Hey everyone, this is D.C. Wood bringing you the second article of the ‘Blog of Kane’. I hope you enjoyed the first article.
Today we move on to 1998, as Kane goes to war against Vader at No Way Out of Texas: In Your House. Enjoy!
KANE VS. VADER
The Story
After dominating Mankind at Survivor Series 1997, Kane continued his rampage and torment of the Undertaker, who refused to fight his own flesh & blood. In a surprise twist, the two seemingly made peace to fend off attacks from D-Generation X and a roster of wrestlers who Kane had destroyed since his arrival.
Alas, it was just a ruse on Kane & Paul Bearer’s part, who again cost the Undertaker his revenge against WWF Champion Shawn Michaels. They locked him in a casket and set it ablaze (Don’t worry, Taker teleported to safety as usual!), writing the Phenom off telly in preparation for WrestleMania 14. And then Kane targeted Vader with a Tombstone Piledriver. A week later, Vader would retaliate by dousing Kane with a fire extinguisher; taunting his burns and trying to blind his remaining eye. Setting up this grudge-match between the two terrifying giants.
The Match Itself
After Kane enters the ring, Vader gets right into Kane’s face and the two behemoths stare each other down as the audience cheers in excitement. They come to blows, the bell rings, the red-lighting dissipates, and the fight is on! The two batter each other with vicious, brutal strikes before Kane knocks the Mastadon down with a big clothesline. Vader rolls out of the ring, Kane pursues, and the two continue to exchange almighty blows. The crowd chants loudly for Vader (the clear fan-favourite!) as Kane now has Vader defenceless on the ring apron. Kane leaps off the apron onto a prone Vader with a diving blow, sending the four-hundred-pounder rolling out of the ring onto the floor.
Kane smacks Vader face-first into the ring steps twice before getting them both back into the ring, then Vader proceeds to mercilessly potato Kane in the back of the head (THOSE SHOTS ARE SO STIFF!) before dumping him out of the ring. The two continue their slugfest until the action goes back to the ring, where Kane flies from the top rope to deliver his wicked flying clothesline!
IMG credit: WWE & sportzwiki.com
Paul Bearer roots Kane on as the Big Red Machine now has Vader on the ropes. Kane continues to pummel the Masterdon down as the Vader chants start up again. Then Kane delivers a MASSIVE suplex on Vader as Paul Bearer laughs triumphantly (another reason why he was one of the greatest managers of all time!). Kane then delivers a big elbow on the fallen Vader, has him on the ropes, before setting him up on the ring apron. Kane delivers another flying attack from the top rope to bring Vader back into the ring. “DESTROY HIM!” yells Paul on cue! (Then politely tells referee Tim White to shut up).
Kane soon floors Vader again with another clothesline, and continues to dominate. Vader tries to fight back, but Kane shuts him down again (Paul continues to laugh maniacally! Regular as clockwork!). Thunderous bodyslam by Kane! Vader is weary now as Kane leaps from inside the ring to the floor to hangman Vader’s throat. As Kane gets back into the ring, Vader collides into him with a massive Avalanche! He clotheslines the Big Red Machine out of the ring to buy himself some time, but Kane lands on his feet and quickly gets back in. Kane DDTs Vader and then pummels poor Leon some more, until he finally strikes back. Another Avalanche, which Kane responds with an attempted chokeslam…I THINK Vader goes low to stop it (the ref didn’t notice, so why should I?), and then he gives Kane a clothesline which FINALLY puts him on his back!
The crowd cheers! Vader gives Kane a big splash to Paul’s despair, and with Kane down, Vader takes his chance to go to the top and deliver the most amazing moonsault in all wrestling history! SERIOUSLY, how was a 400LB GIANT like Leon White able to do a move like that regularly?! ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! The crowd cheers!
OH, NO! KANE COMES BACK TO LIFE!!! Looking a little miffed, he attacks again and the fighting soon spills out back to ringside where Vader whips out the fire-extinguisher again and blasts Kane again good and proper!
IMG credit: WWE & foxsports.com
(COME ON, Tim White! SURELY you must have noticed this!) Kane’s disorientated, and that leaves Vader able to deliver a devastating Jackknife power bomb! Paul climbs up to the ring-apron only to be greeted by a clubbing blow from Vader. Kane gets up in a flash while Vader’s distracted to deliver a thunderous chokeslam! Vader manages to get back up, only to walk into a HUGE Tombstone Piledriver! Kane gets the pin at 10:57.
As the ref checks on Vader, Kane summons his pyro and the red light bathes the arena. Kane exits the ring, and then picks up the fire extinguisher Vader used. He angrily tosses it aside then picks up a wrench from under the ring. Vader has gotten back to his feet only to be greeted with a sickening strike from the wrench-wielding Kane! The crowd gasps in horror! A proud Paul Bearer orders Kane out of the ring as he laughs. Monster and manager leave, as referees, medics and officials tend to the motionless Vader. The audience silent as the Masterdon is put on a gurney and wheeled out of the arena.
Verdict
On paper, this was a bout that excited me and it didn’t disappoint. Vader was the most terrifying monster you could behold on WCW Worldwide. He scared me so much when I was a kid, and to book him against this newer, more terrifying force in Kane…it was logical.
In terms of wrestling, the bout was iffy in places. One too many restholds for a bout of this nature, and some slow-pacing let things down. However, to see these two fierce leviathans viciously batter each other is worth seeing. The sheer strength & power, the amazing agility from both legends was staggering! It formed a great slugfest overall.
Vader did Kane a MASSIVE favour here, putting him over in both bout and aftermath, with JR and King selling how monstrous Kane was and how Vader had come the closest to truly challenging the Big Red Machine. Alas, this was the final nail in the coffin for Vader’s time in the WWF. After losing to Shawn at SummerSlam 1996, Taker at Canadian Stampede and ultimately the feud with Kane, Vader’s fall to jobber status was cemented. He’d never recover in the WWF and left in October 1998. The man should’ve been WWF Champion at least once in his career.
Having said that, this was one of Vader’s biggest matches in WWF and it was very good indeed. As for Kane…he was now truly ready for his WrestleMania 14 showdown with the Undertaker. Which is next in the Blog of Kane!
1992 was a pretty good year for the WWF. The quality of the programming was consistent for most part and most of the WWF title rivalries were great. In terms of PPVs also, WWF was consistent. The year had only 4 PPVs though which is a shame as we could have had many more great PPVs with the kind of roster WWF had in the year. Let’s rank all the PPVs from the year, starting with the worst.
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4. Survivor Series
IMG credit: WWE & bleacherreport.com
Date: November 25, 1992
Attendance: 18,000
Buyrate: 250,000
Main Event: Bret Hart(c) vs. Shawn Michaels (WWF Championship)
Match of the Night: Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels (****1/2)
The build to the show was decent but it suffered due to the fact that wrestlers who were supposed to be part of the show like The Mountie, The British Bulldog and The Ultimate Warrior were gone from WWF before the event. The show started off with a good tag team match between High Energy and The Headshrinkers. It was a cool showcase for both the teams. However, after that match only two matches delivered in the entire event. First, the tag team match between the teams of Razor Ramon & Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect & Randy Savage. The DQ ending of the match was disappointing but it was a good match. The main event between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart was another great match. Overall, Survivor Series 1992 was a two match show pretty much with not much to look out for.
Overall Rating: 6/10
3. WrestleMania VIII
IMG credit: WWE & prowrestling.fandom.com
Date: April 5, 1992
Attendance: 62,167
Buyrate: 390,000
Main Event: Hulk Hogan vs. Sycho Sid
Match of the Night: Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage (****1/2)
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WrestleMania VIII was heading into an all-timer category until the 5th match. Jake Roberts and Tito Santana putting over Undertaker and Shawn respectively was also very good. Roddy Piper and Bret Hart had a very good match for the IC title. Randy Savage and Ric Flair also had a highly personal match for the WWF title. Randy Savage won the match to win his 2nd WWF title. However, after that match, the show fell flat with horrendous matches. And to end it all the awful match between Hogan and Sid. It’s still a decent show with two classics but the last hour drags down the rating
Main Event: 30-man Royal Rumble match for the vacant WWF Championship
Match of the Night: 30-man Royal Rumble match for the vacant WWF Championship (****3/4)
Royal Rumble 1992 was a pretty solid PPV. Started off with a great opener between The New Foundation and The Orient Express. The two teams got a lot of time and they delivered. Next up, we saw Roddy Piper win the Intecontinental Title which was a great moment. Even though the match wasn’t very long, the energy during the match was great. The Bushwhackers vs. The Beverly Brothers match was awful and probably the worst match I’ve ever seen. However, it doesn’t matter as the main event royal rumble match made up for it. It’s the greatest rumble match in my opinion and Ric Flair winning the belt was a great moment.
