Screen Caps from NWA/WCW Clash Of The Champions 19
The “OH MY GOD!” Review: ECW TV 11/2 & 11/9/93
TV 1993-11-02 (Matches taped Bloodfest Day 2 1993-10-02 from ECW Arena in Philadelphia, PA)
Champions
Heavyweight: “The Franchise” Shane Douglas
TV: Terry Funk
Tag: Tony “Hitman” Stetson & Johnny Hotbody
Matty is in the house to open the show and he talks about the main event coming up at November to Remember. Sabu will team with Hawk to take on TV Champion Terry Funk and a partner of his choice. We go to an interview between Paul E. Dangerously and Tod Gordon. Gordon is showing Paul a list of people that will be at the Arena on the November 13th and Paul picks Hawk from the list. Gordon freaks out that he picked Hawk and turns the notepad that had the list on it and we can see that it’s a blank piece of paper. Funk says he is going to pick someone that he trusts. Sabu breaks free from his chains and jumps into the ring but is tackled to the ground before anything really happens. Funk never has a chance to tell who his partner is going to be. Matty runs down the rest of the card which is the same since last episode.
Joey Styles is in the ECW Studio he apologizes for last weeks technical difficulties and brings us to clips of last episode’s main event where Funk turned on JT Smith.
Sandman and Peaches are in the dressing room and Sandman is ready for his Heavyweight Title match with champion “The Franchise” Shane Douglas. Sandman says he’s ready to take back the title. We see highlights of their last match from UltraClash. Back to Joey in the Eagle’s Nest and he brings us to a video package on the Sandman. We go back to the dressing room and Sandman is knocked out with a phone on his chest. Peaches is freaking and Tod Gordon shows up and wants to know what is going on and why Sabu is heading to the ring. Paul E. opens the dressing room door and comes out and tells Gordon that the drunk passed out and since he is still the manager of Shane Douglas he can waive any clause in his contract. Paul waives the substitution clause and can now name a new opponent and he picked Sabu.
Heavyweight Champion “The Franchise” Shane Douglas (w/ Sherri Martel) vs. Sabu (w/ Paul E. Dangerously), ref John Finnegan
Sherri attacks Paul E. in the ring. Shane with a slam and elbow drop on Sabu. Superplex by Shane and then he goes after Paul E. Sabu comes up behind and hits a belly to back and then a moonsault and gets the win and the title in 1.32.
Back from break and we get a replay of what just happened and then go to Paul E. in the locker room. Tod Gordon interrupts and lets Paul E. know that a stipulation has been added to the tag match and that if Sabu or Terry Funk gets pinned they lose their title. Gordon shows Paul a piece of paper with Funk’s partners name written on it. Paul E. freaks out and as Gordon is about to announce it to the camera Paul E. hits it and with get technical difficulties screen.
Bad Breed vs. Chad Austin & Todd Shaw, ref John Finnegan
Ian Rotten and Austin start off. Austin with some hiptosses and drop kicks to start and he gets a 2 count after a top rope moonsault to a standing Ian. Ian fights back and rakes the eyes. Axl Rotten gets tagged in. Axl with a spin kick. Ian tagged back in and he hits a back drop and then forces Austin to tag in Shaw. Axl comes back in and throws Shaw out of the ring. Ian drop kicks him from the apron. Axl with a drop toe hold and Ian comes in with a splash. Double underhook brainbuster by Ian and then Axl comes in with a secon rope elbow then Axl rocket launches Ian for the pin in 4.17.
I normally don’t transcribe interviews or promos but I was hoping someone could help me figure out what this means. “Superfly” Jimmy Snuka is back stage and he says “This is Jimmy Snuka the “Superfly” ECW woof woof woof, what are you gonna do about it?” That’s it that was the entire promo.
Mr. Hughes is in the locker room and he cuts a promo very similar to last episodes.
A highlight package of the Public Enemy Badd Company feud airs featuring Onyx’s song Slam.
Matty is in the House and he explains the Public Enemy and Badd Company match at November to Remember is a Viewer’s Choice Match. The options are a Tag Team Cage, Double Chain, Double Bullrope, Texas Death, South Philly Hood, Hair or Losing Team Must Split Match.
Joey hypes the shoot fight coming up between Kevin Sullivan and Tommy Cairo. We go to a Sullivan interview from Florida. Sullivan says every match he has is a shoot fight.
We go to video footage of the Madusa and Sherri Martel confrontation that we got stills of last episode. Madusa challenges Sherri to a match at November to Remember. Sherri says that Madusa ran to Japan cause she was afraid of her. Also that she fucked Greg “The Hammer” Valentine first. They both start yelling back and forth.
Jason joins Joey in the Eagle’s Nest briefly and we get the same Jason video package as last episode.
My thoughts on the show…
A recommended episode this time around. Some good hype for November to Remember. The Sandman, Sabu, and Shane Douglas stuff was real good, and the Madusa/Sherri stuff was a nice way to end the show.
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TV 1993-11-09 (Matches taped Bloodfest Day 1 and 2 1993-10-01 & 1993-10-02 from ECW Arena in Philadelphia, PA)
Champions
Heavyweight: Sabu
TV: Terry Funk
Tag: Tony “Hitman” Stetson & Johnny Hotbody
November to Remember preview show today. Jay Sulli opens it up and tells us that Terry Funk will be calling into the show because his original pick for a partner was arrested.
Matty is in the House and he brings us a short clip package of some of the competitors taking part in November to Remember.
Opening Video.
Joey Styles is in the ECW Studio to open the show and he hypes November to Remember. We see the Sherri Madusa video from last week. Last week Tommy Dreamer was unsuccessful in his ECW debut against Tazmaniac. However he got a big ovation from the ECW crowd after the match and looks to get revenge against Tazmaniac at November to Remember.
Joey is in the dressing room with Jason. Angel shows up and Jason gets rid of here. Joey wants Jason to talk only about wrestling and not about himself. Jason wants to know if November to Remember is not on TV how will people be able to see him and enjoy his essences.
Joey talks about how much he loves Sal Bellomo and how badly he wants him to destroy Rockin’ Rebel. We see a video package highlighting the whole feud between the two.
Kevin Sullivan takes on “Ironman” Tommy Cairo in a shoot fight match and we see Kevin Sullivan in ECW highlights.
Highlights of the Public Enemy and Badd Company feud airs next. Including footage from;
Badd Company vs. Tag Team Champions Johnny Hotbody and Tony Stentson (w/ Hunter Q. Robbins III) ref John Finnegan (Bloodfest Day 1 1993-10-01)
Paul Diamond locks Stetson in an indian deathlock but Hotbody breaks it up. Pat Tanaka gets clotheslined by Hotbody and is turned inside out. Badd Company are setting up their finisher but Rocco Rocs comes down and nails Diamond allowing Stetson to get the pin and retain the title. .58 is shown.
Badd Company vs. Public Enemy vs. Bad Breed ref Jim Molineaux (Bloodfest Day 2 1993-10-02)
Badd Company hit the ring with chairs. PE tries to bail but the Bad Breed shows up and now all three teams are in the cage now. All three teams brawl with each other Rocco Roc gets busted opened. Rocco gets out of the cage giving PE the victory in 3.25
Mr. Hughes threatens Joey into saying that Johnny Gunn has no chance on Saturday at November to Remember. Hughes talks about all the people he’s beaten up in his career.
Highlights of Heavyweight Champion Sabu air.
Joey is on the phone with Hawk from Japan. Hawk says something about blood and wanting to beat people up. Joey then calls Terry Funk who tells him to shut up. Funk trash talks Hawk and says his partner is a great wrestler. They do a top 10 reasons you should be at November to Remember and it’s not funny at all.
Matty in the House runs down the card again to end the show.
My thoughts on the show…
Real good show this week highlighting what’s going to happen at November to Remember. The show is not going to be distributed on video so I’m not sure if we will get to see any of these matches next week unfortunately. Thumbs up for the hype show. Well done.
Fighting Spirit Review: New Japan “G1 Climax 2014” Day 11
Date: August 8th, 2014
Location: Yokohama Bunka Gymnasium
Announced Attendance: 5,500 (Super No Vacancy)
And here we are, the last day of Block matches before the finals. There are a bunch of different scenarios, especially since New Japan doesn’t really announce the exact tie-breaker methods. For simplicity sake, if Tanahashi or Okada win, they win their block. Nakamura and Styles can get in if Tanahashi or Okada lose, respectively, and they win their matches. Everyone else is pretty much eliminated unless something really unusual happens. Here are the standings going into the event:
| Block A: | Block B: |
|---|---|
|
Hiroshi Tanahashi [14] Shinsuke Nakamura [14] Bad Luck Fale [12] Katsuyori Shibata [12] Satoshi Kojima [10] Davey Boy Smith Jr. [8] Shelton Benjamin [8] Tomohiro Ishii [8] Yuji Nagata [8] Doc Gallows [6] Tomoaki Honma [0] |
Kazuchika Okada [14] AJ Styles [14] Minoru Suzuki [10] Tetsuya Naito [10] Hirooki Goto [8] Hiroyoshi Tenzan [8] Karl Anderson [8] Togi Makabe [8] Toru Yano [8] Lance Archer [6] Yujiro Takahashi [6] |
Today’s matches:
– Block A: Shelton Benjamin vs. Tomoaki Honma
– Block B: Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi
– Block B: Hirooki Goto vs. Lance Archer
– Block B: Karl Anderson vs. Tetsuya Naito
– Block A: Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata
– Block A: Doc Gallows vs. Katsuyori Shibata
– Block A: Bad Luck Fale vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
– Block B: AJ Styles vs. Togi Makabe
– Block A: Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
– Block B: Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
Onto the fun!
Shelton Benjamin vs. Tomoaki Honma
Tie-up to start, schoolboy by Honma but it gets a two count. Irish whip by Benjamin but Honma hits a sunset flip for another two count. Benjamin throws Honma into the corner but Honma avoids the splash and hits an elbow followed by a face crusher. Benjamin trips Honma but Honma rolls him up for a two count. Waistlock by Benjamin, Honma elbows out of it and dumps Benjamin out of the ring. Honma goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving headbutt onto a standing Benjamin. Honma gets back into the ring with Benjamin slowly following, Honma picks up Benjamin and chops him into the corner. Irish whip by Honma, he charges in but Benjamin dumps him onto the apron and then knocks Honma out of the ring. Benjamin goes out after him and he hits a backdrop suplex onto the guardrail. Benjamin returns to the ring, but Honma makes it before the 20 count. Stomp by Benjamin, he picks up Honma and he hits a military press slam into a powerslam. Cover, but it gets a two count. Benjamin picks up Honma, Irish whip to the corner and Honma collapses upon impact. Benjamin chokes Honma with his boot before picking him up, chops in the corner by Benjamin and he hits a double underhook slam. Reverse chinlock by Benjamin, Honma elbows out of it, elbows by Benjamin but Benjamin hits more elbows. They trade elbow shots, and Benjamin hits his swinging kick. Benjamin measures up Honma for the Paydirt but Honma hits a jumping headbutt. Elbows by Benjamin, he goes off the ropes but Honma catches him with an elbow. Lariat by Honma, he goes off the ropes and hits the headbutt. Cover, but it gets a two count. Honma goes up to the top turnbuckle but Benjamin avoids the diving headbutt. Benjamin charges Honma in the corner and hits the splash, then he hits a second one but Honma avoids the Paydirt and rolls him up with the Honma Clutch for a two count. Superkick by Benjamin, he waits for Honma to get up and hits the Paydirt. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Shelton Benjamin
Match Thoughts: Nothing offensive but not great. So Honma ends up the only wrestler that doesn’t win a single match… which makes sense in a way, he was the replacement wrestler and sometimes the fun is watching someone fail over and over. He still had entertaining matches even in defeat which is all that really matters. Honma had some quality nearfalls such as with the Honma Clutch so he was always close to winning without ever getting there. Benjamin was fine, same basic match he has had a few other times in this tournament. A decent opener. Score: 5.5
Toru Yano vs. Yujiro Takahashi
Yano unties the turnbuckle pad as the match starts, Takahashi charges him but Yano moves and Takahashi runs into the exposed corner. Yano drop toeholds Takahashi into the corner, but Takahashi hits him from behind. Takahashi goes off the ropes and he hits a lariat. Takahashi chokes Yano with his boot and stomps on him. Takahashi slaps at Yano, he goes off the ropes but Yano pulls him down by his hair. Yano picks up Takahashi, he goes for a low blow but Takahashi avoids it. They trade waistlocks and Yano is able to hit the low blow, Akakiri by Yano, but it gets a two count. Takahashi pushes Yano into the referee and hits a low blow of his own before stomping Yano below the belt. Cover, and he gets a three count Your winner: Yujiro Takahashi
After the match, Takahashi showed that he was wearing a cup. That pretty much shows the blueprint for beating Yano, eh?
