gary

Live from Baton Rouge, LA

Rating: **

Rating: ½*

Rating: *1/2

Rating: **1/2

Rating: *

Rating: ***

For more information on me please visit http://rockstargary.com.

Live from Charlotte, NC

Rating: **

For more information on me please visit http://rockstargary.com.

Live from Pensacola, FL

Live from St. Petersburg, FL

Rating: *

Rating: DUD

Rating: ***

Rating: ****1/2

Rating: **

Rating: **1/2

Rating: ****

For more information on me please visit http://rockstargary.com.

So after reading your suggestions and making the Mello Yello move from 1993 WWF to 1993 WCW I offer a hopefully more readable review of one of WCW’s delicious bites from 1993.

Live from New Orleans, LA

Live from Dayton, OH

·        
Before the match Perfect tossed his towel at Mr.
Hughes. It landed PERFECTLY on his shoulder. Excellent!
·        
As much as I enjoy Heenan’s commentary his use
of the “Brain Scan” with the telestrator was awful.
·        
Ross mentioned Hughes’ attitude issues back in
his football days at Kansas State.
·        
Perfect caught Hughes with an arm drag as Hughes
ran the ropes.
·        
A rope sequence culminated with a Perfect
dropkick sending Hughes to the ropes.
·        
Right hand by Hughes knocked Perfect over the
top rope to the floor!
·        
Head butt by Hughes sent a groggy Perfect to the
ropes.
·        
Neck vice by Hughes.
·        
As Perfect came off the ropes he ate a big boot and
a clothesline from Hughes.
·        
Snap mare and neck vice by Hughes.
·        
Perfect pulled himself up by Hughes’ tie.
·        
Cross-corner whip oversold marvelously by
Perfect.
·        
During the match Bret was interviewed and asked
about opponent preference.
·        
Vicious cross-corner whip by Hughes.
·        
As Bret chose Perfect for his preference for an
opponent Hughes blows a suplex off the ropes.
·        
Hughes choked Perfect on the ropes, missed the
running guillotine, received a chop, and then a hip toss.
·        
Backdrop, snap mare, and the rolling neck snap from
Perfect.
·        
Perfect worked him over in the corner until
Hughes grabbed the urn and NAILED him with it!
·        
Referee Earl Hebner disqualified Hughes.
·        
Mr. Perfect advanced in the tournament to meet
Bret Hart.

·        
Duggan ducked a clothesline off the ropes and
delivered three of his own to knock the big man down.
·        
Cross-corner whip by Duggan reversed by Bigelow.
·        
Blind charge netted nothing for BBB.
·        
Duggan tried to slam him, but Bigelow head butted
him instead.
·        
Duggan injured his ribs on the whip so BBB gave
him an Irish whip into a bear hug.
·        
He broke the bear hug with forearms.
·        
Bigelow with a snap mare but missed the head
butt off the ropes.
·        
Again Duggan tried to slam Bigelow, but BBB fell
on top of him for a 2 count.
·        
Bigelow reapplied the bear hug.
·        
Duggan bit BBB’s head to break free.
·        
Bigelow gave him an Irish whip, but Duggan
reversed it.
·        
Duggan ducked too early so BBB attempted to kick
him in the midsection.
·        
However, Duggan moved so Bigelow fell down.
·        
This time Duggan successfully slammed BBB.
·        
With injured ribs Duggan took his three-point
stance, charged, but hit the turnbuckle as Bigelow slipped away.
·        
Taking quick advantage BBB mounted the top
turnbuckle, hit the diving head butt, and got the pin.
·        
Bigelow advanced in the tournament.

·        
Savage mentioned Tatanka’s undefeated streak
while Heenan acknowledged Luger’s. Could either competitor suffer their first
defeat in the WWF tonight?
·        
As Luger posed, the referees asked him to wear a
pad over his steel-reinforced forearm to neutralize it.
·        
Luger refused so the referees confer with ring
announcer Howard Finkel.
·        
He announced that Luger must wear the elbow pad
or be eliminated from the tournament.
·        
As an outraged Luger leaned over the top rope in
disbelief, the surgical scar from the steel plate insertion was extremely
evident.
·        
Reluctantly Luger wore the elbow pad.
·        
Tatanka sprinted to the ring; however, Luger
attacked him immediately and tossed him over the top rope to complete his
posing ritual.
·        
Tatanka re-entered the ring and pushed the
mirror on top of Luger.
·        
Four chops by Tatanka sent Luger over the top
rope to the floor.
·        
Following Luger to the floor Tatanka slammed him.
·        
Cross-corner whip by Luger reversed by Tatanka
into a back drop.
·        
Running clothesline by Tatanka got a 2 count.
·        
During the match Bigelow was interviewed about
opponent preference.
·        
Without question BBB wished to face “the Indian”
and then win the tournament.
·        
Luger gave Tatanka an Irish whip but ate a cross
body block for a 2 count.
·        
Tatanka worked on Luger’s arm.
·        
Both men countered standing hammerlocks.
·        
A back elbow off the break gave the advantage to
Luger.
·        
After an Irish whip Luger buried the knee in the
midsection.
·        
An elbow smash got another 2 count for Luger.
·        
After pushing Tatanka in the corner Luger gave
him three shoulder blocks.
·        
Backbreaker and elbow drop earned Luger a 2
count.
·        
Jumping elbow drop by Luger hit getting another
2 count.
·        
Luger argued the count, so Tatanka schoolboyed
him for a 2 count.
·        
Brief comeback by Tatanka with punches and
chops.
·        
Snap mare and a reverse chinlock contributed to
Luger’s methodical pace. (© Jim Ross)
·        
Tatanka tried to make another comeback but ate a
clothesline.
·        
Elbow to the sternum earned Luger another 2
count.
·        
An attempted slam became an inside cradle for
Tatanka for 2.
·        
Irish whip by Luger segued into a sunset flip by
Tatanka.
·        
Ross noted that only 4 minutes remain in the
match.
·        
Luger berated the crowd then rammed Tatanka’s
head into the top turnbuckle.
·        
Cue Tatanka’s normal comeback as a couple of
chops put Luger down.
·        
An Irish whip by Tatanka led to a third chop and
a 2 count. 3 minutes remain.
·        
Another Irish whip and Tatanka gave him a
powerslam for another 2 count.
·        
After a slam Tatanka headed to the top
turnbuckle.
·        
Chop to the head earned another 2 count.
·        
After mounting the top turnbuckle Tatanka dove
but missed the high cross body as Luger ducked.
·        
2 minutes remain.
·        
Irish whip by Luger set up a running clothesline
and another 2 count.
·        
90 seconds remain.
·        
Another Irish whip by Luger set up the powerslam
and another 2 count.
·        
One minute left.
·        
A third Irish whip led to a back drop and a vertical
suplex by Luger.
·        
30 seconds remain as Luger got another 2 count.
·        
Backbreaker got another 2 count, and the bell
rings to end the match.
·        
Finkel announced a time-limit draw eliminating
both competitors.
·        
Consequently he revealed that Bigelow received a
bye to the finals.
·        
Luger requested the microphone and wanted five
more minutes.
·        
The crowd cheered more for that than they did
for anything else during the match.
·        
Thereafter Luger removed the elbow pad and laid
Tatanka out cold.

·        
Perfect tossed the towel behind his back to
referee Earl Hebner PERFECTLY.
·        
Bret’s fingers were taped from his previous
match. Possible finger dislocation was speculated.
·        
Both wrestlers are faces. Who do the fans in
attendance root for?
·        
Bret won a tie-up with a standing headlock.
·        
A rope sequence culminated with a Bret hip toss.
·        
Side headlock takeover by Bret countered into a
headscissors by Perfect.
·        
Bret escaped and reapplied the side headlock.
·        
Perfect took Bret to the corner and chopped him
on the break.
·        
Cross-corner whip by Perfect reversed into a
Hart body slam.
·        
Upon landing on the mat Perfect kicked Bret in
the face.
·        
Perfect got the slam this time, but Bret kicked
him in the face.
·        
Side headlock by Bret.
·        
Perfect shot Bret off the ropes, but Bret
countered with a crucifix for 2.
·        
Bret reapplied the side headlock.
·        
Once again Perfect shot Bret off the ropes, but
Bret hit the cross body for another 2 count.
·        
Perfect’s kick out sent Bret outside the ring.
·        
On the apron Bret gave him a shoulder block then
sunset flips into the ring for another 2 count.
·        
Yet again Bret grabbed a side headlock frustrating
Perfect.
·        
Perfect took him to the ropes to break then delivered
a knee and a stomp to the gut.
·        
Savage acknowledged Perfect’s “salty past.”
·        
Impressive standing dropkick by Perfect sent
Bret out of the ring.
·        
Perfect held the ropes open for Bret.
Sportsmanship!
·        
Whoops. Scratch that as Perfect kicked Bret just
before he got into the ring.
·        
He then rammed Bret’s head into the top
turnbuckle.
·        
Chop by Perfect followed by forearms to the back
of the neck.
·        
Knee lift by Perfect got a 2 count.
·        
A kick to the ribs sent Bret outside the ring
again.
·        
Perfect followed and chopped him on the floor.
·        
He then rammed his head into the apron and
re-entered the ring.
·        
Bret got back up on the apron, but Perfect sent
him flying off into the barricade.
·        
Bret writhed in pain holding his knee.
·        
Perfect punched Bret on the apron, brought him
back inside, and delivered a knee to the chin.
·        
 A punch
put a weary Bret to the canvas.
·        
Perfect mounted the top turnbuckle and delivered
a missile dropkick for a 2 count.
·        
Bret put his leg on the bottom rope to stop the
count, so Perfect grabbed both legs and got another 2 count.
·        
Chop in the corner followed by a cross-corner
whip sending Bret sternum-first to the opposite turnbuckle earning Perfect
another 2 count.
·        
Another punch put Bret back on the canvas as
Perfect mounted the top turnbuckle again.
·        
However, Bret caught him with a punch to the
gut, followed him to the top, and gave him a superplex.
·        
That earned Bret a 2 count.
·        
Bret kicked at Perfect’s knee twice then took
him down.
·        
Figure-four leg lock by Bret.
·        
Ultimately Perfect grabbed the bottom rope to
escape.
·        
Single leg takedown by Bret into a knee bar.
·        
Perfect broke the hold by dropping his free leg
across Bret’s face.
·        
Wearily both men got to their feet.
·        
Perfect rammed Bret’s head into the top
turnbuckle.
·        
Two handfuls of hair allowed Perfect to toss
Bret across the ring.
·        
Perfect Irish whipped Bret and applied a
sleeper.
·        
Bret got to the ropes to break the hold.
·        
After delivering another chop Perfect reapplied
the sleeper.
·        
Slyly Perfect used the bottom rope for leverage.
·        
Bret broke the hold by getting to his feet and
ramming Perfect’s head into the top turnbuckle.
·        
To put things in perspective Ross pontificated
about a time-limit draw causing Bam Bam Bigelow to win the tournament
automatically.
·        

