What the World Was Watching: WWF Superstars – 08.03.96

Vince McMahon, Mr. Perfect, and Jerry Lawler call today’s action, taped from Yakina, Washington.

Opening Non-Title Contest: The Smoking Gunns (WWF Tag Team Champions w/Sunny) (10-2) defeat Adrian Lester & Matt Farmer when Billy pins Farmer after the Sidewinder at 2:37:

Lester wrestled for a variety of Canadian promotions in the early 1990s as Firefighter Adrian and Thunder Warrior.

Farmer started his career in 1992 and wrestled in the Pacific Northwest. He would later become a wrestling historian of the region’s history and become a co-founder of the Seattle-based DEFY Wrestling promotion.

The Godwinns and Hillbilly Jim are guest commentators for the match and Phineas is excited for SummerSlam. Despite Phineas rooting for the enhancement team, they are unable to do anything against the three-time WWF Tag Team champions. After the Gunns win, Phineas hypes the Godwinns as the next Tag Team champions and the Godwinns tease going to the ring to fight.

Dok Hendrix’s Slam Jam provides a promo from Mankind in a boiler room. Mankind talks about how the boiler room is his home and the Undertaker’s screams will be music to his ears. The Undertaker and Paul Bearer do a rebuttal promo in the darkness. The Undertaker wonders if it is time to release the urn of souls and destroy Mankind.

Marc Mero (w/Sable) (14-5) defeats Who (0-1) after a reverse victory roll at 3:24:

The announcers do a “Who’s on first?” routine and then add more banter about who is going to win the 11-man battle royal on Monday Night RAW. Early in the contest, Goldust’s usher comes out to present Sable with an envelope but she is having none of it. In the split screen, Goldust and Marlena appear, quoting Fatal Attraction and talking of burning Mero’s jungle to the ground at SummerSlam and Goldust talks of taking Sable for his own. Marlena urges Mero to let “his lioness roam free.” Mero works a few holds and all Who does are some strikes and chokes on the ropes. Mero recovers from a blind charge, flipping over a Who back suplex effort and winning with a reverse victory roll. Rating: ½*

After the match, Mero tears up the envelope that Goldust’s usher gave to Sable.

Call 1-900-737-4WWF to play the WWF’s interactive challenge game against WWF Champion Shawn Michaels!

T.L. Hopper (1-1) pins Barry Horowitz (1-8) after a powerslam off the ropes at 2:47:

Hopper does an insert promo, talking about how he wants to see Shawn Michaels and Intercontinental Champion Ahmed Johnson on the job site. Horowitz has the better offensive skillset, showing it off after Hopper misses a splash. However, he runs into a powerslam off the ropes and is beaten. Perfect argues that Horowitz’s career has gone down the toilet since last year’s SummerSlam and he is not wrong.

Hopper grabs Betsy after the match, hitting Horowitz with its wooden handle and then placing it over Horowitz’s mouth. As this occurs, Bob Backlund marches out but a referee intercepts him.

Kevin Kelly does an in-ring interview with Sid. When asked where he has been, Sid says that does not matter as much as where he is going. Sid invites the British Bulldog to dance with the devil at SummerSlam and talks about how only one of them will survive. It is a surprisingly short interview but the WWF is not spending a lot of time developing Sid’s fight with the Bulldog aside from each man cutting promos against the other.

The Bodydonnas (14-4) beat Randy Taylor & Sumito when Skip pins Taylor after the super hurricanrana at 2:16:

Taylor started his career in the mid-1980s, working for Vancouver’s All-Star Wrestling and the Canadian National Wrestling Alliance.

The New Rockers join the announcers, telling McMahon that he reminds them of Dick Clark. Marty Jannetty talks about how the team is going to clean house at SummerSlam. Taylor is able to beat up Zip for a bit but that stops when Zip delivers a gutwrench sitout powerbomb. After that, Taylor is put away with Skip’s super hurricanrana as the Bodydonnas decide not to do their combined finish.

Bret Hart’s “You Start the Fire” music video, which won a Slammy Award, airs as intrigue keeps building for when he is going to return.

The announcers hype the Aldo Montoya-Jerry Lawler match that will take place on RAW. Ross says that Lawler will have a surprise for Jake Roberts and Montoya.

Before the next match, Freddie Joe Floyd talks about how he is fixing to give Zebekiah a lesson. In true Tracy Smothers fashion, he reels off some rhymes about country life.

Freddie Joe Floyd (1-2) pins Zebekiah with a schoolboy roll up in 9 seconds:

The wrestling lesson is short as Zebekiah attacks Floyd when he gets in the ring, argues with the referee, and is pinned after a schoolboy roll up. Zebekiah argues that he was not ready and eggs on Floyd to return to the ring for another match.

