Nadeem Ahmad
Pre-Show Stalwart
I know the last review was somewhat confusing because of the incorrect punctuations and various little mistakes like confusing Doug Furnas for Phillip but I will try to do a better job with this thing and I hope it can help somebody. Also, since there was barely any wrestling on this show it was much shorter.
Let me warn that this review may also tend to be a bit too long for the average reader since I wrote the moves with quotations around them for people that wanted to skim through the page with a sort of "play-by-play" mode. I apologized for the inconvenience again but it is the style that I used for writing.
"
Program: WWF Monday Night Raw
Date: January thirteenth nineteen ninety-seven also known as January 13, 1997
Location: maybe San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Vince McMahon and Honky Tonk Man
The title was aired after a replay of Sycho Sid doing the "powerbomb" to Jose Lothario on the last episode was shown preceding clips from the show of "WWF Superstars" where "Stone Cold" Steve Austin brutally assaulted the leg of Bret Hart. I still doubted the live crowd being able to see these things due to the manner in which they were rushed and I will try not to include too many things which were not available for the audience to view live.
Match One: Tag Team Match: Jerry "The King" Lawler and Hunter Hearst Helmsley versus "Wildman" Marc Mero and Goldust
The music of "Helmsley" played while Hunter and Jerry Lawler were in the ring and it felt nice to be tuning in and hearing a modified version of "Ode to Joy" that Beethoven composed some centuries ago as this was fit for current times by being sped up in rhythms and suited the character with chants of "Helmsley" during choruses. I think Lawler had stepped up from the table before the show was seen on television and then Hunter appeared. "Marvelous" Marc Mero entered with the wife who was Sable. Goldust came down the aisle with Marlena but I am not sure if these guys were married at this time or if they were just seeing each other. The bell rang as Mero forced Lawler to the corner by the commentators so Goldust fought Helmsley out to the floor. Lawler tagged and was dropped over the head of Mero from a "back body drop" as he charged towards the "Wild Man". After posing and testing the strength of Mero, the wilder guy threw a quick right fist to knock Lawler down before Vince mentioned "shades of 'Sugar' Ray Leonard" and I agreed with Honky Tonk Man who reminded us that this is not boxing and that closed fists do not have a place in wrestling. The 'King' tagged Helmsley in to let him go for a "clothesline" on Mero who was being held from behind by Jerry but he untied the caught arms to be able of looser movement and ducked, which caused 'King' to be receiving it. Goldust was tagged in after Helmsley was, who got attacked before Goldust reached for the tag. Helmsley fell out of the ring because of the bizarre one as a result.
Lawler locked up with him but Goldust pushed him to the boot of Helmsley who lifted the foot to place the leg on the top rope after an unseen tag to Lawler. He tagged again to "double-team" the legal Mero with 'King', who tagged in to "suplex" Marc before missing a falling fist. Goldust tagged in but was trapped in front of Lawler who was hit by Helmsley again since Hunter tried to run against Goldust again. Mero was legal to fight Hunter since both were tagged in after Goldust tagged out.
Following the commercials, Helmsley whipped Mero to the ropes by the filmers but he countered with an athletic "hurricanrana". Goldust tagged in and brawled against Hunter, knocked Lawler off of the ropes and then tied Hunter to the same set where he proceeded to choke him before being disqualified. The trio of Lawler, of the referee and of Mero tried to remove Goldust but he pushed Lawler away and punched Mero who did not even fight back against him.
Rating: "D "
If I had to gauge the abilities of these wrestlers in terms of "mat wrestling" I would use the order of Hunter, Goldust, Lawler and Mero but because the mainly remarkable point of the match was the "hurricanrana" by Marc there was barely anything else which was captivating enough for a show about professional wrestling. There were too many brawls, shots with closed fists and hits to heads which are negative things to me as they may be for fans of technical wrestling. As for the fight itself, a lot of cheapness was seen to take away from the match and I do not actively follow "tag team competition" so these factors just downgraded it. The people who do appreciate watching "tag teams" might even say that the weaknesses were exposed rather than hidden as the participants came in since essentially they were running around and using brawn as opposed to skills but they usually were good wrestlers during this year except for Mero.