European uppercut by Bret.
·        
Bret rammed Perfect’s head into the turnbuckle
and returned the favor earlier by Perfect in tossing him across the ring while
having two handfuls of hair.
·        
Inadvertently Perfect crotched himself on the
ring post.
·        
Inverted atomic drop and side Russian leg sweep
gets a 2 count for Bret.
·        
Standing leg drop, backbreaker, and Bret headed
to the corner for the elbow smash from the second rope.
·        
Cover got 2 as Perfect exited out the back door.
·        
As Bret tried to lock the Sharpshooter Perfect
grabbed Bret’s injured fingers.
·        
He then stomped on Bret’s hand.
·        
Perfect tried to give Bret the Perfectplex, but
Bret blocked it.
·        
Instead Bret suplexed Perfect over the top rope
sending both men to the floor.
·        
Savage alluded to a possible double countout
causing Bigelow’s tournament victory.
·        
Perfect returned to the ring first as Bret
limped back into the ring.
·        
Perfect hooked an inside cradle for 2, but Bret
countered for 3!
·        
A frustrated Perfect rolled out of the ring realizing
that Bret was goldbricking.
·        
He returned to the ring and shakes Bret’s hand
while exchanging words of respect undoubtedly.
·        
Bret advanced to the finals to face Bigelow.

·        
In order to not insult the paying customer
Yokozuna was billed from “the Polynesian islands” rather than Japan since it’s
quite obvious that he’s not Japanese.
·        
Ross noted the presence of photographers at
ringside.
·        
Yokozuna was now billed at 550 pounds. Holy hold
the mayo, Batman!
·        
Meanwhile Hulk Hogan “trimmed down” according to
Heenan. <cough>steroid trials<cough>
·        
In stark contrast to McMahon’s commentary during
this period in time Ross’ commentary contained historical snippets such as
Hulk’s first WWF title victory in 1984.
·        
The fans chanted “Hogan.”
·        
Hmmm…shouldn’t this be the main event? Or is the
King of the Ring title more important than the WWF title? Something smells
fishy here.
·        
Yoko got the early advantage with a chop, back
rake, and a head butt.
·        
Clubbing forearm put Hogan down.
·        
Yokozuna slammed him.
·        
He then worked over Hogan in the corner.
·        
Cross-corner whip put Hogan on the canvas again.
·        
Another cross-corner whip placed Hogan in the
opposite corner, but Yokozuna missed the avalanche.
·        
Hogan landed some punches then mounted the
corner for more punches.
·        
Cross-corner whip by Hogan followed by a
clothesline.
·        
Hogan failed to slam Yokozuna.
·        
Irish whip by Yokozuna but he missed a
clothesline.
·        
Hogan returned fire with punches.
·        
An eye rake and a kick to the gut by Hogan.
·        
Again Hogan failed to slam Yokozuna.
·        
Irish whip by Yokozuna but again he missed the
clothesline and then an elbow.
·        
Hogan hit the clothesline off the ropes
staggering the big man.
·        
Another running clothesline staggered him
further.
·        
A third attempt became a Yokozuna clothesline
putting Hogan down again.
·        
Running splash missed.
·        
Hogan came off the ropes but was knocked down
attempting a shoulder block.
·        
Yokozuna applied a bear hug.
·        
Crowd chanted “U-S-A.”
·        
As Hogan faded the arm went down once…twice…but
not three times!
·        
A series of punches to the head broke the hold.
·        
Off the ropes Hogan ate a Yokozuna back elbow.
·        
Belly-to-belly suplex by Yokozuna.
·        
Huge kick out at 2 by Hogan. Now it’s Hulk-up
time!
·        
Irish whip by Hogan led to the big boot, but
Yokozuna didn’t go down.
·        
Another whip, another big boot, but again
Yokozuna stayed vertical.
·        
A third whip and big boot finally sent Yokozuna down
to the canvas.
·        
Leg drop by Hogan ONLY GOT 2!
·        
As Mr. Fuji jumped on the apron Hogan nailed
him.
·        
Hogan signaled for the slam, but a photographer (Harvey
Wippleman in disguise) got up on the apron.
·        
As Hogan confronted the photographer the camera
exploded in his face.
·        
Clothesline and leg drop by Yokozuna put Hogan
down for the pin!
·        
We have a NEW champion!
·        
Hogan got up holding his right eye.
·        
Yokozuna knocked him back down then he and Fuji
dragged him to the corner.
·        
Yokozuna hit the Banzai drop.
·        
Ross exclaims “Yokozuna has squashed
Hulkamania!”
·        
Heenan proclaims “Hulkamania is dead!”
·        
Jimmy Hart helped Hogan out of the ring.
·        
As Pat Patterson and Dave Hebner assisted Hogan
down the aisle, Heenan buried Hogan on commentary.
·        
Back in the ring Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna posed
with the championship belt.

·        
Unfortunately these guys had the unenviable task
of following that mess.
·        
As the Gunns joined the Steiners in the ring
they shot their cap guns.
·        
Scott Steiner and Ted DiBiase started the match.
·        
DiBiase took Scott down with an arm drag.
·        
Single leg takedown into a waist lock by Scott.
·        
Rope sequence culminated with a Scott dropkick.
·        
Steinerline knocked DiBiase over the top rope to
the floor.
·        
Rick hit him and threw him back into the ring.
·        
Another Steinerline put DiBiase out of the ring
again.
·        
Again Rick hit him and threw him back in.
·        
DiBiase took a powder to regroup. Fatu tagged
in.
·        
As Steiner grabbed Fatu’s arm Bart Gunn tagged
in.
·        
Fatu avoided a drop toe hold but ate a dropkick.
·        
Bart then got the drop toe hold and applied an
arm bar.
·        
Fatu Irish whipped Bart who grabbed Fatu’s head
and rammed it into the mat.
·        
Obviously having not done his homework Gunn ate
a savate kick.
·        
Samu tagged in, and the Headshrinkers
double-clotheslined Bart.
·        
Diving head butt off the ropes by Samu. IRS
tagged in.
·        
He gave Bart an elbow off the ropes as Ross
noted IRS’ three tag team title reigns with three different partners (i.e. Barry
Windham, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, and DiBiase)
·        
Leg drop to the abdomen by IRS. DiBiase tagged
back in.
·        
Whip by DiBiase and he delivered a back elbow.
·        
Vertical suplex by DiBiase.
·        
Samu tagged back in then chopped and head butted
Bart.
·        
Fatu tagged in and the Headshrinkers gave Bart a
back drop.
·        
Head butt to the abdomen by Samu earned Fatu a 2
count.
·        
Backbreaker by Fatu.
·        
IRS tagged in, mounted the top turnbuckle, and
leveled Bart with a right hand.
·        
Meanwhile Ross promised us an update on Hulk
Hogan.
·        
Leg drop by IRS got a 2 count.
·        
Sunset flip by Bart got a 2 count.
·        
Whip off the ropes and both men clotheslined
each other.
·        
DiBiase and Billy Gunn tagged in.
·        
Cross-corner whip turned into a back drop
followed by two clotheslines by Billy.
·        
Stun-gun by DiBiase.
·        
DiBiase hooked the Million Dollar Dream but released
it after referee Danny Davis raised Billy’s arm only once.
·        
Oozing of swagger DiBiase believed he had Billy right
where he wanted him.
·        
He tried to slam Billy but was hooked into an
inside cradle for the pin!
·        
All eight men entered the ring and a melee ensued.
·        
Scott LAUNCHED IRS out of the ring.
·        
The faces prevailed as the heels headed for
higher ground.

·        
Prior to the match Ross informed us that Hogan
suffered neither permanent damage to his vision nor broken ribs.
·        
Back on May 17 Shawn Michaels lost the
Intercontinental title to Marty Jannetty.
·        
However, on June 6 with the help of the debuting
Diesel Michaels regained the title.
·        
Crush won the initial tie-up with a standing
headlock.
·        
After Shawn threw Crush off into the ropes he was
mauled by a Crush shoulder block knocking him completely out of the ring.
·        
Crush won another lock-up with a standing
headlock.
·        
Knowing he couldn’t win a wristlock battle he
forwent it and hit Crush in the ribs.
·        
A rope sequence culminated with a left by Shawn.
·        
Shawn won the next lock-up and worked on Crush’s
arm.
·        
Another rope sequence almost ended via a Shawn
super kick, but he missed.
·        
Instead Crush delivered a dropkick. Wow!
·        
A second dropkick sent Shawn over the top rope
to the floor.
·        
Single leg takedown by Shawn, but Crush kicked
him away.
·        
Two single leg takedowns by Crush followed by an
arm drag.
·        
As Crush gave Shawn a military press and a tilt-a-whirl
backbreaker Savage believed Crush can slam Yokozuna. They might have to try
that perhaps on a national holiday aboard a battleship.
·        
As Crush signaled for the Kona Clutch Diesel
dragged Shawn out of the ring.
·        
Crush followed Shawn to the floor only to be outsmarted
by the speed of Michaels who chop blocked him.
·        
Behind the referee’s back Diesel rammed Crush’s
head into the ring post.
·        
Shawn met Crush on the outside and rammed the
back of Crush’s head five times into the ring post. OUCH!
·        
Shawn physically picked Crush up off the floor
and tossed him back in the ring.
·        
He dragged Crush to the middle of the ring for
the seemingly obvious pin.
·        
But Crush kicked out at 2!
·        
Five stomps kept Crush down as Shawn mounted the
top turnbuckle.
·        
Shawn hit the double axe handle to the back of
the neck.
·        
He continued to work on the back of the neck and
applied a front face lock.
·        
Crush broke the hold by throwing Shawn off.
·        
Shawn reapplied the hold, but Crush sent him
into orbit.
·        
Third front face lock by Shawn.
·        
Immediately Crush picked him up and draped him
across the top rope and out to the floor.
·        
Shawn re-entered the ring via the top rope, but
upon leaping his head was rammed into the canvas.
·        
Irish whip by Crush led to a back drop, cross-corner
whip, and a backbreaker for a 2 count.
·        
Another Irish whip by Crush led to the big boot,
and a standing leg drop got another 2 count.
·        
Clothesline over the top rope by Crush.
·        
Two Doinks marched to the ring smoking cigars.
·        
As they distracted Crush Shawn delivered the
super kick to the back of the head earning the victory by pinfall.
·        
The Doinks high-tailed it backstage, and Crush
immediately charged after them.