Match Thoughts: At least they did something a little different with Yano, with Takahashi wearing a cup. It was a bit lame that Takahashi won with a stomp to the groin, I guess he was trying to prove a point but he could have just hit his finisher after the first low blow and looked more dominate in the process. Takahashi has won matches in this tournament but he hasn’t looked very strong in the process, like here he looked ‘smart’ but not like someone that in the ring you’d take too seriously. So I appreciate they did something a little different with Yano and kept it short, I just would have preferred the ending have been more definitive for Takahashi. Score: 5.0
Hirooki Goto vs. Lance Archer
They circle each other to start, tie-up, and Archer pushes Goto back into the corner. Tie-up again, waistlock by Goto and he applies a side headlock, Archer Irish whips out of it and Goto can’t shoulderblock him down. Goto goes off the ropes and fails a second time, elbows by Goto but Archer elbows him back. Goto avoids Archer when he charges in, Archer elbows Goto back and charges him near the ropes but Goto pulls the rope down and Archer falls out of the ring. Goto then approaches the ropes and hits a pescado, he tries to Irish whip Archer into the guardrail but Archer reverses it and then boots Goto. Archer chokes Goto with his foot before clubbing Goto in the back and driving him into the guardrail. Archer picks up Goto and slides him back into the ring before returning as well, Archer waits for Goto to get up and he hits a shoulderblock. Cover by Archer, but it gets a two count. Archer chokes Goto against the top rope and then hits a lariat from behind. Cover, but it gets a two count. Archer applies a reverse chinlock but Goto gets a foot on the ropes to force a break. Back up they trade strikes, Archer goes off the ropes and they both lariat each other. Big boot by Archer, cover, but it gets a two count. Archer picks up Goto and puts him on his shoulders but Goto elbows out of it, Archer goes off the ropes but Goto does as well and hits a lariat. Archer doesn’t go down and goes off the ropes, but Goto hits a second lariat which finally knocks him to the mat. Irish whip by Goto, reversed, but Goto avoids Archer’s charge and hits a heel kick. Goto goes for a backdrop suplex, Archer elbows out of it but Goto hits a hiptoss. Goto tries to put Archer on his shoulders but Archer elbows out of it, Archer goes for the chokebomb but Goto blocks it and hits a headbutt. Goto picks up Archer and gets him on his shoulders, and he hits the Ushikoroshi. Cover, but it gets a two count. Goto picks up Archer and goes for the Shouten, but Archer blocks it and drives Goto back into the corner. Archer puts Goto on the top turnbuckle and hits a few elbows, he then joins Goto up top, but Goto elbows Archer and goes for the Kaiten. Archer gets out of the move with a back bodydrop, Archer gets Goto on his shoulders but Goto elbows out of it. Chokeslam by Archer, cover, but it gets a two count. Archer puts Goto on the top turnbuckle and hits the Blackout, cover, and it gets a three count. Your winner: Lance Archer
Match Thoughts: Archer has the most flawed logic. I mean he hits a simple shoulderblock, then takes time to pose in the corner, finally covers him, and gets mad at the referee when he gets a two. I mean, it was just a shoulderblock, and you did celebrate before pinning him, what did you expect? Archer’s style of offense these days just bores me, its just so much of hit a move, slowly walk around, hit a move, slowly walk around. He is a strong dude, which he showed by hitting the Blackout without any issues, but he uses his power just for his spots at the end instead of using it to be entertaining during the entire match. A solid ending but the road to get there was long. Score: 4.0
Karl Anderson vs. Tetsuya Naito
Anderson attacks Naito before the match starts, knocking Naito off the top turnbuckle down to the floor. Anderson goes out after Naito and picks him up, hitting a powerbomb onto the apron. Anderson gets back in the ring, Naito gets on the apron and he goes for a shoulder tackle but Anderson knees him and then kicks Naito in the head before ramming him into the ring post. Naito falls back out to the floor but manages to get back in the ring after a moment, snapmare by Anderson and he hits a few kneedrops. Cover, but it gets a two count. Reverse chinlock by Anderson, Naito gets up and elbows out of it but Anderson knocks him back to the mat, cover, but again it gets a two. Anderson picks up Naito and puts him in the corner, uppercuts by Anderson, Irish whip, and Naito kicks Anderson back. Kick to the stomach by Anderson and he hits a scoop slam. Anderson goes off the ropes but Naito rolls out of the way of the senton attempt. Punches by Anderson, Irish whip, reversed, and Naito hits a hiptoss followed by a dropkick. Rolling senton by Naito, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Kick by Naito and he goes out to the apron, but Anderson pulls him back into the ring and hits the Swivel Gun Stun. Cover, but it gets a two count. Anderson picks up Naito and goes for a slam but Naito wiggles away, uppercut by Anderson, Irish whip, kick by Anderson and he goes for a powerbomb but Naito hits a hurricanrana to reverse it. Kick by Naito in the corner, leg sweep, and he hits a slingshot dropkick. Naito picks up Anderson and puts him on the top turnbuckle, he joins him and hits the Frankensteiner. Naito grabs Anderson and hits a German suplex hold, but it gets a two count. Naito picks up Anderson and hits a scoop slam, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Anderson rolls out of the way of the Stardust Press. Elbows by Anderson but Naito elbows him back, uppercuts by Anderson and he hits a jumping kick. Anderson picks up Naito and hits the Bernard Driver, cover, but it gets a two count. Anderson waits for Naito to get up and goes for the Gun Stun, but Naito blocks it and hits a Victory Roll for a two count. Enzigieri by Naito, Irish whip, reversed, and Anderson hits the Gun Stun. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Karl Anderson
Match Thoughts: This was a solid match, they kept the action up bell to bell and almost worked the match as a sprint once the ‘out of the ring’ portion was finished. There was a lot going on, which helped the match stay entertaining but didn’t do much for the structure as a strategy by either wrestler was never really present. “Heavyweight sprint” is the best kind of match for Naito since he has flashy moves and lots of stamina so it worked well for him. Overall a very good match between these two. Score: 6.5
Tomohiro Ishii vs. Yuji Nagata
Ishii attacks Nagata to start the match with elbows and headbutts, kick to the chest by Ishii but Nagata elbows him back and they trade blows. Kicks to the leg by Nagata and then to the chest, and Nagata kicks Ishii in the back once he falls to the mat. Ishii gets back up and elbows Nagata, and Nagata elbows him back. Nagata gets Ishii in the ropes but Ishii slaps him, headbutts by Ishii but Nagata pushes him back. Slaps by Nagata as Ishii returns fire, and Nagata slaps Ishii down to the mat. Nagata picks up Ishii and kicks him in the chest, and Nagata kicks Ishii into the corner. Elbows by Nagata, Irish whip, and Nagata hits a big boot. Slap by Ishii and he chops Nagata in the corner. Irish whip by Ishii but Nagata boots Ishii as he charges in. Ishii gets back up but Nagata hits an exploder. Nagata picks up Ishii and goes for a brainbuster but Ishii blocks it, Nagata goes for a kick but Ishii catches him with a release German suplex. Lariat by Ishii in the corner, he picks up Nagata and puts him on the top turnbuckle. Ishii joins Nagata up top and he hits a delayed superplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Ishii goes off the ropes but Nagata kicks his arm, and they trade elbows. Slaps by Nagata and he elbows Ishii into the corner before hitting an armbreaker on Ishii’s injured shoulder. Jumping knee by Nagata in the corner, he puts Ishii on the top turnbuckle and joins him, he goes for an exploder but Ishii elbows out of it. Elbows by Ishii and he hits a headbutt, he flips over Nagata and hits a powerbomb. Cover, but it gets a two count. Ishii goes off the ropes and hits a lariat from behind, and follows that up with a DDT. Ishii goes off the ropes and goes for a sliding lariat but Nagata catches his arm and applies the seated armbar. Nagata applies the cross armbreaker but Ishii gets into the ropes to force a break. Nagata goes for an armbreaker but Ishii gets away and they trade elbows. Slaps and elbows by both wrestlers but Nagata hits a heel kick. Nagata picks up Ishii and he hits the brainbuster, cover, but Ishii gets a shoulder up. Nagata picks up Ishii and goes for the backdrop driver but Ishii gets out of it, kick to the arm by Nagata and he goes off the ropes and hits a boot, but Ishii headbutts him back. Elbows by Ishii, he goes off the ropes but Nagata slaps him. Nagata goes for a kick to the chest by Ishii catches it and headbutts him. Lariat by Ishii, cover, but it gets a two count. Sliding lariat to the back of the head by Ishii, he picks up Nagata and delivers the brainbuster. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Tomohiro Ishii
Match Thoughts: I like how the ‘fighting spirit’ spots didn’t really work, here usually the wrestler that absorbed a move just got planted with a different one once they got up. This was a little too strike-oriented for my tastes, as it wasn’t just what they opened with but kept doing back and forth for the entire match. I like Nagata more when he is doing submission holds and various suplexes than just trading elbows, I don’t think that is really his strength. The match seemed longer than it was because it was a bit repetitive. That being said, when they weren’t elbowing each other the match was entertaining, Ishii is selling very well since his shoulder is legitimately messed up, and the ending was really definitive which I tend to prefer. So a mixed bag overall with more good than bad, just wish the random strike exchanges were eliminated a bit sooner in the match. Score: 6.0
Doc Gallows vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Gallows charges Shibata to start the match but Shibata moves out of the way and elbows Gallows down in the corner. Shibata gets a running start but Gallows is up and boots Shibata in the face. Shibata goes off the ropes but Gallows boots him again, Shibata tries a third time, gets kicked again, and then a forth. Gallows goes off the ropes but Shibata knees him in the midsection and kicks Gallows in the back. Headscissors by Shibata but Gallows gets a foot on the ropes. Shibata clubs Gallows in the back and slaps him while Gallows gets back up, club to the back by Gallows and he punches Shibata in the head. Gallows picks up Shibata but Shibata wiggles away, Shibata goes off the ropes and hits a big jumping kick which sends them both over the top rope with Gallows going down to the floor and Shibata staying on the apron. Shibata slides out of the ring but is immediately punched by Gallows, Gallows picks up Shibata and throws him into the guardrail. Gallows kicks Shibata and punches him back to ringside, Gallows picks up Shibata and drops him on the apron. Gallows gets back into the ring with Shibata getting on the apron, big boot by Gallows but Shibata reaches over and applies a sleeper. Shibata keeps the hold applied back in the ring but Gallows hits a sidewalk slam to get out of it. Shibata quickly re-applies the choke but Gallows gets a foot on the ropes to break it up. Shibata knocks Gallows into the corner and hits more elbows, Shibata gets a running start and delivers a dropkick. Shibata picks up Gallows and applies a front facelock but Gallows gets out of it. Gallows goes for a suplex but Shibata lands on his feet and applies a rear naked choke. Gallows starts going to sleep but he kicks out of the hold, Shibata goes off the ropes but Gallows levels him with a lariat. Cover, but it gets a two count. Gallows picks up Shibata and hits the high kick but Shibata comes back with a spinning slap. Elbow by Shibata and he gets Gallows on his shoulders, but Gallows gets away. Gallows slams Shibata to the mat, he picks him up and hits the inverted full nelson slam. Cover, but Shibata gets a shoulder up. Gallows grabs Shibata as he gets up and hits the Gallows Pole, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Doc Gallows
