owen hart neidhart post ss 97

Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #104
November 10th, 1997


WCW Monday Nitro:
Live/Taped: Live.
Length: Two Hours+.
Location: Memphis, Tennessee.
HOUR ONE Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Larry Zbyszko.

 - Eric Bischoff leads the full NWO contingent to the ring: many of them
   carrying Canadian flags. "Hollywood" Hogan even has flags tucked into his
   boots. Larry Zbyszko asks if the NWO has bought Canada? Bischoff gets in
   the ring and says he has two announcements:

   First he hypes the arrival of a superstar, making it sound a lot like
   he's talking about Bret Hart. It turns out to be Kevin Nash, though, who
   is pushed to the ring in a wheelchair by Syxx. Nash then walks into the
   ring and directs a few comments towards the Giant over the mic. The crowd
   chants for Sting.

   Bischoff then comes right out and says it: the newest member of the New
   World Order is ... Okay, so he doesn't actually say it, but he goes on to
   lead the NWO in a deliberately poor (some would say piss-poor) rendition
   of "Oh Canada", which they dedicate to Hart. Remember what Jim Cornette
   said about Bischoff? Here Bischoff himself repeats what Cornette said,
   saying he's signed Hart because he likes to hang out with guys who smoke
   cigars and ride Harleys", and that's he's spending a    "billionaire's
   money ... because I can!" Bischoff calls Hart a "Knockout guy!", to which
   Hogan responds "He passed the initiation!" (That's right, they're making
   fun of the fact that Hart nearly broke McMahon's jaw). At the ends he
   finally says Bret Hart is the latest member of the NWO.

   Schiavone and Tenay can't believe it, saying Hart is a second generation
   wrestler, stands for tradition and is a guy who would never quit or give
   up. After the commercial break they continue on this thread, reiterating
   that Hart doesn't quit and that he's one of the greatest champions ever.
   Only Zbyszko questions the reliability of anything Bischoff says.

   And you wonder why the WWF wanted Hart to lose the title?

 - Mean Gene hypes the WCW hotline, saying the NWO has "apparently" signed
   Bret Hart, and that the hotline has all the info regarding Hart's
   confrontation between he and a "rival promoter". (That's right, WCW will
   now be making money off of the fact that Hart nearly broke McMahon's
   jaw).

 - HARLEM HEAT (w/ Jacquelyn) vs. LORD STEVEN REGAL/SQUIRE DAVID TAYLOR
   Regal and Taylor scored an upset over the Heat on Saturday and this is
   the rematch. After just a few minutes of muddled action Taylor pins one
   of the Heat after a double-underhook suplex.

   Other than noting that Regal and Taylor have just beaten the seven time
   World Tag Team Champions, the announcers spend almost all of the match
   talking about Bret Hart.

 - Nitro Girls.

 - DISCO INFERNO vs. CHRIS JERICHO
   Raven and his Flock are show arriving.

   Jericho squashes him, making him tap out in the Lion Tamer. After the
   match Billy Kidman throws a cup of water or pop on Disco. Disco grabs
   Kidman and lays him out with a Stone Cold Stunner (dubbed the
   "Chartbuster"). Perry Saturn and Sick Boy close in for the kill, but
   Disco is saved by Scotty Riggs (sporting an eye patch). They turn on
   Riggs, but Raven waves them off. Raven then invites Riggs to take a free
   shot at him. Riggs grabs his own head (such angst!) and wanders off.

 - BARBARIAN vs. GLACIER
   Oh yeah ... WCW doesn't do wrestlers with gimmicks. Riiiiiight. Jimmy
   Hart, a big name in Memphis in years past, comes out to coach the
   Barbarian on. It didn't work. Glacier knocks Hart off the apron and he
   doesn't get up until after the match.

   Glacier wins by catching the Barbarian with a kick as he comes off the
   top. Meng then runs in and puts Glacier out with the Tongan Death Grip.

   It's two days later and I'm still waiting for some of the kicks Glacier
   threw to land. I suppose this was to prove WCW's superiority of their
   karate guy over the WWF's new karate guy, Steve Blackman. Schiavone has
   bought Hart's joining the NWO hook, line and sinker, and urges us fans to
   do the same. He also hypes the hotline again.

