Oddities would only be around a few more months as well. I can’t say it fails though as Kurrgan and his stupid dancing are guilty pleasures for me.
We’ll wrap it up with one match from Raw on February 1, 1999.
Darren Drozdov vs. Kurrgan
Droz turned heel last week and beat up the Oddities’ friend George Steele. Kurrgan fights him back with power and hits a side slam for two. A splash in the corner puts Droz down and he gets clotheslined to the floor. Droz hits Kurrgan with a stick of some sort from under the ring and wins with a top rope shoulder.
So yeah, Kurrgan really wasn’t all that good. However, when you look at him in the tye dye and the hat and he’s doing that dance, I can’t help but smile. He’s just so stupid looking but takes it so seriously that it’s hard to not enjoy. He was an intimidating monster but then they made him a comedy character and it was for the better all around.
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On This Day: September 20, 1997 – Shotgun Saturday Night: The Saviors Of Tag Team Wrestling
Shotgun Saturday Night Date: September 20, 1997
Location: Worthen Arena, Muncie, Indiana
Attendance: 3,329
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jim Cornette
This is another show that I haven’t touched on as much as I should. Shotgun Saturday Night was a show that did a lot to set up the Attitude Era but by this point the era was almost ready to go. We’re getting close to Badd Blood In Your House, meaning it’s all about Shawn vs. Undertaker at this point. Let’s get to it.
The whole show is spent talking about the first MSG Raw which really was a huge deal. Link provided at the bottom.
This is also after the unique parts of the show have been eliminated, making it just another syndicated style show.
Owen Hart vs. Flash Funk
Owen has cops with him to keep Austin away. They trade near falls off simple leg trips before Funk takes over on the arm. Owen spins out to take Flash’s arm but Funk cartwheels away from a monkey flip. A clothesline gets two for Hart and it’s off to a chinlock. After over a minute in the hold it’s a spinwheel kick for two and we take an early break.
Back with Flash getting two off a spinning high cross body. Owen gets two off a swinging neckbreaker but Flash blocks a piledriver with a kick to the head. Flash drapes the Canadian flag over Owen and gets two off a middle rope flip legdrop but Owen hits the piledriver for the pin.
Rating: C-. Not terrible here but at the end of the day it was a five minute match with a minute spent in a chinlock. Still though, Funk is an old favorite of mine and Owen was on fire at this point due to the Hart Foundation story. Then again that would be completely derailed in about two months but we’ll get to that later.
We recap Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter announcing an Intercontinental Title tournament for the vacant title due to Austin’s injuries. We also get a look at the first round matches so far.
Ahmed Johnson is ready for a shot at The Rock in the last first round match.
Vader vs. The Sultan
Sultan is Rikishi as a Middle Eastern masked man. Vader pounds away to start and knocks Sultan down in the corner. A middle rope clothesline drops Sultan as well and there’s a second one for good measure. Sultan comes back with a superkick and some ripping at the nose before clotheslining Vader to the floor. Vader pummels him back but gets sent into the steps. Back in and a huge clothesline sets up the Vader Bomb to pin Sultan.
Rating: C-. Much more fun than you would expect here with both guys showing off their power and agility. Rikishi is a great example of a guy where you just had to find the right gimmick. He went from the Samoan to the Sultan to the dancer and that’s what it took all along. It’s a matter of trying until you get the right combination.
Phineas Godwinn is looking forward to Being in MSG.
We get the Austin interview from Raw with Jerry Lawler laughing about Austin Stunning JR and Slaughter recently. Lawler wants to see it happen to Vince but Austin wants to talk about JR some more. JR was in the wrong place at the wrong time so just mind your business and no more Stunners.
Austin threatens Vince to Jerry’s delight before saying he can take out Owen Hart anytime he likes. This brings out the Hart Foundation with Bret saying they’re sick of Austin using weapons all the time, so here’s a guy in a suit coming to Austin. It’s a lawyer carrying a restraining order which keeps Austin from Owen. Lawler talks too much about what just happens and earns a Stunner.
Austin reads a fan letter and promises to go nuts in MSG this Monday.
Dude Love says he’s home again here in New York and wants to be a role model. He’s ready to fly in MSG like Jimmy Snuka did and be a hep cat you see.
Los Boricuas vs. Rockabilly/Jesse James
It’s Jose and Jesus for Los Boricuas in case you care for some reason. Los Boricuas get jumped from behind with Jesus being elbowed in the face to give Billy control. Jesus comes back with an armdrag, only to be clotheslined down for no cover. James comes in for an elbow drop but Billy misses a Stinger Splash. A hot tag to Jose has no heat at all and everything breaks down. Billy and Jesus fall to the floor and Billy cracks Jose over the head with a guitar for the pin. Jesse and Billy would feud a bit longer before calling themselves the New Age Outlaws. This was their first match as a team though.
The other Boricuas come in to beat down Billy and James post match.
Shawn vs. Undertaker vs. Bret in a triple threat for the title is announced for Monday. You would have heard of that match if it ever happened, meaning it never occurred.
El Pantera vs. Super Loco
Super Loco is Super Crazy of course and the flips begin very quickly. Crazy flips Pantera over but misses an elbow drop. Pantera hooks a surfboard but has to let it go to avoid getting pinned. A slow motion Sin Cara style armdrag takes Crazy down and Pantera sends him to the floor for a dropkick and a suicide dive. Back in and Crazy crotches him on the ropes for a spinwheel kick to the back of the head and a dropkick to send Pantera to the floor.
Crazy hits a BIG dive to take both guys down but Pantera scores with a pair of armdrags back inside. Crazy is sent chest first to the floor ala Rey Mysterio and Pantera takes him down again with a great looking moonsault press. Pantera grabs a quick hurricanrana before crawling up Crazy’s body into a sunset flip for the pin.
Rating: C+. Take two guys and let them fly all over the place to pop the crowd for about seven minutes. It’s a formula as old as any other and it works perfectly well every time. There’s no story to these matches but that’s the point: it’s a spot fest but it’s rather entertaining if you don’t rely on them too much.
We look at Brian Pillman’s XXX Files. He brags about advancing in the Intercontinental Title tournament due to accidental interference from Goldust. Soon enough Pillman will be a champion but he stops to make some sexual noises. The idea is he has Goldust’s wife Marlena for 30 days and is forcing her into various actions with the eventual plan of Marlena turning on Goldust. Here she’s rubbing his feet.
Godwinns vs. Disciples of Apocalypse
8-Ball grabs a headlock on Phineas to start before clotheslining him out to the floor. Cornette implies that the Godwinns are members of the KKK as it’s off to Henry to shove 8-Ball into the corner. 8-Ball comes back with a big boot for two before it’s off to Skull. Phineas low bridges Skull to the floor before Hank gets two. Back to Phineas for some choking but he misses a splash in the corner. Hot tag brings in 8-Ball and the fans don’t care at all. Everything breaks down and Uncle Cletus (Zeb Colter) gives Henry a horseshoe to knock Skull out for the pin.
Rating: D-. Filler and nothing more. The tag division sucked at this point.
Post match the rest of the DOA comes out for the save, sending the Godwinns running to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. This wasn’t the worst show in the world but it covered everything but the main event story, which is the most interesting part of the company at this point. Not that it matters though as this coming Raw was the beginning of the biggest feud of all time. Still though, nothing to see here, which is why it was a Saturday night show that almost no one watched.