Elimination Match
Headbangers defeated The Godwinns (w/ Hillbilly Jim), The New Blackjacks and Furnas & Lafon
5.25/10
- It sounds like Howard Finkel has re-dubbed his ring announcing. Fun fact: I listened to this show on a scrambled PPV channel while on vacation in Florida.
- The Godwinns. Oh boy. It took me years to realize they were Tex & Pierce in WCW. I've always thought the Headbangers were underutilized and underrated.
- Furnas and Lafon were so hyped, and just didn't get over. The NEW BLACKJACKS was a terrible idea with two really talented names. This was a garbage promo from them.
- Blackjacks hit the ring and start brawling. Bradshaw does a pumphandle slam.
- These are "Raw Bowl" rules, where opponents have to face one another if tagged in. The Headbangers don't just pin each other because it's elimination rules.
- You still see flashes of the Windham brilliance, taking a great rana from Furnas.
- Furnas, Lafon and The Blackjacks are DQ'd. Okay.
- This match is a bit of a mess, so maybe I romanticized the Headbangers a little too much.
- There isn't really much that happens here. Some basic brawling until an excellent clothesline from HOG that sends him and Mosh over the top rope.
- The match really picks up here, Mosh jumps inside out on a clothesline, then there was a Rocket Launcher onto the Godwinns from the top to the outside.
- Thrasher misses a moonsault, but a Slop Drop is stopped.
- Mosh does the Stage Dive and wins.
- This went too long, but I stand by my statement that The Headbangers were underrated. They had been jobbers, The Spiders, and The Flying Nuns at this point.
Intercontinental Championship
Rocky Maivia (c) defeated The Sultan (w/ Bob Backlund and The Iron Sheik)
4.75/10
- Why the hell are we seeing Honky Tonk Man on WWE TV in 1997? We also see Lou Albano watching from the crowd, as is Tony Atlas.
- Of course I didn't know it at the time -- but the eventual Rock vs. the eventual Rikishi. Sultan had a great run as Fatu in the Headshrinkers.
- This was just four months after Rocky's debut.
- Kip up from Rocky early, and for a guy that "sucked," he sure did get it.
- Maivia accidentally hits the ring post and gets worked over.
- Sultan does a lazy, late pin after a diving headbutt that doesn't make any sense.
- Belly-to-belly suplex leads to another lazy pin. Rocky later gets one of his own, but there's a kickout.
- This match is a bore at parts until the Rocky floatover DDT that looks awesome.
- An Iron Sheik distraction leads to a superkick from the Sultan.
- There's a piledriver that Rocky DID NOT kick out of on time, but the count is stopped anyway. Yeesh.
- Rocky pins Sultan with a TERRIBLE schoolboy. It was so bad.
- Had this been condensed, it could have been good. Sultan not seeming like he cared made the match worse.
- Sultan all of a sudden cares and attacks after the match with a flying splash. Iron Sheik applies the Camel Clutch.
- Rocky Johnson makes the save, but gets beaten down. Finally Maivia beats up Iron Sheik, and he and his dad slam him. Four years later, Sheik couldn't bump anymore.
- Cool moment here. I would have liked to see Atlas help out, but whatever.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna) defeated Goldust (w/ Marlena)
5.25/10
- Hunter Hearst Helmsley won't reveal his relationship with Chyna to Dok Hendrix.
- I don't even remember HHH using a Beethtoven song.
- Lots of uppercuts from Goldust that stop being cute pretty early on.
- Chyna as a presence was just great, gazing across the ring at Marlena with her arms folded, not moving.
- There are a lot of Triple H nose jokes. Been a while since I heard one of those.
- HHH tries to superplex Goldust but settles for dropping him across the apron.
- There are a lot of shots at Chyna's appearance.
- Triple H hits a great high knee and then slows things down big time.
- Another DDT, feels like the third tonight, and it feels like ten bounces off the ropes tonight.
- Goldust takes out Triple H with an good body press, but then they clash and they're both down.
- A ton of lazy kickouts on this show, Triple H does one off a bulldog.
- Curtain Call is countered into a Pedigree attempt, into a catapult. Goldust tries to help Marlena and gets distracted.
- Pedigree on Goldust while Chyna ragdolls Marlena.
- Instead of taking Marlena to the back, he drops her in the middle of the ring and embraces her. This doesn't make any sense.
WWF Tag Team Championships
British Bulldog & Owen Hart (c) vs. Mankind & Vader (w/ Paul Bearer) is a double countout
5.25/10
- Jim Ross tries to stir stuff up with Bulldog and Owen over Owen saying he's the leader.
- Owen's spinning heel kick isn't X-Pac levels, but it's good.
- Vader does a lazy powerbomb and doesn't pin.
- It's not tough to see how WWE got red hot with their content in 1997 when these four guys were in a tag title match.
- Bulldog suplexes Vader. It's not quite to normal standards, but Vader was huge.
- Vader gets a good splash, and Bulldog works a comeback.