 - They promo the 60 Man Battle Royal, naming about 30 different guys who
   all have a shot at winning it. I like this match, just because it's so
   loopy and chaotic. I have the first one on tape, and have seen last
   year's. It's pretty damn hard to watch, though, until they get down to
   the last ten guys or so.

 - Since nothing Raven has said over the last month has made sense, he comes
   to the ring and explains his position: he was abused as a child, and now
   all the "freaks, misfits and outcasts" have joined him. It's our fault.
   He then shows his latest find, which appears to be "Heavy Metal" Van
   Hammer. Somebody remind me ... wasn't Van Hammer run out of the wrestling
   business for some reason or another? I only know it's Van Hammer because
   Schiavone said it looked like him. Why bring up Van Hammer's name if it
   isn't him? I tell ya, if Raven brings in P.N. News, then I'm outta here!

 - ALEX WRIGHT (w/ Debra McMichael) vs. YUJI NAGATA (w/ Sonny Onoo)
   Nagata has little trouble with Wright, making him submit in a stump
   puller type move.

   In a moment almost as disturbing as Hart leaving the WWF, Sonny Onoo
   gives Debra some flowers, hands her some yen and kisses her on the lips
   (with a dip). She slaps him. Oh, the horror! (okay, so I'm exaggerating.
   Slightly).

HOUR TWO Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

 - Hogan and Bischoff come out to announce that Sting has done a movie.
   Hogan is so p.o.'ed that they want Sting-tonight! The movie will debut at
   an art house theater film festival in Atlanta. It is called "Why Real
   Men Commit Crimes". I'm guessing it's about the time Sting and Luger
   stole that police car. Unless TNT airs it, it will soon disappear off the
   face of the earth.

 - CHRIS BENOIT vs. PERRY SATURN
   Saturn starts off attacking Benoit on the floor. In the ring he suplexes
   him. Then Benoit takes over and lays in several brutally stiff chops.
   They move over to another corner and Saturn tucks Benoit up into a pin.
   They continue to fight, even though the ref is calling for the bell.
   Schiavone, too busy hyping World War 3, can't figure out why the bell is
   being rung. Kidman and Sick Boy come in, but Benoit sends them packing.
   Van Hammer then appears and he and Benoit stare down. Fit Finley runs in
   and nails Benoit from behind. All of this happens in about three minutes.
   I've no idea what it all means either.

 - Nitro Girls.

 - "Assault on Devils Island" will be show after Nitro tonight.

 - Mean Gene interviews Ric Flair, who says little of interest (but says it
   very well nonetheless).

 - EDDIE GUERRERO vs. REY MYSTERIO, JR.
   Good match, but well short of what they did at the PPV. That match had
   nice pacing, emotion, and told a story as it progressed. This one was
   condensed down into just all the high spots, with Guerrero coming back
   from an almost continual beating to nail the Frog Splash for the win.
   Eddie wins back the Cruiserweight Title, which diminishes the impact of
   their PPV match (if you ask me).

   Dean Malenko comes out and he and Guerrero give each other the evil eye.

 - During the break TNT hypes a special behind-the-scenes look at the new
   "Alien: Resurrection" movie, which will be shown sometime during the
   November 24th edition of Nitro.

 - They play another of those Nitro party tapes that have been sent in.
   Nothing like a dorm full of college-age marks whooping it up.

 - RANDY SAVAGE (w/ Elizabeth) vs. RAY TRAYLOR
   Traylor somehow lifts his ponderous bulk up into an enzuguiri kick! He
   then waffles Savage with a steel chair. Traylor, who I'd guess is about
   600 pounds overweight, still moves faster and surer that Lex Luger, and
   really turned it up a notch in this match. (Which I guess means he turned
   it up to "one". Zero plus one equals one). Traylor climbs to the top, but
   Liz grabs his foot, making him fall and crotch himself. From there it's
   just a formality for Savage to drop an elbow off the top and cover for
   the pin. Savage drops another elbow. When the ref complains Savage pops
   him. Liz takes off, then comes back with a can of spraypaint. She sprays
   "NWO" on his stomach (and has room left over for the "Gettysburg
   Address"). They later announce that the ref has reversed the decision,
   giving Traylor the win via DQ.

   Schiavone spends half the match telling us how awful it is that Bret Hart
   has joined the NWO. The other half he talks about World War 3.

 - Nitro Girls.

