WWE King of the Ring 97'
May 1997 - Providence, Rhode Island
CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, The Undertaker holds the WWE World Championship, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels are the WWE World Tag Team Champions, Owen Hart held the Intercontinental Championship, and the British Bulldog was the European Champion.
COMMENTATORS: Vince McMahon and Jim Ross
Ahmed Johnson taking on Hunter Hearst Helmsley (with Chyna) is our opener. In my write-up of the previous month's A Cold Day in Hell show, I mentioned that I was impressed by ol' Ahmed Johnson and have to admit, he's pretty good here too, a quality strongman foil to the crafty Helmsley. The finish is refreshing - the match strongly closes out in a way that actually lends credibility to the idea that a finishing move, hit at the right time, can end a match. If this one occurred today, there'd be seven more nearfalls and at least one unnecessary table spot. A smartly-worked, albeit brief, almost-slightly-above-average opener. (2.5/5)
Mankind vs. Jerry Lawler is our next bout, but it doesn't start until after Mankind cuts a brief promo about his "uncle" Paul Bearer turning on him to rejoin the Undertaker. On commentary, Vince notes that the crowd is giving Foley a surprisingly positive response and there are a number of pro-Mankind signs and tee-shirts in the audience, even if his promo isn't nearly as approval-seeking as they would become over the next few years. After Lawler shares some thoughts on Mankind, Vince, and everyone else in the arena, the action begins in earnest and the King busts out some of his legendary brawling skills, putting on a much stiffer match than one might've expected. I can see myself not being too fond of this match at the time it aired (I was pretty ignorant to Lawler's greatness back then), but revisiting it, this is a gem of a match - a real showcase for both men's Hall of Fame showmanship, storytelling ability, and charisma. With an excellent finish (and one I'm not surprised Foley and Helmsley would reuse later in the show and in their bout on the next month's card), this is one for fans of "old school" action done right. (3.5/5)
A kickass, but super short Brian Pillman/Steve Austin segment follows that just makes me feel sad that we never really got to see these two duke it out in the WWE, though, by this point, Pillman was certainly not as agile and capable an in-ring performer as he was during their Hollywood Blondes run. (+1)
Crush of the Nation of Domination arrives next (sans Savio Vega or Farooq) to take on Goldust (with Marlena). Like Mankind, Goldust had been turned babyface after taking part in a series of sit-down interviews with Jim Ross that "pulled the curtain back" on how Dustin Rhodes became
the Bizarre One. Brian "Crush" Adams is on my shortlist of least favorite workers ever, so I'll give most of the credit for this match not being a total turd to Goldie. The positives he brings to the match (enthusiasm, good shtick) almost balance out the headlock-based effort we get from Crush. (1.5/5)
Our next match-up is a bit of a prelude to the following month's Canadian Stampede show, The Legion of Doom and Sycho Sid taking on Owen Hart, Davey Boy Smith, and Jim Neidhart of the Hart Foundation. Owen starts things off against Animal, the two best workers on their respective teams setting a fast, action-packed pace featuring the usual mix of power moves out of the faces, cheap shots out of the heels, and all the signature spots one would expect (Hawk no-selling a Bulldog piledriver, Owen hitting his spinning heel kick, etc.). Nothing too remarkable, aside from a slightly messy finish. Not a bad match, but one that might be more deserving of a spot on a house show card rather than a $30 super show. (2/5)
The King of the Ring finals are next - Mankind vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Obviously these two would go on to have matches that start out much hotter than this one, the fans not nearly as invested in the outcome as they would be for their eventual series of matches in 99', for example. What's fun about watching this one, though, is seeing how good Helmsley and Mankind are at playing specific characters not yet fully-formed and far more "gimmick heavy" than the "shades of grey" characters they'd be in the Attitude Era's peak. At this point, Helmsley is still The Blue Blood, heavily inspired by Regal, while Mankind is the deranged, malformed maniac with the astute brain, the Elephant Man As Wrestler. They're polar opposites and it comes across throughout the contest in their character work and wrestling style. Foley does a great job of selling not only the damage inflicted by Helmsley, but also the neck pains he earned against Lawler earlier, further