Match Thoughts: This was a bit of an odd match. Shibata was shrugging off a lot, I mean he acted like Gallows’ high kick meant nothing and Gallows had just used it as a finisher a few days prior. It is one thing to act tough during elbow exchanges but Shibata didn’t go down when he ate four straight boots from Gallows then promptly knocked Gallows to the mat. So a bit of a stretch to me that Shibata could eat all of that with no real issue, then a few minutes later Gallows hits his two big moves and wins the match. Can’t really say I enjoyed it since the layout was odd but the hits were hard and the emotion was there anyway. Score: 4.5
Bad Luck Fale vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
Tie-up to start, and Fale pushes Nakamura down tot he mat. Fale charges Nakamura in the corner but Nakamura moves out of the way, knee by Nakamura, snapmare, and Nakamura hits a kneedrop. Nakamura picks up Fale and applies a wristlock, and Fale hits a scoop slam. Fale goes for a bodypress but Nakamura rolls out of the way, Nakamura chokes Fale in the corner but Fale dumps Nakamura out to the apron. Fale lariats Nakamura off the apron down to the floor, Fale joins him and clubs Nakamura in the back. Fale gets a belt and whips Nakamura in the back with it. Fale stands on Nakamura’s back and slams him into the ringpost. Fale picks up Nakamura and slides him back into the ring, Fale gets in as well and stomps on Nakamura. Fale picks up Nakamura and punches him in the stomach before clubbing him down in the corner. Fale picks up Nakamura, elbows by Nakamura but Fale punches him in the stomach. Fale picks up Nakamura, Irish whip, but Nakamura blocks it and hits a heel kick. Fale punches Nakamura in the stomach, Irish whip to the corner and Nakamura hits a jumping kick to the face. Another kick by Nakamura and Fale falls back into the corner, knees by Nakamura and he chokes Fale in the corner. Nakamura puts Fale across the ropes in the corner and hits a running knee. Cover, but it gets a two count. Nakamura picks up Fale, he goes for the inverted powerslam but Fale elbows out of it. Knee by Nakamura, he goes off the ropes but Fale hits a Samoan Drop. Elbows by Fale but Nakamura returns fire, punches by Fale and he throws Nakamura into the corner. Body avalanche by Fale and he hits a vertical suplex. Body press by Fale, cover, but it gets a two count. Fale waits for Nakamura to get up and goes for the Grenade but Nakamura knees Fale in the head. Nakamura goes for a suplex but Fale blocks it, front suplex by Nakamura and he knees Fale in the head. Nakamura goes for the Boma Ye but Fale moves and hits the Grenade. Cover, but it gets a two count. Fale positions Nakamura in front of the corner and goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Nakamura kicks Fale before he can jump off. Nakamura joins Fale and he hits a superplex. Nakamura charges Fale but Fale hits a spear. Fale picks up Nakamura and goes for the Bad Luck Fall but Nakamura slides down his back and kicks Fale in the leg. Nakamura applies a sleeper but Fale drives Nakamura back in the corner. Nakamura gets up on the second turnbuckle and hits a Boma Ye, he then waits for Fale to get up and charges him but Fale catches him and goes for the Grenade. Boma Ye by Nakamura, cover, but Fale gets a shoulder up. Nakamura waits for Fale to get up and hits a final Boma Ye, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Match Thoughts: Nakamura needed a win to potentially reach the finals, so it was crucial for him to beat Bad Luck Fale. This was probably about as good as it could have been, both wrestlers are worn out and Fale is a bit of a lug. Nakamura went through his usual ‘win’ routine that we have already seen a few times in this tournament but at this point that is about the only way he can win. Nakamura did pull a not-bad match out of Fale though, so I can’t complain. Score: 5.0
AJ Styles vs. Togi Makabe
Styles is in no rush to engage with Makabe but they eventually tie-up, waistlock by Makabe but Styles reverses it into a wristlock. Makabe reverses it back but Styles gets into the ropes and rolls out of the ring. Styles returns after a moment, side headlock by Styles, Makabe Irish whips out of it but Styles can’t knock down Makabe. Styles goes off the ropes again with the same result, Makabe goes off the ropes and he shoulderblocks Styles into the ropes. Makabe goes off the ropes and he catches Styles with a powerslam. Makabe picks up Styles and Irish whips him into the corner, hitting a lariat. Makabe goes for mounted punches but Styles slides away and pushes Makabe out of the ring. Styles then jumps out of the ring and elbows Makabe followed by a chop. Styles goes to Irish whip Makabe into the guardrail, reversed by Makabe but Styles jumps over the rail and jumps off of it with an elbow smash. Styles slides Makabe back into the ring and stomps him in the back of the head. Elbow by Styles and he hits a scoop slam. Kneedrop by Styles and he applies a reverse chinlock to Makabe. Makabe struggles up and elbows out of it, Makabe goes off the ropes but Styles catches him with a dropkick. Cover by Styles but it gets a two count. Styles grabs Makabe and clubs him in the back, hard elbow to the jaw by Styles but Makabe gets up and they trade elbows, hard punches by Makabe and he lariats Styles in the corner. Another lariat by Makabe, he gets up on the turnbuckle and hits mounted punches. Makabe grabs Styles but Styles hits a jawbreaker. Back up, strike combination by Styles, he grabs Makabe and goes for the Bloody Sunday, but Makabe reverses it into a Northern Lights Suplex for a two count. Makabe picks up Styles, strike combination by Styles but Makabe hits a lariat. Makabe picks up Styles and goes for a suplex but Styles reverses it into a backdrop suplex for a two count. Styles picks up Makabe and goes for the Styles Clash, but Makabe blocks it. Knee by Styles, Irish whip, and Styles kicks Makabe in the stomach. Chops by Styles, Irish whip, Styles goes for a hurricanrana but Makabe catches him with a powerbomb for a two count. Makabe throws Styles into the corner and hits a lariat from behind, he puts Styles up on the top turnbuckle and joins him, and he hits the spider German suplex. Makabe turns around but Styles is too far away for the King Kong Kneedrop. Makabe jumps back down, he picks up Styles and hits a scoop slam. Makabe goes up to the top turnbuckle but Styles rolls out of the way of the King Kong Kneedrop. Makabe charges Styles but Styles knocks him back and hits the Pele Kick. Styles picks up Makabe, he puts Makabe up on the top turnbuckle and hits another Pele Kick. Styles grabs Makabe while he is hanging from the top turnbuckle and he nails the Styles Clash, cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: AJ Styles
Match Thoughts: Like Nakamura, Styles needed a win to ‘stay alive’ for the chance to reach the Finals. I liked the way that Styles set up the Styles Clash, felt more ‘natural’ than a lot of the other more contrived ways I’ve seen people set up their finishers in this tournament. I also liked that Styles landed too far away after the spider German which totally threw off Makabe’s game plan. So they did a few things different, which I appreciate even if it wasn’t a great match. Makabe needs to take a break as he seems to be hurting and this many singles matches in a row doesn’t do him any favors, but he pulled off a solid match here that was pretty entertaining. Score: 6.0
Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi
They circle each other to start, tie-up, and Smith pushes Tanahashi to the mat. Back up, Smith pushes Tanahashi into the ropes and goes for a punch, but Tanahashi ducks it. Tanahashi gets Smith in the ropes but he gives a clean break. Wristlock by Tanahashi and he applies an armbar, Smith gets back up and picks up Tanahashi, dropping him on the top turnbuckle. Punches by Smith, Tanahashi applies a side headlock but Smith hiptosses his way out of it and hits an uppercut. Another uppercut by Smith, Irish whip to the corner but Tanahashi hits a back elbow. Tanahashi goes for a crossbody but Smith moves out of the way and hits a suplex. Smith stomps on Tanahashi’s midsection before applying a reverse chinlock followed by a headscissors. Tanahashi gets to the ropes, Smith picks him up but Tanahashi chops him. Smith returns with an elbow and a knee, Irish whip by Smith but Tanahashi hits an elbow. Dropkick to the knee by Tanahashi and he hits another jumping elbow strike. Tanahashi picks up Smith and applies a waistlock, Smith elbows out of it but Tanahashi hits a dragon screw leg whip. Tanahashi goes off the ropes but Smith moves and Tanahashi falls out of the ring. Tanahashi hangs onto the ropes and he headscissors Smith out of the ring to the floor. Tanahashi then goes up to the top turnbuckle but Smith runs away. Baseball slide by Tanahashi, he goes to the ropes and hits a pescado. Tanahashi gets on the apron but Smith pulls him back off and throws Tanahashi into the guardrail before hitting a powerslam on the floor. Smith rolls Tanahashi back in, cover, but it gets a two count. Smith throws Tanahashi into the corner, reversed, and Smith hits a jumping knee. Jawbreaker by Tanahashi and he goes off the ropes, but Smith catches him with a lariat for a two count cover. Smith picks up Tanahashi and puts him on his shoulder, but Tanahashi gets away and hits a Final Cut. Tanahashi waits for Smith to get up, he goes off the ropes and Tanahashi hits the Sling Blade. Cover, but it gets a two count. Tanahashi goes up to the top turnbuckle but Smith hits the ropes to knock him off. Elbow by Smith as he joins Tanahashi up top, and Smith hits a superplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Smith picks up Tanahashi and goes for the Bulldog Bomb but Tanahashi punches out of it. Capture suplex by Smith, cover, but it gets another two. Smith grabs Tanahashi and hits a tiger suplex hold, but that gets a two count as well. Smith covers Tanahashi again, but again it gets a two. Smith sets up Tanahashi for the Bulldog Bomb, but Tanahashi rolls down his back for a two count cover. Smith charges Tanahashi but Tanahashi kicks him back, Victory Roll by Tanahashi but it also gets a two count. Tanahashi goes for a hurricanrana but Smith blocks it and hits the Bulldog Bomb. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Davey Boy Smith Jr.