Freddie Joe Floyd (2-2) pins Zebekiah (0-1) with a body press off the ropes in 10 seconds:

Zebekiah does not succeed in the second match, pinned with a Floyd body press off the ropes in ten seconds. But Zebekiah still calls it a fluke, goading Floyd to get back in the ring for $5,000 if he beats him again. It does not take Floyd a long time to take the offer.

Freddie Joe Floyd (3-2) defeats Zebekiah (0-2) via disqualification when Justin Bradshaw interferes in 16 seconds:

The third match barely gets going as Floyd and Zebekiah trade blows and Bradshaw runs in to beat Floyd down. After a lariat and pumphandle slam, Floyd is branded. Savio Vega eventually runs in for the save to continue his feud with Bradshaw.

The Slam Jam resumes as Faarooq Asad and Sunny do a promo. Sunny calls Faarooq her secret weapon against Ahmed Johnson. Faarooq promises to make Sunny happy and richer once he takes care of Ahmed.

More footage is shown of WWF President Gorilla Monsoon’s meeting with Clarence Mason. Monsoon tells Mason that he appreciates his advocacy for his client but that as the WWF’s leader he has to make sure to look out for what is in the best interest of the entire promotion.

The British Bulldog (w/Jim Cornette) (8-4-2) pins Savio Vega (8-5-3) after the running powerslam at 3:14 shown:

Owen Hart joins commentary, calling Savio a “Puerto Rican pig,” which provides a weak hype for their SummerSlam match. McMahon complains that Owen’s cast has an odor. When Perfect asks about Bret, Owen says that Bret cannot live up to the Hart name. Even though the Bulldog and Vega’s win-loss records are equivalent, the Bulldog has had a tougher strength of schedule. In a back-and-forth match that is surprisingly brief, Savio traps the Bulldog in an O’Connor roll as Cornette gets on the apron. When the Bulldog kicks out, Savio runs into Cornette and that dazes him. The Bulldog then hits the running powerslam and it gives the former number one contender to the WWF title a third-straight singles victory. Rating: **

As the Bulldog celebrates in the ring, Owen tells the announcers that Camp Cornette is going to win all of its matches at SummerSlam.

The Last Word: The show continues to lack an element of excitement and fun that it had earlier in the year. Much of that is because the WWF’s midcard continues to weaken and Superstars has become a haven for those who are not important enough to wrestle on Monday Night RAW. The only good thing about the show is that it continued to advance matches for SummerSlam, albeit largely on the microphone and not through interactions.

The WWF ventured into Canada with its house show business, holding a much-anticipated card in Montreal on August 2 at the new Molson Centre. Here were the results of that show, along with others, courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com:

Montreal, Quebec, Canada – Molson Centre – August 2, 1996 (9,128): Carl LeDuc beat Justin Bradshaw…The Bodydonnas defeated WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns, the Godwinns, and the New Rockers in a non-title match…Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley after blocking a sunset flip attempt at 11:07…Steve Austin defeated Savio Vega with a low blow in a no disqualification match at 9:00…Aldo Montoya (substituting for Jake Roberts) pinned Jerry Lawler after a DDT…The Undertaker defeated Mankind after the Tombstone at 11:10…Yokozuna (substituting for Intercontinental Champion Ahmed Johnson) pinned Goldust after the Banzai Drop at 1:15…Sid pinned the British Bulldog after the powerbomb…Ray Rougeau beat Owen Hart via knockout in the fourth round of a boxing match. After the match, Owen got into an argument with George Chuvalo, who manned his corner, and Chuvalo knocked Owen out again…WWF Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader after Sweet Chin Music at 9:13.

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada – Corel Centre – August 4, 1996 (5,572): Carl LeDuc pinned Justin Bradshaw with a roll up…WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns beat the Godwinns, the Bodydonnas, and the New Rockers in a four-team elimination match. The match came down to the Gunns and the Godwinns and the Godwinns were counted out…Marc Mero pinned Hunter Hearst Helmsley after blocking a sunset flip…Yokozuna (substituting for Intercontinental Champion Ahmed Johnson) pinned Goldust after a leg drop…Owen Hart pinned Aldo Montoya after an enzuigiri…Steve Austin beat Savio Vega in a no disqualification match after a low blow…Sid beat the British Bulldog…WWF Champion Shawn Michaels pinned Vader after Sweet Chin Music…The Undertaker defeated Mankind after the Tombstone.

Backstage News*: The WWF’s lawsuit against TBS, WCW, and Eric Bischoff is supposed to go to trial in New Haven, Connecticut on August 19. There are rumors that a settlement may be brokered before that, though.

-In injury news, Ahmed Johnson will have kidney surgery on August 12 so he is out indefinitely.

*Backstage news is provided courtesy of Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer for August 14.

Up Next: Monday Night RAW for August 5!

And if you would like to read a compiled breakdown of 1990-1995 WWF, 1993-1995 ECW, or of various promotions in 1995, check out my Amazon author page to purchase e-books or paperback copies!