Sycho Sid was in the building that the San Antonio Spurs played in before they went to the "AT & T Center" with the belt of the "WWF Championship" on earlier in the night but nobody was seen in the crowd behind him. They said he was training so it might have been cleared for practice. A saying about failure was quoted to some historian, then he could not hold this intensity inwards so he started to laugh like a psychotic patient would, kept smiling creepily, trying to justify why being the master and the ruler of the world would be enough to successfully walk out after Royal Rumble as the champion.
Shawn Michaels was wearing a nice beige coat among some fans that were sitting by him in a room. The text of Park Place, San Antonio was under the declaration to be "LIVE". An unseen interviewer wanted to get the thoughts of what Sycho Sid had said and the reaction by the "Heartbreak Kid". Shawn was smiling in a happy mood to get the decently sized crowd riled up, mentioning how many friends and aquaintances that he grew up with from high school he would get to show up for the "title match" on Sunday. He additionally carried on, saying that Sid could be the master and ruler of all he wants but when the time for Royal Rumble would be there the kid would take the championship. It was nicely implemented to show how emotionally prepared he felt while still letting the happiness of being the "hometown boy" show.
Match Two: British Bulldog versus Rocky Maivia
Bret "Hitman" Hart limped and came to do commentary. The British Bulldog arrived with Clarence Mason as the manager. Dwayne Johnson was described as a new sensation by the name of Rocky Maivia without using the real identity and Bret thought there was a lot of potential in him. I thought I would throw that out there, for somebody who did not watch "The Rock" might not know what character Dwayne played later on. Rocky Maivia locked up to be caught in a "hammerlock" but fought out with an "armdrag", a "shoulder block", a "hip toss" and an "arm lock". He "dropkicked" Davey to get him out of the ring. Those first seconds were surprisingly quick. Owen Hart walked by to go stand by the sibling.
After the commercials, Bulldog kicked Rocky out of the ring. Maivia jumped back in with a "sunset flip" to get a "two count" but then was hit with a "clothesline", a "snapmare" and a "rest hold". He countered with a "running cross body block" but was met with a "delayed standing vertical suplex" leading to yet another "rest hold". He did a few "clotheslines" after both hit each other with "shoulder blocks" and did a "clothesline" to push Davey Boy Smith out of the ring. Smith whipped Rocky to the barrier by the commentators but was stunned by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin whom was chased away by Bret leaving no contest.
Rating: "C - "
This match was very rushed and distracted by Owen Hart and by Steve Austin at "ringside". The performances were good but paced fast enough to tire them out after the beginning causing the interruption to be a focal point. I thought these fighters would choose to do more things but a lack of time led to otherwise. The future encounters ranging between September throughout October nineteen ninety-nine were actually more impressive, including the program on "WWF No Mercy" later. The astounding "vertical suplex" here brought another degree, letting it avoid failure or unsatisfaction.
Faarooq stood by Crush in the center of the "Nation of Domination" surrounding him and the room was probably closed. I do not know but a session of the group might have taken place. The arena maybe did not even reveal this segment to those attenders. Ron Simmons was the actual man to be Faarooq speaking for Crush and explaining that they were ready. The gong of the Undertaker played, starting the musically themed file on the loud speakers by the stage, being heard by this stable.
Match Three: Undertaker versus Crush
Undertaker walked to the ring and came out of it to fight Crush who brought the "Nation of Domination" along. He slammed the head of Crush to the steps after hitting Faarooq and before bringing Crush in the ring. The bell rang and Undertaker countered the "Irish Whip" into a "running DDT". A "scoop slam" and a "leg drop" kept Crush down until he got up to be set for "Old School", however, Faarooq shook the ropes by the filmers to cause Undertaker to slip off and to land on the third rope under the groin. Still, he did a "fireperson's carry" to drop Crush out of the ring through this side which had been shakingly tampered. Crush snapped Undertaker with a "hangperson" from the area near the apron behind the ropes through where he had fallen. Crush came inside the ring, whipped Undertaker to the turnbuckle by the commentators away from the filming people and ran into the boot of Undertaker when the dark man retaliated by lifting it up. Crush hooked him with a "piledriver". Vader was shown nearby the logo of the show while standing by the ramp.