Main Event: Bret Hart(c) vs. The British Bulldog (WWF Intercontinental Championship)
Match of the Night: Bret Hart vs. The British Bulldog (*****)
The build to this show was very good and with such a large audience it actually felt like a WrestleMania. The environment of this show is awesome and the UK crowd made the matches more enjoyable. The two big title matches delivered yet again. Savage carried Warrior to another great match and the story in the match was fantastic and even though it ended in a count-out it made perfect sense. Bret/Bulldog is a true definition of great technical wrestling and is my favorite SummerSlam match of all time. Davey winning the title was an awesome moment and quite possibly the best SummerSlam moment of all time. There are two other decent matches on the show which are LOD/Money Inc. and Shawn/Martel. The rest of the matches are bad but are kept short. Awesome show.
Good day to the readers! Prince Osborne back again with the next addition to my series, The Day After, this time from one of the dedicating promotions of the year I’ve seen so far, Impact Wrestling as they went Under Siege five days ago.
The Countdown Show
Tag Team Match: Heath & Rhino vs. Raj Singh & Shera
An acceptable tag match that had a standard layout and worked well. Heath & Rhino ushering back to the title scene piques interest more towards the tag division. Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars!
Three Way Match: Rich Swann vs. Laredo Kid vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey
Rich Swann def. Laredo Kid by pin fall at 7:56
A tremendous sprint here between three of the best the X-Division has to offer. Laredo as a part-time X-Division sensation is amazing, Swann returning to his roots and winning this bout is great but we have to give it to Speedball who is having a blast of his lifetime since stepping inside Impact. He is nothing but a splendid mashup of a high-flyer and a aggressive beast. X-Division matches recently never cease to amaze me and this bout was no different. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!
The Main Show:
Singles Match: Gisele Shaw w/Alisha Edwards vs. Madison Rayne w/Tenille Dashwood
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Credits: IMPACT Wrestling
Gisele Shaw won by pin-fall at 7:15
For the first time since her arrival to Impact, Gisele Shaw impressed me very much here defeating a legendary Knockout in Madison Rayne. The work was smoothly done while the shenanigans were kept on point. Gisele bringing a seemingly face turn and teaming with Alisha is a nice shift for both and a nice boost to the tag division of the Knockouts. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars!
Singles Match: Chris Sabin vs. Steve Maclin
Credits: IMPACT Wrestling
Chris Sabin won by pin fall at 13:22
Such a fantastic sprint here between two of the hottest stars of Impact currently. Sabin still proves to the world that he could give a barnburner while Maclin’s rise to the upper echelon of Impact’s rich roster is a great build so far which makes clear that this loss doesn’t hinder or budge the momentum Maclin has right now. He gave a fantabulous fight to Maclin throughout and wowed the crowd again. Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars!
Singles Match for the AAA Reina de Reinas Championship: Taya Valkyrie (C) vs. Deonna Purrazzo
Credits: IMPACT Wrestling
Taya Valkyrie won by pin-fall at 10:08
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The best match out of the trilogy they had and a better rematch from Rebellion. Both have pretty good chemistry here with Deonna showing a sense of urgency to reclaim the title. Taya is someone I wish to be a great wrestler but her career throughout has been on a “on-off” pattern. So I wish she gets the best run with the title now. The finish wasn’t the best option but could’ve executed it better. Mia Yim’s return hypes me up for her run here as I’m glad that she’s not another addition to AEW. She has been here before and it feels right to see Mia back in her place. Rating: 3.25 out of 5 stars!
Singles Match for the X-Division Championship: Ace Austin (C) vs. Trey Miguel
Credits: IMPACT Wrestling
Ace Austin won by pin-fall at 13:03
Another fantastic encounter from the X-Division roster between a newly crowned champion and a very equivalent challenger. The chemistry was excellent and the tensions were palpable which led to a thought where Miguel could eventually pull off the upset but Austin outnumbered the former champion and started his run with a strong defence. Austin being billed as one of the BOSJ tourney combatants adds nothing but prestige to Impact as well as himself and this win brings a different kind of momentum with him ahead of the epic Japanese tournament. Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars!
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Ten Man Tag Team Match: Bullet Club (Jay White, Chris Bey, El Phantasmo, Doc Gallows & Karl Anderson) vs. Honor No More (Eddie Edwards, Kenny King, Vincent, Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) w/Maria Kanellis-Bennett
Credits: IMPACT Wrestling
Honor No More def. Bullet Club (Mike Bennett pinned Karl Anderson) at 18:20
This was a chaotic, fun brawl that spilled all over the place as expected when Bullet Club is involved in multi-man action. But, it’s not contrived as usual. I think Eddie Edwards wasn’t showcased well here being the leader of HNM. Other than that, the other nine men had bright spots to shine especially White, Phantasmo, Taven & Vincent. The ending gave a nice call-back to the days of New Japan and HNM winning cements their place more stronger in Impact as a diabolic unit. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars!
Singles Match for the Knockouts World Championship: Tasha Steelz (C) vs. Havok
Credits: IMPACT Wrestling
Tasha Steelz won by pin fall at 10:25
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Another solid defence by Steelz against the menacing Havok that solidified her run to the next level. This match proved that Steelz can go at it clean as a slate without any help from the outsiders. Havok gave a tough run for Steelz but it as the latter who stood tall with all the momentum. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars!
Tag Team Match for the Impact World Tag Team Championships: Violent by Design (Eric Young & Deaner) (C) w/Joe Doering vs. The Briscoes (Mark Briscoe & Jay Briscoe)
Credits: IMPACT Wrestling
The Briscoes def. Violent by Design (Jay Briscoe pinned Deaner) at 11:16
This was a fantastic old school tag team bout between two of the prominent teams Impact has right now. The Briscoes are a legendary team without a shadow of doubt and Violent by Design gave a really competitive fight here. EY & Deaner surprisingly competed here which is a rare combination from VBD but I prefer EY & Doering than this and Doering & Deaner. The winning moment was one of the greatest Impact moments of the year already as the crowd were extremely raucous for Dem Boys becoming Dem Champs. Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars!
Singles Match for the Impact World Championship: Josh Alexander (C) vs. Tomohiro Ishii
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Credits: IMPACT Wrestling
Josh Alexander won by pin fall at 23:31
A blistering heavyweight war between an icon of Japanese wrestling and a juggernaut of North American wrestling. Alexander fought extremely hard to reach the position of being a World Champion so it takes more than a step above on what he did to keep that position. This match clearly tells the hard reality of the aforementioned fact that no matter who steps up, Alexander WILL FIGHT his life out and be the face of Impact! This match felt so special not only because of Ishii’s tenacious effort here but also the diligent nature of Alexander heading here hours after escaping from a catastrophic vehicular crash. God bless him! Now, the match itself was what you could’ve expected – a flabbergasting fight with scintillating strike exchanges and tremendous display of technicality. The crowd was darn rowdy and had Ishii’s back more than Josh’s. Even though there was the littlest to nil chance of Ishii winning, he gave THE launchpad for Alexander to usher in as one of the greatest stars Impact has ever seen. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars!
Overall Match Rating: 3.75 out of 5 stars Overall Show Rating: 9 out of 10 points
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Final Verdict
Impact is giving their PPVs a special feel this year & Under Siege is no different from that mentality. It was a home run from the countdown show till the end of the night! Alexander vs. Ishii was a thing of beauty and my Match of the Night while Sabin vs. Maclin was a breakthrough performance for Maclin and Austin vs. Miguel rocked hard as expected from the X-Division. Those two are the up & close contenders for the MOTN position.
A rundown of what took place last month in the eyes of wrestling fans!
Ring Of Honor Returns under Brand New Partnership with AEW
IMG Credit: ROH & Catch-Newz
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ROH ran their annual ‘Supercard Of Honor’ after a hiatus following the release of all wrestlers signed under the company
This show included the dream match of FTR vs The Briscoes finally bring realized and it was a classic
Samoa Joe made his return to wrestling at this show and was confirmed to be signed under All Elite Wrestling via Tony Khan’s Twitter
Annual WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony Takes Place
IMG Credit: WWE
WWE ran their annual Hall Of Fame Ceremony by inducting the following:
Queen Sharmell (inducted by Booker T)
The Steiner Brothers (inducted by Bron Breakker)
Vader (inducted by his wife & son)
Shad Gaspard (recipient of Warrior Award)
The Undertaker (inducted by Mr. McMahon
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WrestleMania 38 takes place on two different nights!