Rating: ***

·        
As much as I admire Bigelow for his wrestling
ability, the WWF music they gave him reminds me of the Flintstones’ character.
Maybe they should have had Luna dress like Pebbles. By the way where is she?
·        
Ross stated that the time between BBB’s matches was
an hour and 20 minutes.
·        
Thus, while Bigelow was fresh Bret favored his
leg along with some possibly dislocated fingers.
·        
BBB charged Bret, missed, and landed face-first
to the turnbuckle.
·        
Irish whip by Bigelow led to an attempted
military press.
·        
Instead Bret used his own momentum to knock BBB
down and received a 2 count.
·        
Bigelow whipped Bret off the ropes and gave him
a shoulder block.
·        
Military press by BBB.
·        
He vaulted Bret over the top rope to the floor.
·        
He then followed him and tossed him back in.
·        
Two head butts to the lower back by Bigelow.
·        
Hard cross-corner whip by BBB sent Bret back
first to the opposite turnbuckle and then to the canvas.
·        
Off the ropes Bigelow gave him a jumping head
butt to the shoulder.
·        
Two count broken by Bret’s foot on the ropes.
·        
BBB hooked that leg and got another 2 count.
·        
Bigelow continued to work on Bret’s back.
·        
Fantastic belly-to-back suplex by BBB.
·        
Brief Bret comeback thwarted by Bigelow.
·        
Another cross-corner whip further weakened
Bret’s back.
·        
Head butt knocked Bret down.
·        
Diving head butt off the ropes by BBB.
·        
Irish whip by Bigelow followed by a bear hug.
·        
Neck vice broke the hold; however, BBB gave him
another belly-to-back suplex.
·        
Mean Gene oversaw the match from the coronation
stage.
·        
Bigelow again tossed Bret out of the ring and
followed him.
·        
He tried to whip Bret but was reversed and sent
into the barricade.
·        
Bret made BBB taste the steel. Probably needed
ketchup.
·        
Elbow from the apron to the floor by Bret.
·        
Bret dove from the apron to the floor but got
caught.
·        
Bigelow rammed Bret back-first into the ring
post.
·        
He took Bret to the entryway and slammed him on
the unpadded floor.
·        
Luna Vachon came down the aisle and popped (i.e.
lightly tapped) Bret on the back with a chair behind the referee Joey Marella’s
back.
·        
She scampered back to the dressing room.
·        
BBB joined Bret on the floor and tosses him back
in.
·        
Slam put Bret down on the mat.
·        
Bigelow climbed to the top rope, hit the diving
head butt, and got the pin?
·        
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Bret got screwed again!
·        
Wait a minute…I don’t recall BBB winning the
King of the Ring.
·        
Hold the phone! Referee Earl Hebner came out to
notify Marella of the chicanery perpetrated by Luna.
·        
Finkel announced that the referee reversed the
decision, but Hebner stopped him in mid-sentence.
·        
Hebner informed Finkel that he wanted the match
to continue.
·        
As soon as Finkel made the announcement Bigelow
furthered his weakening of Bret’s back.
·        
Yet another cross-corner whip zapped some strength
from Bret’s back.
·        
Another Irish whip by BBB set up a second bear
hug.
·        
Bret tried to break but Bigelow put him in the
backbreaker a la Superstar Billy Graham.
·        
Bret escaped and gave BBB a belly-to-back suplex
of his own.
·        
Up first Bigelow came off the ropes but missed
the senton.
·        
Fourth cross-corner whip into another
backbreaker.
·        
Bret raked the eyes and hooked the sleeper while
riding BBB’s back.
·        
Bigelow tossed him overhead to break the hold.
·        
Running dropkick by Bret sent BBB into the ropes
and almost over.
·        
Bret then tossed him over the top rope.
·        
Plancha by Bret.
·        
After a series of punches Bret tossed Bigelow
back into the ring.
·        
Second rope clothesline by Bret got a 2 count.
·        
Side Russian leg sweep and second rope bulldog
by Bret.
·        
Attempted Sharpshooter but BBB kicked him away.
·        
Bret came off the ropes back into a third bear
hug.
·        
He then ate some Bigelow tattoo to break the
hold. Tasted like chicken.
·        
Attempted belly-to-back suplex by Bret countered
into a 2 count for BBB.
·        
Fifth cross-corner whip by Bigelow, but a blind
charge got boots to the face.
·        
Bret mounted the second rope again, hooked the
victory roll, and wins!
·        
Bret Hart became the King of the Ring!
·        
Savage entered the ring to congratulate him.
 
Rating: ***1/2

For more information on me please visit http://rockstargary.com.

Live from Las Vegas, NV                                                                                                        

Attendance:  16,891

·        
Luna Vachon, making her WWF debut, seconded
Shawn Michaels to the ring. Sensational Sherri was in Tatanka’s corner just to
annoy Shawn.

·        
In order to earn his title shot Tatanka defeated
Shawn in both a non-title match as well as a six-man tag match.

·        
Tatanka turned an overhand wristlock into a nice
bridge.

·        
Shawn’s excellent selling led to a verbal
confrontation between Luna and Sherri on the floor.

·        
Botched sunset flip from the top rope by
Michaels could have been caused by Tatanka being out of position.

·        
Good psychology used by Tatanka to work on the
shoulder as Ross and Heenan described HBK’s prior injury.

·        
The move not yet named “Sweet Chin Music” hit
Tatanka as he came off the top rope.

·        
Again Sherri prevented any shenanigans by Luna
outside the ring.

·        
Excellent flying clothesline from the apron to
the floor by HBK.

·        
Swinging neckbreaker got a long 2 count.

·        
HBK blew a victory roll for another 2 count.

·        
He tried another victory roll, but Tatanka
countered with Splash Mountain.

·        
Three rope-assisted double-axehandles cued
Tatanka’s comeback.

·        
Chops o’plenty on HBK.

·        
High crossbody from the top rope should have
pinned HBK but only got 2.

·        
Catapult into the post got another close 2
count.

·        
Papoose To Go blocked by HBK into a rollup for
2.

·        
Tatanka reversed a high crossbody into a
powerslam for 2.

·        
Crowd chanted for Sherri.

·        
Dive from the apron to the floor by HBK missed.

·        
HBK pulls the referee out of the ring.

·       
Tatanka hit the Papoose To Go, but the referee
counted HBK out instead.

·        
It took merely a second or two after the opening
bell for Ross to call this match a “slobberknocker.”

·        
Heenan makes fun of Ross for the term “smash
mouth.”

·        
Fatu and Scott started the match for their
respective team.

·        
Steiner-line off the ropes by Scott gave him a
quick advantage.

·        
After both Steiners got tossed out of the ring
they mounted the top turnbuckle and nailed the Headshrinkers with
Steiner-lines.

·        
Afa rammed both Headshrinkers’ heads together to
wake them up.

·        
**THIS
JUST IN** Luna attacked Sensational Sherri at the first aid station.
Details to follow.

·        
Rick and Samu tagged in.

·        
After Rick rammed Samu’s head into the ringpost,
Scott tagged in.

·        
He delivered a butterfly suplex to Samu followed
by a dropkick to Fatu.

·        
A botched stungun sends Scott completely out of
the ring. That looked sick!

·        
Behind referee Bill Alfonso’s back Afa whacked
Scott in the back.

·        
Fatu split Scott in two with a backbreaker then
gave him a headbutt from the second rope.

·        
Spinning kick from Samu put Scott down on the
mat.

·        
While Rick and Fatu distract Alfonso Samu rammed
Scott’s head into the ringpost.

·        
Scott caught Fatu ducking early and sent him
face-first to the mat only to receive a crescent kick to the face for his
troubles.

·        
Excellent standing dropkick by Samu.

·        
Headshrinkers gave Scott Demolition
Decapitation.

·        
Double clothesline spot knocked both Fatu and
Scott down.

·        
Samu missed a diving headbutt from the top rope.

·        
Hot tag and Rick cleaned house with Steiner-lines.

·        
Rick shows off his intellect by trying the double
noggin-knocker spot on the Samoan duo, but it fails miserably. Both Headshrinkers
give him a headbutt in exchange.

·        
Double Stroke (face-first Russian legsweep) put
Rick down.

·        
Oh my God! What appeared to be a Doomsday Device
by the Headshrinkers turned into a powerslam by Rick! Incredible!

·        
Heenan’s jabs at Ross with the Oklahoma jokes
are hysterical (e.g. indoor plumbing).

·        
Scott tagged in and gave Fatu an overhead
belly-to-belly suplex only to get nailed by a kick from Samu.

·        
Upon a reversal of an Irish whip Scott delivered
the Frankensteiner to Samu for the pin! However, It didn’t look as crisp as it
should have.

·        
Savage’s commentary is firmly behind Crush. He
must owe him money.

·        
Crush chased Doink around the ring and slammed
him on the outside.  In fact the majority
of the beginning of the match was spent outside the ring.

·        
Crush dominated with a hangman’s neckbreaker.

·        
Neck snap via the top rope by Crush.

·        
Vicious backbreaker by Crush.

·        
Doink turned the tables by snapping Crush’s neck
on the top rope then nailing him with a sledge from the top rope.

·        
Doink went to the top rope twice and delivered a
couple of fists.

·        
Piledriver by Doink.

·        
A Doink slam led to a foot to the face by Crush
as Doink jumped from the top rope.

·        
An attempted crossbody block by Doink was
countered into a Crush powerslam.

·        
Crush then clotheslined Doink over the top rope.

·        
Doink tried to escape under the ring to no
avail.

·        
Back in the ring Crush gave Doink a military
press and signaled for the Kona Clutch.

·        
He applied it, but Doink got to the ropes. Referee
Joey Marella was knocked down in the process.

·        
Again Doink tried to escape under the ring only
to be caught by Crush.

·        
Wow! Back in the ring Crush gave Doink a Savate
kick!

·        
Crush applied the Kona Clutch again, but Marella
was still down.

·        
A second Doink appeared behind Crush and waffled
him with a prosthetic arm.

·        
The two Doinks double-teamed Crush with the
prosthetic arm.

·        
Next they performed the mirror illusion trick.
Amazing!

·        
While the second Doink hid under the ring the
original Doink covered Crush for the pin.

·        
Referee Bill Alfonso ran to the ring and
notified Marella of the Doink shenanigans, but the second Doink could not be
located. Brilliant!

·        
**THIS
JUST IN** According to Ross Sherri is pretty shaken up, but order has been
restored within the first aid area.

