Before I begin, I'd like to apologize for my week-long break from updating this place. Recently I started a new job, and the job left with very little free time between work and sleep. Plus, I'm not exactly the best person at managing my time wisely, so there's that. But never fear, Canon Review readers, as I'm not going anywhere and will continue to provide reviews on a variety of topics whenever possible. Plus, there's the 2011 Canon Review Baseball Preview to look forward to, and that will be due out sometime next week, hopefully before Thursday.
But enough about that, as here's a look back at the January 17, 2002 episode of WWF Smackdown. This show is significant in that it featured the first match in which Triple-H and Booker T were involved in together. Well, maybe it's not that significant, but whatever. Anyway, this is the 'go-home' show before the 2002 Royal Rumble, so I expect a lot of talk about that event on this show. Well, let's start this thing.
The show starts with The Rock arriving just in time. Stone Cold Steve Austin greets The Rock with some good news, as Austin is going to win the 2002 Royal Rumble. But with that news comes some bad news, as Austin explains to The Rock that after Rock wins the Undisputed Title from Chris Jericho at the Royal Rumble, he'll have to face Stone Cold for a third time at Wrestlemania. Austin reminds Rock that he has a 2-0 record against him at Wrestlemania, but the Rock casually proclaims that he doesn't need a reminder, as he thinks about that fact quite often. In fact, Rock thought about it when he pinned Austin at the 2001 Survivor Series just mere months ago. Oh Snap.
Fireworks go off and the show officially starts with Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler doing commentary. Nine years after this, and they're going to wrestle each other at Wrestlemania. I can honestly say I did not see that one coming back in 2002. The two explain that in tonight's main event, the former Two-Man Power Trip of Austin and Triple-H will reform tonight to face off against Booker T and Kurt Angle in Triple-H's first match back from injury. But forget all that, because next is Rob Van Dam vs. William Regal. On the previous edition of Raw, Regal used brass knuckles to knock out both Van Dam and Edge and win a tag match along with Test, who is a non-factor here. Van Dam takes Regal by surprise with a series of quick kicks and gets a two-count after a quick leg drop, but Regal uses a massive overhead German Suplex on Van Dam to flip RVD over and take the advantage. Regal continues working over Van Dam with a series of blows and a couple of submission holds before Van Dam begins his comeback. Rolling Thunder by Van Dam gets a two count, as does a body press from the top rope. Regal dodges a Van Dam charge in the corner, drags him over to the apron, and goes outside to grab some brass knuckles conveniently stashed away along with a chair. The ref catches the chair, and Regal seems taken aback as Van Dam catches him with a flying kick to the head. Regal's backed up in the corner again and Van Dam gives Regal a pair of shoulder blocks before backflipping for a third. But the backflip is all the time Regal needs to take the knucks out and blast Van Dam with a punch, and he gets the victory. Decent match considering the time constraints, which is no surprise from Regal.
Kurt Angle is looking for The Rock, but he still has time to berate a security guard. He finds Rock talking his cell phone to Jerry Lynn, and interrupts Rock to tell him that he, Kurt Angle, will win the 2002 Royal Rumble and face Rock at Wrestlemania. Seems like nobody's giving Jericho a chance to make it through as champ to Wrestlemania, does it. Rock digs it, calls it a dream match and tells Angle to close his eyes and imagine the possibilities. However, just as Angle is really getting into the dream of kicking the Rock's butt at Wrestlemania, the Rock gets in his own digs and proclaims that the only way Angle is beating Rock is in a dream world. Angle does not seem to be pleased by this at all. Up next is Billy Gunn, which means that many people back then were wondering what else was on that night. He comes out with Chuck Palumbo to face Tajiri, who is with Torrie Wilson. Tajiri uses his speed to gain the upper hand early on with a headscissors and an enziguri kick, but his momentium is halted quite forcefully by a full-nelson facebuster from Gunn. Gunn keeps him down for a minute, but Tajiri gets back in the match and eventually catches Gunn in the Tarantula hold, setting up for the buzzsaw kick. Chuck comes in, and gets green mist sprayed in his face for his efforts. But Chuck's distraction was worthwhile, as Gunn catches Tajiri with the Famouser (ugh) and gets the three count. Post match, Chuck's still not happy about having green mist in his face, so he Super Kicks Tajiri in anger. Match was what it was, nothing really to write home about as it was too short to build to anything.
The Coach is standing outside Triple-H's locker room when a man that is definitely not Triple-H walks out to inform Coach that HHH is looking for The Rock. Well, Triple-H finds him in his locker room, and as you might suspect, informs the Rock that it will be he that wins the Royal Rumble. I suppose Chuck Palumbo and Lance Storm are also going to tell Rock that they'll win as well. To the back, where Trish Stratus is wearing an ugly green hat and being interviewed by Lillian Garcia. After Lillian stumbles through a question, Jazz attacks Trish Stratus from behind, then slams a crate against Trish's hand before proclaiming that she'll see Stratus again on Sunday as Lawler questions why Jazz attacked Trish. My guess would be that she did it to weaken Trish for Sunday, but what do I know?
Yo, it's DDP, and he's taking on The Big Boss Man. If Page wins, he gets to compete in the Royal Rumble, but Lawler seems to doubt DDP's chances for whatever reason. At first, Bossman seems to be proving Lawler right, punishing DDP with power moves such as a big boot and a powerslam. But a desperation jawbreaker out of a sleeper hold turns the tide for DDP, and a tornado clothesline follows. DDP gets Bossman in the corner for a ten punch, but just as ref Teddy Long tries to get between them, Bossman hits a low blow. Bossman starts jaw jacking about pancakes or whatever to the crowd, then scoops DDP up. But the master of the Diamond Cutter strikes again, as he slithers out of Bossman's grip and drops the former lawman to get the three count and enter the Royal Rumble. Now, he gets to go back and tell Rock that he's going to win the Rumble. Good little TV match here, all in all.
But before DDP can tell the Rock anything, The Undertaker has a word for the "People's Champ". Like everyone else, The Undertaker proclaims that he will win the Royal Rumble, but he's the first man that says that he doubts The Rock will beat Jericho on Sunday. But just in case, he wants The Rock to think about a potential Rock-Undertaker meeting. The Rock has had enough of people telling him about their plans, so he decides to go to the ring. Coming out to a tremendous ovation, The Rock explains that this year's Royal Rumble will be different, because everybody's going to win. He finds a cameraman, takes his camera, and explains that the camera man just whispered that he's going to win the Rumble. The Rock still has the camera, which is badly out of focus at this point, and zooms up on a six-year old kid and a cute blonde in the front row and says that they also proclaimed victory in the Royal Rumble, as did section 108. Finished with the camera, The Rock proclaims that it does not matter if it's Austin, Undertaker, Mr. Perfect, or "Punky Brewster on an ice cream sammich" that wins the Rumble, but whoever it is they'll be facing the Rock for the Undisputed Championship, and nothing can stop that. Out comes the man that can stop that, future Dancing With the Stars competitor and current champion Chris Jericho, and he does not look happy. Jericho seems pissed off that's he being referred to as an afterthought, and tells everyone that they can go to hell. He then reminds Rock that it was Jericho that beat Rock on the way to becoming Undisputed Champion, and that Rock can face whoever he darn well pleases at Wrestlemania, but it won't be for Jericho's title. Jericho then proclaims that this is his show, which the Rock takes exception to, as Smackdown is The Rock's show. Actually, it's Vince McMahon's show, but who's counting. Before the Rock can deliver his trademark line, Jericho interrupts and demands respect from the Rock, proclaiming that he is not a joke. So the Rock comes down to the ramp, and the two have a staredown before Rock promises to deliver a beating upon Jericho if he smells what is cooking. Really good stuff here between two masters of the mic, as this was quite an intense promo and made me want to go back and watch their match from the 2002 Rumble.