After the commercials aired, Crush did a "rest hold" subsequent to a "two count" and followed with a "backbreaker" but missed with a diving fist from the top turnbuckles above the steps placed at the further side away from the commentators opposite the "filmmakers" closer to the stage. This opportunity allowed Undertaker to fight with a "flying lariat" but Crush then laid a "belly to belly suplex" after Undertaker attempted a "Tombstone Piledriver". The "Heart Punch" did not connect because Undertaker blocked and "chokeslammed" him before Faarooq and the Caucasian rappers beat up the man representing the dark side by taking help from Vader. The blatant involvement was responsible for the disqualification. Undertaker did not get announced as the winner.
Rating: "C - "
Crush cheated too much and took away from the competition. He was skilled as an agile powerer but the absence of restraints meant another disqualifying part was ruining the main event. Undertaker really fought back but he could not even save "The Nation" from looking cheap. It was not the fault of him. At one point during the outer venture Crush impressively picked up this guy twice outside the ring before the interruptions and dropped him on the railings two times. The strength was concerningly similar to that of Undertaker but did not match the agility possessed by him. The leaping "clothesline" which I noted as the "flying lariat" impressed too though it was not enough to make a very memorable match. It also did not help to see Undertaker punch Crush before the ringing signal to begin.
As they laid Undertaker for what I thought was the "Vader Splash" inside the same place of the "matchup", Ahmed Johnson ran down with a medium wooden plank but not quickly enough to stop two instances of the "Vader Bomb" that was coined by Vince observing the lover of the Rocky Mountains doing the splash. Before the two splashes landed, Crush had been kicking the laying Undertaker. Ahmed smacked Crush on the back with the board but the two chanters of the "Nation of Domination" jumped on him and fell off another piece of him. Vader held the extravagant representative of Pearl River in a position that usually set up a "powerbomb" after Ahmed dropped the weapon and Faarooq nailed Johnson with it near the spine that was stuck over Vader. Vader relinquished the hold prior to Ron Simmons violently slamming the stick two times on the back of Ahmed Johnson who shook with chills on the mat before the show ended.
Rating: "D "
Nobody announced where the actual show was being held at. More promotions towards Royal Rumble were talked about rather than the reasons causing storylines and sequences of bouts. I got it and wanted to know why Vader was feuding with Undertaker as well as what made Steve Austin drag out the vicious assaults on Bret Hart post Survivor Series of the previous year. The fights were terrible except when the manuevers were done independent of the noncompetitors. The less physical "buildup", credited to the amazing promo and to the candid interview of Shawn Michaels, seemed solidly executed and let me care about Sycho Sid as a champion of the world.
" .
Let me warn that this review may also tend to be a bit too long for the average reader since I wrote the moves with quotations around them for people that wanted to skim through the page with a sort of "play-by-play" mode. I apologized for the inconvenience again but it is the style that I used for writing.
"
Program: WWF Monday Night Raw
Date: January thirteenth nineteen ninety-seven also known as January 13, 1997
Location: maybe San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Vince McMahon and Honky Tonk Man
The title was aired after a replay of Sycho Sid doing the "powerbomb" to Jose Lothario on the last episode was shown preceding clips from the show of "WWF Superstars" where "Stone Cold" Steve Austin brutally assaulted the leg of Bret Hart. I still doubted the live crowd being able to see these things due to the manner in which they were rushed and I will try not to include too many things which were not available for the audience to view live.
Match One: Tag Team Match: Jerry "The King" Lawler and Hunter Hearst Helmsley versus "Wildman" Marc Mero and Goldust
The music of "Helmsley" played while Hunter and Jerry Lawler were in the ring and it felt nice to be tuning in and hearing a modified version of "Ode to Joy" that Beethoven composed some centuries ago as this was fit for current times by being sped up in rhythms and suited the character with chants of "Helmsley" during choruses. I think Lawler had stepped up from the table before the show was seen on television and then Hunter appeared. "Marvelous" Marc Mero entered with the wife who was Sable. Goldust came down the aisle with Marlena but I am not sure if these guys were married at this time or if they were just seeing each other. The bell rang as Mero forced Lawler to the corner by the commentators so Goldust fought Helmsley out to the floor. Lawler tagged and was dropped over the head of Mero from a "back body drop" as he charged towards the "Wild Man". After posing and testing the strength of Mero, the wilder guy threw a quick right fist to knock Lawler down before Vince mentioned "shades of 'Sugar' Ray Leonard" and I agreed with Honky Tonk Man who reminded us that this is not boxing and that closed fists do not have a place in wrestling. The 'King' tagged Helmsley in to let him go for a "clothesline" on Mero who was being held from behind by Jerry but he untied the caught arms to be able of looser movement and ducked, which caused 'King' to be receiving it. Goldust was tagged in after Helmsley was, who got attacked before Goldust reached for the tag. Helmsley fell out of the ring because of the bizarre one as a result.