IMG Credit: WWE & Sportsmanor
Bianca BelAir dethroned Becky Lynch of her Raw Women’s Championship
Cody Rhodes returned to WWE after 6 years to face Seth Rollins in a classic!
‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin came out of retirement to fight Kevin Owens in the main event of Night One
Johnny Knoxville and The Jackass Crew delivered a prank filled beating to Sami Zayn
‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin came back on stage on Night Two to take out Austin Theory, the boss himself Mr. McMahon, Byron Saxton, and Pat McAfee
The WWE’s two World Titles were Unified when Roman Reigns defeated Brock Lesnar to retain his Universal Championship and win the WWE Championship
Elias’ Younger Brother debuted on Raw!
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IMG Credit: WWE & POST Wrestling
During a Kevin Owens promo, an unknown named ‘Ezekiel’ came out and introduced himself as Elias’ younger brother!
He’s impressed us ever since!
Wheeler Yuta Earned His Place in the ‘Blackpool Combat Club’
IMG Credit: AEW & 411MANIA
After multiple teases of AEW’s Wheeler Yuta perhaps taking his own spot with William Regal, Bryan Danielson, and Jon Moxley’s seemingly unstoppable faction
After losing to Bryan Danielson, interest was taken in Yuta
Wheeler defied the odds and managed to stay alive in a bloody war against Jon Moxley before passing out
In the end, Wheeler Yuta earned his spot in AEW’s most vicious group
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Gunther and Raquel Rodriguez made their presence known on Smackdown
IMG Credit: WWE & Metro
On the Smackdown following WrestleMania, Gunther & Raquel Gonzalez made their debut appearances on the brand
Gunther debuted with Ludwig Kaiser, formerly known as Marcel Barthel, squashing a jobber and making his brutality known.
Meanwhile, a rather charismatic Raquel Rodriguez (Gonzalez) seemed all smiles ahead of her future on Smackdown
Josh Alexander reclaimed his Impact World Title at Impact Rebellion
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IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling & TopFitness20
After Josh Alexander was screwed out of his first World Title Reign in Impact, he swore to get revenge on Moose, who took everything from him
After a brutal war, Alexander finally pinned Moose to win his title back and to finally get his post match moment. Congratulations Josh!
Asuka & Mustafa Ali returned to WWE Monday Night Raw
IMG Credit: WWE & TheSportster
On the April 25th edition of Monday Night Raw, Asuka & Mustafa Ali made their much anticipated returns
Asuka, who had been gone for 9 months due to an arm injury, returned to confront and tease a feud with Becky Lynch
Mustafa Ali, who had previously asked for his release months ago, made a shocking return to WWE on Television and after a convincing promo pinned The Miz to further himself towards redemption
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That’s all for this month’s BEST in Wrestling!
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Good day to the readers! Prince Osborne here coming back to the blog after a long time with a new series called “The Day After” where wrestling specials are reviewed after a day or two to give a clear take on all the matches happened and the stories moving forward.
Today, we’re kicking the series off with a successful Premium Live Event that followed up some stories from WrestleMania as Backlash is upon us!
Cody Rhodes vs. Seth Rollins
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IMG Credit: WWE
Cody Rhodes def. Seth Rollins by pinfall at 20:50
This was a fantabulous rematch of their WrestleMania barnburner, and I can daringly say that this match upped the notch over their previous clash. The story was presented in the best way just like ‘Mania but the wrestling side was even more fluid and thrilling to watch. I’m saying once again that Rollins needs to be offered a fleet of flower bouquets for his sheer performance in the past two years and he never expected anything in return. All he needed was to be prominent. The same goes to Cody where he proved here again that he evolved from a substandard underrated player to a larger-than-life superstar in the years away from WWE. The finish left a window for building the trilogy between these two which would give a well deserved ending to this stellar rivalry.
Rating:4.75/5
Bobby Lashley vs. Omos
IMG Credit: WWE
Omos def. Bobby Lashley by pinfall at 8:50
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This was just as equal to their WrestleMania match, but a notch down because of the prolonged duration it had, with a dusty finish to boot. I can’t blame any men here but Omos’ premature call-up as a singles wrestler shows how inexperienced he is. I have to see Lashley rise up the ladder and contend against top-tier athletes soon after this rivalry is done.
Rating: 2/5
AJ Styles vs. Edge
IMG Credit: WWE
Edge def. AJ Styles by submission at 15:21
This was very good but not on the level of their WrestleMania showdown, in my opinion. Being more of a fan of story-driven bouts than necessarily “wrestling classics”, I felt the storytelling was great but not near the heights of their previous bout. The stipulation of Priest barred from ringside didn’t bode well during the end stretch which hindered the finish a bit. Ripley joining Judgment Day is a great boost for her to rekindle the vicious side of herself, which hasn’t been seen in a while.
Rating: 4/5
“I Quit” Match – SmackDown Women’s Championship: Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey
IMG Credit: WWE
Ronda Rousey def. Charlotte Flair at 16:32
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Extremely better than their WrestleMania bout, but still not as fantastic as their match in 2018. The stipulation paved the way for both women to be comfortable by orchestrating a high-intense, action packed fight all around the arena. For the first time in a long time, I felt that Charlotte presented herself as a credible wrestler while Rousey brought her inner beast and unleashed its fullest potential. Rousey as the champion opens up some good opportunities for her while Charlotte can nurse herself away from the scene after a dominant reign.
Rating: 4/5
Madcap Moss vs. Happy Corbin
IMG Credit: WWE
Madcap Moss def. Happy Corbin by pinfall at 9:45
Unlike others, I found this to be a serviceable cooldown match where both men pushed hard to seek attention towards them, but the crowd was merely responding. Keeping their character arcs aside, the wrestling ability of both men are good at best and this was an example. The finish was so cool and reminiscent of an 80’s style sudden finish, which hasn’t been incorporated in years.
Rating: 3/5
Six Man Tag Team Match: Drew McIntyre & RK-Bro vs. The Bloodline (Roman Reigns, Jey Uso & Jimmy Uso)
IMG Credit: WWE
The Bloodline def. Drew McIntyre & RK-Bro (Roman Reigns pinned Riddle) at 22:10
This was a fantastic main event that had the initial expectations in a double-sword, but exceeded in the end. All six men had all the time in the world to shine bright and put on a brilliant performance. The stories this match told were excellent – Reigns still being vulnerable in facing McIntyre & Usos, and RK-Bro vying for the ultimate endgame of their story on becoming the undisputed tag team champions. McIntyre & Orton had a frenzy time in this match with palpable chemistry and crisp aggression. Riddle being the third wheel is predictable but doesn’t hurt him in any way. The ending was a crazy spot to execute and The Bloodline standing tall cements their run as one of the greatest trios WWE has ever given.
As a whole, the event had a so-so build collectively but gave us a splendid time watching every match unfold in its best way. Rhodes & Rollins stole the show again and the main event & Flair vs. Rousey were close calls for the match of the night listing.
Hello, everyone! My name is D.C. Wood! Being a massive wrestling fan for most of my life, it’s been a pleasure to discuss with fellow fans on the brilliant SmarkDown channel these last few years. Having loved the chronicling of various legends that Tomás has done on SmarKDown, I asked if I could chronicle Kane’s career on the blog myself.
In my opinion, Glenn Jacobs is one of the most underrated workers in the history of wrestling, and he truly brought to life a brilliant character that could’ve easily been a major flop. Instead turning out to be a legend in his own right that was worthy of the association with The Undertaker.
Let’s begin with Kane’s in-ring debut at the most infamous pay-per-view of all time.
KANE VS. MANKIND
The Story
So what happened after Kane’s phenomenal debut at Badd Blood: In Your House?
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IMG credit: WWE & Bleacher Report
IMG credit: WWE
IMG credit: WWE
IMG credit: WWE
Well, Paul Bearer vowed that he and Kane would destroy every single-WWF Superstar until the Undertaker agreed to fight his brother in the ring. In the weeks that followed, the Hardys, Flash Funk, Ahmed Johnson and even Dude Love all felt the destructive fury of this terrifying specimen.