Up next is Rikishi in an over-the-top challenge against Lance Storm and Christian that, according to Michael Cole, will draw interest to those not familiar with the Royal Rumble. Well that, or people will vomit after Rikishi sticks his bulbous butt in somebody's face. The two Canadians try to double team Rikishi, but that doesn't go too well, as Kishi dominates the smaller men. He gives Lance Storm a stinkface, then kicks him out of the ring. Christian tries to attack from behind, but gets backdropped over the top onto Storm. But WAITAMINUTE! here comes The Big Show to get some. He clotheslines Rikishi down, but then takes a Samoan Drop for his efforts. Rikishi waits for Show to get back on his feet, which proves to be a mistake, as Show picks him up and carries him across the ring before dumping the Samoan over the top rope. Here comes the APA of Bradshaw and Faarooq, and they eliminate Show after a Bradshaw clothesline takes him over the rope. Bradshaw nearly dumps Faarooq over, but catches him before he can leave. They argue a bit, then Faarooq does the same, and then they make up only for Kane to come down. He gets double-teamed, but is able to duck a Bradshaw clothesline and back drop him over the ropes. Then Kane grabs Faarooq by the throat and slings him over the top before setting the posts aflame with his own two hands. Well, as far as previewing the Royal Rumble, this segment did it's job.
It's the Stacker 2 burn of the week, which sees Spike Dudley pick up the upset victory over his half-brother Bubba Ray thanks to some help from Spike's partner Tazz. Cut to earlier tonight in the parking lot, and The Dudley Boys put a beating on Spike and Tazz once they arrived at the building. Bubba slams Tazz against an 18-wheeler before locking him in the trunk of his own car, then the two Dudleys mercelessly beat up on Spike before dropping him with a 3-D on the concrete floor. Will Spike and Tazz be able to defend their titles at the Rumble? Meanwhile, Debra wants a piece of Stephanie McMahon Helmsley, but since her husband is teaming up with Debra's husband Stone Cold, Austin asks that Debra stay in the back so he can get through tonight's match without distraction. To the back, where Kurt Angle and Booker T are discussing the tag-team main event later tonight, and argue about which one of them will win the Rumble on Sunday. Angle states that this match will be "sweet and sour like an ice-cold shower" Right. Back to the ring, where Edge comes out to face off against Test. Edge starts the match on top with the world's worst Frankensteiner and a spinning heel kick that gets a two count, then Test takes over after an Uncle Slam. After stomping on Edge for a while, Test slips up and takes an enziguri from Edge. Edge gets a pair of two counts after a modified front face buster and an Edge-O-Matic, then the two men take the fight to the outside. Regal comes out and tries to sneak up on Edge, but that doesn't work, then Test tries to come from behind with a steel chair, only to get speared. Edge then wipes out both of his opponents with chair shots to the head. Referee Nick Patrick disqualifies Edge, so Edge decides that Patrick needs a chair shot to the head as well. Match was kind of boring, to be honest.
A video preview of the Royal Rumble plays, set to the song 'Cocky' by Kid Rock. Then it's to the back, where Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley is gloating over Debra not being allowed at ringside. But hold the phone, as Triple-H declares that Stephanie is also not allowed at ringside tonight in this, his first match back from injury. It's now time for the main event of the evening. In his last match, Triple-H teamed up with Stone Cold, but apparently the significance is lost on the announcers as they never mention this. HHH and Austin stare down at the beginning, but Angle tries to charge both men and ends up eating a fistful of fists from both men. Austin dominates Angle early on, then Booker T comes on only to eat a clothesline. Austin holds Booker up, and tags in the game, who fires away on Booker with ruthless aggression. After a distraction from Angle, Booker T hits a thrust kick to knock 'The Game' down. Tag to Angle, and Triple-H does that weird running choke he did for a couple of months after his comeback. Austin comes in, takes care of both men for a while until a standing spin kick from Booker finally knocks down Austin. Booker and Angle double up on Austin for the next few minutes or so, using quick tags and stomps to keep Austin down. Austin tries for a comeback, but a well-timed overhead belly-to-belly suplex from Angle takes care of that. Tag to Booker T, who hits the ax kick, does the Spinarooni and nails Austin with the Harlem Sidekick. Cover, but HHH breaks it up. Angle and Booker continue to work over Austin, but after a missed double team effort, Austin clotheslines both his opponents and then crawls over for the hot tag to Triple-H. He takes care of everybody with running knees and clotheslines. HHH gets a two count on Booker after a knee to the face, then Angle comes in and oh here go hell come as all four men are now brawling. Austin and Triple-H throw their opponents over the top rope, then back into each other and tease a showdown, but Angle and Booker T come in and go after them. That doesn't go too well, as Triple-H sets Booker up for the Pedigree, but Angle takes care of that with a german suplex. Austin comes in, throws Angle over the ropes, ducks a leaping sidekick from Booker and hits the Stone Cold Stunner. But Booker doesn't go down right away, which allows Triple-H the opportunity to Pedigree him and pick up the victory for his team. Post-match, The Undertaker comes down and stares a hole through Austin and Triple-H. Match wasn't too bad, although it seemed like Triple-H was still unsure about his leg at this time. But still, these four men know what they're doing in the ring, and Angle and Booker bumped like mad men for their opponents here tonight.
Overall, not a bad show, but not one that really stands out either. The best part of the night was The Rock's 'camera promo' followed by his verbal confrontation with Jericho, while the main event was the best match of the night. Other than that, a lot of stuff seemed to be either filler or just not that interesting. Overall, I'd give this episode of Smackdown a 5.55 out of 10. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have any comments about this or previous posts, or ideas for future reviews or posts, than share them either by leaving a comment or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.
Showing posts with label wwf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wwf. Show all posts
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Canon Wrestling Review: WWF Monday Night Raw: June 30, 1997
Well, the Braves have ticked me off over the last two days, so I have decided to let out some frustration by watching some pro wrestling. In this case, it is the June 30, 1997 episode of Monday Night Raw, which features Jim Neidhart in the main event, so it's got to be a great episode. Let's get ready to rumble, shall we?