- Owen Hart of all people gets a hot tag, and the crowd seems into him until he gets mowed down by Vader.
- I love Vader helping Mick modify his Cactus Jack elbow into a Demolition Decaptiator outside the ring!
- Another match that seems like it's going a bit too long, and another DDT, this one from Owen Hart.
- Mandible Claw on Bulldog, but an unmasked Vader knocks Owen into them. Less than a year later, Vader would have a mask vs. mask match against Kane.
- Double countout. Womp.
- The thing is, a lot of these matches are stretched out, but I don't know what else they could have added to this show. None of the earlier tag teams were over enough for their own match, Shawn Michaels was hurt. You have a bunch of minis and jobbers. Nobody got left off this show that should have been on it.
Submission Match
Special Ref: Ken Shamrock
Bret Hart defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin
9/10
- I thought Ken Shamrock had a pretty good, realistic promo backstage with Todd Pettingill.
- As great as Bret was technically, he was a great brawler, too.
- None of the three guys would be wrestling more than six years later.
- This brawl is outstanding. Into the crowd, around ringside, into the stairs. Bret Hart is targeting Austin's knee.
- Austin sells the leg so well, and manages to hit a Stunner, but Bret goes right back at the leg with a ring post Figure Four.
- Hart grabs a chair and tries to Pillmanize Austin, but Stone Cold knocks him off the top rope with it.
- Austin's chair shots are great, and him selling the leg during the body slam works so well.
- Austin doing a Boston Crab was a good way to re-stablish he's well versed in submissions.
- Bret Hart busts Austin open and wears him out with a chair.
- Austin gives one of the best low blows of all time, and Hart reciprocates with one of the best sells.
- Bret's way of taking the Irish whip into the buckle has always ruled.
- Austin tries to STRANGLE Bret Hart with a wire, but gets hit with a bell.
- Sharpshooter locked on. We get the iconic shot of Austin bleeding and pleading and refusing to tap out.
- Ken Shamrock calls for the match to end.
- The emotion, the double turn, the crowd were all perfect. This was one of the all-time great brawls. Ken Shamrock played his role well, too.
- Bret Hart goes after Austin, and Shamrock waistlock throws Bret and the crowd goes nuts.
- Austin gets a Stunner on a referee after all this. Huge "Austin" chants from the crowd.
Chicago Street Fight
LOD & Ahmed Johnson defeated Nation Of Domination
5.25/10
- Faarooq cuts an angry promo before the match, and PG-13 rap them out to the ring. There's only one guy who I can't remember or identify from this group.
- As a kid, I thought Ahmed Johnson was the next big star, but never had any idea how dangerous he was.
- That is on display with a somersault plancha over the guardrail onto Crush.
- They brought a kitchen sink just for the innuendo.
- All of the NOD extras are chucked out.
- Animal does one of the dumbest looking piledrivers on a table I've ever seen to Faarooq.
- This is a mess and a spectacle, but the show kind of needed it.
- Faarooq gets scoop slammed through a table by Ahmed. I kind of miss when the crazy CRT monitors would fly onto the person through the table.
- The Nation tries to hang Ahmed. Yikes. Hawk is next to get hung, but Faarooq gets yanked off the top rope to the floor.
- Fire extinguisher is out, and Nation all jump the babyfaces.
- Doomsday Device on Crush, then a double team 2x4 lariat pins him.
- The Nation jump again. D-Lo eats a Pearl River Plunge and PG-13 get double Doomsday'd.
- This was something. That's for sure.
WWF Championship
The Undertaker defeated Sycho Sid (c) to become champion
4.5/10
- Shawn Michaels is out for commentary. Bret Hart comes out and yells at Shawn Michaels. He gets powerbombed by Sid.
- Sid says he's gonna kick Bret's ass after he kicks Taker's, and gets attacked.
- They brawl outside around the ring announcers.
- Sid lands a double axehandle and leg drop. Taker misses a running crooked elbow drop.
- This match is not it.
- A double big boot hits. Then Sid tries like seven more axehandles. Why?
- Finally, Taker takes control in the worst match of the night so far. His top rope clothesline is fun.
- Sid goes a gross ass Tombstone and pins Taker in his signature method.
- Bret Hart attacks both men, and Stunners Sid over the top rope.
- Tombstone, pin. Undertaker wins.
- This was boring. Shawn Michaels trying to be humble was hilarious and he keeps clapping for Undertaker after the match.
Rating guide
10- Perfect, 9- MOTY Territory, 8- Excellent, 7- Great, 6- Good, 5- Average to above average, 4- Slightly below average, 3 or below: Poor
Each match starts at a 5 and slides up and down based on entertainment, execution, time, environment, reaction and stakes. The ratings are in no way an indication of a "star rating," which is a completely different system. A standard, non-offensive "TV match" lands at a 5. The gap between 5.75-6 is generally the largest, with anything reaching 6 being recommended viewing.
These are opinions, and incredibly inconsistent ones. Don't take them too seriously, and have (and share) your own!
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