But the crazy genius that was Mick Foley assumed another of his alter-egos to fight Kane in his official debut match at Survivor Series 1997. Mankind was seeking to avenge Dude Love and attacked Paul Bearer with the Mandible Claw before knocking down Kane with a turnbuckle post. Kane would sit-up moments later staring at Mankind. SUCH GOOD HYPE!
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The Match Itself
Mankind comes out first, then Kane makes his terrifying entrance with Paul Bearer by his side. Mankind attacks Kane before he can get to the ring, but Kane shrugs off Mankind’s blows before double-choke-lifting and throwing him against the ring-steps (where the back of Mick’s head hits! Ouch!) Kane then grabs Mankind by the throat again to shove him head-first back into the steps. (Double ouch!)
Kane throws Mankind back into the ring, Kane then follows and completes his entrance by summoning fire from the turnbuckle posts. The red lighting still remains, and the bell rings to officially start the match. Kane menacingly approaches Mankind, who’s still struggling to get back to his feet. Kane continues to batter Mankind with slow, powerful blows, as JR and King continue to discuss the eerie red lightning/Kane’s supernatural abilities (Surreal, yes. But I felt the execution was still brilliant). Mrs. Foley’s Baby Boy then fights back with typical brawling, and then valiantly delivers the Cactus Jack-Clothesline to take them both out of the ring, but Kane easily floors him again.
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Kane picks up the steel steps over his head and then violently hurls them into Mankind’s face (Paul Bearer districts referee Earl Hebner so he can’t see it, but SURELY he must’ve heard it, right? God, all the refs were useless on this show!). Kane throws Mankind back in the ring again, all the while Paul Bearer maniacally laughing as Mick is fighting for his life. Mick’s fantastic selling rallies the crowd behind him, and then Mick does brilliant character work of his own by tearing his own hair out as Mankind does his own version of ‘Hulking Up’ before Kane flattens him again with a big boot.
IMG credit: WWE
Little things like Kane inquisitively looking down on his prey while Paul proudly applauds are nice touches in this. Kane continues to torture his foe whilst Paul continues to belittle Mick. Kane then nails Mankind with a brutal sidewalk slam. Kane then knocks Mankind out of the ring and continues to viciously batter him some more. But Mankind is finally able to turn the tide by flapjacking Kane face-first onto the ring steps to a big pop. Kane gets up though in no time, but Mankind has his second-wind! Paul Bearer’s distracting the ref backfires as Mankind grabs a chair and gives Kane another receipt. Kane still refuses to stay down, just as Mankind still refuses to back down. Mankind executes a piledriver to another pop from the Montreal crowd. Foley signals for the Mandible Claw and executes it on Paul Bearer (Paul’s facials during this are hilarious!).
Whilst Mankind is distracted, though…Kane sits up to the horror of the audience and then goozles his foe before violently propelling Mankind from the ring-apron to the floor; crashing right through the Spanish Announce table! “My God, call the medics!” implores good ol’ JR! Kane picks up pieces of the table and then throws them on Mankind’s carcass before dragging him from the wreckage. Mankind tries to get away to buy himself some recovery time, while JR and King sell Mick’s resilience and how infuriated Kane was when Mankind attacked Paul Bearer.
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Kane tries to choke slam Mick on the entrance-way, only to be given a low-blow and a sick DDT on the concrete floor. This buys Mankind enough time to deliver the Cactus Jack elbow from the ring-apron to the floor! Mankind then climbs up to the top-rope for another high-risk attack but Kane comes back to life again, jumps up to the ring apron and then slams poor Mick Foley from the top rope to the floor! SICK!
IMG credit: WWE & WhatCulture
Kane stands tall now in the ring, pulling his glove on tighter, and cocking his head to one side as Mankind struggles to crawl back into the ring. Mick barely pulls himself up to face Kane. The Big Red Machine then clutches Mankind’s head to make him look into his visage before finishing him off with the Tombstone Piledriver at 9:27.
Verdict
Mick Foley was the perfect first opponent for Kane. Aside from being one of the most gracious individuals in all of wrestling, Mick knew how to get both himself and his opponent over in a match. On paper, the bout made sense given Mankind’s history with Paul Bearer and his success against the Undertaker throughout 1996, so he had a good shot against Kane. The build-up to this was terrific as well.
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In terms of action, the bout may be slow-paced but it was very solid. The character-work from Kane, Mankind and Paul Bearer were all brilliant, and it was a story that held the audience’s attention, with Mankind’s resilience & heart being impressive and Mick doing everything he could to further enhance Kane’s reputation as an unstoppable, terrifying monster. I know people weren’t keen on the red-lighting being used throughout this match, but as a one-time thing, I felt it added to the presentation.
Wrestling-wise, this bout may not be all that much to sing about, but in terms of theatricality, the spectacle and the story, this was a cracking match where Glenn Jacobs got to show what he could do. Working in that costume, breathing in that mask, having to change his style accordingly…must have been challenging, but Glenn rose to the occasion.
So how did the Montreal Screwjob later that night affect Kane? Well, according to Mick’s Have A Nice Day! autobiography, Glenn Jacobs was very upset about what had happened, but after years of terrible gimmicks (Dr Isaac Yankem and Fake Diesel), he was in no real position to walk out; not after finally being given a bankable character (in my opinion, Glenn Jacobs was very wise to have stayed in the WWF/E). Mick Foley completely understood & respected Kane’s situation. Foley of course would walk out on the company out of protest & support for Bret Hart, but would shortly return to WWF afterwards.
Hope you liked this entry in the Blog of Kane! Next time, we’ll looking at Kane’s confrontation with the man they call…VADER!
Vincent Kennedy McMahon was never known for being a supremely talented technician nor an all-time great brawler in the ring, but there was always something about his matches that made them stand out.
Today, we look at the 10 best matches of the Genetic Jackhammer‘s in-ring career, including famous encounters like the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre 1999 Steel Cage showdown against Steve Austin, the infamous father vs. son affair against his own son,Shane O’ Mac, the 20-years-in-the-making marquee bout against the Hulkster, and much more. Let’s get into it!
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10) Royal Rumble Match – WWF Royal Rumble, Jan. 24th 1999
IMG credit: WWE
The rivalry between Steve Austin and Vinnie Mac was at an all-time high amidst the Attitude Era. Austin wanted his shot at the WWF Championship by winning the Royal Rumble, but Vince wasn’t going to give him that. Instead, Vince hosted a Rumble number draw for Austin and “randomly” picked out a #1 on him while he drew a #30 for himself. However, then WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels overrode said decision, placing Vince at a #2 spot and booked a ‘Corporate Rumble’ match where a guaranteed #30 spot would be on the line. That was ultimately won by Chyna after Austin caused a distraction on McMahon.
While it’s arguable one shouldn’t put a battle royale-style bout in a list of a wrestler’s best matches, Vince’s involvement in this one made it impossible to ignore. All of his interactions with Stone Cold in this match, from him getting brutalized by Austin, to him using his men to stop the Bionic Redneck, to that last shot of him actually eliminating Austin himself – it all made for tremendous entertainment. We all know this Rumble wasn’t the best theoretically, but those bits with Austin and Vince kept it at an enjoyable level, at least to some.
9) W/ Shane McMahon Vs. DX – WWE SummerSlam, Aug. 20th 2006
The DX/McMahons feud primarily ate up most of 2006, so expect a lot of matches from that program to come up here! This was just after Triple H recently turned face by coming to the aid of Shawn, reforming DX in the process. In the weeks after, DX humiliated the McMahons in various fashions, making fun of them as the crowd laughed, much to the chagrin of Vince and Shane. This eventually led to a match between the two pairing.
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The McMahons wisely weakened DX before the match by sending in the Spirit Squad, the 2006’s Midcard of Evil (Regal, Finlay, Kennedy), and the Big Show to attack them first. This set Shawn as the legal man for the team while HHH laid down on the floor. The highlight of the match came in the form of Vince and Shane doing old-school double-team maneuvers on Shawn, including the Hart Attack, Demolition Decapitation, and Doomsday Device. We got a couple of Attitude Era-like run-ins in the end before DX expectedly won via HHH’s Pedigree. A fun formula tag with additional sports entertainment values from the McMahons.