A video detailing the relationship between Paul Bearer and the Undertaker plays to begin the show. Paul Bearer has promised to reveal a deep dark secret that will destroy the Undertaker. I guess that didn't work, since the Undertaker is still around today. The intro plays, and tonight's announcers are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler. "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock comes out to face off against Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who comes out to Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy'. I still think that was his best theme song. A video plays of Chyna proclaiming herself the World's Most Dangerous Woman, and the match starts. Shamrock frustrates Helmsley with a pair of arm drags and a arm lock. Triple-H gets the advantage with an eye gouge, and goes to stomping Shamrock in the corner until the ref has enough and pulls him out by his hair. So Triple-H changes tactics, using a running knee lift and a knee drop to get a two count. Both men are back up, and Helmsley is able to catch a running Shamrock and throw him to the outside of the ring. Triple-H distracts the ref, allowing Chyna to whip Shamrock hard into the steps. Back in, it looks as if Helmsley is about to put Shamrock away, but here comes Mankind, who distracts Helmsley. This proves to be unfortunate for Triple-H, as Shamrock uses a belly-to-belly suplex to pin Triple-H. Helmsley leaves yelling at a Mankind as Jim Ross promotes their match at the next pay-per-view six days from this episode. Match was decent enough, but too short. I'll give it a 1.9 out of 5.
A video package of Ahmed Johnson plays, as Ahmed had recently joined the Nation of Domination and turned on the Undertaker. Last week, while Ahmed tried to explain why he joined the NOD, the Disciples of Apocalypse debuted and got into a big brouhaha with the NOD, and Ahmed walked too fast and tore his knee up, costing the big Johnson his title shot at the Undertaker. Ahmed promises revenge against the DOA and the Undertaker, and says some other stuff I couldn't really understand.
Up next is Michael Cole, who apparently is cool these days since he's a heel, interviewing the Legion of Doom about their upcoming tag match with Faroouq and D'Lo Brown of the NOD. Hawk promises to turn the Nation into small animal excrement. That's nice. The match is next, but before that Sunny shows a casket full of money that the WWF is giving away. Yes, I said casket full of money. The two teams come out in a semifinal match of a tournament to determine the number one contenders to the tag titles, and the Legion takes control of Faroouq early. A tag out to D'Lo doesn't do much good, as Hawk suplexes Brown down to the mat. D'Lo gets the advantage after catching a ducking Hawk with a boot to the face, and takes control for a minute or so with stomps and punches. Hawk is able to catch D'Lo with a swinging neckbreaker, and tags out to Animal. The Godwins come out and watch from the stage as Hawk and Faroouq brawl on the outside. Doomsday Device on D'Lo, and man that move is dangerous, as Henry Godwin could attest to. Speaking of which, apparently Mr. Godwin is upset about having his neck broken a few months before due to the Device, so he clobbers Hawk in the back of the head with his trusty slopbucket while the ref isn't looking. Faroouq gets the pin after the interference, and the L.O.D. chases after the Godwins. Match wasn't really bad, it was just boring. I'll give it a 1.5 out of 5.
The Nation, however, is not done, as they call Vince McMahon up and blast his decision to give Vader the title shot that Ahmed Johnson originally had instead of one of them. Yeah, like people would pay to see the Undertaker vs. Kama or D'Lo. Savio Vega has had enough of Faroouq's talking, and the recently displaced Nation member informs Faroouq that he was not fired, but rather he quit. Well, whatever gets you through the night. Faroouq challenges Savio to bring it, and Savio does, along with a few of his friends. This moment marks the birth of the greatest stable in wrestling history, Los Boriquas. They brawl with the Nation some, and here comes the Disciples of Apocalypse, to a rather large pop, I must say. Everybody brawls with each other until security breaks it up and we go to commercial.
Michael Cole interviews Savio and his friends, and Savio declares his group Los Boriquas before everyone starts yelling at the mic for whatever reason. Up next is a match between Scott Putski and Brian Christopher. Putski looks jacked to the gills during this period. Putski takes control early on with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and a sidewalk slam. Christopher gets the advantage back with the Skull Crushing Finale. He follows that up with a dropkick from the second rope and a nice northern lights release suplex. Christopher tries to hurracanrana Putski, but gets powerbombed for his efforts. Putski follows that up with a series a clotheslines and a big splash from the top rope. Christopher's father Jerry Lawler gets on the apron. Christopher charges at Putski, but instead Putski ducks and knocks his father off the apron. Putski scoops up Christopher, but is tripped by Lawler and lands on his head as Christopher rolls him up for the three count. Afterwards, father and son beat down on Putski, as Jerry tells Scott to inform his father, the legendary Ivan Putski, that the only thing good to come out of Poland was an empty boat. Well then. Match was fast paced with a lot of moves in a short time, but nothing was really linked together. Still, not too bad. I'll give it a 2.5 out of 5.
The Undertaker is in the back, and he asks for the fans to let him tell his side of the story after Paul Bearer reveals his dark secret. A video montage of the Great Sasuke is shown, promoting his debut at Canadian Stampede. Brain Pillman is out, and a video is shown of his comments prior to his match with Mankind, where he promises to show Marv Albert and Mike Tyson something about biting another human by taking a chunk out of Mankind's good ear. Mankind comes out bearing a gift and wearing a sign that says "Pick Me, Steve", as he really wants to be Austin's tag team partner. Mankind presents the gift to Jim Ross, which is a plaster hand shaped like Mankind's, mandible claw in all. Pillman is not amused, as he takes the hand and beats Mankind with it before throwing it back to Ross, and the match is on. Pillman gets control early, but Mankind gains control with brawling tactics, and then delivers a running knee to a downed Pillman in the corner. The two continue fighting as Triple-H and Chyna show up on the stage. The match goes to the outside, and Pillman uses the referee trying to hold back Mankind as an opportunity to bash Mankind with the ring bell behind the ref's back. Pillman then uses a pencil to stab Mankind with a couple of times before the ref takes it away. Mankind eventually gets the advantage and sets Pillman up against the stairs, but Pillman moves, and Mankind goes knees first into the metal steps. Back in, Pillman fulfills his pre-match promise to bite Mankind's good ear. But Mankind comes back, and eventually drags Pillman over to the ring post, where he slams his bad ankle against the medal post, then crotches Pillman for good measure. The mandible claw is put on Pillman, but here comes Triple-H to break it up while Chyna distracts the ref. That gets a mandible claw for Helmsley on the outside, until Pillman breaks it up by beating Mankind with one of his boots. Pillman tries to hold Mankind up for a chairshot, but Helmsley misses and Pillman takes the chair instead. Mankind goes after Triple-H, but gets counted out as Pillman is able to beat the ref's count, giving Pillman the victory. Interesting match, I'd give it a 2.65 out of 5.
Paul Bearer is in the back, as he promises to deliver the secret that will mark the beginning of the end for the Undertaker. Out comes Mr. Bearer, and before he reaches the ring, a female fan comes out and easily takes down the big man before security drags her away. That was weird. Bearer talks for a while, but the gist of the secret is this, Bearer was working at a funeral home owned by the Undertaker's family, and the Undertaker burned that funeral home down, killing his parents and his brother. Of course, if Bearer did know this, than why was he the Undertaker's manager for six years prior to this? This mystery will keep me up for days. Back from commercial, Vader congratulates Bearer for making his announcement, and Sable and Marc Mero show off the cash casket.