·        
Backlund’s offer of a hand shake received a
toothpick to the face in return.

·        
Despite Ramon being a heel the crowd chanted
“Razor!”

·        
Using his quickness Backlund tripped Razor
twice.

·        
Heenan noted Backlund’s long hiatus. Savage
stated he was training during that time. Heenan refuted by saying he was the “paper
boy in Mayberry.” HA!

·        
Savage reported that Bret “Hitman” Hart was
knocked unconscious by “The Narcissist” Lex Luger at the WrestleMania brunch.

·        
Razor dominated Backlund with punches and kicks
until Backlund reversed a cross-corner whip and gave Razor a pair of hip
tosses.

·        
Sadly he missed a dropkick, but a running
forearm put Razor down on the mat.

·        
Butterfly suplex by Backlund

·        
LONG atomic drop by Backlund, but Razor escapes
to the apron.

·        
Razor came in the hard way.

·        
Out of nowhere Razor applies an inside cradle
and got the pin!

·        
To show that money was no object to the Million
Dollar Man, IRS’ Halliburton briefcase is golden rather than silver.

·        
Holy crap! I had totally forgotten about Hogan’s
black eye! Fact or fiction? You make the call!

·        
DiBiase and IRS attack immediately.

·        
Our heroes (cough, cough) tossed each man over
the top rope shortly thereafter.

·        
The T-shirt got ripped! The ear got cupped! The
people stood and cheered! I grabbed the Pepto.

·        
After a lengthy regroup session we start proper
with Beefcake and IRS.

·        
IRS put Beefcake on the defensive then tagged
out to DiBiase.

·        
Money, Inc. tried to double-team Beefcake, but
DiBiase’s double-sledge to the mask backfired!

·        
Noggins get knocked, and Beefcake tried to
hammer DiBiase’s head into the top turnbuckle.

·        
It’s blocked, and DiBiase tried to ram Beefcake’s
face without any luck due to the mask.

·        
A ram of DiBiase’s head to Hulk’s boot preceded
a tag to the Hulkster.

·        
After Hulk rapped DiBiase’s head about 18 times
he hit a running clothesline.

·        
Beefcake tagged in, and the MegaManiacs gave
DiBiase the double boot to the face.

·        
After an atomic stomp and slam Beefcake tagged
Hulk back in. Hulk came off the second rope with a double sledge.

·        
Upon bouncing like a pinball between Hogan and
Beefcake DiBiase got clotheslined over the top rope.

·        
IRS came in, got pinballed, poked in the eye,
and thrown over the top rope.

·        
Hogan mugged to the crowd again, and they praised
his efforts.

·        
Money, Inc. took a walk expecting the countout
and to keep the belts.

·        
Referee Earl Hebner informed Finkel that if the
champs didn’t return to the ring by the count of ten they not only lose the
match but the titles too! Money, Inc. became irate!

·        
Expectedly they hurried back to the ring.

·        
DiBiase and Hogan start proper again. DiBiase got
the advantage, and IRS choked Hogan with the tag rope behind Hebner’s back.

·        
Heel chicanery kept Hogan subdued.

·        
As DiBiase hooked the Million Dollar Dream the
fans chanted “Hogan” to ensure he didn’t go to sleep. Good luck! Hogan’s
painkillers might just have done that!

·        
By committing an embarrassing gaffe “Macho Man”
mistook rafters for columns then corrected himself during Hogan’s comeback.

·        
Behind Hebner’s back Beefcake slapped DiBiase in
the sleeper.

·        
Order was restored and both DiBiase and Hogan
were down.

·        
Hogan sat up at nine and made the tag to
Beefcake.

·        
High knee from Beefcake to IRS.  Atomic drop sent DiBiase over the top rope.

·        
DiBiase nailed Beefcake coming off the ropes
with the briefcase.

·        
Next he tried to do away with Beefcake’s mask
causing Heenan to make a hockey joke.

·        
The mask was removed and placed atop the briefcase.
Sympathetically Ross got seriously worried for Beefcake’s well-being.

·        
The champs tried to double-team Beefcake, but he
ducked then delivered a double clothesline off the ropes instead.

·        
Beefcake locked the sleeper on IRS.

·        
Hogan came in and distracted Hebner. In the
meantime DiBiase blasted Beefcake in the back knocking him, IRS, and Hebner to
the mat.

·        
Tags were made on both sides despite the referee
being down.

·        
Hogan gave the big boot to DiBiase.

·        
IRS tried to nail Hogan with Beefcake’s mask but
received a low blow.

·        
Hogan hit both members of Money Inc. with the
mask.

·        
Both men covered for the pin. Jimmy Hart crawled
into the ring to wake up Hebner.

·        
In a cute bit Hart reversed his jacket to reveal
referee stripes and counted the double pin.

·        
Belts were grabbed and held overhead. Do we have
new champions?

·        
Referee Danny Davis sprinted to ringside,
checked on Hebner, and raised the arms of Money, Inc.

·        
The champs won by disqualification.

·        
The MegaManiacs intimidated Davis until Money
Inc. nailed them with the belts.

·        
However, the belt shots got no-sold, and the
champs high-tailed it out of the ring.

·        
Hart talked the MegaManiacs out of rearranging
Davis’ facial features.

·        
Alternatively Hart tossed Davis over the top
rope himself!

·        
Wait, Hogan didn’t win the tag belts here?
Something smells fishy.

·        
Luger came to the ring with not one, not two,
not three, but FOUR lovely ladies in scantily clad golden bikinis. <cat whistle>

·        
I guess you can’t say Luger didn’t win ANY gold
in the WWF.

·        
Luger posed as the mirrors shot off pyro.

·        
Perfect whipped Luger off the ropes and hit him
in the gut.

·        
He quickly followed with a kneelift.

·        
Rope sequence culminated with a Perfect running
dropkick.

·        
After another rope sequence Perfect grabbed
Luger’s foot. He proceeded to damage Luger’s left knee.

·        
While working on the knee he applied a spinning
toe hold.

·        
A chop by Perfect to Luger’s chest echoed
throughout the outdoor arena.

·        
A cross-corner whip was reversed by Luger, and
Perfect hit his back HARD.

·        
Another cross-corner whip by Luger caused more
damage.

·        
Backbreaker.

·        
A brief Perfect comeback was halted when Luger
raised his knees on a blind charge.

·        
Having studied how he lost to Flair at Starrcade
’88, Luger grabbed Perfect’s legs and put his feet on the ropes. Unlike that
match, referee Joey Marella caught him before counting the pin.

·        
Wasting no time Luger whipped him off the ropes
and gave him a powerslam.

·        
Another whip off the ropes led to a Perfect sunset
flip for 2.

·        
Perfect locked on the sleeper, but Luger broke
the hold by backing into the corner further aggravating Perfect’s injured back.

·        
Yet another Irish whip from Luger segued into an
inside cradle by Perfect for 2.

·        
Luger took a chest-first bump off a cross-corner
whip then received a catapult to the turnbuckle.

·        
Perfect nailed Luger with the Axe then whipped
him off the ropes to give him another for 2.

·        
He mounted the turnbuckle to hit Luger in the
head; however, Luger picked him up for a running inverted atomic drop.

·        
He missed, and Perfect delivered a clothesline.

·        
A third Axe hit the mark for another 2 count.

·        
Missile dropkick from Perfect got another 2
count due to Luger’s foot on the bottom rope.

·        
They fight for a backslide, and Luger pinned him
despite Perfect’s legs being in the ropes. Perfect was robbed!

·        
At 7’6” Giant Gonzalez remains the tallest
professional wrestler to date. Unfortunately muscle tone did not correlate with
his height; hence, he wore a ludicrous body suit to the ring.

·        
At this point the Undertaker (UT) was only 2-0
at WrestleMania.

·        
The Undertaker rode a chariot with a vulture
atop a perch to the ring.

·        
Gonzalez towered over the 6’10” Undertaker.

·        
He hammered UT with forearms, but they were
no-sold.

·        
A brief flurry by UT led to a choke by Gonzalez.

·        
While being choked UT mounted the second
turnbuckle and applied a choke of his own.

·        
Gonzalez broke with a low blow.

·        
A standing wristlock by UT segued into a
ropewalk.

·        
After UT intimidated referee Bill Alfonso he
walked into a boot.

·        
Gonzalez then clotheslined UT and tossed UT
across the ring like a rag doll.

·        
LONG headlock by Gonzalez.

·        
Bearer tried to raise UT by invoking the power
of the urn.

·        
UT elbowed out but was sent outside the ring.

·        
Gonzalez rammed UT’s head into the ring steps
then whipped him into them.

·        
The power of the urn encouraged UT to his feet
and back into the ring.

·        
UT received a headbutt but sat up.

·        
A second headbutt put UT down, but he sat back
up again.

·        
UT came back with punches and kicks to the ribs.

·        
Gonzalez’ “selling” took him to one knee.

·        
Wippleman got on the apron.

·        
As UT grabbed him Wippleman tossed a rag to
Gonzalez.

·        
Bearer got on the apron and ate a headbutt from
Gonzalez.

·        
Gonzalez then smothered UT with the rag.

·        
The announcers claimed the rag was soaked with
chloroform.

·        
Alfonso called for the bell disqualifying
Gonzalez.

·        
In a bit of foreshadowing Heenan ominously stated
that the minute Yokozuna walked through the curtain the clouds began to cast
over the skies of Caesar’s Palace.

·        
Bret got off to a good start with a running
dropkick.

·        
Next he tried a go-behind but couldn’t wrap his
arms around Yoko’s girth.

·        
Yokozuna shoulderblock knocks Hart out of the
ring.

·        
Yoko tried to keep Bret outside the ring by
kicking him; however, Bret grabbed the foot and tripped the big man.

·        
Springboard splash by Bret.

·        
While Yoko’s leg was tied in the ropes Bret
delivered a second rope elbow smash.

·        
Referee Earl Hebner untied Yoko.

·        
Bret tried to clothesline him twice but couldn’t
knock him down.

·        
A third try was countered by a Yoko clothesline.

·        
Slam and legdrop by Yoko.

·        
Nerve hold by Yoko.

·        
Cross-corner whip by Yoko, but blind charge hits
knees.

·        
Botched bulldog by Bret got a 2 count.

·        
Crescent kick by Yoko.

·        
Snapmare led to another nerve hold by Yoko.

·        
Another cross-corner whip by Yoko, but the
avalanche missed.

·        
Second rope bulldog by Bret. Much crisper this
time. Got a 2 count, but Yoko kicked out with authority!

·        
Second rope elbow smash by Bret. Another 2
count.

·        
Second rope clothesline by Bret. Yoko staggered.

