I reviewed "WWF THURSDAY RAW THURSDAY" of February 13, 1997.

Nadeem Ahmad

Pre-Show Stalwart
This edition of "WWF Thursday RAW Thursday" was the only time the program aired live on Thursday night. I did not know the reason for it coming on at that time. Mainly the advertised bout was for the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship between the recent winner, Shawn Michaels, and the man he beat, who was Sycho Sid. No actual reason was given so I assumed it to be a right to a rematch for Sid. The episode also was filmed for at least two hours.

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Program: WWF THURSDAY RAW THURSDAY
Date: February thirteenth nineteen ninety-seven also known as February 13, 1997
Location: Lowell, Massachusetts
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler



For this night, a change of plans occurred. Fans would not be able to see a rematch for the World Wrestling Federation Championship between Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid. Shawn was diagnosed with an injury to the knee and could not compete at this stage. A promotional video was shown to let the viewers know he would be forfeiting the title live on the program. Sadness was felt due to the love he received from many fans and the way he had recently won the title a couple of weeks prior in the hometown of San Antonio. He had been avoiding shows due to another illness and an announcer previously mentioned during another broadcast of "WWF Monday Night Raw" about the flu affecting him.



Match One: Intercontinental Championship: Rocky Maivia versus Hunter Hearst Helmsley

Rocky Maivia started with a "headlock" but Hunter Hearst Helmsley did a "hip toss" to get out of it. Rocky did a "hammerlock" after being put in a "headlock" by Helmsley so then Helmsley did a "headlock" again and a put on a "hammerlock" to bring Rocky down. Helmsley helped flip Rocky with a "snapmare" after they traded holds and then got up from the "body scissors" which were put on him. Helmsley went for an additional "snapmare", got in the ring and out of it but then did a "headlock" before getting "dropkicked". After entering the ring again from outside to recover from the "dropkick" there, Helmsely used a "submission" on the shoulder and then let go to pull the shoulder down in a motion like a "DDT" but it dropped Rocky on the shoulder.

Following the commercials, the knee fell on the head of Rocky who got up to fall from the rising knee hitting him near the heart. Helmsley applied another "headlock" after doing the "Irish Whip" but Rocky was released to run against the ropes and back to apply the "headlock" on Helmsley. Rocky did a "back drop" to counter Helmsley running but was caught in a "roll up" after coming off the turnbuckle near the ramp away from the filmers with a "cross body block" for a count of two slaps on the mat. Helmsley used a knee to the head of Rocky, a "neck breaker", a "pile driver" and then found Rocky on the second turnbuckle near the ramp by the filmers to do a "suplex" off the middle rope. The referee counted to two counts. Helmsley could not lift Rocky up for the "pedigree" and was rolled up for the loss of the title.



Rating: "C - "

The battle for the Intercontinental Championship was pretty brutal as Helmsley layed out a lot of closed fists and hits to the head. However, they each utilized strong holds that were wearing each other down. Submissions were not kept to a minimum portion of the match and exceeded the counters. Points were basically taken away for the hard punches and hitting the head intentionally and readers of these reviews would probably know those attacks were negative. Rocky used quickness and energy as well as duration to stay alive in the match. The trick at the end of it was occurring as he acted worn out to avoid the "pedigree" and he captured the belt with some intelligence although Helmsley was the more offensive wrestler.



Match Two: Headbangers versus Bob Holly and Aldo Montoya

Sunny was the guest as an announcer in the ring. Bob Holly pulled Mosh with an agile "hurricanrana", did a separate "clothesline" on Mosh and a "clothesline" on Thrasher, and did a "dropkick" on Mosh before doing an "armlock" on Mosh to bring Aldo Montoya in with a tag for continuing the "armlock" and then Aldo was tagging Bob Holly back in. The continued "armlock" was off the second rope in the corner by the filmers near the ramp. Mosh had been in that "armlock" while Aldo Montoya had tagged in. Thrasher did a "knee" from the opposite corner of Aldo Montoya and tagged in for a "clothesline" off the second rope by the turnbuckle he had been standing by and tagged out but came back in after getting tagged to do a "double forward suplex" with Mosh that dropped Bob Holly on the knees and head.

Thrasher tagged in behind the back of the referee, tagged out after he hit a knee to the head of a laying Bob Holly and Mosh did a "sidewalk slam" before a "scoop slam" to set Bob Holly up for having Mosh thrown on him off the top turnbuckle by Thrasher from near where Thrasher was standing before receiving the tag, and the motion of throwing Mosh was resembling a forward suplex similar to the "double forward suplex" done earlier. It looked like Thrasher did the "forward suplex" on Mosh to have thrown him on Bob Holly. Thrasher missed with a "moonsault" from the corner that he did the move similar to the "forward suplex" on Mosh from, and Thrasher tagged out as did Bob Holly, so Aldo Montoya then jumped with a "cross body block" to connect from the top turnbuckle near the ramp opposite the filmers and Mosh tagged Thrasher while holding Aldo in a position setting him up for a "powerbomb" but "double-teamed" to deliver it as Thrasher did a "leg drop" off the third turnbuckle near the commentators away from the filmers and pinned Aldo Montoya.