Next is the second semifinal of the tag tournament, as the Headbangers take on Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith. The Headbangers start with the advantage after a Mosh dropkick and a double pancake on Owen. Thrasher comes in, so does Davey Boy. Thrasher seems to be in control until Owen comes in after a blind tag and lands a spinning heel kick on Thrasher. That gets two. From there, Owen and Davey Boy are in control, as they show off moves such as Davey Boy's stall suplex, a double back elbow, and others, getting a number of two counts in the process. Meanwhile, Bret Hart is on the phone from Calgary, promoting his team's upcoming 10 man tag match at Canadian Stampede. Owen goes for a suplex, but Thrasher counters with a small package, and nearly gets the pin. This does give Thrasher an opening to get the HOT TAG to Mosh, who comes in with body slams, clotheslines, and dropkicks for everybody. Owen's in trouble, as the Headbangers set him up for the stage dive, but Davey Boy crotches Mosh, and Owen is able to roll up Thrasher to get the victory. Match could have used five more minutes to really get going. I'll give it a 1.8 out of 5. Afterwards, Jim Cornette returns, and he's brought a new tag team in. That team turns out to be the Headhunters, who at first brawl with both teams before Davey and Owen just leave. The Headbangers seemed to be in control at first, but a Cornette distraction allows the Headhunters to gain the advantage, and they finish up the brawl with one delivering a diving headbutt that just barely connects, while the other does a pretty nifty moonsault from the top rope.
Time to go back to the Undertaker's locker room, where he offers a rebuttal to Paul Bearer's secret. Taker admits that a fire at the funeral home killed his family, but it was not he, but rather his brother Kane that set the fire inadvertently when he combined matches with embalming fluid. The Undertaker was out doing chores during the day, and once he returned, the funeral home was burned down to the ground. Undertaker also claims that Paul Bearer made the Undertaker look at the charred remains of his family, which is probably not the best thing for a grieving child. Undertaker concludes by saying that he will draw strength from the dead to strike Paul Bearer down. In the hands of most other wrestlers, this would just be ridiculous, but the Undertaker is convincing enough in this speech to make the angle work.
Rockabilly is led out to the ring by the Honky Tonk Man for his match against Vader, who is led to the ring by Paul Bearer. Of all the gimmicks in Billy Gunn's career, Rockabilly just might be the worst. Rockabilly decides not to waste time, so he slams his guitar into Vader's back. That didn't work, as Vader barely flinched and proceeds to pepper Rockabilly with lefts and rights. The Undertaker comes out and beats on Vader while Paul Bearer screams "murderer" at the top of his lungs. That enrages the murderous Undertaker, so he grabs Bearer by the collar and paintbrushes him, demanding to tell the fans the truth. Instead, Bearer reveals another secret, that Taker's brother Kane is alive. Now, 13 years later, and Taker and his 'brother' Kane are still feuding. Anyway, Vader attacks the Undertaker from behind, and then he and Bearer run to the back, with Taker chasing close behind. This wasn't really a match, which is all right since Rockabilly v. Vader isn't that appealing a match anyway.
It's main event time on Raw, as Jim Neidhart is waiting in the ring. Out comes Steve Austin to a DOA-like pop. Neidhart jumps Austin early on, but Austin is able to counter with punches and clotheslines before slamming the Anvil down for a two count. Anvil comes back with a pair of big shoulderblocks, but Austin is Irish Whipped into the ropes, which allows him to Thesz Press the Anvil. Austin tries for a sharpshooter, that doesn't work, so Austin instead sinks in the abdominal stretch. To the outside, and Austin slams Neidhart down on the entrance ramp before the show cuts to commercial.
Back from commercial, and Bret Hart has flown in from Calgary to Des Moines, Iowa in 30 minutes to attack Ken Shamrock in the back. Meanwhile, during the break, Neidhart took control of the match after whipping Austin into the ring steps, and continues to control the action with a series of rest holds and brawling tactics. Austin is able to counter a Neidhart sleeper with a jawbreaker, which gets a two count. However, Neidhart uses his gut to stop Austin's charge and lock in a front face lock. Anvil slams Austin down, but misses a second rope dive. Austin takes control with punches and stomps, before Bret Hart comes out. The Hart Foundation double team Austin and drag him to the post, where Hart locks Austin in his patented ring post figure four, which I'm surprised somebody hasn't lifted the move for their own repertoire. Mankind comes out to rescue Austin, but the rest of the Hart Foundation attack Mankind as the show concludes. Match was rather boring and Neidhart was gassed early on. I'll give it a 1.3 out of 5.
Overall, the show wasn't too bad nor all that great. There were a couple of decent matches, and the Paul Bearer-Undertaker angles were compelling at the very least. Plus, the show marked the debut of the Los Boriquas and the first mention of Kane, so it's quite a historic show. Overall, I'd give the show a 5.35 out of 10. Thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about this show or the wrestlers involved, or have an idea for a future review, than feel free to share those either by leaving a comment on the blog or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.
A video detailing the relationship between Paul Bearer and the Undertaker plays to begin the show. Paul Bearer has promised to reveal a deep dark secret that will destroy the Undertaker. I guess that didn't work, since the Undertaker is still around today. The intro plays, and tonight's announcers are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry Lawler. "The World's Most Dangerous Man" Ken Shamrock comes out to face off against Hunter Hearst Helmsley, who comes out to Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy'. I still think that was his best theme song. A video plays of Chyna proclaiming herself the World's Most Dangerous Woman, and the match starts. Shamrock frustrates Helmsley with a pair of arm drags and a arm lock. Triple-H gets the advantage with an eye gouge, and goes to stomping Shamrock in the corner until the ref has enough and pulls him out by his hair. So Triple-H changes tactics, using a running knee lift and a knee drop to get a two count. Both men are back up, and Helmsley is able to catch a running Shamrock and throw him to the outside of the ring. Triple-H distracts the ref, allowing Chyna to whip Shamrock hard into the steps. Back in, it looks as if Helmsley is about to put Shamrock away, but here comes Mankind, who distracts Helmsley. This proves to be unfortunate for Triple-H, as Shamrock uses a belly-to-belly suplex to pin Triple-H. Helmsley leaves yelling at a Mankind as Jim Ross promotes their match at the next pay-per-view six days from this episode. Match was decent enough, but too short. I'll give it a 1.9 out of 5.
A video package of Ahmed Johnson plays, as Ahmed had recently joined the Nation of Domination and turned on the Undertaker. Last week, while Ahmed tried to explain why he joined the NOD, the Disciples of Apocalypse debuted and got into a big brouhaha with the NOD, and Ahmed walked too fast and tore his knee up, costing the big Johnson his title shot at the Undertaker. Ahmed promises revenge against the DOA and the Undertaker, and says some other stuff I couldn't really understand.
Up next is Michael Cole, who apparently is cool these days since he's a heel, interviewing the Legion of Doom about their upcoming tag match with Faroouq and D'Lo Brown of the NOD. Hawk promises to turn the Nation into small animal excrement. That's nice. The match is next, but before that Sunny shows a casket full of money that the WWF is giving away. Yes, I said casket full of money. The two teams come out in a semifinal match of a tournament to determine the number one contenders to the tag titles, and the Legion takes control of Faroouq early. A tag out to D'Lo doesn't do much good, as Hawk suplexes Brown down to the mat. D'Lo gets the advantage after catching a ducking Hawk with a boot to the face, and takes control for a minute or so with stomps and punches. Hawk is able to catch D'Lo with a swinging neckbreaker, and tags out to Animal. The Godwins come out and watch from the stage as Hawk and Faroouq brawl on the outside. Doomsday Device on D'Lo, and man that move is dangerous, as Henry Godwin could attest to. Speaking of which, apparently Mr. Godwin is upset about having his neck broken a few months before due to the Device, so he clobbers Hawk in the back of the head with his trusty slopbucket while the ref isn't looking. Faroouq gets the pin after the interference, and the L.O.D. chases after the Godwins. Match wasn't really bad, it was just boring. I'll give it a 1.5 out of 5.