building sympathy from the audience (even if the audience is a bit quiet for stretches and there's at least one fan audibly chanting "Boring" at times). Helmsley takes a big back body drop on the arena floor and Foley follows it up with his signature elbow drop off the apron in one highlight. Chyna plays difference-maker multiple times, the crowd unanimously hating her for it. Foley takes a WCW-level sick bump into the guardrail that looks like a career-ender, building towards a table-assisted pedigree that sufficiently nudges this match beyond just being a good, no-frills battle. Just when this match seems over, Foley takes yet another nasty fall to the outside and the cheers for Mankind ramp up, the crowd taking tremendous pity on the underdog. If you have the patience for it, this is one that pays off in great ways during its second half (and particularly in its last third). (3.5/5)
The WWE Tag Team Champions clash in our next contest - Shawn Michaels taking on Steve Austin. Prior to the match, Bret Hart cuts a promo hyping the next month's Canadian Stampede PPV, but the Hart Foundation is ushered away from the ring before either of the babyfaces come out. Austin gets a loud mix of cheers (from the older male fans) and boos (from Michaels' supporters - the youngsters, the women). In the first minute, an overzealous fan (who Vince refers to as a "Special Olympian") ends up on the outside of the ring, leading to an unplanned opportunity for Michaels to draw sympathy and Austin, through sheer negligence, to get some heat. Stone Cold controls a majority of the match, letting Shawn do what he does best - bump, sell, and pop the crowd with fiery comebacks, showing off his undeniable athleticism. What really wowed me on this re-watch, though, was how much actual wrestling takes place - there's a great pinfall sequence at one point, all sorts of submission reversals, and several instances where one participant cleverly avoids one of the other's signature spots. It makes for a match where, when Austin hits a big clothesline, for example, you actually bite on the nearfall. The "conclusion" is an unfortunate, face-saving non-finish and the crowd reacts appropriately - by tossing garbage in the ring. From a booking standpoint, it makes perfect sense, but it is impossible to "unsee it" - what would otherwise be fondly remembered as one of the highlights of Austin's remarkable rise to the top becomes a mere footnote without a satisfactory ending to an otherwise excellent back-and-forth match. Extra note - Meltzer gave this a full 4 stars in the Observer. (3.5/5)
Main event time - The Undertaker vs. Farooq for the Deadman's WWE World Championship. These two waste little time with antics, Farooq landing some big offense early, including an impressive powerslam, before knocking Taker off the top rope and into a sea of Nation of Domination members. The heavy involvement of the heel's support staff allows Farooq to maintain control, hitting Taker with a nasty piledriver as the crowd chants "Rest in Peace" in support of the champ. Dissension among the Nation of Domination members causes a distraction, giving Taker the opportunity he needs to land the Tombstone in an otherwise fairly unremarkable match. Not nearly as good as either of the previous bouts, this one at least pleases the crowd with an ending they wanted to see while still furthering both of the major storylines that these match needed to do - first, the collapse of the Nation, and second, the Undertaker being forced to do Paul Bearer's bidding due to the secret he holds over the Phenom's head. During the post-match, trash begins to be tossed into the ring as Taker (under the influence of Bearer) hits Farooq with some (embarrassingly poor) chokeslams. This leads to an unexpected appearance by Ahmed Johnson, for some reason defending the guy that almost permanently took him out of the WWE. An injury kept the resulting Johnson/Taker match (penciled in for Canadian Stampede) from taking place and I'm not sure that's a bad thing. (2/5)
With a score of 2.79-out-of-5 on the Kwang Scale, I was pleasantly surprised by how much this show holds up. Austin/HBK is a great match spoiled by a necessary-but-unsatisfying finish. The King of the Ring tournament itself is fairly strong, thanks in large part to how good Foley is at working two violent matches against Lawler and Triple H. While the rest of the matches on the card aren't too great, there are specific moments that help move the show along - the Austin/Pillman segment, the fun of seeing Sid return to action (to a huge response, by the way), and even the main event's intriguing post-match action. Still, without some nostalgic appreciation for the star performers on this show, this might be a difficult 3-hours to spend.