Match Thoughts: All Tanahashi had to do was win to reach the Finals, but he couldn’t beat the big gaijin. I have to at least make note that the ending was silly, Tanahashi very rarely just goes for a straight hurricanrana so it was clearly just a setup for Smith’s finishing move. Not that Smith needed it, he could pick up Tanahashi whenever he wanted. Smith looked good here and oddly seemed to be trying harder than Tanahashi to win even though it was Tanahashi that was in the finals if he won. Tanahashi never even got a chance to go for his finisher which is very unusual for him in a big match, it was essentially Smith’s match to lose. A good display by Smith but not a memorable match at all. Score: 5.5
Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki
Tie-up to start, Suzuki pushes Okada into the ropes, Okada switches positions with him and he gives a clean break. Suzuki catches Okada’s arm in an armbar but Okada quickly gets to the ropes. Knee by Suzuki but Okada knees him back and elbows Suzuki out to the apron. Suzuki applies an armbar over the top rope before jumping out of the ring and pulling Okada out after him. Suzuki gets back up on the apron and he kicks Okada in the chest. Suzuki picks up Okada and twists his arm in the guardrail. Suzuki picks up Okada and throws him into the guardrail, Suzuki picks up Okada and slides him back into the ring. Suzuki applies an armbar through the ropes again before sliding back into the ring, stomps by Suzuki but Okada returns to his feet. Elbow by Okada but Suzuki elbows him back, and Suzuki kicks Okada in the chest. Suzuki applies a keylock but Okada gets a foot on the ropes. Suzuki stomps on Okada’s arm, he picks up Okada and knees him in the stomach. Irish whip by Suzuki but Okada kicks Suzuki back when he charges in. Boot by Suzuki, Irish whip, reversed, kick by Okada and he hits a DDT. Elbow by Okada, Irish whip, and Okada hits a big boot. Okada picks up Suzuki, snapmare, and Okada hits a sliding kick. They go outside the ring and Okada throws Suzuki into the guardrail before booting him in the face. Okada picks up Suzuki, he drapes Suzuki over the rail and Okada hits a DDT onto the floor. Okada picks up Suzuki and slides him back into the ring, scoop slam by Okada and he goes up to the top turnbuckle, hitting the diving elbow drop. Kick to the stomach by Suzuki, Irish whip by Suzuki and he hits a boot in the corner. Okada throws Suzuki into the ropes but Suzuki hangs onto the ropes. Kicks by Suzuki and he applies a cross armbreaker but Okada quickly gets a foot on the ropes. Suzuki picks up Okada and hits an elbow but Okada elbows him back. Uppercut by Okada but Suzuki grabs his arm and applies a Fujiwara Armbar. Suzuki picks up Okada and elbows him in the arm, Okada trips Suzuki and applies the Red Ink, but Suzuki quickly gets to the ropes. Okada picks up Suzuki, he gets him on his shoulders and hits a vertical suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Okada picks up Suzuki, Irish whip, but Suzuki collapses before he makes it to the far ropes. Okada goes off the ropes but Suzuki levels him with a dropkick. Suzuki picks up Okada and elbows him repeatedly in the arm. Suzuki kicks Okada in the arm and he applies a sleeper, he goes for the Gotch-style piledriver but Okada blocks it. Knee to the chest by Suzuki, he picks up Okada and goes for the piledriver again but Okada reverses it into a reverse neckbreaker. They trade elbows first on their knees and then back on their feet, which Suzuki gets the better of. Elbows by Suzuki but Okada hits an uppercut and he dropkicks Suzuki in the back. Okada picks up Suzuki and he goes for the tombstone piledriver but Suzuki blocks it. Headbutts by Suzuki and he applies an armbar, he goes off the ropes as Okada goes for another tombstone piledriver, finally he gets Suzuki up and he nails the move. Okada picks up Suzuki and goes for the Rainmaker but Suzuki kicks his arm away. Suzuki charges Okada but Okada hits a dropkick. Okada picks up Suzuki and levels him with the Rainmaker. Cover, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Kazuchika Okada
Match Thoughts: The best match of the night. It just had a different feel than the other matches, which I credit partly to Okada as well as some to Suzuki as when he is in the main event of a big show he tends to show his best side. There were things here and there that I didn’t like (such as Suzuki at the end releasing Okada’s injured arm so he can go off the ropes), but the emotion was there and the time flew by. Suzuki’s arm work was solid, and while the tombstone reversal spots in a way looked awkward it also looked more legitimate then when a wrestler just jumps into another wrestler’s arms for the next spot. Far from perfect but an enjoyable match. Score: 7.5
Final Standings:
| Block A: | Block B: |
|---|---|
|
Shinsuke Nakamura [16] Hiroshi Tanahashi [14] Bad Luck Fale [12] Katsuyori Shibata [12] Davey Boy Smith Jr. [10] Satoshi Kojima [10] Shelton Benjamin [10] Tomohiro Ishii [10] Doc Gallows [8] Yuji Nagata [8] Tomoaki Honma [0] |
Kazuchika Okada [16] AJ Styles [16] Karl Anderson [10] Minoru Suzuki [10] Tetsuya Naito [10] Hirooki Goto [8] Hiroyoshi Tenzan [8] Togi Makabe [8] Toru Yano [8] Lance Archer [8] Yujiro Takahashi [8] |
Final Thoughts:
Best Match: Kazuchika Okada vs. Minoru Suzuki. The match was a must-win for Okada, and it felt like it as both wrestlers put in maximum effort. The longest match on the card by a significant amount, it didn’t feel like it as the time passed quickly with very little wasted time by either wrestler. It really felt like a struggle as if they weren’t cooperating, which is a style that Suzuki is quite good at. An entertaining match and a good way to end the show.
MVP: Kazuchika Okada. Having an entertaining match with Suzuki can be a challenge since he is such a unique wrestler, but he pulled it off and looked like the better man in the process. The Rainmaker is probably the most protected finishing move currently in Japan as it always means death for his opponent, which is how it should be anyway, and it helps his victories seems more ‘final’. Okada is still young even by pro wrestling standards and is in my opinion the best wrestler in New Japan, so as long as he can stay healthy I am sure he will be the MVP of events for many years to come.
Overall: The final block matches were generally good and there weren’t any bad matches on this card… I just wish there were more memorable ones. The only match that felt really important and different was the main event, the other matches were decent but just didn’t do anything to reach a higher level. The event has a whole gets a mild recommendation for me as there were a lot of solid matches here, but there just wasn’t a ton of variety. These wrestlers are all beaten down by this point and I am sure they are looking forward to the weeks off they have after the G1 Climax Final in two days. Not required viewing for the 2014 G1 Climax but there is some good stuff here.
Grade: B-
WWE Announcers Getting Replaced?, Vince’s Control Over Streaming Content
– There was some fear within WWE that Lilian Garcia and Tony Chimel may be cut to make room for cheaper announcers but that’s no longer an issue.
– Source: F4WOnline
It’s said that Vince McMahon has little to no oversight on the content added to WWE’s YouTube channel while all original content added to the WWE Network has to be approved by Vince.
– Regarding the WWE Cheap Pops animated show that was pulled last week, there was a running joke in the first and possibly only episode over Stephanie McMahon introducing the various versions of Kane (Malibu Kane, Scuba Kane).
There’s still no definitive answer on why Cheap Pops was pulled but there’s a feeling that it was more of the fact that this WWE.com/YouTube project was funnier than Slam City, which is a WWE Network show.
Possible Spoilers On WWE World Title Match At Night Of Champions, Next Potential Challenger
Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter
One likely scenario for the WWE World Heavyweight Title at Night of Champions is for Brock Lesnar to defeat John Cena with the help of outside interference, leading Cena to feud with that person and Lesnar to feud with other babyfaces until his WrestleMania 31 match with Roman Reigns.
The other option is to have Cena defeat Lesnar, Roman Reigns defeat Seth Rollins and then have Rollins cash in on Cena and become the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Also, Big Show is reportedly in line for a shot at WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar after John Cena’s rematch at this month’s Night of Champions pay-per-view, should Lesnar retain.
The Audit: WWF SUMMERSLAM 1993 REVIEW
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Ian R. Singletary, your IRS man back again with another sizzling Audit here in the late summer. With the evil bastards of the government forcing school to return sooner and sooner each passing year, I feel like summer has already ended as I send my kids back to class! Lucky for us, that also frees up a little more of my “me” time to work on getting some Audits done. With another week and a half left in the month of August, I figured it’s not too late for a SummerSlam review or two. We’re going to kick things off with a request that was made to me several weeks ago and I’m going to tackle one of the most odd finishes in the history of the SummerSlam PPV. Without looking, I can only imagine that comment could likely refer to several different years of this event, but I feel this one really stands out. I won’t go too in depth on that particular situation in the opening here, but I’ll be sure to touch on it by the time you get to the main event of this Audit, as I review…
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SUMMERSLAM ’93
“NO SUBTITLE NEEDED”
Well, actually there were some subtitles on the poster, but they work against the “Be a Star” campaign. Somehow the name “SummerSlam: Fat Chance”, just doesn’t roll off the tongue.
And now, we’re Live!!!
[spacer height=”20px”]We rewind time by a good twenty-one years, and damn I feel old. We go back to August 30, 1993 from “The Palace” in Auburn Hills, Michigan and the 6th annual WWF SummerSlam. It’s USA vs. Japan, The Darkside vs. Parts Unknown, Helsinki, Finland vs. Columbus, Georgia… Okay, now I’m reaching. But yes, the entire main event does evolve around a US vs. Japan angle, about 50 years too late.
Reported attendance for the event was 23,954. And before we get going here’s the listings for tonight’s show, late added matches included.
* WWF Heavyweight Champion Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger
* WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Perfect
* WWF Tag Team Champions The Steiner Brothers vs. The Heavenly Bodies
* The Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez in a “Rest in Peace” Match
* Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler
* Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Doink the Clown
* Razor Ramon vs. “Million $ Man” Ted DiBiase
* Tatanka & The Smoking Gunns vs. Bam Bam Bigelow & The Headshrinkers
* Marty Jannetty vs. Ludvig Borga
* The 1-2-3 Kid vs. Irwin R. Schyster
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* Per the usual tradition of the PPV’s of the time, the fans in the Palace were treated to a “dark match” before the PPV which featured Owen Hart defeated Barry Horowitz in a reported time of 8:32. That should have been decent, those two had some good rapport going back to the Blue Blazer days. Owen will be at ringside as a “spectator” for his brother Bret’s match later in the show, so why not use him since he’s already there. Save on a plane ticket.
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And now, It’s time for SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSummerSlam!
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– The show kicks off with a look at the “Lex Express” pulling up earlier this evening and a shot of Lex Luger inside looking a little constipated. This guy has the match of his life coming up and he doesn’t even arrive until 6pm? What an asshole! Then to ringside with our announcers Vince McMahon & Bobby “the Brain” Heenan. Also here tonight is Gorilla Monsoon and Jim Ross calling the action for the new fledgling “Radio WWF” program which lasted all of about a year. For the era it was a cool concept, but being in syndicated radio it was doomed from the beginning.