·        
Running clothesline knocked the big man down.

·        
Bret mounted the turnbuckle and nailed Yoko five
times before Yoko grabbed his legs.

·        
Yoko couldn’t drop him because Bret had a firm
grip on the top turnbuckle cover. He ripped it off!

·        
Yoko tried to ram Bret’s head into the exposed
turnbuckle, but Yoko hit it instead.

·        
Bret locked on the Sharpshooter.

·        
As Hebner checked for the submission Fuji threw
salt into Bret’s eyes blinding him.

·        
Yoko immediately made the cover and won the
title!

If I was the programming director of the WWE Network here are a few ideas I would implement:

1. Reality and female programming opposite sporting events
      a. Trish Stratus feature
      b. Kevin Nash/Scott Hall/Sean Waltman tour the WWE Performance Center
 2. Tuesday Night RAW (1993 – present)
 3. Thursday Night Nitro (1995-2001)
 4. Saturday morning territory shows (Superstars, Challenge, WCCW, CWF, Mid-Atlantic)
 5. Saturday 6pm World Championship Wrestling
 6. Where Are They Now?
 7. Third Shift ECW marathons
 8. WCW Up All Night
 9. Legends Roundtable (previous and new content)
 10. Features from previous DVD releases minus matches

 What else would you implement? How can WWE promote its current product without RAW and Smackdown since they are on USA and Sci-Fi respectively? What would it take for the WWE Network to succeed?

For more information on me please visit http://rockstargary.com.

Be sure to visit http://www.rockstargary.com to check out more info on me!

WWF RAW IS OWEN By Rock Star Gary Live from St. Louis, MO Airdate: May 24, 1999 Hosted by Jim Ross (JR) and Jerry “the King” Lawler JR opens the show by pointing out that all the WWF Superstars are by the curtain and on the entrance ramp to pay tribute to the late Owen Hart. Vince, Linda, and Stephanie McMahon are shown prominently in the front. Crowd chants for Owen. Howard Finkel asks the audience to rise and join the WWF Superstars “to pay our respects to Owen Hart” for a ceremonial 10 bell salute. Tears run down the face of Mark Henry. Jarrett is also shown weeping. Finkel then directs everyone to watch the Titantron for a video tribute to Owen. Vince McMahon narrates footage that truly depicts Owen Hart as a special performer and person who will be missed greatly by everyone. JR then introduces us to “one of the most unique broadcasts ever in the genre of sports entertainment here tonight”. The show will be a 2-hour tribute to the life of Owen Hart. Along with 10 unique match-ups there will be sentiments shown between the matches of the WWF Superstars and how Owen impacted their lives and careers. Mick Foley offers his sentiments to his friend Owen. He states that Owen was his son Dewey’s favorite wrestler. The “Nugget” chant was loved by Mick’s children. Mick mentions that Owen talked about his family quite often. Bradshaw then discusses Owen’s penchant for being “cheap on the road”. Bradshaw also notes the reason he did that was because he wanted to retire early and spend time with his family. Match 1: Jeff Jarrett (w/ Debra) versus Test Before Jarrett’s opponent can be introduced he lets us know that Owen never was a “nugget”. Test makes his way out and the contest starts right away. Jarrett drops his leg over the back of Test’s neck across the ropes then struts. To the corner Test hits boot on a blind charge but then Jarrett walks right into boot to the face. Test lifts Jarrett into a fireman’s carry and drops him face-first. Sidewalk slam puts Jarrett on the mat. Debra walks up the steel steps wearing a pink dress suit. The crowd begins to chant for “puppies”. Test then slams Jarrett and heads to the top rope. Unfortunately for him he jumps directly into a boot from Jarrett. Shoulder-first DDT by Jarrett takes Test down. In retaliation Test delivers a clothesline and then a powerbomb for a near fall. Debra is now up on the apron. She opens her top to reveal a sexy white bra to distract Test. Test falls for it and gets slapped. Jarrett then delivers the Stroke. Instead of going for the pin he puts Test in the sharpshooter in memory of Owen. Test taps out! Owen’s sharpshooter was an excellent gesture by Jarrett here. Test shows a lot of promise in this match. Jarrett, Test, and Debra all wore armbands in memory of Owen. Mark Henry recites a poem he wrote for Owen. He states that when Owen died it felt like “hands around my throat”. His poem supposedly was titled “Burn When You Cry”. Droz offers his thoughts. He believes that Owen lifts people’s spirits either at his own or someone else’s expense with his practical jokes. While Henry’s tone was very somber Droz’s tone is upbeat because he’ll always remember Owen as a “great guy”. Match 2 for the WWF tag team titles: X-Pac and Kane (champions) versus The Brood X-Pac wears the armband here as does Edge. JR compares The Brood to the Freebirds as a trio acting as a tag team only. Edge and X-Pac start off. Similar to last night JR notes that all the competitors in the match are in their 20s. It really was a dig at WCW for showcasing wrestlers in their 40s such as Piper and Flair. Shoulderblock by Edge leads to a spinning heel kick to put X-Pac down. Fast-paced action by both athletes sends Edge to the canvas after he receives a heel kick. X-Pac celebrates with a crotch chop and tags in Gangrel. Kane tags in but gets double-DDTed by The Brood. He no-sells and gives a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker to Edge and a high back bodydrop to Gangrel. Christian comes in and receives a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for his troubles. X-Pac tags in and lands a series of kicks to Edge in his corner. However, he gets knocked to the outside where Gangrel and Christian double-team him. They throw him back in. Edge misses a blind corner splash and receives an enziguri to send him into the middle of next week. Tags are made by both teams. Kane hits Gangrel with a flying clothesline from the top rope! He then boots Edge and Gangrel to the face. Clothesline to Edge leads to X-Pac’s Bronco Buster! In the meantime Kane chokeslams Gangrel. Kane then lifts X-Pac up and splashes Gangrel for the pin! While the finish was their own the heel kicks and enziguri were nice nods to Owen. The tandem double-team finish was entertaining as well. HHH and Chyna take their turns to discuss Owen. Chyna remembers Owen for making people laugh. HHH appears to be very heartbroken. He states: “In a business where you often see the worst..in people’s personalites we’re like a family…Owen was always one that was at his best.” HHH tells us at the Royal Rumble Owen was the only guy tough enough to schoolboy and backslide him and not allow him to get free. Owen will always have a place in HHH’s heart and be his friend. He loves and will never forget Owen. Dave Hebner joins us and tells us that Owen always wanted to make sure everyone had a great day. Owen was a caring and giving man to others. According to Dave as a gag “He’d (Owen) tie my shoes together when I went down for the count.” Match 3: The Hardy Boyz (with Michael Hayes) versus Taka Michinoku and Sho Funaki I’ll try my best to keep up with this since it’s definitely going to be fast-paced. All four competitors are wearing the Owen black armband as well as Michael Hayes. Matt starts the match off with a suplex to Funaki. After a missed clothesline Matt receives a flying forearm. Taka tags in. He delivers a spinebuster to Matt. Funaki holds Matt in a camel clutch while Taka dropkicks Matt directly in the face! A tornado DDT is telegraphed by Taka. Jeff tags in and hits a senton to Taka on the floor! The Hardyz then deliver a Whisper in the Wind to Taka. A double-team maneuver lands Taka on his face. Jeff then misses a corkscrew moonsault off the top. Taka applies the Michinoku Driver to Jeff. Both teams tag out. Funaki hits each Hardy with a dropkick. Clothesline by Matt sends both men outside. Hayes grabs Funaki and whips him into a Jeff Hardy dropkick! Taka also seeks some frequent flyer miles and leaps from the top rope onto everyone! Funaki and Matt re-enter the ring. Matt delivers the Twist of Fate to Funaki for the pin! The Hardy Boyz were definitely on the upswing of their careers here. If only they could keep their heads on straight. Bruce Pritchard gives us his thoughts on Owen. He refers to Owen as a “great practical joker and a tremendous performer in the ring.” Dustin Runnels credits Owen as a great family man. He relates a funny story about Harley Race. Owen put an entire bottle of hot sauce in Harley’s chili when he wasn’t looking. Harley gets so mad that he broke out his stun gun for Owen. Match 4: Hardcore Holly versus Ken Shamrock Add Holly to the list of wrestlers wearing an Owen armband. Shamrock and Holly start off with some mat wrestling which leads to a very nice Northern Lights suplex from Shamrock! He hits a heel kick and then a huracanrana to Holly! Shamrock immediately takes him down and applies the anklelock. Holly taps out! Very quick match. Shamrock showcased himself well here. Faarooq