8) Vs. Bobby Lashley (ECW World Title, Street Fight) – WWE One Night Stand: Extreme Rules, Jun. 3rd 2007
IMG credit: WWE & mrxpunchout.wordpress.com
After getting screwed out of his ECW World Championship by Vince and company at Backlash 2007, Lashley was on the quest to regain the title back. This resulted in a series of PPV matchups between the two, where Vince would always book himself in a match that offered him situational advantages over Lashley, and he’d end up retaining the belt thanks to an underhanded technicality. The same applied for this one, as Umaga and Shane were both present for this Street Fight, ready to gang up on Bobby at any second.
Lashley dived at Umaga on the floor immediately, but he missed by about a foot, contacting him only with his feet. This soon became a glorified handicap match, with Lashley being mostly outnumbered by Vince & Co. It was dull at times, as Bobby was still too green to compellingly fight from underneath, but Vince’s hysterical schtick made it somewhat enjoyable at points. Lashley’s comeback was well-built, well-timed, and got the desired reaction needed. He pounded the living hell out of Vince with a steel chair and eventually got rid of Umaga and Shane after a few tries, before finally finishing with a Spear to reclaim the ECW Title.
7) W/ Shane McMahon & Big Show Vs. DX (Hell in a Cell) – WWE Unforgiven, Sep. 17th 2006
IMG credit: WWE
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The DX/McMahons saga had finally reached its boiling point here. Weeks and weeks of humiliation and embarrassment finally caused the chairman to snap, as he hired his new acquaintance, the Big Show, to help him and his son combat the joke-cranking, degenerating duo from the late ’90s. In addition to being a handicap match, McMahon himself made the bout into a Hell in a Cell as well, looking to extinguish Shawn and Hunter once and for all.
This is considered to be arguably the most polarizing Hell in a Cell match of all time. I’m more inclined to the positive side, though not by a wide margin. Everyone bled like a stuck pig here, and they all took some nasty shots. Vince might just be the best overall worker in this one, thanks to his over-the-top expressions and villainous zany alone. DX won the blow-off of this infamous storyline by shoving Vince’s face into Big Show’s full moon and smashing a sledgehammer to the back of his head. One of the most absurd images you’ll ever see in wrestling, period. This whole thing was ridiculous from start to finish, and you’ll either hate it or love it.
6) Vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin (Steel Cage) – WWF St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: In Your House, Feb. 14th 1999
IMG credit: WWE & WhatCulture
After winning the 1999 edition of the Royal Rumble by last eliminating Stone Cold Steve Austin, Vince McMahon decided to forfeit his title shot, stating he wasn’t a full-time wrestler. There was a catch, however – should the winner forfeit the opportunity, the runner-up would take his place instead. Seeing this, the Chairman went back on his word and challenged Austin inside a steel cage at February’s In Your House PPV instead, with the #1 Contender for the WWF Title at WrestleMania XV hanging on the line.
This was about what you’d expect when you see Austin and Vince together: Vince getting his ass beaten up all over the place by Stone Cold. Vince took one hell of a beating at the hands of Steve, including a mammoth-sized bump on the Spanish announce table and one hella bladejob. The Giant Paul Wight from WCW popped up under the ring to help his new boss, but he made the mistake of throwing Austin into the cage, sending him out to the floor, thus giving him the victory instead. A smart finish that put over Show’s strength and gave fans a feel-good finish. This was all smoke and mirrors, but the crowd loved every moment of it.
5) Vs. Ric Flair (Street Fight) – WWF Royal Rumble, Jan. 20th 2002
IMG credit: WWE & EssentiallySports
After buying half of the WWF’s stocks using his business ploy, Ric Flair made a surprise return to the Federation on the RAW after Survivor Series 2001, shocking McMahon and the entire audience. He then used his power as the co-owner of the WWF to book Vince in a Street Fight against himself at the Rumble. This is Flair’s first match in nearly a full year, so there was doubts he would be able to pull out a good performance this late into his career.
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With that said, this ended up being one of the best matches of the whole show. I honestly could see an argument for this being Flair’s best match in years. The start was only so-so to me, but it got a lot better once they did the brawling on the floor. Vince was the man in this match, managing to look hilarious and serious at the same time. They built to Flair’s comeback exceptionally well, and him kicking McMahon’s ass in the homestretch had me cheering along in excitement. Vince ate the loss in total McMahon fashion and gave Flair his best performance in ages. Call me crazy, but this was awesome.
4) Vs. Shawn Michaels (No Holds Barred) – WWE WrestleMania 22, Apr. 2nd 2006
IMG credit: WWE & Cultaholic
This feud had been teased in January 2006, and reached its new peak after Vince, along with his son Shane, screwed Shawn out of the Royal Rumble match. The father & son duo continued interfering in all of Shawn’s matches, and this eventually led to a WrestleMania clash between him and Vince. On the 32nd edition of Saturday Night’s Main Event, Shane defeated Shawn in a street fight thanks to another fishy WWE attempt at the Montreal Screwjob. Later on RAW, a No Holds Barred stipulation was announced for the match-up.
Seeing Vince McMahon getting beaten up will always guarantee entertainment. But seeing him get beat up for over 75% of the match? That’s even more entertaining! Though you could paint this as being an alleged handicap match and you wouldn’t be wrong, Shawn having to overcome all the odds made for a textbook wrestling story to follow. Vince took all of HBK’s moves like a boss (no pun intended), and this might be his best performance ever. Shawn taking his long-ass time setting up all the furniture in the final minutes might be too long for some, but that giant elbow drop off the ladder was worth it.
3) w/ Shane McMahon Vs. Shawn Michaels & “God” (No Holds Barred) – WWE Backlash, Apr. 30th 2006
IMG credit: WWE
Vince is still not done with Shawn after he was humiliated by him at WrestleMania, so on the RAW after the aforementioned show, he declared Shawn’s victory to be merely “an act of god”. He challenged Shawn to a No Holds Barred tag match at Backlash, where he would team with his son, Shane, while The Heartbreak Kid would partner with “God” (yeah…). The build-up to this highly controversial yet amusing matchup saw Vince McMahon doing backstage skits where he mocked God, even coming up with his own religion at one point, “McMahonisms”.
I thought this was tremendously wacky and entertaining in the most fun way possible. This crazed maniac version of Vince was the freaking best. The hilariously demonic facials, the ridiculous stunts, the funky music? Just priceless. Shawn and Shane took some mad bumps in this one, and they definitely carried the workrate portion of the match. Shawn’s initial shine and comeback were straight fire. The Spirit Squad made a late run-in, and they helped the McMahons outnumber HBK, launching him through a table and allowing Vince to get the pin. The screwjob finish isn’t my cup of tea, but it worked well under the context they were telling here.
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2) Vs. Shane McMahon (Street Fight) – WWF WrestleMania X-Seven, Apr. 1st 2001
IMG credit: WWE
The storyline leading up to this featured some of the most ridiculous stuff ever seen in wrestling. From Vince making out with Trish Stratus in front of his immovable wife to Vince forcing Trish to bark like a dog on national TV to Shane buying WCW to get back at his dad… this was WWF soap opera at its highest peak. Mick Foley was your special guest referee for this one as a result of a storyline from late 2000 that saw Mick being stripped of his commissionership by Vince.
The first third of this wasn’t anything special – just them doing the usual Attitude Era brawl and throwing average offense in. It wasn’t until Stephanie came out to help her father avoid Shane’s big elbow that this officially kicked into high gear. Trish brought out the handicapped Linda to the ring, and she got into a catfight with Steph after pulling a double-cross on Vince. Vince put Linda in the ring and forced her to watch him beat up her own son, but she stood up and ultimately kicked him in the grapefruits for a goosebump-worthy pop! Mick Foley finally getting his hands on Vince and Shane hitting the Coast-to-Coast on his dad were both tremendously satisfying conclusions to this story. Sports entertainment at its absolute finest, this.
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1) Vs. Hulk Hogan (Street Fight) – WWE WrestleMania XIX, Mar. 30th 2003
IMG credit: WWE
The WWE billed this as a 20-years-in-the-making encounter. And even though that might be stretching it out too far, it made the match that much more exciting on paper. The contract signing these two had on SmackDown featured Vince using Hogan’s own blood to sign the paper! Interestingly enough, this was actually advertised as the REAL main event of WrestleMania XIX at first, which is probably the REAL reason why this edition of ‘Mania didn’t do so good in terms of buyrate.