Rating: "D "

This "tag team match" was almost one-sided. Bob Holly and Aldo Montoya hardly functioned as a unit except for when Bob Holly kept the "armlock" on Mosh while tagging Aldo in. Each of the four competitors used closed fists and most of them hit the head. Aldo was only in for implementing one technical hold. To make matters worse, the referee had not seen one of the tags by Thrasher.



Vince McMahon had come into the ring with a microphone to announce Shawn Michaels. Shawn limped to the arena and brought the belt to Vince. Gorilla Monsoon had also been standing there before Shawn entered to the music of "Sexy Boy". After asking Shawn about the condition of the knee, reconstructive knee surgery was discussed by them and Shawn said if he could never wrestle again that he still at least got to live one full year of the life as being the main man on top of the business and felt he was number one. Tears were coming to his face as he said those things and this indeed was an emotional interview. He handed the championship to Gorilla Monsoon who then gave him a tight hug and Vince embraced him sincerely before letting him walk out to shake hands with fans and to leave.



Match Three: Savio Vega versus Undertaker

Savio Vega came in the ring with the Nation of Domination and Undertaker walked slowly with the dark entrance after Savio raised a fist in the air to symbolize unity of the group. Savio Vega "whipped" Undertaker to the turnbuckle near the commentators away from the "film makers" after the commercials aired. Undertaker "whipped" Savio Vega to the turnbuckle near the commentators closer to the filmers and did the "Old School" after dropping a "leg drop" and then caught Savio with a "back body drop". Savio kicked Undertaker near the groin with a "low blow" but Undertaker came back with a menacing "clothesline". Savio Vega got up to deliver two "spinning heel kicks" and choked Undertaker much by the three corners not including the turnbuckle closer to the commentators away from the filming crew. He kicked Undertaker by the turnbuckle near the ramp closer to the "filmmakers" in between that sequence.

Undertaker kicked back but Savio continued maliciously choking. Undertaker was hit with another "spinning heel kick" and with a "swinging neck breaker" but fought back with a "leg drop" over the neck of the standing Savio Vega to show amazing agility, with a "clothesline" and with a "chokeslam". The members of the Nation of Domination stormed the ring to gang up on Undertaker for the blatant disqualification. Although Undertaker was almost killing Savio Vega, the right decision was made. Undertaker fought back but they got an advantage over him for a few seconds.



Rating: "F "

This contest was more of a fight instead of wrestling. Savio Vega was actually skilled but resorted to choking. A couple of low blows did not help things either. Undertaker choked back and attempted a "chokeslam". Closed fists were swung wildly on the part of Savio. An interference by the Nation of Domination hurt chances of this match passing.



Match Four: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin versus Sycho Sid

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin did three "shoulder blocks" against Sycho Sid in front of the turnbuckle by the commentators close to the filmers. Steve Austin countered the "chokeslam" with a kick to the "midsection" and defended with a different type of a "shoulder block" but put on an "abdominal stretch" which was released due to the referee noticing him using the ropes behind him, farther from the filmers perpendicular to the entrance, for leverage. Sycho Sid applied the "headlock" but Steve Austin pulled down for a "stunner". Sid missed a "leg drop" but kicked Steve Austin off of him from the mat when laying to avoid the attempted "Sharpshooter". Sid "clotheslined" Steve Austin twice consecutively but Bret Hart ran down into the ring to attack Austin.



Rating: "F"

This contest was somehow featuring a replacement for the opponent of Sycho Sid. The guy who was Steve Austin did not substitute well for Shawn Michaels. Instead of a good technical match, many closed fists and shots to the head were used. Chokes were put in too. Bret Hart intervened to take away more credibility.



Match Five: Faarooq and Crush versus Owen Hart and The British Bulldog

The Nation of Domination accompanied the leader of Faarooq and the member of Crush to the ring. The Tag Team Champions entered as well. Clarence Mason of the Nation of Domination was managing the group instead of the Tag Team Champions. Owen Hart did a "clothesline" on Crush and a "cross body block" from the top turnbuckle near the ramp away from the filmers. Crush did a "back body drop" and a "gorilla press slam" on Owen Hart. The British Bulldog tagged in to lock up with Crush. Commercials aired and then the broadcast resumed to show Crush drop Bulldog with a "piledriver" so the referee counted to two slaps on the mat. Before commercials came on, Faarooq had tagged in. The referee counted again by the corner outside away from the ramp, farther from the filmers. Faarooq tagged in to get slammed, facing the mat, and crawled to tag Crush in who used a "backbreaker" and who held Davey in that position of the connected "backbreaker" with the knee against the back for a submission.