Lawler locked up with him but Goldust pushed him to the boot of Helmsley who lifted the foot to place the leg on the top rope after an unseen tag to Lawler. He tagged again to "double-team" the legal Mero with 'King', who tagged in to "suplex" Marc before missing a falling fist. Goldust tagged in but was trapped in front of Lawler who was hit by Helmsley again since Hunter tried to run against Goldust again. Mero was legal to fight Hunter since both were tagged in after Goldust tagged out.
Following the commercials, Helmsley whipped Mero to the ropes by the filmers but he countered with an athletic "hurricanrana". Goldust tagged in and brawled against Hunter, knocked Lawler off of the ropes and then tied Hunter to the same set where he proceeded to choke him before being disqualified. The trio of Lawler, of the referee and of Mero tried to remove Goldust but he pushed Lawler away and punched Mero who did not even fight back against him.
Rating: "D "
If I had to gauge the abilities of these wrestlers in terms of "mat wrestling" I would use the order of Hunter, Goldust, Lawler and Mero but because the mainly remarkable point of the match was the "hurricanrana" by Marc there was barely anything else which was captivating enough for a show about professional wrestling. There were too many brawls, shots with closed fists and hits to heads which are negative things to me as they may be for fans of technical wrestling. As for the fight itself, a lot of cheapness was seen to take away from the match and I do not actively follow "tag team competition" so these factors just downgraded it. The people who do appreciate watching "tag teams" might even say that the weaknesses were exposed rather than hidden as the participants came in since essentially they were running around and using brawn as opposed to skills but they usually were good wrestlers during this year except for Mero.
Sycho Sid was in the building that the San Antonio Spurs played in before they went to the "AT & T Center" with the belt of the "WWF Championship" on earlier in the night but nobody was seen in the crowd behind him. They said he was training so it might have been cleared for practice. A saying about failure was quoted to some historian, then he could not hold this intensity inwards so he started to laugh like a psychotic patient would, kept smiling creepily, trying to justify why being the master and the ruler of the world would be enough to successfully walk out after Royal Rumble as the champion.
Shawn Michaels was wearing a nice beige coat among some fans that were sitting by him in a room. The text of Park Place, San Antonio was under the declaration to be "LIVE". An unseen interviewer wanted to get the thoughts of what Sycho Sid had said and the reaction by the "Heartbreak Kid". Shawn was smiling in a happy mood to get the decently sized crowd riled up, mentioning how many friends and aquaintances that he grew up with from high school he would get to show up for the "title match" on Sunday. He additionally carried on, saying that Sid could be the master and ruler of all he wants but when the time for Royal Rumble would be there the kid would take the championship. It was nicely implemented to show how emotionally prepared he felt while still letting the happiness of being the "hometown boy" show.
Match Two: British Bulldog versus Rocky Maivia
Bret "Hitman" Hart limped and came to do commentary. The British Bulldog arrived with Clarence Mason as the manager. Dwayne Johnson was described as a new sensation by the name of Rocky Maivia without using the real identity and Bret thought there was a lot of potential in him. I thought I would throw that out there, for somebody who did not watch "The Rock" might not know what character Dwayne played later on. Rocky Maivia locked up to be caught in a "hammerlock" but fought out with an "armdrag", a "shoulder block", a "hip toss" and an "arm lock". He "dropkicked" Davey to get him out of the ring. Those first seconds were surprisingly quick. Owen Hart walked by to go stand by the sibling.
After the commercials, Bulldog kicked Rocky out of the ring. Maivia jumped back in with a "sunset flip" to get a "two count" but then was hit with a "clothesline", a "snapmare" and a "rest hold". He countered with a "running cross body block" but was met with a "delayed standing vertical suplex" leading to yet another "rest hold". He did a few "clotheslines" after both hit each other with "shoulder blocks" and did a "clothesline" to push Davey Boy Smith out of the ring. Smith whipped Rocky to the barrier by the commentators but was stunned by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin whom was chased away by Bret leaving no contest.