Notwithstanding the unimpressive buyrate however, these two went out there, gave us a classic story of good vs. evil told in a form of a bloody and messy brawl, and absolutely overdelivered under the low expectations. You have Vince dropping the big leg on Hogan through the announce table, long-time Spanish announcer Hugo Savinovich getting busted open after being hit with a chair shot, and THAT Crimson Mask shot of Vince while he rose up from the apron. This was nuts! Hulk Hogan made an amazing comeback towards the end and dropped three big legs on Vince to claim the victory and keep Hulkamania alive. Both men bled buckets and gave their all for this all-senior citizen Street Fight, and it resulted in one of the biggest highlights of that year’s Show of Shows. Unsurprisingly, this stood out as being Vince McMahon’s best match of all time.
And that’s gonna be it for today. Thank you so much for reading, and make sure to stay in touch in order for you to know about my next piece on the blog. Until then, have a nice day!
Hi everyone, Tanner here to give you my short review of last night’s WWE PPV WrestleMania Backlash 2022!
Cody Rhodes vs Seth Rollins
IMG Credit: WWE & Mandatory
Cody Rhodes def. Seth Rollins at 20:46
I think overall this is a very good match. Not as good as the Mania classic, but this was still a very exciting bout with some nice back and forth exchanges and Seth repeatedly avoiding the finish was a smart move here. Stupid roll up finish but whatever. Good stuff ****
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Bobby Lashley vs Omos
IMG Credit: WWE & Mandatory
Omos def. Bobby Lashley at 8:51
Not good once again. Omos throwing himself into Lashley and MVP distracting Lashley a lot before a really flat finish just isn’t good in my opinion. Please let this feud be over. *¼
Edge vs AJ Styles
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IMG Credit: WWE & Wrestling News
Edge def. AJ Styles at 15:21
AJ and Edge are easily the most disappointing dream pairing in a while. These two put on a pretty average contest centered around the arm of Styles and also the newest member of Judgment Day, Rhea Ripley. Really wish this was better. **¾
SmackDown Women’s Championship ‘I Quit’ Match: Charlotte Flair vs Ronda Rousey
IIMG Credit: WWE & Sportskeeda
Ronda Rousey def. Charlotte Flair at 16:32
A few mistimings but overall I enjoyed this fight. Ronda and Charlotte were able to show their toughness and willingness to meet the goal. The question now is where do they follow up with Ronda’s new title reign and Charlotte’s future which you know is already answered as you know she’s not completing the year without another title or two or three or maybe 4. Or probably 5! ***
Happy Corbin vs Madcap Moss
IMG Credit: WWE.com
Madcap Moss def. Happy Corbin at 9:46
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Better than expected here. A solid back and forth match with Madcap Moss playing the underdog throughout Corbin’s offense. Liked the ending sequence with Moss showing he’s actually improved with a nice looking sunset roll up for the win. Thank good this was solid. **
The Bloodline (Roman Reigns & The Usos) vs Drew McIntyre & RK-Bro (Randy Orton & Riddle)
IMG Credit: WWE.com
Roman Reigns def. Riddle at 22:11
Fantastic main event here. Took a minute to get going but those final few minutes were exciting as hell and really sold this match. A very strong ending to a rather mid ppv. Let’s see where they go from here. ****
Overall Show Rating
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Opening and main event really save this from being a bang average show. We got some solid matches in between, but nothing really exciting. Crowd really ate up Cody vs Rollins and Bloodline vs RK-McBro, aka the show savers. Interested in where they take some of the storylines of these matches. 6.5/10
What did you think of WrestleMania Backlash this year? Share your thoughts using the comment section down below
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Your hosts are Gorilla Monsoon & Lord Alfred Hayes
I’m watching this on the Smack ‘Em Whack ‘Em coliseum video released on April 22nd 1993. It features other dark matches such and Undertaker vs Razor Ramon, Bret Hart vs Kamala for the WWF Title and the famous Bret vs Shawn Ladder Match. Some of these might be worthy of a review, so feel free to request. Anyway, onto the match.
WWF Championship – Ric Flair(w/ Mr. Perfect) vs. Bret Hart
Great reception for Bret in Saskatoon, Stu’s hometown. Early lockup as Flair fires off the WOOs already, and works the count a couple of times. Naitch works a headlock and switches into a hammerlock, reversed by Bret who turns it into his own hammerlock. Flair makes it to the ropes and we get a stalemate. Bret continues to slug away on Flair’s arm, who keeps taking advantage of the ropebreak rule and turns things over with a chop. Suplex incoming, but Bret blocks it and suplexes Ric for two. Backdrop is followed by the abdominal stomp and Flair bails. Flair puts Bret in a wristlock back inside the ring, only for Bret to bridge his way out of it and turn it into his own wristlock. Flair makes it to the ropes again, but Bret climbs the ropes with the hold still on for a little extra punishment. Naitch tries to escape using a drop toehold, only for Bret to immediately wrestle his way back into the wristlock. And adds a few knees on Ric’s arm to boot. Bret continues the clinic by legdropping the arm, at which point Flair begs off in the corner. This opens the door for a cheapshot from the champ, who proceeds to dump Bret onto the floor.
Hart tries to fight back with a springboard sunset flip, only for Flair to catch him with a closed fist. Bret tries it again and now succeeds, after pulling the tights and exposing what’s on the other side of Space Mountain, and gets two. It gets Flair all worked up as we keep up the pace, leaving Flair open for a comeback by Bret with a backdrop followed by a series of clotheslines. Ric bails for some advice from Perfect, but has a headbutt waiting for him back inside. It gets Bret two. Flair rakes the eyes and rams Bret into the buckle to turn things around, with Bret eating the buckle hard as usual. Another Bret Hart bump on the turnbuckle shakes the whole ring. A cocky Flair takes his time pounding away on Hart, eventually hitting a legbreaker as it seems to be time to go to school. The corner chops set up the kneedrop, but Bret moves out of the way and Flair sets himself up for the Sharpshooter. Flair kicks him off to escape the hold, so Bret goes after the leg some more with a legbreaker of his own. It’s time to go to… the Dungeon?! FIGURE FOUR BY BRET! This match rules!
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Flair eventually makes the ropes to break, and misses an elbowdrop to the leg taking himself out. Flair tries to capitalize but he’s limping, allowing Bret to sneak in a backslide for a close nearfall. Flair takes control with another cheapshot as he’s still trying to get the feeling back on his legs. This allows Bret to catch Ric in a sleeper, but Naitch blocks it with a backdrop suplex. Meanwhile, Perfect’s reaching for something in his pocket at ringside. Small package by Ric gets two. Butterfly suplex gets two, as Flair connects with the kneedrop this time around. And a chop gets two more. However, Flair stops to question Hebner’s counting, allowing Bret to roll him up for two. Bret tries to make a comeback, but Flair quickly shrugs it off with a legbreaker. And now it’s time for the Figure Four. Flair gets a few two-counts off it but Bret fights out of it with the support of the crowd, turning it over until Flair again gets to the ropes to break. Ric starts kicking away at the leg repeatedly, as well as throwing some knees on it. He goes for the Figure Four once again, but this time Bret cradles him and gets two. Flair chops away in the corner once more until Bret starts fighting back, only to charge into Flair’s boot in the other corner. Flair goes up but… wait for it… gets slammed off!
BRET HART PLAYING POSSUM ALERT! Bret backdrops Naitch out of the corner, and starts finally making the comeback now. The elbow gets two. Russian legsweep gets two. Backbreaker sets up the middle-rope elbow for two. Snap suplex gets two more. Flair again begs off in the corner only to start throwing some chops, with Hart even taking the straps down as a challenge to Flair. Having had just enough, Bret finally slugs his way out of the corner. A big superplex takes Naitch down hard, with a huge pop from the crowd who can smell the incoming title change. Bret hooks the Sharpshooter and BY GAWD wins the WWF Championship for the first time at 26:30. Hebner hands over the belt and raises Bret’s arm, and Saskatoon throws the babies in the air!
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Rating: Just an awesome no-nonsense house show wrestling match here. It was structured brilliantly, with Bret putting on a wrestling clinic in front of his people. A brilliant first day at the office for brand-new WWF Champion Bret Hart, trusted to carry the gold during the ongoing legal issues regarding steroids. I thought the story of both guys going after each other’s legs to set up their own submission move extremely engaging and dramatic. Bret got the better of it in the end, really putting over the fact that he was going to make the most of this one opportunity no matter what. Props to Flair for putting Bret over like a pro shortly before finishing up with the WWF. Great match that I wish had been on TV. ****1/4
September 2nd 1992 Live from Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Stage Theater) Announced attendance: ca 500 (capacity: ca 1 050) TV rating: 3.7 (TBS)
Welcome everyone to my review of the 20th edition of WCW Clash of the Champions. In the midst of all the cameos from legends of the past 20 years of wrestling on TBS, including André the Giant’s last televised appearance, Cactus Jack challenges newly-crowned WCW World Heavyweight Champion Ron Simmons.