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
The WWE Tag Team Champions clash in our next contest - Shawn Michaels taking on Steve Austin. Prior to the match, Bret Hart cuts a promo hyping the next month's Canadian Stampede PPV, but the Hart Foundation is ushered away from the ring before either of the babyfaces come out. Austin gets a loud mix of cheers (from the older male fans) and boos (from Michaels' supporters - the youngsters, the women). In the first minute, an overzealous fan (who Vince refers to as a "Special Olympian") ends up on the outside of the ring, leading to an unplanned opportunity for Michaels to draw sympathy and Austin, through sheer negligence, to get some heat. Stone Cold controls a majority of the match, letting Shawn do what he does best - bump, sell, and pop the crowd with fiery comebacks, showing off his undeniable athleticism. What really wowed me on this re-watch, though, was how much actual wrestling takes place - there's a great pinfall sequence at one point, all sorts of submission reversals, and several instances where one participant cleverly avoids one of the other's signature spots. It makes for a match where, when Austin hits a big clothesline, for example, you actually bite on the nearfall. The "conclusion" is an unfortunate, face-saving non-finish and the crowd reacts appropriately - by tossing garbage in the ring. From a booking standpoint, it makes perfect sense, but it is impossible to "unsee it" - what would otherwise be fondly remembered as one of the highlights of Austin's remarkable rise to the top becomes a mere footnote without a satisfactory ending to an otherwise excellent back-and-forth match. Extra note - Meltzer gave this a full 4 stars in the Observer. (3.5/5)
Main event time - The Undertaker vs. Farooq for the Deadman's WWE World Championship. These two waste little time with antics, Farooq landing some big offense early, including an impressive powerslam, before knocking Taker off the top rope and into a sea of Nation of Domination members. The heavy involvement of the heel's support staff allows Farooq to maintain control, hitting Taker with a nasty piledriver as the crowd chants "Rest in Peace" in support of the champ. Dissension among the Nation of Domination members causes a distraction, giving Taker the opportunity he needs to land the Tombstone in an otherwise fairly unremarkable match. Not nearly as good as either of the previous bouts, this one at least pleases the crowd with an ending they wanted to see while still furthering both of the major storylines that these match needed to do - first, the collapse of the Nation, and second, the Undertaker being forced to do Paul Bearer's bidding due to the secret he holds over the Phenom's head. During the post-match, trash begins to be tossed into the ring as Taker (under the influence of Bearer) hits Farooq with some (embarrassingly poor) chokeslams. This leads to an unexpected appearance by Ahmed Johnson, for some reason defending the guy that almost permanently took him out of the WWE. An injury kept the resulting Johnson/Taker match (penciled in for Canadian Stampede) from taking place and I'm not sure that's a bad thing. (2/5)
With a score of 2.79-out-of-5 on the Kwang Scale, I was pleasantly surprised by how much this show holds up. Austin/HBK is a great match spoiled by a necessary-but-unsatisfying finish. The King of the Ring tournament itself is fairly strong, thanks in large part to how good Foley is at working two violent matches against Lawler and Triple H. While the rest of the matches on the card aren't too great, there are specific moments that help move the show along - the Austin/Pillman segment, the fun of seeing Sid return to action (to a huge response, by the way), and even the main event's intriguing post-match action. Still, without some nostalgic appreciation for the star performers on this show, this might be a difficult 3-hours to spend.
FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver
No comments:
Post a Comment