Rating: "C - "
This match was very rushed and distracted by Owen Hart and by Steve Austin at "ringside". The performances were good but paced fast enough to tire them out after the beginning causing the interruption to be a focal point. I thought these fighters would choose to do more things but a lack of time led to otherwise. The future encounters ranging between September throughout October nineteen ninety-nine were actually more impressive, including the program on "WWF No Mercy" later. The astounding "vertical suplex" here brought another degree, letting it avoid failure or unsatisfaction.
Faarooq stood by Crush in the center of the "Nation of Domination" surrounding him and the room was probably closed. I do not know but a session of the group might have taken place. The arena maybe did not even reveal this segment to those attenders. Ron Simmons was the actual man to be Faarooq speaking for Crush and explaining that they were ready. The gong of the Undertaker played, starting the musically themed file on the loud speakers by the stage, being heard by this stable.
Match Three: Undertaker versus Crush
Undertaker walked to the ring and came out of it to fight Crush who brought the "Nation of Domination" along. He slammed the head of Crush to the steps after hitting Faarooq and before bringing Crush in the ring. The bell rang and Undertaker countered the "Irish Whip" into a "running DDT". A "scoop slam" and a "leg drop" kept Crush down until he got up to be set for "Old School", however, Faarooq shook the ropes by the filmers to cause Undertaker to slip off and to land on the third rope under the groin. Still, he did a "fireperson's carry" to drop Crush out of the ring through this side which had been shakingly tampered. Crush snapped Undertaker with a "hangperson" from the area near the apron behind the ropes through where he had fallen. Crush came inside the ring, whipped Undertaker to the turnbuckle by the commentators away from the filming people and ran into the boot of Undertaker when the dark man retaliated by lifting it up. Crush hooked him with a "piledriver". Vader was shown nearby the logo of the show while standing by the ramp.
After the commercials aired, Crush did a "rest hold" subsequent to a "two count" and followed with a "backbreaker" but missed with a diving fist from the top turnbuckles above the steps placed at the further side away from the commentators opposite the "filmmakers" closer to the stage. This opportunity allowed Undertaker to fight with a "flying lariat" but Crush then laid a "belly to belly suplex" after Undertaker attempted a "Tombstone Piledriver". The "Heart Punch" did not connect because Undertaker blocked and "chokeslammed" him before Faarooq and the Caucasian rappers beat up the man representing the dark side by taking help from Vader. The blatant involvement was responsible for the disqualification. Undertaker did not get announced as the winner.
Rating: "C - "
Crush cheated too much and took away from the competition. He was skilled as an agile powerer but the absence of restraints meant another disqualifying part was ruining the main event. Undertaker really fought back but he could not even save "The Nation" from looking cheap. It was not the fault of him. At one point during the outer venture Crush impressively picked up this guy twice outside the ring before the interruptions and dropped him on the railings two times. The strength was concerningly similar to that of Undertaker but did not match the agility possessed by him. The leaping "clothesline" which I noted as the "flying lariat" impressed too though it was not enough to make a very memorable match. It also did not help to see Undertaker punch Crush before the ringing signal to begin.
As they laid Undertaker for what I thought was the "Vader Splash" inside the same place of the "matchup", Ahmed Johnson ran down with a medium wooden plank but not quickly enough to stop two instances of the "Vader Bomb" that was coined by Vince observing the lover of the Rocky Mountains doing the splash. Before the two splashes landed, Crush had been kicking the laying Undertaker. Ahmed smacked Crush on the back with the board but the two chanters of the "Nation of Domination" jumped on him and fell off another piece of him. Vader held the extravagant representative of Pearl River in a position that usually set up a "powerbomb" after Ahmed dropped the weapon and Faarooq nailed Johnson with it near the spine that was stuck over Vader. Vader relinquished the hold prior to Ron Simmons violently slamming the stick two times on the back of Ahmed Johnson who shook with chills on the mat before the show ended.
Rating: "D "
Nobody announced where the actual show was being held at. More promotions towards Royal Rumble were talked about rather than the reasons causing storylines and sequences of bouts. I got it and wanted to know why Vader was feuding with Undertaker as well as what made Steve Austin drag out the vicious assaults on Bret Hart post Survivor Series of the previous year. The fights were terrible except when the manuevers were done independent of the noncompetitors. The less physical "buildup", credited to the amazing promo and to the candid interview of Shawn Michaels, seemed solidly executed and let me care about Sycho Sid as a champion of the world.
" .
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