Here is the list of champions in WCW/NWA heading into this Clash:
WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Ron Simmons [31st day of his reign] – previous champion: Big Van Vader
NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Masahiro Chono [21st day of his reign] – previous champion: Ric Flair, before it was vacated/deactivated
WCW United States Heavyweight Champion: Rick Rude [288th day of his reign] – previous champion: Sting
WCW World Television Champion: Steve Austin [102nd day of his reign] – previous champion: Barry Windham
WCW Light Heavyweight Champion: Brad Armstrong [59th day of his reign] – previous champion: Scotty Flamingo
WCW World Tag Team Champions: Miracle Violence Connection (Dr. Death Steve Williams & Barry Gordy) [59th day of their reign] – previous champions: The Steiners
NWA World Tag Team Champions: Miracle Violence Connection (Dr. Death Steve Williams & Terry Gordy) [52nd day of their reign] – inaugural champions
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Enjoy the review!
IMG credit: WWE & rockstargary.com
Your hosts are Jim Ross & Jesse “The Body” Ventura
We start off the show with an animation taking a look back at the past 20 years of wrestling on TBS. In order: Cowboy Bill Watts, Georgia Championship Wrestling, Dusty Rhodes, World Championship Wrestling w/ Gordon Solie, King Kong Bundy, The Spoiler and then-WWF Champion Ric Flair (I’m sure Vince appreciated the free publicity).
Tony Schiavone & Missy Hyatt are outside the arena for our first cameos of the night. Gordon Solie and André the Giant are the first to speak. Ron Simmons arrives with his wife and addresses tonight’s title defense against Cactus Jack. Next up, a limo arrives. It’s Bill Watts and his wife, baseball player Hammerin’ Hank Aaron, TBS & WCW Executive Bill Shaw and his wife. Another one arrives immediately afterwards – this one with promoter Jim Barnett, WCW’s Executive VP Bob Dhue, and the legendary former champion Bruno Sammartino. Bruno says he’s excited to be back in an organization that actually promotes wrestling! Finally, someone pops up in a Harley Davidson as the crowd gets louder. It’s Sting!
Tony and Missy throw it to Teddy Long, who’s inside the building with Atlanta City Councilman Robb Pitts. He declares September 2nd 1992 as World Championship Wrestling Day in Atlanta. Sure, why not. Dusty Rhodes is ready to get funky like a monkey live and in color from downtown in Atlanta because he’s too sweet to be sour!
It’s finally down to JR & Jesse, who rundown tonight’s events – apparently fans get to vote for the top rope rule to continue or not – before throwing it to the ring for our first match.
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WCW World Television Championship – No DQ Match with Paul E Dangerously locked in a cage suspended above the ring – Steve Austin(c) vs. Ricky Steamboat
But not before an 11-year-old from Tulsa, accompanied to the ring by Johnny B Badd, gets to sing the American national anthem while Austin and Steamboat stand there watching. That’s … something. Nice way to earn a paycheck, Mero!
Now we can FINALLY start.
Steamboat’s ribs are taped from the injury suffered in the NWA Tag Team title tournament. We start off with basics as Austin immediately goes to work on the taped ribs, while Steamboat tries to fight back using chops. Austin fights out of a headlock, into a criss cross, with Steamboat sliding between Austin’s legs and going right back to the headlock. Austin blocks a backdrop attempt, however, turning it into a hiptoss. Elbowdrop follows, but Austin stops to point to his head and allows Steamboat to go back to the headlock. Rule #1 of wrestling: never point to your head, it always works against you. Austin makes it up by going after the hair to escape the hold. Steamboat goes up but Austin meets him there with a shot to the ribs, before shooting him off the top with a belly-to-belly of sorts. Austin takes off the tape and hits a sequence of backbreakers for a few two counts. Ricky goes for a powerslam but his ribs give out and Austin clotheslines him. Austin works an abdominal stretch with extra sauce, in the form of a little elbow-squeezing action on Ricky’s ribs. Dragon makes the comeback and hits a high crossbody, but Austin rolls through for two and nearly steals it.
Steamboat ducks a dropkick from Austin, catapulting him into into the buckle for two off a roll-up. Austin takes him down and gets two with his feet on the ropes. Steamboat sets him up for a tombstone piledriver that kickstarts a tombstone reversal sequence, won by Steamboat for a close nearfall. They go up for yet another slugfest up top, this one won by Ricky, only for Austin to catch Steamboat with a shot to the ribs in mid-air. Austin misses a chop and Ricky gets a flying shoulderblock for two. Steamboat gets dumped and skins the cat back in, only to eat a running back elbow that sends him flying to the floor for good. Steamboat hides under the ring, however, and when Austin goes looking after him on the outside, Steamboat pops up on the other side, catching Austin by surprise with a high crossbody to win the title at 10:43.
Rating: Very good opener with good psychology, good selling and a fantastic finish. Though Heyman not playing a bigger part was surprising, and kind of a waste of the stipulation. We all know he could’ve sold it brilliantly. These two would have much better matches down the road, particularly over the US Title in their 1994 feud, but this was still pretty good. ***1/4
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Commercial break
We come back to JR & Jesse reliving some of the best tag teams of the past 20 years – Dusty & Ole, The Assassins, The Briscoes, The Freebirds, Road Warriors, Rock ‘n’ Roll Express
“Spin the wheel, make the deal” ad for Halloween Havoc ’92
Michael Hayes presents his new team. He picked a member of the three teams that ruled the ’80s – himself (Freebirds), Arn Anderson (Horsemen) and Bobby Eaton (Midnight Express) – and together they’ll rule the ’90s.
Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton(w/ Michael Hayes) vs. Greg Valentine & Dick Slater
A rare all-heels match. It quickly starts with a pier six brawl, with Arn & Eaton using cheapshots and bailing early on. Dick Slater takes control with a neckbreaker followed by a russian legsweep for two, using the ropes for leverage right in front of the ref. Arn comes in and works the arm to take over, but Hammer gets the blind tag and rams AA into the buckle. Eaton comes in and returns the favor by ramming Greg’s head into the buckle as well, but then Slater returns the illegal double-teaming from earlier to cause another pier six on the floor. And Eaton literally chops the skin out of Slater’s chest on the outside. Holy moses! Bobby proceeds to break up Greg’s figure four on Arn back inside, opening the door for AA to finish with the spinebuster, but now Slater runs in to break up the pin. And once again IT’S BREAKING LOOSE IN TULSA! The ref loses all control and Larry Zbyszko runs in to attack his former Dangerous Alliance teammates with the cast, but Arn ducks and he knocks out Valentine instead. Eaton adds the exclamation point with a quick (and illegal) Alabama Jam on Valentine while the ref’s still busy with Slater, and Anderson gets the win at 5:42.
Rating: I came into this one expecting nothing more than an easy win to establish the new trio, no different than a WCW Saturday Night / Power Hour squash. It turned out to be a really entertaining little match. The four heels trying to out-heel each other at every cost made for a weird yet extremely fun dynamic! **1/2
Commercial break
Next throwback clip: Jim Cornette cutting a promo on the Rock ‘n’ Roll.
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JR interviews Bruno Sammartino. He puts over Austin/Steamboat from earlier and hypes up the upcoming Simmons/Cactus World Title match. He’s proud to be involved with a wrestling company again because “what the other league has been doing for the past ten years is a total embarrassment”. Yikes. Also, he’ll be at Halloween Havoc.
We cut to Teddy Long again, who’s still in the back with André and Solie. Teddy interviews a bunch of hosts, including Bob Armstrong.
Mr. Wrestling II leaves a short message to the fans via satellite, unable to be physically present.
Ted Turner is proud to feature wrestling on TBS. Sure, captain.
Commercial break
Throwback clip: The Road Warriors promoting the channel back in the day.
Meanwhile, Bill Watts announces Brad Armstrong is still injured and thus, vacates the Light Heavyweight Title. He announces a tournament to crown the new champion, which never happened as the title was quietly retired.
Brad Armstrong comes out to address his injury. He’s interrupted by his scheduled challenger for the evening, Brian Pillman. Brian snaps and ultimately bitchslaps Brad, turning heel.