[spacer height=”20px”]Even with the big USA vs. Japan theme we have going for the event, there’s surprisingly no National Anthem opening the show, but that’s okay because we’d turn that into a grand spectacle for later on. Let’s kick this shit off, as Vince quickly throws things to the Fink.
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(Razor vs. DiBiase Notes going in: The literal bad guy, Razor Ramon, had fallen on tough times recently after being made a fool of in a pair of matches against the 1-2-3 Kid. DiBiase drew off this, basically calling Ramon’s career over because of these losses, but Ted would do the kind thing and offer Razor a job as his chauffeur and manservant. Obviously the ‘Bad Guy’ wasn’t a big fan of this offer and subsequently turned into a “Good Guy” in the process. Funny how guys turn face simply because DiBiase offers them financial stability isn’t it? Ingrates! Anyway, DiBiase would plan to show Ramon up and defeat the 1-2-3 Kid on an episode of Superstars, but Razor would make his way to ringside, causing a slight distraction for Teddy bear, and the Kid cradled Dibiase for the win. With both Ramon and DiBiase both taking losses to the 1-2-3 Kid, the only thing that seemed natural was that they meet each other here at SummerSlam to prove that at least one of them still has it.)
[spacer height=”20px”]Razor Ramon vs. “Million $ Man” Ted DiBiase
Dibiase jumps Razor before he can get his vest off. Teddy pounds on the Bad Guy, but Razor comes back with a backdrop and a big right hand that sends the money man to the floor. Ted regroups and tries again, but receives a similar outcome when Ramon clotheslines Dibiase over the top and back to the floor before doing his signature “me-me-me” pose. Dibiase is brought back in the hard way, but he manages to take control and work Razor over in the corner, then hits a backbreaker and clothesline for 2. Dibiase applies a reverse chinlock to wear the Bad Guy down. After Ramon tries an escape, Dibiase follows up with a neckbraker, and then a vertical suplex, all to set up for the finish. It’s Million Dollar Dream time, but for some reason Dibiase is shitting around and he winds up getting caught by a Ramon clothesline. Ted comes back though, and sends Razor head first into the corner and Ramon falls to the outside. As the referee starts a count on Razor, Dibiase is busy undoing a top turnbuckle pad. Once Razor’s back inside Dibiase tries to drive him into the exposed steel buckle, but as you’d suspect Ramon blocks it and rams Ted into the buckle instead. A Razor’s Edge follows, and this paint-by-numbers match is over at 7:33.
Winner: The Bad Guy
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(Post Match Thoughts: Didn’t Dibiase learn anything from his match with Virgil at SummerSlam ’91? The turnbuckle pad gimmick rarely works, and never works for Ted. This was DiBiase’s swan song for the WWF as an in-ring competitor and he wouldn’t return to WWF TV until Royal Rumble ’94 as an announcer, and later a manager. Ted still worked a tour for Giant Baba’s All Japan Pro Wrestling later in this year, as a promise he made to Baba many years earlier to retire with his company. But it was nagging back and shoulder injuries that would abruptly end the career of one of the greatest in ring technicians of the modern era. This was a very formulaic match, with nothing to write home about. As basic as it gets, but given Ted’s nagging injuries you have to appreciate that he put someone over on his way out. Nothing ‘bad’ about the match, just nothing really stands out. It did the job though. Thank You, Ted Dibiase. *)
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– We go to the back to promote the Hotline! Some fan is on the phone asking the Undertaker about his turn on Jake Roberts from like almost 2 years ago. I bet they weren’t expecting that when they put this on the show. How stupid is it that the Undertaker is sitting there taking random calls so close to his big match with the Giant Gonzalez?
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– Before the next match, and since we’re in Michigan, the home of the Steiner Brothers, we have Todd Pettingill in the crowd to interview the Steiner’s mother and sister. Apparently papa Steiner is sick at home on the couch, awww. Their sister talks about growing up with “Scott & Rob”, Rob being Rick’s real name. She’s giving away family secrets! Jim Cornette mercifully let’s us off the hook as he begins to announce the Bodies to take us away from this shit.
[spacer height=”20px”](Tag Title Match Notes going in: Jim Cornette had made his surprise debut in the WWF only about a month earlier on an episode of Monday Night Raw, where he announced his team of the Heavenly Bodies from Smoky Mountain Wrestling issue a challenge to the Steiners. Cornette’s lawyers work fast, because a team who hadn’t even debuted in the company yet had somehow earned themselves a title shot at one of the “big four” PPV’s. The Bodies would debut on TV about 4 weeks before this show and work a squash match each week on Raw or a syndicated program to try and get them over by the time of the PPV. No real story here, but there were very few teams left by this point in the WWF. So here we go with our token Tag Team Title match of the show.)
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[spacer height=”20px”]WWF Tag Team Championship Match
The Steiner Brothers (Rick & Scott) (c) vs. The Heavenly Bodies (Jimmy Del Ray & Tom Prichard) with Jim Cornette
The Bodies jump the champs to get things going, Scott is knocked to the floor and Rick takes a double suplex, or gives himself one as he jumps and flips before the Bodies even try the move. The Bodies set Rick up for a double Flapjack, but Rick tries to take it like a backdrop, and we almost had a near disaster there had he landed any worse. Wow, that was dangerous. The Steiners regroup and whip the Bodies into the same corner, Scotty with a monkeyflip on Del Ray, Rick then catches Del Ray with a Steinerline in the corner, Tom Prichard eats a overhead Belly to Belly from Scott, and then Scott catches Del Ray with a tilt a whirl slam to clear the ring and Jim Cornette goes nuts.
Ok, the Bodies regroup, but Scott Steiner isn’t done on the offense. Scotty with a military press on Prichard, and then a backdrop sends Del Ray high into the sky. Great bump there by the Gigolo. Rick tags in and slams the Bodies around and they take their second break outside the ring to regroup. This time Scott tags back in with a pair of inverted atomic drops on the Bodies, but the challengers regroup and hit a nice double team set up for a Prichard bulldog on Scott Steiner, and the Bodies take control. Prichard nails a standing enzuigiri on Scott and dumps him to the floor, where Del Ray comes running off the apron with a somersault senton dive onto Scott. Nice again. Del Ray tags in, does a little belly dancing, not quite as well as Stan Lane, but follows up by landing a crucifix into a DDT on Scott for a near fall. Frequent tags by the Bodies as they continue their slick offense, and even Cornette gets a tennis racquet shot in on Scott. Del Ray tries the float over DDT a second time, but Scott counters with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Prichard is in the stop a hot tag, but Scott still makes it to his brother Rick eventually.
Rick bursts in with Steinerslines and slams for all. Scott returns with dropkicks for both Bodies. Rick climbs up the top rope and hits Del Ray with a flying Bulldog!! DAMN, no wonder that broke Buff’s neck! Rick gets a 2 count before Prichard breaks it up. Scott tries to tackle Dr. Tom, but Prichard dumps Scotty to the floor. Rick Steiner hits Del Ray with the mid air powerslam, but Jim Cornette is now up on the apron! Cornette distracts Rick while he tosses the racquet to Prichard, and Tom smacks the racquet into the back of Rick Steiner for Del Ray to make the pin. Rick somehow manages to kick out right before the 3 count and the match continues.
Prichard holds Rick for Del Ray, while Jimmy comes off the top rope with a moonsault body block, but Scott pulls Rick out of the way and Del Ray hits Prichard instead! With Dr. Tom down, Scott lands the FRANKENSTEINER on Del Ray, and the legal man Rick covers for the win at 9:28. The Steiners pick up the win, and Cornette appears to have shit himself.
Winners: The Steiners.
[spacer height=”20px”](Post Match Thoughts: This match was boom-boom-boom, and I don’t mean Kofi Kingston. It was one high spot after another, but Cornette and his men were always good at delivering a nonstop pace and still able to tell a story. The Steiners were still in their prime here, and the Bodies showed us work rate to the max. Too short to be a classic, but given some real time this match could have torn the house down. The Bodies didn’t just “keep up” with the big boys, but they held their own and were clearly ready for a decent position. It’s a shame the Bodies were never used the same again after this, wasted talent in a time where they could have really used it. I would have loved to seen this in a 20 minute rematch. Cornette was now aligned with Yokozuna, so his Bodies were usually treated as an afterthought. The Quebecers were soon to become the top heel team in the company and the Bodies would be stuck in worthless matches with the Smoking Gunns and Bushwhackers. I’ll give this match ***1/4 all day long, great stuff from all four men,.)
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– With the departure of Sean Mooney earlier in the year, the WWF picked up Todd Pettingill to work in as his replacement as Sean was getting ready to leave the company after his recent marriage. Well, with the departure of Hulk Hogan and his troops, which eventually included “Mean” Gene Okerlund, the WWF would have to fill another void. In my opinion, Gene had worn out his usefulness by a few years here, so when he left it didn’t bother me one bit. The WWF would still struggle to find competent replacements however, with Joe Fowler being the first attempt. Fowler worked as an announcer for college football out of Minnesota prior to this gig, amongst other things. You may recognize Joe these days as a host of several infomercials. But here he is, the fledgling announcer interviewing the current IC Champion Shawn Michaels, who stands with his bodyguard Diesel.
[spacer height=”20px”](IC Title Match Notes going in: There were some issues between these two going back to WrestleMania IX when Hennig had come tearing into the backstage after a loss to Lex Luger. Mr. Perfect would find the cheating Luger and confront him, trouble is Lex was chatting with Shawn Michaels, and apparently Shawn doesn’t like being interrupted. While Hennig went after Luger, Shawn went after Hennig and proceeded to beat him down, even slamming a trash can, rim first, into the skull of “Mr. P”. But Hennig would gain some revenge when he aided Marty Jannetty in defeating HBK for the IC Title on an episode of Monday Night Raw. At that point, Shawn was forced to enlist Diesel as his bodyguard to watch his back, and this would lead to Michaels regaining the IC strap shortly thereafter. The feud picked back up after King of the Ring in order to build towards what was expected to be one of the greatest IC Title matches in the history of the WWF here tonight. Both men even claimed this would decide once and for all who was the greatest IC Champion of all time. Let’s see if it lives up to the hype!)
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[spacer height=”20px”]WWF Intercontinental Championship Match
“Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels (c) (with Diesel) vs. Mr. Perfect
Like pretty much any classic match, these two guys start off trying to outwrestle one another on the mat. Several exchanges are made in a nice flowing sequence that ends when the two collide, and neither looks completely certain what the hell just happened. It’s hard to determine who was supposed to get the worst of that botched spot. Michaels sells it though, and Hennig locks in a hammerlock, but HBK returns with a head scissors, but Perfect frees himself and we’re back to a standing position. We’re sort of at a stalemate here, with neither man outshining the other as of yet. The match goes on, Michaels is whipped into the corner and does a back flip off the top rope onto his feet, but Perfect is waiting and then nails Shawn with a clothesline, turning HBK inside out for a 2 count.