says that he’ll miss Owen a lot. Test relates a story about the boys in Chicago a few months ago doing a double-shot . The first show was cancelled due to bad weather so the guys had to wait at the hotel to find out if they had to work the second show. Test receives a phone call from the local promoter. By the end of the call the promoter says “he’ll tell them that Test said to cancel the show”. Test didn’t find out about it until this morning that it was Owen who had called him. Great prank. Horrible timing on the discovery however. Match 5: “Mr. Ass” versus Mankind Chalk up Billy Gunn as an armband wearer. Billy incites the crowd by saying: “If you’re not down with Owen Hart, I got two words for ya!” The crowd obliges with the normal response. JR relates a story where Owen stole his hat before a TV taping. Crowd chants for Foley. After some fists are exchanged Mankind backdrops Gunn and clotheslines him out of the ring. Mankind follows him and introduces Gunn’s face to the steel steps. Back in the ring Gunn dropkicks Mankind on the knee. He works the knee on the ropes then clips Mankind. Next he grabs a chair from ringside, but in the ring Mankind preps Mr. Socko. Gunn gets on the apron and is forced to eat Mr. Socko. Gunn gets counted out! Mick then gives a “Whoo!” for Owen after the match. While the slow burn for “Mr. Ass” continues the star of the match really was Mick. Jeff Jarrett mentions that in this business there are a lot of acquaintances but very few friends. On the verge of tears he calls Owen his friend. When he thinks of Owen he thinks of integrity. He calls Owen a “man’s man”. Owen made coming to work fun for Jeff. In a feature taped earlier today at an undetermined outdoor location Michael Cole talks about the matchup between The Rock and HHH at Over The Edge last night. After some highlights Cole discusses the WWF title match. Highlights of that match are then shown. Considering there was no replay to sell showing highlights of the two main matches including the finishes was a kind gesture to the WWF audience. Edge offers his feelings on Owen. He refers to Owen as the “leader of a Canadian mafia” when it came to the boys. He felt honored that he wrestled Owen in his last match in Chicago. Match 6: D’Lo Brown and Sexual Chocolate Mark Henry (w/ Ivory) versus The Acolytes Everyone in the match, including Ivory, wears the Owen armband. Faarooq and Henry start off. To try to take Henry off his feet Faarooq tries a standing shoulderblock, leg kicks, and then a running shoulderblock. He charges Henry but gets caught with a powerslam. D’Lo tags in but immediately gets a jawbreaker. Bradshaw tags in and works over D’Lo with kicks, right hands, and chops along with a corner clothesline. He tosses D’Lo to the outside where Faarooq introduces D’Lo to the steel steps face-first. Back in Bradshaw delivers a Russian legsweep. Faarooq tags in, but D’Lo takes over to give Faarooq his patented standing legdrop. Farooq gives D’Lo the DDT. After a tag Bradshaw levels D’Lo with a running shoulderblock. Another tag-in by Faarooq but D’Lo delivers a heel kick to him. Tags are exchanged on both sides. Henry takes over with a shoulderblock and two clotheslines! Double team shoulderblock by the Acolytes puts Henry down again. However, D’Lo got the blind tag. The Acolytes then double-team D’Lo with a belly-to-back suplex neckbreaker combo. Henry makes the save. In a unique twist heel miscommunication by the Acolytes leads to a rollup by D’Lo on Bradshaw for the pin! Upset victory here, but Faarooq and Bradshaw truly carried this match. Pat Patterson thanks Owen for being a great person. Hardcore Holly relates that in Mobile, AL Owen kindly put Holly over in a match. Match 7: Road Dogg versus WWF Intercontinental Champion The Godfather (w/ ho’s) Road Dogg enters the ring wearing the Owen armband and welcomes the crowd with his catchphrases and his spiel the crowd knows well. According to Road Dogg “You know who I am. It ain’t about me. It’s about the King of Harts this evening.” Godfather brings out some of St. Louis’ “finest”. Godfather hits his catchphrases to the crowd’s approval. JR reveals an embarassing pool prank that Owen pulled on him on the WWF Wrestle Vessel. Godfather grabs the mic and offers Road Dogg to join him and the ho’s to “light it up all night long”. Crowd voices their approval. Road Dogg replies “Why don’t you and I go burn one and tell some Owen stories?” They leave the ring simultaneously after that. Paul Bearer in his normal non-high-pitched voice wishes farewell to Owen. X-Pac calls Owen “the funniest guy I’ve ever met”. He then offers a prayer to his wife and 2 children. Match 8: WWF Hardcore Champion Al Snow (w/ Head) versus HHH (w/ Chyna) Considering what HHH did to the Rock last night I wouldn’t want to be Al Snow this evening. Both men and Chyna wear the armband. They hit the ropes and Snow gives HHH a spinning heel kick. He knocks HHH out of the ring then executes a baseball slide. Back in the ring Snow flips over HHH but gets a high knee for his troubles. HHH works him over and when Snow gets close to the ropes Chyna wallops him! HHH delivers a vertical suplex and drops the knee to the forehead. Snow gets whipped to the turnbuckle, applies the brakes, and clotheslines HHH. Snow then headbutts HHH while holding his arms. HHH flops face-first. Even JR has to give the nod to Flair on that one although not by name. Snow then backdrops HHH coming off the ropes. After a body slam Snow mounts the top turnbuckle but misses the moonsault. A Pedigree finishes Al’s night. While Snow was over with the crowd HHH continues his push although less violent than last night. Road Dogg is having a tough time expressing himself but offers his prayers to Owen’s family. Gerald Brisco empathizes with Owen as the younger brother of a superstar. He thanks Owen for being a consummate professional and all the great memories. Match 9: Big Show versus Goldust (w/ Blue Meanie) A svelte Big Show (w/ ponytail and armband) leaps over the top rope. Goldust pushes Blue Meanie (also with an armband) into Big Show. Meanie tries to make a dent in the giant to no avail. Big Show attempts to give Meanie the showstopper but Goldust lowblows him. Double team clothesline misses and Big Show launches himself to clothesline both Meanie and Goldust. He then hoists Goldust high in the air and gives him the showstopper! Meanie gets one of his own as well! Big Show covers both men for the pin! Boiled squash with a side of fried squash, anyone? Physically Big Show looked really good as well as agile. Debra states that “the world has lost a really great person”. Owen “touched my life and brightened my day”. She begins to blubber and expresses denial about Owen. She felt honored to work with him. Shane McMahon relates a story about pulling a prank on Owen in Chicago with Bret. They tackle him after he’s already gone to sleep. Subsequently Bret’s boots are missing in the morning while Shane’s stuff ends up in the shower. He wishes Godspeed to his family. Match 10: Val Venis versus The Rock Val joins the list of Owen armband wearers. The Rock gets a big pop upon his entrance. The Rock sports another cast on his left arm. “Finally The Rock has come back to St. Louis!” After a brief mention of Owen the Rock hits his catchphrases with the crowd completing his sentence. “Owen, this is your night. And, damn it, you know The Rock loved you like no other.” He dedicates The People’s Elbow to Owen. Val starts working on the arm; however, Rock delivers the Rock Bottom in an instant thereafter. The People’s Elbow gets the pin! Very short match proving that The Rock truly was a superstar. Also wearing an armband JR gives his farewell to Owen stating he wishes he “could be as good a man as him so that I can see him again someday”. Even I choked up on that one. Lawler then mentions holding Owen’s head last night and learns to “never leave home without telling the people you love what you think of them”. JR is truly choked up. The glass breaks and here comes Stone Cold Steve Austin! The crowd ERUPTS! Steve receives a couple of Steveweisers from ringside. A picture of Owen is on the Titantron stating “In Memory of Owen Hart 1965-1999”. Austin toasts and salutes Owen with his beer. Purposefully he leaves a cold one for Owen in the center of the ring. Well, if people thought the WWF was heartless last night for continuing the show they got a whole lot of heart from the WWF tonight. Overall 23 WWF Superstars including managers and valets wore the Owen armband. This was truly an epic night in remembrance of Owen. Ten matches with no DQs in an era where DQs were the norm was a breath of fresh air. But it was all in Owen’s honor. Although this show is extremely sad in its tone I would recommend it to each and every wrestling fan that hasn’t seen it. Show biz isn’t always pretty, but when a man like Owen Hart touches all the people around him like this you must be thankful and remember him always. Grab your loved ones and a box of tissues and enjoy this one, folks. You won’t regret it.