The Nation, however, is not done, as they call Vince McMahon up and blast his decision to give Vader the title shot that Ahmed Johnson originally had instead of one of them. Yeah, like people would pay to see the Undertaker vs. Kama or D'Lo. Savio Vega has had enough of Faroouq's talking, and the recently displaced Nation member informs Faroouq that he was not fired, but rather he quit. Well, whatever gets you through the night. Faroouq challenges Savio to bring it, and Savio does, along with a few of his friends. This moment marks the birth of the greatest stable in wrestling history, Los Boriquas. They brawl with the Nation some, and here comes the Disciples of Apocalypse, to a rather large pop, I must say. Everybody brawls with each other until security breaks it up and we go to commercial.
Michael Cole interviews Savio and his friends, and Savio declares his group Los Boriquas before everyone starts yelling at the mic for whatever reason. Up next is a match between Scott Putski and Brian Christopher. Putski looks jacked to the gills during this period. Putski takes control early on with an overhead belly-to-belly suplex and a sidewalk slam. Christopher gets the advantage back with the Skull Crushing Finale. He follows that up with a dropkick from the second rope and a nice northern lights release suplex. Christopher tries to hurracanrana Putski, but gets powerbombed for his efforts. Putski follows that up with a series a clotheslines and a big splash from the top rope. Christopher's father Jerry Lawler gets on the apron. Christopher charges at Putski, but instead Putski ducks and knocks his father off the apron. Putski scoops up Christopher, but is tripped by Lawler and lands on his head as Christopher rolls him up for the three count. Afterwards, father and son beat down on Putski, as Jerry tells Scott to inform his father, the legendary Ivan Putski, that the only thing good to come out of Poland was an empty boat. Well then. Match was fast paced with a lot of moves in a short time, but nothing was really linked together. Still, not too bad. I'll give it a 2.5 out of 5.
The Undertaker is in the back, and he asks for the fans to let him tell his side of the story after Paul Bearer reveals his dark secret. A video montage of the Great Sasuke is shown, promoting his debut at Canadian Stampede. Brain Pillman is out, and a video is shown of his comments prior to his match with Mankind, where he promises to show Marv Albert and Mike Tyson something about biting another human by taking a chunk out of Mankind's good ear. Mankind comes out bearing a gift and wearing a sign that says "Pick Me, Steve", as he really wants to be Austin's tag team partner. Mankind presents the gift to Jim Ross, which is a plaster hand shaped like Mankind's, mandible claw in all. Pillman is not amused, as he takes the hand and beats Mankind with it before throwing it back to Ross, and the match is on. Pillman gets control early, but Mankind gains control with brawling tactics, and then delivers a running knee to a downed Pillman in the corner. The two continue fighting as Triple-H and Chyna show up on the stage. The match goes to the outside, and Pillman uses the referee trying to hold back Mankind as an opportunity to bash Mankind with the ring bell behind the ref's back. Pillman then uses a pencil to stab Mankind with a couple of times before the ref takes it away. Mankind eventually gets the advantage and sets Pillman up against the stairs, but Pillman moves, and Mankind goes knees first into the metal steps. Back in, Pillman fulfills his pre-match promise to bite Mankind's good ear. But Mankind comes back, and eventually drags Pillman over to the ring post, where he slams his bad ankle against the medal post, then crotches Pillman for good measure. The mandible claw is put on Pillman, but here comes Triple-H to break it up while Chyna distracts the ref. That gets a mandible claw for Helmsley on the outside, until Pillman breaks it up by beating Mankind with one of his boots. Pillman tries to hold Mankind up for a chairshot, but Helmsley misses and Pillman takes the chair instead. Mankind goes after Triple-H, but gets counted out as Pillman is able to beat the ref's count, giving Pillman the victory. Interesting match, I'd give it a 2.65 out of 5.
Paul Bearer is in the back, as he promises to deliver the secret that will mark the beginning of the end for the Undertaker. Out comes Mr. Bearer, and before he reaches the ring, a female fan comes out and easily takes down the big man before security drags her away. That was weird. Bearer talks for a while, but the gist of the secret is this, Bearer was working at a funeral home owned by the Undertaker's family, and the Undertaker burned that funeral home down, killing his parents and his brother. Of course, if Bearer did know this, than why was he the Undertaker's manager for six years prior to this? This mystery will keep me up for days. Back from commercial, Vader congratulates Bearer for making his announcement, and Sable and Marc Mero show off the cash casket.
Next is the second semifinal of the tag tournament, as the Headbangers take on Owen Hart and Davey Boy Smith. The Headbangers start with the advantage after a Mosh dropkick and a double pancake on Owen. Thrasher comes in, so does Davey Boy. Thrasher seems to be in control until Owen comes in after a blind tag and lands a spinning heel kick on Thrasher. That gets two. From there, Owen and Davey Boy are in control, as they show off moves such as Davey Boy's stall suplex, a double back elbow, and others, getting a number of two counts in the process. Meanwhile, Bret Hart is on the phone from Calgary, promoting his team's upcoming 10 man tag match at Canadian Stampede. Owen goes for a suplex, but Thrasher counters with a small package, and nearly gets the pin. This does give Thrasher an opening to get the HOT TAG to Mosh, who comes in with body slams, clotheslines, and dropkicks for everybody. Owen's in trouble, as the Headbangers set him up for the stage dive, but Davey Boy crotches Mosh, and Owen is able to roll up Thrasher to get the victory. Match could have used five more minutes to really get going. I'll give it a 1.8 out of 5. Afterwards, Jim Cornette returns, and he's brought a new tag team in. That team turns out to be the Headhunters, who at first brawl with both teams before Davey and Owen just leave. The Headbangers seemed to be in control at first, but a Cornette distraction allows the Headhunters to gain the advantage, and they finish up the brawl with one delivering a diving headbutt that just barely connects, while the other does a pretty nifty moonsault from the top rope.
Time to go back to the Undertaker's locker room, where he offers a rebuttal to Paul Bearer's secret. Taker admits that a fire at the funeral home killed his family, but it was not he, but rather his brother Kane that set the fire inadvertently when he combined matches with embalming fluid. The Undertaker was out doing chores during the day, and once he returned, the funeral home was burned down to the ground. Undertaker also claims that Paul Bearer made the Undertaker look at the charred remains of his family, which is probably not the best thing for a grieving child. Undertaker concludes by saying that he will draw strength from the dead to strike Paul Bearer down. In the hands of most other wrestlers, this would just be ridiculous, but the Undertaker is convincing enough in this speech to make the angle work.