Perfect slows things down with an armbar. Shawn escapes and goes to the top rope. Shawn jumps off right into an armdrag from the top rope! Hennig goes back to an armlock. Michaels gets free again and tries a dropkick, but Hennig catches his legs and catapults Michaels to the floor. Perfect goes outside after HBK, but Diesel distracts and Shawn lays Hennig out with a Superkick on the floor. Back in the ring, Shawn works over the lower back of Mr. P, dropping elbows and whipping him hard into the corners. Shawn lands a backbreaker and then bends Hennig backwards over his knee in a submission hold, neither guy is trying very hard to make it look very realistic. Perfect punches his way out and plants Michaels with an awesome running dropkick and a high backdrop. Shawn tries to take a sweet bump off the Perfect kneelift, but the fucking referee was in the way. Hennig nails the Axe punch from his AWA days and gets 2. Perfect with a backslide on Michaels, but Diesel pulls his leg to stop the cover. Hennig rolls outside to confront Diesel, but he’s jumped from behind by HBK. Then when Shawn rolls back inside to distract the referee, Diesel rams Perfect into the ring post and we end this with a count out, out of nowhere at 11:20.
Winner: Shawn Michaels on a count out.
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– After the match, as Shawn and Diesel celebrate the big “win”, Mr. Perfect isn’t too happy about the finish, and I don’t blame him. Hennig comes back with a high knee into the back of Diesel, and then he goes after Shawn, but the number game is too much and HBK holds Perfect while Diesel unloads with his big Knockout Punch. Remember that finish? A punch!
[spacer height=”20px”]- On his way to the back, celebrating his win and then the attack on Mr. P after the match, Shawn Michaels is stopped for an interview with Todd Pettingill in the aisle way. Shawn doesn’t get to say much, but does claim that this super fantastic count out victory now makes him the greatest IC champ of all time. Makes sense. Mr. Perfect recovers from the attack and chases the heels to the back. Didn’t Mr. Perfect learn anything after chasing after Lex Luger at WrestleMania IX? Anyway, this leads to nothing. They started doing Hennig vs. Diesel on the house shows but Hennig split the company by Survivor Series. Vince really dropped the ball on Hennig in 1993.
[spacer height=”20px”](Post Match Thoughts: Well, first things first. A classic, this wasn’t. These guys both tried, but they just never clicked. Sometimes it’s an off night, sometimes two guys just can’t gel. I’m not sure which it was, but this really never got out of first gear. Both guys seemed to be confused or adlibbing at times when they weren’t sure what to do next. Hey, it’s wrestling, guys get credit for adlibbing, but in this instance it was too obvious and the match never really flowed. Nothing was proven here, and for an 11:00 match, it never really felt like we got to the “meat” of the contest. Lots of smoke and mirrors to this one, and it still didn’t hide the fact that these two guys were having an off night, which is unfortunate. Then there was the finish, ugh that finish. Not only a count out, but like that? That’s how we determine the greatest IC Champ ever in the ‘classic’ encounter? Don’t get me wrong, the match wasn’t really bad except the finish, but it was just below par for both these guys and certainly well below expectations. Even still it gets **1/4, which isn’t super bad until you factor in people were expecting at least 4 stars out of these two. Hell, I got the PPV for this match and I’m banking I ain’t the only one.)
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– We go to the back, and it’s rookie announcer Joe Fowler with rookie WWF star the 1-2-3 Kid who appears to be a deer in the headlights.
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(Notes going in: Not a whole lot to this. The Kid had been on a winning streak, having defeated Razor Ramon, and then the partner of IRS, Ted DiBiase. So it’s only natural that IRS seek some revenge for Money Inc, even if DiBiase silently retired earlier on the show. Let’s see if the 1-2-3 Kid can keep his streak alive and beat this imposter IRS.)
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The 1-2-3 Kid vs. Irwin R. Schyster (otherwise known as I.R.S.)
This one starts off with the Kid landing a spin kick early for a near fall. IRS, or as I like to call him ‘Old Saggy Tits’ (Otherwise known as OST), comes back and launches the Kid into the air and Kid comes down on his chest. IRS tries the same maneuver again, but the Kid goes flying into the sky and shifts his body and nails IRS with a sky high dropkick, again for 2. IRS then sends the Kid flying out of the ring, and knocks him off the apron with Kid taking a nice bump. IRS tries to bring the Kid back in ‘the hard way’, but Kid flips over the ropes and lands on his feet, cradling IRS for another near fall. Now Old Saggy Tits gets mad, so he goes into operation work rate. IRS lands some elbows and the always dangerous Abdominal Stretch, complete with the rope hold for that extra leverage. That absominal stretch is taking it’s toll on Irwin as he’s sweating like a stuck pig.
[spacer height=”20px”]Finally, the referee catches Irwin using the ropes and makes him break the stretch. But this imposter IRS isn’t done yet. Now the Kid’s going to really pay, because it’s CHINLOCK time from Schyster. Both the Kid and IRS work hard, using mannerisms to get the fans to chant 1-2-3 and the Kid escapes and hits his kicking combo in the corner, and then the Moonsault Body Block from the top onto IRS! 1—2—Irwin kicks out! Way to kill that finisher! IRS catches a spin kick from the Kid, but Kid counters with an enzuigiri to the face for another 2 count. The Kid takes a couple of trips off the ropes and ends up running into the “Write-Off” lariat from IRS that ends the match after 5:48.
[spacer height=”20px”]Winner: The Sweatiest Man Alive
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(Post Match Thoughts: Damn, foiled again! One day your number will come Schyster! I didn’t understand the booking here with IRS going over. IRS had worked in a tag team for the last 20 months, and the Kid had some serious momentum behind him heading into this show. I guess with Dibiase heading out, they needed to get IRS ready for another singles run for whatever reason. I would have been fine with a Kid loss to just about anyone else, but IRS didn’t make sense to me. I’m also not a fan of how they killed the moonsault finish so quickly after the Kid had established it in the win over Razor Ramon. Del Ray doing the exact same moonsault move earlier also took a little of the sizzle out of it, but the Kid still dazzled the crowd with more than one of his moves in the match. I liked Rotunda in the Varsity Club, but this gimmick was terrible and his wrestling was a snoozefest to end all snoozefests. The Kid kept this lively, and Irwin’s “rest spots” were short, so it wasn’t bad at all, I just didn’t really understand the booking. This win would have solidified the Kid much quicker. *1/2)
And now we move on to a more relevant match…..
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(Bret vs. The King Notes going in: It’s amazing how much heat this angle drew in just 2 months time. We only have to go back to June’s King of the Ring PPV when Bret was crowned the winner of the tournament. In a post match ceremony conducted by Gene Okerlund, Jerry Lawler would show up and “crown” the Hitman, attacking him and laying him out with anything not nailed down on the ceremony stage. The reason? Why, there’s only TRUE King of professional wrestling, of course! Lawler was disgusted by the fact there was even a KotR tournament since he had already been King for nearly two decades. The feud would escalate however, as Lawler would make it much more personal attack when he began to run down the Hart Family as a whole at every opportunity he got. Most notable during a Hitman vs. Bigelow match on Raw, when Lawler would “visit” Bret’s parents Stu & Helen in the balcony of the arena and blast them with insults for the duration of the match. It was quite unique for the time, and it got major heat. Stu actually tweaked his ankle following the Raw show, and the WWF wasted little time using Lawler’s tirade as the reason he had sustained the injury, citing distress. The insults continued for a full two months, upsetting the entire Hart family, including brother Bruce and Owen who just happen to be sitting ringside to watch their brother exact some revenge on the King. This match is to determine the true King of the WWF.)
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– Todd Pettingill interviews Bruce & Owen Hart, who have ringside seats for the event to watch on as their brother Bret meets the sinister King. The Hitman makes his way out first, which would usually seem odd, but there’s reason for it. I sure hope Owen got his seat comped after working the dark match and all.
[spacer height=”20px”]Reason being, so Jerry Lawler could make a grand entrance… on crutches. The King gives Pettingill this sob story about an auto accident, and now he’s tweaked his royal knee. No worries though, because he has found a suitable replacement in his royal court jester, Doink the Clown! SWERVE! All of that build up for nothing? Doink makes his way out with two pales, one of which contains nothing, the other full of water. Guess which one he dumps on Bruce Hart? Yes, the water, and you know what? It was funny. Mainly because I just plain don’t like Bruce.
[spacer height=”20px”]YEAH, DUMP THAT SHIT ON BRUCE!!!
Bret then attacks the Clown after the dirty prank played on Brucey, and this match is under way.
(Bret vs. Doink Notes going in: Well, you pretty much read it all above. The heel Doink character was very underrated by some. Some just saw the clown costume and passed it off. Matt Borne played the evil clown gimmick masterfully, and given his real life demons, I’m sure it wasn’t terribly hard. It sure beats “Big Josh, from the North Woods”. Speaking of his demons, because of such issues, this would be Borne’s last mainstream appearance under the Doink gimmick, which is unfortunate, because he was great at it. The Clown would be turning face soon, and it was all down hill after that anyway. Underneath the costume however, lied a pretty good wrestler, and a match with Bret should be pretty decent.)
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Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Doink the Clown (with Jerry Lawler)
Bret attacks Doink after the bucket-o-water incident and it’s on like neck bone. Hart tosses Doink into the ring, only to clothesline right back outside. Bret goes after Doink on the floor again, the Clown eats the post and rolls back inside. And Doink gets knocked outside yet again, this time by Lawler. Where’s a second Doink when you need him? Doink tries to reenter off the top rope, but he gets crotched and then pulled off the top rope by his green hair. While Doink sells, Hart invites poor crippled Lawler into the ring, and then heads outside to go after the King, but Doink attacks Hart from behind with a flying knee outside. Bret then tossed into the post for the Clown to take control.
Doink begins to work over the leg of the Hitman, and locks in a crossover STF briefly, before it somehow gets turned into a shitty old chinlock. Hart escapes but runs right into a knee to the gut and the Clown stays on the attack. STUMP PULLER is applied, and Doink uses the top rope for added leverage. Doink is caught using the rope and is forced to break his finishing hold. Doink goes to the top rope to deliver the fly ass bomb “Whoopee Cushion:, but comes down nads first on the knees of the Hitman. Bret takes back over with with Russian Leg Sweep, and the elbow from the middle rope. Hart then locks Doink in the Sharpshooter with his back to the King, and what do you think happens next?
It’s a fucking miracle! Lawler can walk! The King slides in the ring with a crutch and breaks it over the back of the Hitman to cause the DQ at 9:05. There’s nothing wrong with Lawler at all, and Vince is disgusted with whoever booked this shit!
Winner: Bret Hart via DQ
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[spacer height=”20px”](Post Match Thoughts: An unannounced match that, at least for wrestling purposes, was better than anything we were going to get in the Bret/King match. If you can get past the costume, you can quickly realize that Matt Borne was a great heel and a good in-ring performer. Would have liked to seen more between the two without the clowning around. Pun intended. Decent match, this would be Borne’s last work of relevance before being fired due to his ‘demons’. Doink would soon turn face and the gimmick would die along with the turn anyway. was just getting good when they pulled it out from under us with the crappy finish, but it let Doink save face. **1/2)
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– As Lawler tries to help his royal court jester away from ringside, he’s stopped by then WWF President, Jack Tunney.
Jack Tunney Quote: “Not so fast Mr. Lawler! It’s evident you can walk, it’s evident you pulled a ruse on the WWF fans, and now you must pay BITCH!”
Okay, you got me. Tunney didn’t say that, but I wish he had. However, Tunney did force Lawler to return to ringside and face the Hitman, or “be banned for life” from the WWF! And we still get our match as originally advertised!