Commercial break
Throwback clip: Flair-Piper in GCW.
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Now some of the best single stars of the past 20 years on TBS – Dusty Rhodes, Stan Hansen, Ron Garvin, Tony Atlas, Magnum TA, Buzz Sawyer, Mr. Wrestling II, The Great Kabuki, Ted DiBiase, Cowboy Bill Watts, Wahoo McDaniel, The Masked Superstar, Jimmy Valiant, King Kong Bundy, The Spoiler, Tully Blanchard, Ric Flair, Terry Funk, Tommy Rich, Roddy Piper
Another “spin the wheel, make the deal” video ad for Halloween Havoc
Commercial break
Throwback clip: special referee Earnie Shavers gets in Flair’s face.
We take an extended look at Ron Simmons’ career, of course culminating with his World Championship win over Vader the prior month.
WCW World Heavyweight Championship – Ron Simmons(c) vs. Cactus Jack
Simmons wastes no time early on and fires away with a shoulderblock for two. Ron overpowers Foley and takes control with a headlock, but Cactus escapes with a running headbutt. Cactus dumps Simmons to set him up for the Cactus Elbow, only for Ron to get up on his feet and dare Foley to jump, who thinks better about it. Back in, Cactus chokes and bites away to provoke a slugfest. Ron gets the better of it, until Foley cheapshots him and dumps him with the Cactus Clothesline. He follows it up with the Cactus Elbow but misses the double-arm DDT back inside, hitting a trio of short clotheslines instead for two. Jack works a chinlock until Ron escapes and runs wild with a series of headbutts. Ron goes up for a flying faceplant that gets two. Cactus avoids the powerslam, only to eat a flying shoulderblock. And Ron gives him another one for fun. It gets two. Simmons hits a delayed backdrop of sorts followed by a clothesline, but he’s again tossed to the floor by Cactus, who slams him out on the floor. He drops a second Cactus Elbow outside, but Ron does a half-assed selljob and immediately pops up with a spinebuster back in the ring. Uh, really? And then he just finishes with the powerslam at 8:51.
Rating: While not necessarily bad, it definitely could’ve been a lot better given who’s involved. Foley’s crazy elbow had always been sold as this highly dangerous move against all kinds of top guys (Sting, for example), and seeing it get no-sold here – the second of the night, no less – made for a really awkward and abrupt ending. **
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JR & Jesse recap Masahiro Chono beating Rick Rude in Japan to reinstate the NWA World Heavyweight Title.
Rick Rude challenges Chono for a second round, this time in the United States.
Once again, the “spin the wheel make the deal” video.
Commercial break
Cactus Jack says he’s never been more hurt but he’s never been happier. While he was unsuccessful, he found Ron’s weaknesses. He introduces The Barbarian and Ron’s former “Doom” partner Butch Reed to continue the chase. Which takes us to…
The Barbarian & Butch Reed vs. Barry Windham & Dustin Rhodes
Cactus Jack joins us on commentary for this one. Barb no-sells a couple of Dustin’s shoulderblocks to start, until eventually Windham joins for some double-teaming. Barry with an O’Connor roll on Barb for two. Dustin takes over on Reed, but misses a blind charge and eats post. Barb & Reed take control with a double clothesline on Rhodes. The Barbarian chokes away on the ropes before cutting the ring in half to prevent the tag. Swinging neckbreaker by Butch gets two. Dustin finally manages to get a few shots in, but Reed rakes the eyes while Barbarian has the ref distracted. Barbarian with a powerslam into an elbowdrop for two. Dustin manages to backdrop his way out of a Butch Reed piledriver, and they clothesline each other for a double KO spot. Windham finally gets the hot tag and he runs wild. Dropkcik to Barbarian, clothesline to Reed, lariat to Barbarian. He’s a house of fire BY GAWD! Windham finishes Barb with the superplex but stops to go after Reed. Dustin joins him as they take Reed out with a double dropkick, but this gives Barbarian enough time to catch Windham with the big boot at 8:13.
Rating: A fine tag match to establish Cactus’ new stable. It goint the point across well enough. **
Recap of the multiple stories intertwined in tonight’s main event: Vader injuring Sting in the spring; Vader winning the WCW Title from Sting at GAB; the debuting Jake Roberts attacking Sting and costing his title rematch to start their feud; Nikita Koloff and Rick Rude’s feud over the US Title
Main Event
Eight Men Elimination Tag Team Match – Big Van Vader, Jake Roberts, Rick Rude & The Super Invader(w/ Harley Race & Madusa) vs. Sting, Nikita Koloff & The Steiners (Rick & Scott)
Vader and Rick exchange some bombs to start. Rick actually gets the better of that at first, only to eat a massive clothesline. Vader squashes Rick with an avalanche in the corner, following it up with another clothesline. Rick comes back with a belly to belly, and Vader bails. But then Super Invader gets tagged in, before this gets fun or something. Invader works a HERCULEAN chinlock on Koloff, but they can’t shoulderblock each other and we reach a stalemate. Koloff finally manages to hit a couple of shoulderblocks and hits a crossbody for two. Rude comes in against his challenger, but Koloff quickly turns things around and brings in Scott. Steiner continues the work on Rude’s arm that Koloff began, but Rude manages to overpower Scott and tags Invader back in. He slugs away on Scott for a while, but ends up eating a Tiger Driver and a belly to belly. Steiner sets him up for the Frankensteiner, but Rude makes the blind tag and the heels take over using quick tags. Vader smashes Scott with a few rugged elbows in the corner. Rude follows it up with a clothesline. However, he stops for some hip-swiveling action, earning him a tilt-a-whirl slam from Scott. Hot tag Nikita who runs wild on Roberts, before cleaning house on all the heels. Rude catches him with a knee to the gut from the apron, though, and Roberts rolls him up at 7:26.
Nikita Koloff eliminated (by Jake Roberts)
Sting wastes no time after the elimination with a backdrop on Invader. Powerslam sets up an elbowdrop, and a bulldog evens things up at 7:52.
The Super Invader eliminated (by Sting)
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Rick Steiner takes Vader down with a Steinerline, before taking him down with a german suplex. Rick gets too excited and goes up to the top, though, getting caught by Vader with a powerslam. Chokeslam sets up the flying splash, but Rick kicks out at two. Rude comes in to work a headlock, and Roberts distracts the ref making him miss ahot tag to Sting. This allows Vader to powerslam Rick as now he goes up, with Rick powerslamming the big man down! Rick SOMEHOW gets Vader on his shoulders for a Steiner Device alongside Scott… who gets DQ’d because of the top rope rule at 11:24. F***ing really??
Scott Steiner eliminated
Rick dumps Vader with a Steinerline. However, Rick Rude jumps in with a Rude Awakening to Steiner on the concrete, who gets counted-out at 12:19.
Rick Steiner eliminated
It’s down to Sting alone against Vader, Roberts and Rude. Vader misses a buttdrop splash on Sting, who then faceplants Roberts. Sting manages to hit a quick Stinger Splash and he quickly goes for the Scorpion Deathlock, but Rude breaks it up with a clothesline from the apron. Sting makes his big comeback, though, and a bulldog on Rude gets two. Slingshot suplex while Vader is going up, who ends up splashing both Sting and Rude for another dumb DQ at 15:13.
Big Van Vader eliminated
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Roberts pulls Rude to their corner while the ref’s still busy with Vader. Jake gets the easy tag and the DDT is academic at 15:57.
Rating: While it felt rushed at times and many of the eliminations were nonsensical (especially that stupid top rope rule), this was good at times. I particularly liked the interactions between Vader and Rick Steiner, who was unquestionably the MVP of this match. The finish perfectly fit Jake’s gimmick, while also continuing to put Vader’s stuff over as deadly. Nothing memorable but still a good little main event here. ***
JR reveals the voting results: 88% of the fans want the top rope rule gone. How shocking.
Next Saturday on WCW Saturday Night: Steiners vs. Eaton & Arn.
The promo package for Sting vs. Roberts at Halloween Havoc airs one final time.
END OF THE SHOW
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Final thoughts: While there’s nothing outstanding here, it’s definitely not a bad show either. The cameos and the throwback videos give this show a special vibe, and things were developed here. Particularly the debut of two new stables. Steamboat vs. Austin is the best match of the bunch, but there’s more to see here. Overall, I’d say it’s a slightly recommended show that has its moments. 6/10
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