Rockabilly is led out to the ring by the Honky Tonk Man for his match against Vader, who is led to the ring by Paul Bearer. Of all the gimmicks in Billy Gunn's career, Rockabilly just might be the worst. Rockabilly decides not to waste time, so he slams his guitar into Vader's back. That didn't work, as Vader barely flinched and proceeds to pepper Rockabilly with lefts and rights. The Undertaker comes out and beats on Vader while Paul Bearer screams "murderer" at the top of his lungs. That enrages the murderous Undertaker, so he grabs Bearer by the collar and paintbrushes him, demanding to tell the fans the truth. Instead, Bearer reveals another secret, that Taker's brother Kane is alive. Now, 13 years later, and Taker and his 'brother' Kane are still feuding. Anyway, Vader attacks the Undertaker from behind, and then he and Bearer run to the back, with Taker chasing close behind. This wasn't really a match, which is all right since Rockabilly v. Vader isn't that appealing a match anyway.
It's main event time on Raw, as Jim Neidhart is waiting in the ring. Out comes Steve Austin to a DOA-like pop. Neidhart jumps Austin early on, but Austin is able to counter with punches and clotheslines before slamming the Anvil down for a two count. Anvil comes back with a pair of big shoulderblocks, but Austin is Irish Whipped into the ropes, which allows him to Thesz Press the Anvil. Austin tries for a sharpshooter, that doesn't work, so Austin instead sinks in the abdominal stretch. To the outside, and Austin slams Neidhart down on the entrance ramp before the show cuts to commercial.
Back from commercial, and Bret Hart has flown in from Calgary to Des Moines, Iowa in 30 minutes to attack Ken Shamrock in the back. Meanwhile, during the break, Neidhart took control of the match after whipping Austin into the ring steps, and continues to control the action with a series of rest holds and brawling tactics. Austin is able to counter a Neidhart sleeper with a jawbreaker, which gets a two count. However, Neidhart uses his gut to stop Austin's charge and lock in a front face lock. Anvil slams Austin down, but misses a second rope dive. Austin takes control with punches and stomps, before Bret Hart comes out. The Hart Foundation double team Austin and drag him to the post, where Hart locks Austin in his patented ring post figure four, which I'm surprised somebody hasn't lifted the move for their own repertoire. Mankind comes out to rescue Austin, but the rest of the Hart Foundation attack Mankind as the show concludes. Match was rather boring and Neidhart was gassed early on. I'll give it a 1.3 out of 5.
Overall, the show wasn't too bad nor all that great. There were a couple of decent matches, and the Paul Bearer-Undertaker angles were compelling at the very least. Plus, the show marked the debut of the Los Boriquas and the first mention of Kane, so it's quite a historic show. Overall, I'd give the show a 5.35 out of 10. Thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about this show or the wrestlers involved, or have an idea for a future review, than feel free to share those either by leaving a comment on the blog or by sending me an e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Let's talk about Bam Bam Bigelow
Earlier today, I had a sudden and strange desire to watch Bam Bam Bigelow matches. Why I have that urge is a mystery, but heck, I need something to blog about, so I'm going to watch and review a few Bam Bam Bigelow videos in no particular order. So let's talk about "The Beast from the East", shall we.
Video 1: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Nikolai Volkoff, WWF Superstars, Aired September 12, 1987
Before the match, Volkoff gets the crowd fired up by singing the Russian National Anthem. Bigelow is accompanied to the ring by his manager Oliver Humperdink. Volkoff tries to jump Bigelow early, but Bigelow instead gets the advantage, and eventually knocks Volkoff out of the ring with a right hand. Bigelow than does a cartwheel to celebrate. The rest of the match pretty much goes like this, Volkoff tries to brawl with Bigelow, but then Bigelow turns it around using kicks, punches, headbutts, a standing dropkick, and a shoulder block. Even when Volkoff tries to use cheap tactics such as eye gouges, Bigelow shrugs it off and goes back to punishing Volkoff. The finish comes when Bigelow ducks a clothesline with a somersault, and then catches Volkoff with a flying headbutt to get the pinfall. Mostly a one-sided match, full of brawling tactics, but the match lacked any sort of intensity and was just filler. I'll give it a 1.5 out of 5.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs Nikolai Volkoff
Uploaded by CrossFaceChickenWing. - Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.
Video 2: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Goldberg, SuperBrawl 99
Bam Bam comes out to no entrance music, Goldberg comes out without the security guards for once. A staredown and some jabber-jawing starts the match. Bigelow knocks Goldberg down with a shoulder block, which Goldberg gets right back up from, picks up Bigelow and slams him down to the mat. Goldberg continues to dominate Bigelow with a flying shoulderblock, and an unnecessary fireman's carry slam into cross arm-breaker. Man, you've got to love Goldberg's random moves to prove he is some sort of technical wizard, as usually he either does a weak rolling leg bar or some random combination of moves like this that really do not link together. Anyway, Bigelow is in such shock that he has to go to the outside. Goldberg gets too close, and Bigelow trips him up and starts working on his leg with some elbow drops. Bigelow continues working on the leg inside the ring with various stomps and leg holds. When he tires of that, Bigelow delivers a couple of diving headbutts on a downed Goldberg. Out of a chinlock, Goldberg stands up and back suplexs Bam Bam, but Bigelow gets up first and slams Goldberg down. To the top, and Bigelow connects with a diving headbutt, which gets two. Bigelow goes to climb the ropes again, but is thrown down by Goldberg. Spear attempt, but Bigelow moves and pounds on Goldberg some. An Irish Whip by Bigelow is reversed, and Goldberg spears Bigelow down. He goes to set up for the Jackhammer, but for some reason decides to give Bigelow a standing side kick and another spear, before finally Jackhammering Bigelow down to the mat to get the three count. Not a bad match, although there were a couple of awkward moments between the two. I'll give it a 2.27 out of 5.
Goldberg vs Bam Bam Bigelow
Uploaded by leberlous. - Discover the latest sports and extreme videos.
Video 3: Goldberg vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, WCW Monday Nitro, November 16, 1998
Okay, this is not really a match, but it would of been had Bam Bam not attacked Goldberg while he was making his entrance. Instead all that happens is a minute of brawling which the announcers yell themselves hoarse over, before the crack WCW security team comes to break it up, and the show ends. A million billion points out of 5.
Goldberg vs Bam Bam Bigelow
Uploaded by smithjoe. - Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.
Video 4:Bam Bam UWF Interview
This clip is only 11 seconds long, but Bigelow shows off a great vocabulary on the mic, rhyming two words with mobility. Which words, you ask? Well watch the video to find out.
Video 5: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Spike Dudley, ECW As Good as it Gets, 9/20/97
A slight mismatch in size, as Bigelow weighs about three times as much as Dudley. Bigelow wastes no time by press slamming Spike at the start of the match. He then continues to dominate his smaller opponent before Spike counters an overhead lift with a high dropkick in which Spike nearly landed on his head. Spike delivers a jumping DDT, and then a top-rope clothesline gets a two count. Spike is undaunted, and dropkicks Bigelow, forcing Bam Bam out of the ring and through the ringkeeper's table. Spike gets a chair and slams Bigelow in the back, before climbing the rope and delivering a diving chair shot to the head, which almost got the victory for Spike. Spike goes for another top rope chairshot, but misses, and that's when the tables turn, as Bigelow suplexes Spike onto the chair. Bigelow then picks up Spike, and gorilla presses him into the crowd! The crowd then carries Spike around the crowd, as Spike is involuntarily surfing the crowd as if in the mosh pit before security stops him. Bam Bam goes out and gets Spike, rolls him back in, and body splashes the much smaller Spike from the top rope and getting the victory. Post-match, the crowd chants for Bigelow to throw Spike back into the crowd, and Bigelow delivers, as Spike goes for another ride into the crowd. Interesting match, I'm willing to bet you won't see another wrestler thrown into the crowd, but that's ECW for you. As for the match, I'd give it a 2.4 out of 5.