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(Bret vs. Lawler Notes going in: See Above.)
Bret “Hitman” Hart vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler
Now we get to determine who the true King of the Ring is! Hart meets Lawler in the aisle and beats his ass all the way back to the ring, even busting one of Doink’s buckets over the King’s head. Bret’s all over Lawler in the ring, and when Jerry tries to escape Hart busts him across the back with the other crutch. Bret continues to chase the King around ringside, but Jerry grabs the broken crutch and jams it into the ribs and back of Bret, and then proceeds to choke Hart with it. Meanwhile, the referee is distracted by Owen and Bruce Hart at ringside, who are also wanting a piece of the King.
Lawler rams Bret balls first into the corner post, and then jabs Bret in he throat with the crutch after causing Bruce and Owen to distract referee Bill Alfonso once again. Hart finally comes back after kicking Jerry low, and the Hitman drops the strap on the King! Lawler drops his own strap, but Bret just keeps kicking his ass. Bret hits the King with his own Piledriver and the elbow off the ropes. Sharpshooter time! And the King submits! This shit is done! The Hitman gets the win in 6:32!
But Hart won’t let go! He’s getting his revenge and don’t give a shit. Hart refuses to release the Sharpshooter, and no referee can seem to get Hart to break. Not Alfonso, not Tim White, not Korderas, Dave Hebner, not even wrestling legend “Dangerous” Danny Davis. Now we’ve got star power in there, Tony Garea, Rene Goulet, Pat Patterson, Strongbow, even Blackjack Lanza. Frickin Billy Red Lyons even in there. Eleven guys trying to break the Sharpshooter. Wuddamaneuver!
Finally the officials encourage Bruce and Owen to get Bret to release the hold, and after about 3 and a half minutes, Lawler is released, and the decision is reversed. As they try and stretcher Lawler out, he’s attacked again by Bret, then Bruce, and finally Owen. Lots of revenge heat here. Crowd eats it up, but like a true heel, just as Lawler is being wheeled to the back, he raises his hand in victory on the stretcher as he’s pushed back through the curtains!
Winner: The King, via DQ
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(Post Match Thoughts: A different ending than we’re accustom to and it makes this stand out a little more for that. The WRESTLING part of the match itself was little more than nothing, completely driven on heat. Lawler knew how to draw heat, from the feud, to the angle tonight, all the way to the stretcher ride out. The match itself gets *1/2, but with the angle involved, the Doink match, Tunney, the reverse decision spot, the Hart’s attack after the match, and the stretcher ride out with the King’s hand in victory, this entire 30 minutes of the show together deserves a good **** with the two matches and angle combined. Plus, we get the entire Hart family pulled into this thing to start the build for the Survivor Series PPV. Great booking.)
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– We prepare for our next match, but before we go back to the ring, a special vignette airs featuring the latest evil foreigner to grace the WWF squared circle, Mr. Ludvig Borga, dubbed “The Hell Raiser from Helsinki”.
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(Borga vs. Jannetty going in: This match was originally scheduled to be a match between Marty Jannetty vs. “The Model” Rick Martel, but just as in the summer of 1990, Martel would be pulled from the match and replaced with newcomer Borga. I’m not sure where they were going with the Martel/Jannetty match other than we were guaranteed a pretty good match on the card, but once Borga was plugged in place of the Model, the purpose of the match became more evident. Get… Borga… Over. Ludvig vignettes had been airing on TV, cutting promos against the United States as he traveled down the nastiest streets and garbage dumps across America. He had been squashing jobbers for the past month, but facing former IC Champion Jannetty would be a big step up.)
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[spacer height=”20px”]Marty Jannetty vs. Ludvig Borga
Punch, punch, punch. Boring heel stuff, but Jannetty is selling like a champ. Cool spot where Borga throws Jannetty into the air and catches him with a punch on the way down. Borga misses a corner splash. Marty tries to amount some offense, but he’s clotheslined for his troubles. A bearhug spot? Nooooo. Marty breaks out, but he can’t slam Borga because his back hurts. I must have missed where he hurt his back bad enough that he couldn’t slam Borga. Ludvig turns Jannetty inside out with another vicious clothesline. Marty dodges a punch and lands TWO, count them TWO Superkicks, but Ludvig won’t even bump. Jannetty comes off the middle rope with a cross body, but is caught and dumped. Borga with some punches to the ribs, Torture Rack time and this shit is over after 5:15.
Winner: The Hell Raiser from Helsinki
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(Post Match Thoughts: These guys didn’t click, lots of “off” timing, and as limited as I remembered Borga being, he was even worse here. Lots of punching, and more punching. He looked cool, but damn he sucked. Jannetty didn’t get much offense, which didn’t keep the match moving at a good pace. Slow and just bad execution. Sucks that Marty got thrown into situations like this: see Goldust IYH 4. This match gets 1/4* and let’s just be glad it’s over.)
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(Taker vs. Gonzalkez Notes going in: Would you believe this crap of a match has 8 months of build to it? Poor Undertaker. This goes all the way back to the Royal Rumble, when the Giant Gonzalez made his debut as an inactive participant, eliminating the Undertaker from the Rumble match and leaving him laying, something nobody had done up until then. The Giant would debut with Wippleman by his side, after Harvey has promised to “drop a bomb” on the Undertaker, after the Taker had laid Kamala to rest back at the Survivor Series in 1992. Vince loved his giants and proceeded to try and put Gonzalez over as a true monster heading into WrestleMania IX where Taker would first meet the Giant. That match ended in a DQ win for the Reaper. The feud would drag on, with Mr. Hughes being added to the mix as a second member of Wippleman’s stable. Hughes would become the first of many to steal the urn, but just like all of his tenures in the WWF, Hughes was gone within a matter of a few months, and the angle would be placed back solely on Gonzalez, leading to this blow off match which was advertised as a “Rest in Peace” match. No rules were known about the match until the Fink announced them directly before it happened. In layman’s terms, it’s a No DQ match with a cute name. I’m already wishing this were over.)
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The “Rest in Peace” (No DQ) Match
The Undertaker vs. The Giant Gonzalez (with Harvey Wippleman)
Harvey has the urn with him. Taker goes right after the Giant with chops and chokes him in the corner. Harvey tries a distraction but it doesn’t work. Taker comes running off the ropes into a big chop from Gonzalez and the two men go to the floor. The Giant rams Taker into the steps and then hits him across the back with the wrong side of the chair. Way to go asshole. Taker is then thrown into the railing and eventually they wander back inside. Chop fight, and the Undertaker wins, but he’s too beaten up to follow up. While Gonzalez beats on Taker, we hear a GONG!
It’s Paul Bearer! He’s alive! And he’s brought a black wreath with him. Wippleman removes his jacket and charges at Bearer, but Paul clotheslines the shit out of Harvey on the floor and regains control of the URN! OHHHHHHH YEEESSSS!
Gonzalez slams Taker, then takes notice of Bearer with the Urn. While the Giant wobbles around like an idiot doing absolutely nothing, the power of the urn goes to work. The Undertaker SITS UP and hits Gonzalez with five clothesline, and then a clothesline off the top rope ends this shit at 8:04. That’s all it took? Some clotheslines? You know what, I’m not going to argue, because it’s over.
Winner: The Taker.
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But the action in the ring isn’t quite over. As the Taker leaves with the returning Paul Bearer and the urn, Harvey Wippleman is berating Gonzalez for being the shittiest wrestler ever with the shittiest costume ever. The Giant starts to defend himself and stalks Harvey around the ring before planting him with a Chokeslam. Gonzalez lays the wreath on Harvey’s chest as he leaves the ring. Jokes on you Giant, Harvey would go on to continue to manage successes like Well Dunn and Kwang the Ninja!
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(Post Match Thoughts: One of the worst feuds in wrestling history had now gone on for nearly EIGHT MONTHS ,and it was way past time to end it. To be honest though, this wasn’t the worst Giant Gonzalez match in existence, though that isn’t saying much. It was better than I anticipated, yet it was still terrible. But it’s all over, and we get a happy ending for the Giant, who would go on to work the IC Title Battle Royal and disappear. 1/2* will do it, and most of that is for the Gonzalez face turn and the fact that this is over.)
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– In an interview the champ before the main event match, Jim Cornette insists his Heavenly Bodies were robbed earlier tonight, but it won’t happen twice. Yokozuna is Ichiban, Luger will fail. YOSH! BANZAI!
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(Six-Man Tag Match Notes going in: Tatanka and Bam Bam have some heat between them going back to April. At the time Bigelow’s main squeeze Luna Vachon was feuding with the Sensational Sherri. When Sherri got to close to Luna, Bam Bam threatened here and it was Tatanka who made the save. In an act of revenge, Bigelow would later attack Tatanka prior to a squash match and cut the red scalp of the Native American. In between Bam Bam’s two impressive matches against Bret Hart, first at King of the Ring, and then on Raw, the Tatanka/Bigelow feud would continue simmering and took place on most house shows over the summer. By this point, the feud had died down and had been beaten to death, but they wanted to get these two on the card. The Gunns and the Shrinkers had nothing going on, other than they were being groomed in the tag team division. Again, Vince wanted them on the card. This was the most underplayed match heading into the show, sometimes not even mentioned on the SummerSlam Reports. I assume this was the match to be cut if they met time issues like they had done with four of the last six PPV’s. This would also be the second PPV straight that the Shrinkers and Gunns were placed in a multi-man tag team match of no meaning, just to keep them relevant, having worked an 8-man together back at King of the Ring. Fun fact is these two 6-man teams works each other on syndicated TV back in July, not sure how that match went, but it must have been halfway decent since they get to do it again here.)
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Chant along with me: “Hey-how-are-ya, Nice-to-see-ya”.
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Remember the shitty Cap Guns?
Bart also has trouble finding his holster after the gun sling.
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The Smoking Gunns & Tatanka vs. The Headshrinkers (Samu & Fatu, with Afa) and Bam Bam Bigelow (with Luna)
For those questioning the realism in cowboys teaming with an Indian, it happened many times on Bonanza. In a change of pace, the faces actually rush at the heels to attack, but the heels clobber all the faces and lay them out. Bam Bam starts off with Tatanka, some back and forth action leads to both men hitting a cross body on each other and taking a bump to the mat. Billy Gunn and Fatu tag in, Billy counters a suplex with a layout gourd buster, and then an inverted bulldog off the top rope for 2. Samu tags in and drops Billy across the top rope, and Afa even gets in some cheap shots. Samu lands a side kick and Billy falls into his corner for a tag to Bart. Bart gets in some shots, but eventually goes down to a face slam from Samu. Bigelow tags in with a dropkick on Bart for 2. Fatu with a powerslam on Bart for 2.
Very quick action by everyone involved, really good stuff already and we’re only a couple minutes in. And now all three heels make quick tags and work over Bart. At one point, Bart slams Fatu head first into the canvas, but Fatu no sells and clotheslines him out of his boots. Lots of heel corner work on Bart Gunn. Bigelow eventually misses a Stinger splash in the corner, and Bart hot tags to Tatanka. Tatanka with chops and a slam on Bigelow, a Single arm DDT follows, and then Tatanka with a high cross body for a near fall. Nice combo.