Faarooq tagged in, covered for two counts, did a "reverse fallaway slam" and landed a "splash" on the raised knees of Smith, getting hurt. Crush tagged back in for "body scissors" and a "rib breaker". Faarooq tagged in to do a "bear hug" but Bulldog countered with a "belly to belly suplex". The referee counted to two units after Crush pinned following the "body scissors" that happenned before the aforementioned "rib breaker" was done. Crush tagged in but he and the British Bulldog "clotheslined" each other at the same moment. Owen Hart tagged in to catch Crush and a running Faarooq with a "spinning heel kick" to both of them. Faarooq had been dashing towards Owen before being hit with that "spinning heel kick" which differed from the "spinning heel kick" that had knocked Crush down. Owen Hart used a "missle dropkick" on Crush from the top turnbuckle near the ramp but far from the filmers. Faarooq broke the cover which resulted in the referee counting to two strikes of the mat. Bulldog got Faarooq to go over the third rope by the commentators. Crush helped to throw a running Owen Hart over the top rope by the filmers and Owen was counted out after Faarooq and Bulldog brawled outside the ring. Faarooq also did "The Dominator" on Bulldog inside but the match was over. After Owen had gone outside he was holding the left knee as if it was hurt.



Rating: "F "

I did not usually appreciate "tag team matches" too much but this bout was different. It featured nice action between the two teams. However, cheating happened in the form of "double-teaming" a lot. Closed fists were not hesitated. Crush and Faarooq used numbers rather than organized "teamwork". The chemistry between the Tag Team Champions was not enough to overcome the cheapness of the Nation of Domination using tactics of gangs.



Match Six: Vader versus Bret "Hitman" Hart

Vader came in the ring before Bret Hart arrived and the "Hitman" came in donning a black and pink spring jacket on but gave sunglasses to a boy with long hair in one of the front rows on the opposite side of the filmers. Throughout this episode, the filming crew was recording from the side by the steel steps near the ramp as if the entry was to the right side of them. Vader did a "clothesline" on Bret Hart. Bret Hart caught Vader with a "powerslam" as he ran towards the "Hitman" and Bret Hart implemented a "side Russian leg sweep" but then Vader kicked him while laying on the mat to stop the "Sharpshooter" from fully getting hooked on. Vader held the left arm of Bret Hart who faced him to pull the excellence of execution into a "walking clothesline". Vader missed connecting the "Vader Sault" on him from the top turnbuckle near the commentators away from the filmers and Bret Hart pinned him. Those moves occurred following a break for advertisements which played after Vader whipped Bret to get him going out to the floor. When the previous commercials had finished, a replay during the match revealed "Stone Cold" Steve Austin brutally punching Bret Hart on the blue mat above the ground close to the commentators.



Rating: "C - "

The bad time of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was not feeling needed by me. Too many punches were thrown with closed fists from Vader. Bret Hart put in a fair share of those unwanted punches too. However, the great technical wrestling complimented those weaknesses. Vader missed the moonsault but impressed while performing it.


Rating: "F "

A lot of matches were involving cheating. A couple used interferences. The non-competitors basically ruined the flows. Storylines were fueled because of the people running in. The main event was nice due to one of the best technical wrestlers of all times.

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Like I mentioned in the review I posted for "WWF Monday Night Raw" of January 6, 1997, quotes were used around terms describing manuevers to make it easier when finding what moves were done. It was similar to a "play-by-play analysis" although I would not say the job was posted as well. I'm sorry for any inconvenience.
 
lol no inconvenience man just messin with ya. Keep the reviews comin. 97 was my favorite year in wrestling so I enjoy being nostalgic and reliving moments from that time period.
 
As you mentioned, Shawn was scheduled to wrestle Sid and lose the belt to him, due to interference from Bret the Hitman Hart. So Michaels was losing the belt a month before Wrestlemania and wouldn't be the champ going into the event, so I don't know why Bret insisted Shawn faked the injury so he wouldn't have to job to him and Mania 13. Shawn was supposed to lost on this night due to Bret's interference, so Shawn wasn't even gonna have the belt.
 
As you mentioned, Shawn was scheduled to wrestle Sid and lose the belt to him, due to interference from Bret the Hitman Hart. So Michaels was losing the belt a month before Wrestlemania and wouldn't be the champ going into the event, so I don't know why Bret insisted Shawn faked the injury so he wouldn't have to job to him and Mania 13. Shawn was supposed to lost on this night due to Bret's interference, so Shawn wasn't even gonna have the belt.

Looking back at those statements now, I felt that maybe Bret was thinking that Shawn did not want to lose to him in general, around that time, not to say either person was right or wrong to avoid putting the other wrestler over, and I remembered closely that later in the year, Bret did not want to lose to Shawn in Montreal specifically, so it was not exactly about the championship on both occasions, if the rumors you and I brought forth here were true. In other words, if Bret and Shawn were really supposed to go at it for Wrestlemania Thirteen without the belt, and if Bret did not mind losing the championship to Michaels around the time of Survivor Series on a night other than the date of the traditional pay-per-view, that personal rivalry really had been escalating to intense levels. I was so glad when they decided to "patch up" differences a little before Royal Rumble in 2010.
 

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