Spike Dudley vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
Uploaded by Stinger1981. - Discover the latest sports and extreme videos.
Well, I think I'll end it here. Thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about this post or Bam Bam Bigelow, or you have an idea or two for a future post, than send them this way either by leaving a comment on the blog or by e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com
Video 1: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Nikolai Volkoff, WWF Superstars, Aired September 12, 1987
Before the match, Volkoff gets the crowd fired up by singing the Russian National Anthem. Bigelow is accompanied to the ring by his manager Oliver Humperdink. Volkoff tries to jump Bigelow early, but Bigelow instead gets the advantage, and eventually knocks Volkoff out of the ring with a right hand. Bigelow than does a cartwheel to celebrate. The rest of the match pretty much goes like this, Volkoff tries to brawl with Bigelow, but then Bigelow turns it around using kicks, punches, headbutts, a standing dropkick, and a shoulder block. Even when Volkoff tries to use cheap tactics such as eye gouges, Bigelow shrugs it off and goes back to punishing Volkoff. The finish comes when Bigelow ducks a clothesline with a somersault, and then catches Volkoff with a flying headbutt to get the pinfall. Mostly a one-sided match, full of brawling tactics, but the match lacked any sort of intensity and was just filler. I'll give it a 1.5 out of 5.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs Nikolai Volkoff
Uploaded by CrossFaceChickenWing. - Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.
Video 2: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Goldberg, SuperBrawl 99
Bam Bam comes out to no entrance music, Goldberg comes out without the security guards for once. A staredown and some jabber-jawing starts the match. Bigelow knocks Goldberg down with a shoulder block, which Goldberg gets right back up from, picks up Bigelow and slams him down to the mat. Goldberg continues to dominate Bigelow with a flying shoulderblock, and an unnecessary fireman's carry slam into cross arm-breaker. Man, you've got to love Goldberg's random moves to prove he is some sort of technical wizard, as usually he either does a weak rolling leg bar or some random combination of moves like this that really do not link together. Anyway, Bigelow is in such shock that he has to go to the outside. Goldberg gets too close, and Bigelow trips him up and starts working on his leg with some elbow drops. Bigelow continues working on the leg inside the ring with various stomps and leg holds. When he tires of that, Bigelow delivers a couple of diving headbutts on a downed Goldberg. Out of a chinlock, Goldberg stands up and back suplexs Bam Bam, but Bigelow gets up first and slams Goldberg down. To the top, and Bigelow connects with a diving headbutt, which gets two. Bigelow goes to climb the ropes again, but is thrown down by Goldberg. Spear attempt, but Bigelow moves and pounds on Goldberg some. An Irish Whip by Bigelow is reversed, and Goldberg spears Bigelow down. He goes to set up for the Jackhammer, but for some reason decides to give Bigelow a standing side kick and another spear, before finally Jackhammering Bigelow down to the mat to get the three count. Not a bad match, although there were a couple of awkward moments between the two. I'll give it a 2.27 out of 5.
Goldberg vs Bam Bam Bigelow
Uploaded by leberlous. - Discover the latest sports and extreme videos.
Video 3: Goldberg vs. Bam Bam Bigelow, WCW Monday Nitro, November 16, 1998
Okay, this is not really a match, but it would of been had Bam Bam not attacked Goldberg while he was making his entrance. Instead all that happens is a minute of brawling which the announcers yell themselves hoarse over, before the crack WCW security team comes to break it up, and the show ends. A million billion points out of 5.
Goldberg vs Bam Bam Bigelow
Uploaded by smithjoe. - Basketball, baseball, pro wrestling and more sports videos.
Video 4:Bam Bam UWF Interview
This clip is only 11 seconds long, but Bigelow shows off a great vocabulary on the mic, rhyming two words with mobility. Which words, you ask? Well watch the video to find out.
Video 5: Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Spike Dudley, ECW As Good as it Gets, 9/20/97
A slight mismatch in size, as Bigelow weighs about three times as much as Dudley. Bigelow wastes no time by press slamming Spike at the start of the match. He then continues to dominate his smaller opponent before Spike counters an overhead lift with a high dropkick in which Spike nearly landed on his head. Spike delivers a jumping DDT, and then a top-rope clothesline gets a two count. Spike is undaunted, and dropkicks Bigelow, forcing Bam Bam out of the ring and through the ringkeeper's table. Spike gets a chair and slams Bigelow in the back, before climbing the rope and delivering a diving chair shot to the head, which almost got the victory for Spike. Spike goes for another top rope chairshot, but misses, and that's when the tables turn, as Bigelow suplexes Spike onto the chair. Bigelow then picks up Spike, and gorilla presses him into the crowd! The crowd then carries Spike around the crowd, as Spike is involuntarily surfing the crowd as if in the mosh pit before security stops him. Bam Bam goes out and gets Spike, rolls him back in, and body splashes the much smaller Spike from the top rope and getting the victory. Post-match, the crowd chants for Bigelow to throw Spike back into the crowd, and Bigelow delivers, as Spike goes for another ride into the crowd. Interesting match, I'm willing to bet you won't see another wrestler thrown into the crowd, but that's ECW for you. As for the match, I'd give it a 2.4 out of 5.
Spike Dudley vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
Uploaded by Stinger1981. - Discover the latest sports and extreme videos.
Well, I think I'll end it here. Thanks for reading, and if you have any thoughts about this post or Bam Bam Bigelow, or you have an idea or two for a future post, than send them this way either by leaving a comment on the blog or by e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
An Eveving with Doink the Clown
I know what you're saying right now, "Just one Evening?" Yes, it is a tribute to everyone's favorite wrestling clown, Doink. Portrayed by a lot of wrestlers, but primarily by Matt Borne, Doink was a prominent member of the WWF for 3 years from 1993-95. He is most known for being a clown, and eventually they added a dwarf clown, Dink, to his act as well. Doink started out as an evil clown hell-bent on causing chaos, but eventually turned good and feuded with the likes of Bam Bam Bigelow and Jerry Lawler. Well, without further adieu, let's send in the clown!
Match 1: Doink the Clown vs. Typhoon, Monday Night Raw, February 1, 1993
Doink is the heel in this match, and has some eerie entrance music. The announcers deride Doink, but the clown gets a 'Doink' chant from a small pocket of the Raw crowd. Doink starts the match by outwrestling Typhoon, performing wrist locks and drop toe hold so he's able to control the much larger Typhoon. He has control until trying to punch the big man down, but Typhoon doesn't budge. Doink bounces off the ropes, but is caught and slammed by Typhoon. Typhoon back Doink into the corner, tries to avalanche him but misses. This allows Doink to hit a shoulder block from the middle rope for the cover, and with a grip on Typhoon's tights, Doink the Clown gets the victory over a much larger opponent. The match was just there, but the commentary was just brutal, as "comedian" Rob Bartlett told some rather unfunny jokes in an unenthusiastic manner. I'll give it a 1.2 out of 5.