Bammer takes over on Tatanka, the Native American starts a war dance around the ring, and Bigelow just blasts him with an Enzuigiri out of nowhere to shut him up, and that was an AWESOME spot! The heels with a near fall on Tatanka, and the Gunns come in to make the save, but the Gunns are thrown out of the ring.
The Shrinkers & Bammer triple team Tatanka, Bigelow hits an avalanche in the corner, all three heels lay Tatanka out and go to the top rope for TRIPLE FLYING HEADBUTTS! HOLY SHIT! But Tatanka moves! The Gunns knock Fatu and Bammer out of the ring, and Tatanka rolls Samu up in a school boy for the win at 11:15.
Winners: The Cowboys and Indian
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(Post Match Thoughts: It’s a toss up between this and the Steiners/Bodies match for best match on the show. This match was the least promoted on the card, but the action delivered. These guys knew the time they were given, and they made use of every moment of it. Never a dull moment, lots of good, if not fresh, spots were used and these guys kept things moving at a fast pace. The triple headbutt dive was an amazing sight, especially for 1993. The only thing that sucked here was the roll up finish, after such a good match you were just hoping for a better finish. Beggars can’t be choosers though, still a very good match ***1/4.)
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– Well it’s just about that time. With the main event preparing to close the show we’re ‘treated’ to some last minute interviews. Joe Fowler talks to the driver of the “Lex Express”. This is the guy who drove Lex Luger around for the past 2 months. Ironically, he’s wearing a patriotic shirt as he tells stories about how great of a humanitarian Luger is. Yeah, I bet. Back to ringside and it’s Todd Pettingill with… a fan. Yup, a fan. No particular reason. Just killing more time.
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Oh if you though we were going straight to action you were terribly misinformed. First, some Asian dude performs the Japanese Anthem, flanked by the Japanese flag and Akio Sato of the Orient Express (and later Hakushi’s manager ‘Shinja’). Nothing says main event like the Orient Express after all. Once that’s done, it’s the master of ceremonies, “Macho Man” Randy Savage making a grand entrance in a partly new and partly WrestleMania VII recycled garb. Savage brings with him Aaron Neville of the somewhat famous Neville brothers. Most modern fans may know Neville from the ‘Family Guy’ joke that involved the Aaron Neville megaphone. Anyway, Aaron sings the American National Anthem and finally… Finally, we can get down to some rasslin as Yoko and Lex make their way to the ring.
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[spacer height=”20px”](WWF Title Match Notes going in: Yokozuna had ended Hulkamania at King of the Ring, and the United States needed a new hero damn it! With the recent popularity with Japan and their success in technology, electronics, and basically owning half of America, Vince McMahon felt it was a great time to push the mighty “Japanese” star to the top of the company and use him as an anti-American. After Hogan failed to slam the massive Yokozuna, and then dropped the title back to him on the way out, the WWF was without a true American hero. So what does WWF do? They create one, or try to anyway. Mr. Fuji sets the “Bodyslam Challenge” on America’s Birthday, the ultimate insult. And where better to place the challenge than the American warship, the USS Intrepid. Oh the humiliation! So the challenge goes like this, Yokozuna challenges ANY professional sportsman to attempt and slam his big ass on the 4th of July. Many would try from all walks of life. NBA stars, several NFL stars, even horse jockeys tried their hand at slamming the mammoth champion, but they all failed. We even went through a troop of WWF stars like Bob Backlund (failed), Scott Steiner (failed), Rick Steiner (failed and didn’t count anyway because he tried a belly to belly), Tatanka (cheated and STILL failed), Crush (failed, but picked Yoko up and could have easily slammed him), and even “Macho Man” Randy Savage, all failed. All hope was lost, America had been defeated, when WAIT? What’s that up in the sky? A helicopter landing on the Intrepid? Is that legal? We have one more challenger aboard the flight, who is it? “The Narcissist” Lex Luger????? What the??? He’s decked out in red, white, and blue, he goes nose to nose with Yoko, and after a short back and forth and the loaded forearm-o-doom, Lex SLAMS the sumo master! HE SLAMS YOKOZUNA. First time ever! And the American crowd aboard the ship EXPLODE in celebration. Yes, in a matter of seconds, Lex Luger went from loving himself, to loving America, at least in script. And without any explanation, Lex Luger is out new number one baby face and he loves him some America!
Next was the “Call to Action” campaign. Where Luger was stuck on a bus decorated in the American flag colors and titles “The Lex Express”. Luger would be driven around the nation in this bus over the next six weeks, meeting with fans, signing autographs at random stops along the way, and asking for the fans support in getting him a title shot against Yokozuna, and supporting him in his pursuit. Damn man, if you have to go to all that trouble to get the fans support, I can see why you’d rather be a heel. Nevertheless, we need a HEROOOOO. We need a Heeerooo, whoa! But it didn’t end there, as Yoko would bring in Jim Cornette as his American spokesperson, which was much needed for promos. Cornette had slid into the title contract that if Luger didn’t win the title in this match, he’d NEVER received another title shot again. Ever… One chance Mr. America, don’t blow it!)
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– And there’s nothing like some good old American racism to get things going. In this lady’s defense, the match was set up this way so I guess she’s somewhat in the right. Patriotism trumps racism……. sometimes.
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WWF Heavyweight Championship Match
Yokozuna (c) (with Mr. Fuji & Jim Cornette) vs. Lex Luger
To prepare for this match, Yoko is coming off a flattening attack on everyone’s favorite American hero “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan a week prior on the March to WrestleMania IX USA Special. Fuji tries to interfere right out of the gate, but it backfires and Luger goes after Yoko, but Zuna fights back and drops Lex with a shot to the face. Yoko tries the big Legdrop that finished Hulk Hogan early on, but Luger moves and Yoko misses. Lex goes after Yoko’s leg and massive body, but Zuna counters a running charge with a big slam on Luger. Lex again moves out of the way of an elbowdrop this time. Luger sends Yoko to the corner and charges in with a clothesline on the champ. The ref tries tp separate the two and Yoko take a cheap shot. Luger dodges an attempt from Fuji to toss salt in his eyes, and Lex tries to SLAM Yoko, but fails. Lex is thrown to the floor where Yoko chokes him with his wrist tape and then splashes him into the post. The champ tries to smash Lex with a chair, but misses and hits the ring post.
Back inside, Luger takes control with a forearm off the middle rope to floor the champion, but it only gets a 2 count. Both men wind up hitting a double clothesline and go down. Cornette then grabs the ref’s attention so that Fuji can toss Yoko the salt bucket. Yokozuna nails Lex with the bucket and scores a near fall. Yoko follows with a belly to belly, again for a near fall. Yoko with a back suplex and another near fall. Now the champ is getting blown up, Yoko applies his trusty trapezius hold, you knew it was coming. Long, boring nerve hold leads to a ‘USA’ chant from the fans in support of their hero. Lex break free, tries another slam, but Zuna falls on top! Yoko then follows up with the LEGDROP! That’s the same move that ran Hulkamania out of town, brother! 1—–and uh 2—- and uh, he kicked out. Lex kicked out! Oh shit, now he’s in trouble. It’s Banzai Drop time! But LUGER MOVES! Yoko’s ass smashes into the mat. The two men trade some blows, but Yoko misses a Ass Splash in the corner and comes out into a Luger BODYSLAM! LUGER SLAMS YOKO! Sort of.
Fuji jumps onto the apron, but gets nailed by Lex. Luger then nails Yoko with the steel plated forearm-o-doom and Yoko goes tumbling through the ropes to the floor! Cornette also gets nailed by Luger, and in the midst of all the confusion, Yoko is unconscious outside, and he’s counted out after 17:58! A long, painful 18:00.
Winner: The Lex Express, on a DQ
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(Post Match Thoughts: Somehow now, the subtitle “Fat Chance” makes a little more sense now. I’ve actually never seen the WWF build up something to this degree and give such a shitty payoff. How in the hell can Lex be happy? He won on a count out, didn’t win the championship, and now he can’t even get a rematch. Picture this, you spend a good 6 weeks of your life on a bus, driving around and meeting fans, shaking hands, kissing babies, and signing autographs, all to get the support of the fans for your big title challenge at the PPV, and then you win….. by count out. Easily one of the worst booked finishes for a PPV. What makes it worse is to see Luger out there celebrating with other wrestlers as if he has just won the championship. The guys should be PISSED! He has no rematch clause. The match itself was boring as hell as well, and then we get that mind-numbing finish. The whole thing gets a *, and that’s mainly for the pomp and circumstance.)
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– That’s where the original PPV ended, but we’ve got a post show segment edited in courtesy of the good people at Coliseum Home Video. Backstage, Joe Fowler gets a word with Lex Luger after his ‘win’. Luger is hanging with his buddies from the ring, and for some reason Tatanka is now in a towel, even though he was wearing trunks a few moments ago. Anyway, Lex is interrupted by Ludvig Borga, who runs down Lex and the United States. This quickly yanks Luger out of the Yoko feud and right into a feud with the newcomer. You know, because Finland is tops on the list of evil countries. Somehow the last two months of bullshit doesn’t seem worth it anymore.
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THE FINAL AUDIT:
This was one of those middle of the road PPV’s for me, but it definitely leans more towards a thumbs up, than down. Not a whole lot was all that ‘great’ on it, but there was some good stuff to try and salvage an otherwise poorly booked show. Two count outs AND two DQ’s is just unacceptable on any PPV show, especially when a main event was promoted this heavily. There were only a couple of really good matches with actual finishes on the card between the six-man and the Steiners match. The storyline that ran through the entire Bret Hart segment really helped save the show as well, that was a good 30 minutes of fun. I didn’t understand the finish of the IRS match, DiBiase wasn’t working at 100%, Borga & Gonzalez both stunk, Hennig and HBK was a super big letdown for me personally but it wasn’t the worst thing ever, and the finish of the main event just fizzled like a fart in church. Even still, the show seemed to flow even if it didn’t give off that ‘big time’ aura with some of the matches. In an era where pretty much everything stunk in the product, this PPV managed to defy the odds and do okay for itself. For that, SummerSlam ’93 gets a slight thumbs up from me, I’d go a 6 out of 10 rating, that’s safe to call a ‘C’ rating . If you’ve never seen it, I’d say give it a watch, you’ll find some fun stuff mixed in.
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Til’ next time this is the REAL IRS, Ian R. Singletary, catcha later, tax cheats!
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Tito Ortiz – Stephan Bonnar Bellator Segment Ends In Chaos
– There was a segment at tonight’s Bellator event announcing UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar facing fellow Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz at the November 15 Bellator MMA event, which will go head to head with UFC 180: Velasquez vs. Werdum. Bellator CEO Scott Coker introduced Ortiz and Bonnar in the cage, and Bonnar turned the segment into a pro wrestling angle that quickly went from intriguing to absurd.
Bonnar actually brought someone to the cage with him in a mask and started ripping on Ortiz, stating that anyone that’s known Ortiz has been offering to help Bonnar. He then unmasked the guy that no one knew (I thought it was Ken Shamrock for a minute), and noted that the now unmasked man cornered Ortiz for many fights before Ortiz flushed him down the toilet. Bonnar proceeded to make things personal by mentioning Jenna Jameson and wondering how she could have put up with him.
Ortiz called both Bonnar and the masked man drug addicts before shoving Bonnar, which led to officials quickly pulling apart both fighters.