(Despite one frequent bloggie pondering whether I’d review this show for $100, it’s not actually available on video or DVD and it’s incomplete on YouTube anyway.  Morals are one thing, but I have a family to feed and it’s not a life-defining choice for me anyway. If you guys want to take up a collection for that and the Extreme Reunion show, I’m game as long as someone can find a complete copy. But here’s a compromise of sorts for the moment, as reader Rock Star Gary (of rockstargary.com according to the watermark on the Word file) offered up his review of the show and the next night’s RAW is Owen, which I will post tomorrow.) WWF Over the Edge 1999 By Rock Star Gary Live from Kansas City, MO (attendance: 18, 244) Airdate: May 23, 1999 Hosted by Jim Ross (JR) and Jerry “the King” Lawler We begin the show with a soliloquy from Undertaker professing his ministry of darkness and his mission to take Stone Cold Steve Austin’s most prized possession – the WWF title! Earlier tonight on Sunday Night Heat Mideon of the Corporate Ministry cracked a steel chair upon Vince McMahon’s ankle on the steel steps! Match 1 for the WWF tag team titles: X-Pac & Kane (champions) versus D’Lo Brown & Sexual Chocolate Mark Henry (w/ Ivory) JR right off the bat accentuates the youth in the ring by stating the combatants are in their 20s (Hint, hint WCW). The crowd lets D’Lo know that he sucks. Prior to locking up with D’Lo X-Pac crotch-chops Ivory. D’Lo uses his size to his advantage while X-Pac uses his speed and agility. 5 minutes in and X-Pac unsuccessfully attempts to break out the Bronco Buster on D’Lo. Henry and Kane tag in. After an avalanche Henry press-drops Kane—a move similar to what the Ultimate Warrior used to do to jobbers. Kane proceeds to no-sell and deliver some clotheslines. Kane follows up with an Irish Whip into a dropkick! The dynamic changes when D’Lo is tagged in as he uses agility in his exchange with Kane. After a brief flurry by X-Pac D’Lo feigns a knee injury so that Henry can crotch X-Pac on the ring post. X-Pac gets pressed and hot shot on the barricade by Henry. Back in and D’Lo executes a running powerbomb to X-Pac. Kane, however, breaks up the pin attempt. After both teams exchange tags again Kane slams the 400 pounder and then hits a tilt-a-whirl slam on D’Lo. X-Pac then tries a plancha onto Henry but gets caught and rammed into the ring post back-first. Reverse suplex by Kane. Double-teaming on Kane leads to a near pinfall but with an authoritative kick-out by Kane. That sends D’Lo to the floor! Kane mounts the turnbuckle and dives onto both D’Lo and Henry! Top rope clothesline by Kane. D’Lo makes the save. X-Pac comes in and gives the Bronco Buster to D’Lo. Kane then chokeslams Henry for the 3-count! Winners and still WWF Tag Team Champions…Kane and X-Pac! Hot match! The crowd was into it. Big man-small man dynamic was used very well while Kane’s talents were showcased. Michael Cole speculates that due to Vince’s injury he may not be able to serve as the second special guest referee for the title match tonight. Hardcore Holly is interviewed and cuts a promo about Al Snow. He wants to “peel Al’s head wide open.” Ick. Match 2 for the WWF Hardcore Championship: Al Snow (champion) (w/ Head) versus Hardcore Holly Snow also brings a moose head (not the beer) to the ring. After a brief exchange Holly and Snow head outside the ring where Snow meets the railing face-first. Then Holly meets the steel steps on a reversal of an Irish whip. Having grabbed a cookie sheet Holly smacks Snow from the outside coming in and then again for a near fall. In order to cool down Snow’s need for Head Holly grabs the fire extinguisher but can’t get it to work. He finally pulls the pin out of it but Snow hits him with the cookie sheet inadvertently setting off the extinguisher. Snow then grabs the extinguisher and gives Holly a mouthful. Yuck! They take the bout into the crowd all the way to the concession stand. A series of concessions are exchanged almost leading them into the women’s restroom. Funnel cake for everyone! Especially for Holly who is wearing powdered sugar on his face. After a near fall on the concrete they head back to the ring. From the railing Snow executes a leg drop that barely makes contact with Holly’s head. He then throws Holly in the ring, puts him in the corner, and performs an excruciating stomp to the groin! The crowd cringes for that one. Snow grabs a chair from ringside, then goes to the other side of the ring, and pulls out a table! Back in the ring upon setting up the table Snow is on the receiving end of a patented Holly dropkick. The “Hollycaust” (Falcon arrow) gets a 2 count. After jawing with the referee Holly gets caught in the Snow Plow for another near fall. Ballshot #2 to Holly. It’s no wonder why he has such a negative attitude. Snow grabs the Head and gets DDT’d on a chair. Holly sets up the table in the ring only to fall prey to a powerbomb through it! Snow falls forward and gets the pin to retain. Standard hardcore fare here. Move along. Michael Cole interviews Pat Patterson and Gerry Brisco. An ambulance has been called supposedly to take Vince to the hospital for his ankle. Patterson swears it’s broken. And now the moment no one neither expected nor wanted. The promo for the Intercontinental title match is shown. JR states that “we know it’s Owen Hart” referring to the Blue Blazer. Then clips of the Blue Blazer running wild are shown. The Blue Blazer’s words of wisdom to the kids: “Take your vitamins. Say your prayers. And drink your milk!” JR tries to throw it to an earlier interview with Kevin Kelly and the Blue Blazer and states: “We got big problems out here.” During the interview the Blue Blazer speaks as a superhero calling the Godfather his arch-nemesis. He professes that good will triumph over evil due to his daily intake of vitamins, prayers, and milk. JR then begins to apologize. He states that the Blue Blazer was supposed to make a “spectacular” entrance and something has gone wrong. He states that the EMTs are now tending to him. According to JR, “This is not a part of the entertainment here tonight. This is as real as real can be here.” The camera only shows JR and shots of the crowd. “This is not your typical wrestling storyline.” The Blue Blazer was supposed to descend from the ceiling. JR speculates that possibly the harness broke. He then segues into the Nicole Bass/Val Venis versus Jeff Jarrett/Debra mixed tag match. During the promo the match is described as a love rectangle. Nicole has her eyes on Val while Val has his eyes on Debra. Jarrett defends the honor of Debra by destroying Nicole Bass with his guitar prompting Val to fight Jarrett. Nicole vows to make “chow’ out of Debra’s puppies. JR brings us out of the promo to note that this is “not part of the show. This is not a wrestling angle.” Again JR notes that the WWF will not sensationalize this by putting it on camera. According to JR Owen Hart has been “terribly injured”. Lawler rejoins JR at the desk and states “No. It doesn’t look good at all.” Kevin Kelly interviews Jeff Jarrett and Debra. Jeff is noticeably upset. Jarrett wishes Owen well with a very serious tone in his voice. After Jarrett does a promo on Val and Nicole he says: “Owen, you’re in our prayers.” Debra then states “Owen, we love you.” More on this at the end of the review. Match 3: Jeff Jarrett and WWF Women’s Champion Debra versus Val Venis and Nicole Bass in a mixed tag match The first words out of JR’s mouth are “Unfortunately, the show must go on here.” Updates on Owen Hart are promised. JR stresses that Debra is not a trained wrestler yet will compete in this “soap opera-laced confrontation”. JR spews his “bowling shoe ugly” comment in anticipation of this match. Val confuses Kansas with Missouri as the “Show Me State”. JR rallies off Nicole’s stats as 6’3” and about 240 pounds. As a small aside it’s painfully obvious the director is not putting the corner where Owen fell in the shot from the hard camera. At the very beginning of the match the crowd proudly wants “puppies”. Val gets the early advantage and gives Jarrett a butterfly suplex. Interesting to note Teddy Long is the referee for this match. A neckbreaker, right-hand, and DDT to the shoulder is applied by Jarrett. Val catches Jarrett coming off the ropes with a powerslam and a near fall. Another whip into the ropes and Jarrett receives a spinebuster from Venis. Bass is tagged in which brings in Debra. Debra’s outfit not only showcases her lung capacity but also her toned ass. Debra climbs on Bass’ back and gets placed into the corner. Bass misses a blind charge so Debra makes her eat turnbuckle and literally kicks her ass. Jarrett is tagged in and puts Venis in the sleeper. Val reverses into a couple of knee lifts and a Russian legsweep. Val then vehemently swivels his hips in celebration. He then misses a middle rope elbow. Jarrett then executes the Stroke on Venis. Bass breaks up the pin and Jarrett threatens Bass with violence. The referee is distracted by Jarrett and Debra waffles Bass with the guitar. Bass no-sells the weak shot and rips Debra’s shirt off to reveal a black bra. Jarrett threatens to violently educate Bass with the guitar but gets suplexed by Venis. Val then heads to the top rope and hits the Money Shot for the pin. Bass celebrates the victory by planting a big wet one on Val much to his surprise! Val smiles and seems quite impressed. Definitely this was neither WWF PG content here nor a technical masterpiece by any means. Backstage Vince McMahon is on a gurney. Cole attempts to interview him and Shane antagonizes Vince while flaunting his referee’s shirt. Vince appears to be unable to work in the main event as he gets loaded into the ambulance. Send your cable bill to the address on your screen to receive an Undertaker pewter pendant! Outlaw versus Outlaw is then promoted. Mr. Ass is born and has turned on DX members X-Pac and Road Dogg. Kevin Kelly interviews Road Dogg. Road Dogg doesn’t hesitate to offer prayers to Owen Hart. 13 years later and I still enjoy Jesse James’ “Oh, you didn’t know” bit. Road Dogg hits his catchphrase then recites his spiel with full crowd participation. Road Dogg wants a piece of Billy Gunn’s ass. I hope he’s hungry. Kevin Kelly then interviews Billy Gunn. Gunn states that he’s been “carrying you around like a bad case of the clap” with regards to Road Dogg. If I were him I’d seek out a physician. Match 4: Road Dogg versus “Mr. Ass” Billy Gunn JR pumps up Billy Gunn on commentary but states “Don’t count out the Marine!” in favor of Road Dogg. Fists are exchanged and once Road Dogg gets the advantage he clotheslines Gunn over the top rope to the floor. Gunn takes a powder while Road Dogg gives chase. As a quick aside it is astonishing how much everyone uses the letters WWF rather than World Wrestling Federation. It’s hard to argue against the World Wildlife Fund with their beef on this matter. While still outside the ring Road Dogg whips Gunn into the steps which he clears. Back in the ring after a brief flurry Gunn sends Road Dogg over the top to the floor. Road Dogg’s face then meets the steel steps and the ring post. Gunn puts Road Dogg back in the ring and applies a standing vertical suplex. Road Dogg attempts to take the advantage but receives a powerslam off the ropes. Legdrop gets a near fall. Gunn continues his offense by applying a neckbreaker. Gunn stalls by jawing with the crowd then grabs a sleeper. Road Dogg might be counting sheep right here. The crowd must also feel the effects of this move because they’re eerily silent as well. Road Dogg’s arm doesn’t go down the third time and he fights out and reverses the sleeper on Gunn. After Gunn escapes Road Dogg increases the intensity of the match and gives Gunn a “shake-rattle-right hand” called by JR. Shakey-shakey kneedrop follows. Gunn rolls outside and nails Road Dogg with the timekeeper’s hammer. Since the referee was too close to the action and didn’t see it the match continues. Lawler tries to sell the move as a hammerlock. After some brawling Gunn gets the quick advantage using his wrist tape for a clothesline. Then he hits the Fame-Asser for the pin with a handful of tights. Gunn was definitely not over with the crowd as a heel. The crowd only got into it with Road Dogg on offense. This was definitely not a feud settling match or a classic. WWF King of the Ring airs on PPV on June 27. Michael Cole interviews Shane McMahon. He states that he will be the sole referee and will call it down the middle. Match 5 Eight man elimination tag match: Corporate Ministry (Bossman, Viscera, and the Acolytes) versus The Union (Mankind, Test, Ken Shamrock, and the Big Show) This PPV isn’t Survivor Series. What’s this match doing here? On a positive note Big Show leaps over the top rope to enter it. Viscera starts off with Test. Viscera takes the early advantage and catches Test with a modified powerslam. Test gains the advantage and delivers a dropkick to Viscera! Mistakenly Test tries to antagonize the rest of the Ministry and gets caught in a belly-to-belly suplex by Viscera. Bradshaw tags in and applies a Russian legsweep. Test meets boot on a blind charge, but Bradshaw sprints out of the corner and receives a powerslam then a sidewalk slam. Surprisingly Test mounts the top turnbuckle and delivers an elbow! Faarooq makes the save. Shortly thereafter the Clothesline from Hell from Bradshaw finishes off Test. Shamrock comes in and wallops Bradshaw with a kick to the head. Bradshaw gains the advantage and gives Ken a fallaway slam. Shamrock regains control and tries to apply an MMA-style arm-bar submission but Faarooq saves again. Shamrock then gives Bradshaw the huracanrana followed by an anklelock causing Bradshaw to tap out. Faarooq takes immediate control on Shamrock by giving him a powerslam. Viscera tags in and sidewalk slams Shamrock. A