Match 2: Doink the Clown vs. Mr. Perfect, sometime in 1993
According to the announcers, this match is a qualifying match for the King of the Ring tournament. Doink comes out eating popcorn and has a demented look in his eyes. He then goes on to make a kid cry in the audience. That ticks Perfect off, so he goes after Doink and starts brawling with him in the aisle. The two head back to the ring, and Perfect dominates early, working over the leg of Doink and even putting him in the figure four. They go to the outside, but Doink gets the advantage by posting Perfect. They go back to the ring, and Doink is in control, but he doesn't want to just beat Perfect, he wants to outwrestle him. So he tries and succeeds to do just that for a while until Perfect finally gets a second wind. The two combatants exchange punches when the bell rings. Mr. Perfect hits Doink with the Perfect Plex, but is told by the referee that the match has ended due to a time limit draw. Perfect asks "Bozo" for five more minutes, and at first it looks as if Doink is going to oblige, but he thanks otherwise of the offer. He does sneak in and attack Perfect from behind just before the video ended. Decent match, I'll give it a 2.3958 out of 5.
Match 3: Doink vs. Cory Student, WWF Superstars
This match came after Doink's face turn, as he comes out with his dwarf mascot Dink. Student looks to be a big guy, about 4 inches taller than Doink. Doink picks Dink up on his shoulder, and Dink sprays Mr. Student with water from the flower on his lapel, to the delight of some of the crowd. Match starts, they lock up, and Doink takes him down immediately. Doink then grabs under Student's shoulders, flips him on his back, and gets the three count in a match that was half a minute. I guess Student must have sucked, considering the powers that be only had him in the ring for thirty seconds without much effort being exerted. The match was just a reason to display Doink's technical wrestling skills, but it was short so I'll give it a 1.1 out of 5.
Match 4: Doink vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, WWF Raw, October 16, 1995
The internet's least favorite wrestler takes on a clown. Before the match, there's a video hyping the night's upcoming cage match between Bret Hart and Dr. Issac Yankem. Yay. Helmsley is doing his aristocrat gimmick at this time, spraying something all around the ringside area. Doink comes out, and it's time to rumble, I suppose. Doink takes advantage early by confusing Helmsley with his antics, but that ends after a HHH clothesline. Doink regains the advantage, but once again loses it after missing an elbow drop. Helmsley gets a pair of two counts after a knee drop and a vertical suplex. HHH puts the sleeper on Doink, but he escapes. Doink gets a pair of two counts after a small package and backslide. Doink tries a cross body block, but Helmsley ducks out of the way. Helmsley sets up Doink for the pedigree, and really plants Doink with it. I got to say, the move looks much better here than the way he does it now. Anyway, HHH gets the pin, and afterward, Barry Horowitz talks about baseball with Hakushi. Match wasn't bad or anything, it was just boring. I'll give it a 1.9 out of 5.
Well, there you have it. To be honest, Doink's a better wrestler than I remembered him being, at least at the beginning of his run. I still wouldn't recommend watching a 6 hour comp tape of Doink the Clown, however. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have an idea for a future post on The Canon Review, than let me know about it either by e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com or by some other way.
Match 1: Doink the Clown vs. Typhoon, Monday Night Raw, February 1, 1993
Doink is the heel in this match, and has some eerie entrance music. The announcers deride Doink, but the clown gets a 'Doink' chant from a small pocket of the Raw crowd. Doink starts the match by outwrestling Typhoon, performing wrist locks and drop toe hold so he's able to control the much larger Typhoon. He has control until trying to punch the big man down, but Typhoon doesn't budge. Doink bounces off the ropes, but is caught and slammed by Typhoon. Typhoon back Doink into the corner, tries to avalanche him but misses. This allows Doink to hit a shoulder block from the middle rope for the cover, and with a grip on Typhoon's tights, Doink the Clown gets the victory over a much larger opponent. The match was just there, but the commentary was just brutal, as "comedian" Rob Bartlett told some rather unfunny jokes in an unenthusiastic manner. I'll give it a 1.2 out of 5.
Match 2: Doink the Clown vs. Mr. Perfect, sometime in 1993
According to the announcers, this match is a qualifying match for the King of the Ring tournament. Doink comes out eating popcorn and has a demented look in his eyes. He then goes on to make a kid cry in the audience. That ticks Perfect off, so he goes after Doink and starts brawling with him in the aisle. The two head back to the ring, and Perfect dominates early, working over the leg of Doink and even putting him in the figure four. They go to the outside, but Doink gets the advantage by posting Perfect. They go back to the ring, and Doink is in control, but he doesn't want to just beat Perfect, he wants to outwrestle him. So he tries and succeeds to do just that for a while until Perfect finally gets a second wind. The two combatants exchange punches when the bell rings. Mr. Perfect hits Doink with the Perfect Plex, but is told by the referee that the match has ended due to a time limit draw. Perfect asks "Bozo" for five more minutes, and at first it looks as if Doink is going to oblige, but he thanks otherwise of the offer. He does sneak in and attack Perfect from behind just before the video ended. Decent match, I'll give it a 2.3958 out of 5.
Match 3: Doink vs. Cory Student, WWF Superstars
This match came after Doink's face turn, as he comes out with his dwarf mascot Dink. Student looks to be a big guy, about 4 inches taller than Doink. Doink picks Dink up on his shoulder, and Dink sprays Mr. Student with water from the flower on his lapel, to the delight of some of the crowd. Match starts, they lock up, and Doink takes him down immediately. Doink then grabs under Student's shoulders, flips him on his back, and gets the three count in a match that was half a minute. I guess Student must have sucked, considering the powers that be only had him in the ring for thirty seconds without much effort being exerted. The match was just a reason to display Doink's technical wrestling skills, but it was short so I'll give it a 1.1 out of 5.
Match 4: Doink vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, WWF Raw, October 16, 1995
The internet's least favorite wrestler takes on a clown. Before the match, there's a video hyping the night's upcoming cage match between Bret Hart and Dr. Issac Yankem. Yay. Helmsley is doing his aristocrat gimmick at this time, spraying something all around the ringside area. Doink comes out, and it's time to rumble, I suppose. Doink takes advantage early by confusing Helmsley with his antics, but that ends after a HHH clothesline. Doink regains the advantage, but once again loses it after missing an elbow drop. Helmsley gets a pair of two counts after a knee drop and a vertical suplex. HHH puts the sleeper on Doink, but he escapes. Doink gets a pair of two counts after a small package and backslide. Doink tries a cross body block, but Helmsley ducks out of the way. Helmsley sets up Doink for the pedigree, and really plants Doink with it. I got to say, the move looks much better here than the way he does it now. Anyway, HHH gets the pin, and afterward, Barry Horowitz talks about baseball with Hakushi. Match wasn't bad or anything, it was just boring. I'll give it a 1.9 out of 5.
Well, there you have it. To be honest, Doink's a better wrestler than I remembered him being, at least at the beginning of his run. I still wouldn't recommend watching a 6 hour comp tape of Doink the Clown, however. Well, thanks for reading, and if you have an idea for a future post on The Canon Review, than let me know about it either by e-mail at KtheC2001@gmail.com or by some other way.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)