botched crucifix by Shamrock leads to a Viscera elbow and a near fall. Faarooq comes back in but gets caught with a high knee. Modified suplex by Shamrock leads to another anklelock. Bossman helps Faarooq reach the ropes but Shamrock won’t let go. The referee gets in Ken’s face and gets belly-to-belly suplexed. Big Show comes in and chokeslams Faarooq which JR calls the “showstopper”. Teddy Long comes in to make the count and Faarooq has been eliminated. Meanwhile Shamrock has been disqualified for not breaking on a five count and referee abuse. Bossman comes in and is rightfully hesitant to hook up with Big Show. Once he does Show powers Bossman completely out of the ring with a tackle. Bossman wants to leave but get unceremoniously thrown back in the ring by Show. Show tosses Bossman across the ring similar to the way that Bam Bam Bigelow would throw Little Spike Dudley. Nash choke in the corner leads to a Bossman field goal. A double team puts Show on the mat. Mankind has yet to get into the match but receives “Mick” chants from the crowd. Show fights out of a chinlock and delivers a big boot. A second showstopper is blocked by Viscera. All 4 men are in the ring and Show slams Viscera! Mankind and Bossman tangle inside the ring while Show and Viscera fight on the outside. Bossman delivers his standard leg across the back of the neck on Mankind. They fight outside the ring as the two giants disappear backstage. Mankind eats the steel steps. Back in the ring Mankind gains control and delivers a double-arm DDT to Bossman. And now it’s time for Mr. Socko! The Union wins! Long match with some good spots by the big men. Test made a great impression here, but the focus was primarily on Mankind getting the final decision and the win for the Union. Uh-oh! JR brings us back to earlier in the evening. JR states that Owen Hart fell from the ceiling. To quote JR: “I have the unfortunate responsibility to let everyone know that Owen Hart has died. Owen Hart has tragically died from that accident here tonight.” We now take a brief moment of silence. A promo for Rock-HHH is shown. According to HHH Rock’s fate is in “my hands”. Kevin Kelly interviews The Rock who is sporting a cast on his left arm. Before Rock can begin his promo Chyna interrupts but only acts as a distraction because HHH hits Rock from behind. Chyna hands HHH a pair of scissors and HHH tries to cut the cast off Rock’s arm. However, Mankind comes out to help the Rock but gets double-teamed then hit with a metal pipe. Match 6: HHH (with Chyna) versus The Rock Despite HHH’s belief that The Rock won’t show the Rock answers the bell by making HHH eat his fists a few times. Rock invites HHH to charge him but Rock evades him and sends him over the top. Outside the ring HHH and The Rock brawl around ringside. A clothesline puts HHH down. HHH’s face meets the Spanish announce table and The Rock grabs the headset. The Rock dedicates his next move to his Latino followers and sends HHH over the table into the announcers. That was awesome! HHH regains momentum and slams The Rock’s arm into the English announce table. A second slam of the arm shoots the cast right off! HHH then proceeds to knock The Rock silly with his own cast. They brawl back into the ring and HHH receives a Samoan drop. HHH responds with the high knee. The Rock ends up on the floor and Chyna rams The Rock’s “broken” arm into the English announce table again! She does it a second time and JR is outraged! JR refers to Chyna as a “witch”. Chyna then forearms The Rock to the head. HHH makes The Rock eat more table. HHH tries to clothesline The Rock but The Rock thought the same thing so both men are down. Back in the ring The Rock hammers HHH and delivers the DDT. The Rock drapes his arm over HHH and gets a very near fall. HHH retaliates with an armbar takedown off the ropes. HHH persistently works the arm and even rams the arm into the ring post. Off the ropes and HHH sends The Rock over the top onto his busted arm. The Rock’s arm then meets the steel steps. HHH hammerlocks The Rock and sends him shoulder-first into the ring post. Back in the ring they try to deliver blows to one another; however, since they have fought one another on numerous occasions they know what’s coming. Nice nod to continuity. The Rock attempts the Rock Bottom but HHH blocks it and delivers his own DDT. Chyna grabs a chair to give to HHH, but Earl Hebner steals it away from HHH and tosses it out of the ring. Hebner and HHH exchange each other’s displeasure with that decision. HHH just wallops Hebner! HHH gets promptly disqualified. He brings the chair back in the ring, but The Rock kicks it out of his hands. The Rock grabs the chair and belts HHH right in the head busting him open! Hebner attempts to raise The Rock’s left arm but The Rock felt pain and punches out Hebner! The Rock helps HHH meet the ring post and the steel steps to draw some more blood. The Rock then hammers HHH with JR’s electric fan. Back in the ring The Rock works over HHH while Chyna brings in a chair. The Rock stops her with a kick to her gut. He raises the chair and HHH pushes The Rock right into Chyna knocking her completely out of the ring! However, The Rock grabs HHH and gives him the Rock Bottom much to the crowd’s delight! And now The Rock wants to deliver the People’s Elbow. But first The Rock places the chair on HHH’s face. As The Rock glides across the ring to attempt it Chyna grabs his foot. The Rock loses his cool and grabs Chyna by the hair to pull her up on the apron. HHH then levels The Rock with a chair to the left arm! Another chairshot to the arm by HHH! Another chairshot! And another! Here comes Mankind with the aforementioned metal pipe to put a stop to this! WWF Main Event Style was definitely showcased in this match. While the Cerebral Assassin had not yet surfaced HHH was sowing the seeds here for his upcoming push. I found the post-match shenanigans much more entertaining than the match. These guys would have better matches down the road. A promo for the main event is shown including the infamous “Where to, Stephanie?” quote by Undertaker. Stephanie is shown tied to Undertaker’s symbol. Stone Cold comes to her rescue. Shane McMahon betrays his own family for the sake of the Ministry. While Shane appoints himself as the special guest referee Commissioner Shawn Michaels also appoints Vince McMahon as special guest referee. In one segment Undertaker is tied to his own symbol while in another segment Austin is tied to the symbol high in the air. Undertaker wants Austin’s title and the respect as the lord of darkness. Match 7 for the WWF Championship: Stone Cold Steve Austin (champion) versus Undertaker (with Paul Bearer) Shane makes his entrance; however, Pat Patterson also comes out to the ring sporting a referee’s shirt. I must admit that Undertaker’s Corporate Ministry music is extremely cool. Undertaker takes exception to Pat Patterson’s presence in this match and emphatically chokeslams him! Austin’s music hits and the crowd EXPLODES! A brawl ensues in the ring until Austin is dumped out. Crowd loudly chants for Austin. Undertaker tries his best to keep Austin out of the ring but receives a hangman’s neckbreaker on the top rope. Austin delivers a clothesline via the top rope! Austin proceeds to stomp a mudhole and walk it dry. He then gives a non-verbal suggestion to Shane when his warnings go unnoticed. He flips him off again and Shane pulls Austin away. According to JR Austin cannot touch Shane or he will lose the WWF title! Due to Shane’s interference Undertaker gets his own mudhole but chokes Austin to a very slow 5-count from Shane. Undertaker then proceeds to work on Austin’s left leg. Just for clarification purposes by this point in Austin’s career he only wore a knee brace on his left knee. So Undertaker working on the left leg makes for some great psychology. Austin breaks with a series of leg drops to Undertaker’s head. Austin opens up a can and then goes to work on Undertaker’s left leg. At one point in the corner Austin kicks Undertaker’s leg to where it gets tied up in the ropes as Undertaker falls to the mat. OUCH! Shane assists Undertaker before he rips his knee apart. They brawl outside the ring and Undertaker’s knee meets the steel steps. They’re quite popular tonight! Austin takes Undertaker back in the ring and continues to work on the leg. Paul Bearer attempts to interfere on behalf of Undertaker and eats a fist from Austin! Undertaker overtakes Austin and throws him into the crowd. Quite the paradox there. The crowd once again shows its support for the Rattlesnake. Back to ringside and the Undertaker chokes Austin with a video cable. Austin meets those popular steel steps. Undertaker then pushes the top step off, takes the bottom steps and kicks them into Austin’s leg! They fight back into the ring where Undertaker attempts to tombstone Stone Cold but he slips out the back and clotheslines Undertaker out of the ring. Undertaker attempts to pull Austin under the bottom rope by the leg but Austin kicks him onto the announce table then rams his head into it. Austin manhandles Undertaker and throws him back in the ring. Austin goes for the Thesz press but gets caught and spinebustered! Austin tries to crawl outside the ring only to be met by Paul Bearer’s shoe twice! They brawl all the way to the entrance where Undertaker punches out the makeshift wall of glass! Austin has him meet another part of the glass with his head. Once again they brawl for a while outside but upon re-entry the crowd is eerily silent. Undertaker controls with a choke but Austin turns the tide with a low blow. Austin then drops the middle rope elbow. Pin appears to be academic and Shane is in position. He counts 1, 2, but doesn’t count 3. While Austin berates Shane Paul Bearer tosses a chair into the ring. Undertaker grabs the chair but gets caught with a kick to the gut. Austin then whips Undertaker directly into Shane and brains the Undertaker with the chair! Austin goes for the pin but Shane is out. Gerry Brisco runs into the ring but can only count to 2 before Undertaker kicks out. Undertaker seizes control and then punches Brisco out! With no referee the crowd chants for HBK. Undertaker hits a flying clothesline. To add more intrigue Vince McMahon hobbles to ringside. Austin attempts a Stunner but gets countered. Each man knocks each other down with a clothesline. Vince counts to 7 when both men get up to continue brawling. Austin then hits the Stone Cold Stunner! Vince goes to make the count and is interrupted at 2 by Shane! Vince tries to get in Shane’s face and pushes him down. Austin spins Vince around and Shane pushes Vince directly into Austin. Undertaker then gets on top of Austin where Shane fast counts the pin! Undertaker has won the WWF title! Austin puts the boots to Undertaker. The Corporate Ministry hits the ring. Austin gives the Stunner to the Bossman and then to Mideon! The Acolytes try to hit the ring but Austin commandeers a chair to keep them back. Austin has been screwed out of the WWF title by Shane McMahon! Wow! Drama, psychology, and a ballsy ending make for a really good match. While some would say that Shane screwing Austin was a foregone conclusion the storytelling still entertained me. Overall, in spite of what occurred during the first hour of the show I felt this show delivered strongly from an entertainment perspective. While WWF Main Event Style took some but not all of the psychology out of the matches I enjoyed this show for what it brought to the table wrestling-wise. However, it cannot be ignored that a long-time player on the WWF roster lost his life during this show. Owen Hart did not deserve to die this way. While I applaud both WCW and WWF for trying to push the envelope to generate interest and income losing Owen Hart this way was a major eye-opener to everyone. I hope Owen Hart is resting in peace while his family misses him every single day. Whereas some wrestlers lost their lives due to illicit or prescription drugs Owen Hart’s death was an accident that wasn’t supposed to happen to such a well-respected member of the WWF locker room. Should the show have been stopped? If so, at what point should it be stopped? Do you stop it right after the accident? Or do you stop it after JR makes his necessary announcement? Or do you stop it at all? Over 18,000 witnessed the event live in KC that evening. The buyrate for the show was a tremendous 1.24. Could you imagine how many refunds and/or lawsuits the WWF would have to endure if they had stopped the show? WCW overran their 3-hour timeslot just 7 months prior to this show and was forced to fork over serious money in refunds alone. I’m sure the WWF knew already it would be dealing with serious negative publicity from this accident. And they did. The negative publicity from having to stop the show on Sunday and possibly completing the remainder of the show in a different town on Tuesday doesn’t make the company look good in my eyes. For the most part the WWF works in a democratic environment within a capitalistic society. The right decision was to keep doing business and handle the publicity at a later time.

Scott –
Was hoping you could plug the interview we recently did with Gary
Michael Cappetta…thanks so much!
Wrestling fans, in the latest Place to Be Podcast, Scott, Justin &
Graham Cawthon interview the legendary ring announcer Gary Michael
Cappetta. GMC delivers an in depth chat, navigating through his time
with WWF, AWA, JCP, WCW and ROH, including great stories about his
early days in the business, the night Mick Foley lost his ear, his
relationship with Vince McMahon, his final days working for Eric
Bischoff and how he hooked up with Ring of Honor, plus much, much
more.
This is a must listen for all old school wrestling fans, so kick back
and enjoy this trip through time with GMC!
http://placetobe.podbean.com/