 - CURT HENNIG vs. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE
   This was one of those matches which wasn't bad, but it didn't do anything
   for me personally. See, there's just too many stars in WCW, and too many
   guys who have been pushed to the top. DDP seems like he's "great" just
   because, well, because they say he's "great". They don't really seem to
   have a direction for him. Even in his ongoing feud with Randy Savage,
   Savage has won most of those match. Page hasn't even held a title since
   the days when Johnny B. Badd was around. With so many wrestlers on the
   roster it's hard to follow and root for one guy in every match: unless
   you take a shortcut. For example, a lot of fans say they like the NWO ...
   or hate the NWO. It doesn't really take into account how good or bad any
   individual wrestler in the group is, it's just easier to say you "like"
   or "hate" them all. Same with the cruiserweights, or Four Horsemen. Some
   fans just stick to the traditional face/heel outlook and cheer the "good
   guys and boo the "bad guys" (or vice versa). And then there's a lot of
   fans (like myself) who just pick out certain wrestlers they are
   interested in, good or bad. The problem with this approach is that it
   leaves just too many guys left over that we don't like, that we hate, are
   bored by, or just plain don't give a damn about. DDP, Lex Luger and the
   Giant right now are all guys I just have a hard time being interested in.

   This match, which as I said wasn't bad, comes to an end when Hennig
   whacks DDP in his taped up ribs, drawing the DQ.

 - RIC FLAIR vs. LEX LUGER
   I'd swear I saw these two do this exact same match maybe seven or eight
   years ago! Luger no-sells a lot of stuff early. Flair then focuses on the
   legs. He applies the Figure Four, but Luger rolls out of it, reaching the
   ropes. Luger then stages his comeback, setting Flair up for the Torture
   Rack.

   Suddenly Curt Hennig runs in for no discernible reason. The ref calls for
   the bell. Luger nails Hennig, then hoists Flair over his head and tosses
   him at Curt (as if they were in cahoots). Flair lands on top of Hennig
   and starts pounding on him. Hennig takes off (running so slow that Flair
   has to practically walk so as not to catch him too quickly). The two
   brawl in the aisle as they go to break.

   Why did Hennig run in? Flair was seconds away from losing the match?

 - Bischoff and Hogan come out yet again. Hogan challenges Sting to come
   out. Lo and behold Sting drops from the ceiling and walks to the ring. He
   points his baseball bat at him, drops it, then starts to take off his
   gloves and coat. The two meet eye-to-eye in the center of the ring.

   Suddenly Sting is nailed from behind by the rest of the NWO. Everyone
   takes turns beating on him. Having seen approximately 100 different
   Stings, I watch for some to run in.

   None arrive.

   Since Sting is the supposed savior of WCW, I look for WCW's top stars to
   come out to his aid.

   None arrive.

   Past altercations have broken out in the ring and often they are stopped
   by a flood of security officers.

   None arrive.

   Sting receives one of the most thorough, brutal beatings in the year-and-
   a-half history of the NWO. He is stomped and kicked to the mat as Hogan
   drops THREE Legdrops o' Doom(tm).

 - Next week: Nothing announced.

Comments:

The NWO conquest of ego is now complete. I don't think there is a single
wrestler in WCW who hasn't been bitch-slapped, punked, walloped, stomped, or
generally folded, spindled and mutilated. I'm assuming that this is meant to
make Sting look less than invincible, thus adding an element of suspense to
his Starrcade match with Hogan. Yet that paranoid little voice in the back
of my head whispers "maybe Sting is no longer the savior of WCW ... maybe
Bret Hart is?" Funny how Hart's impending arrival and Sting's destruction
both take place on the same night.

I hope none of you out there are seriously falling for the notion that Hart
is joining the NWO. Hart's gonna tell them to "stick it!", and that he's
"The Best There Is, The Best There Was and The Best There Will Ever Be" and
that he'll kick all their butts. I just hope he doesn't take Jimmy Hart back
as his manager.

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WWF RAW is WAR:
Live/Taped: Live.
Length: Two Hours.
Location: Ottawa, Canada.
HOUR ONE Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jim Cornette.

 - For what it's worth, Bret Hart is still part of the RAW opening.
   (Remember, Jeff Jarrett, Diesel and Razor Ramon were completely removed
   the day after each of them left).

 - Degeneration X has a new theme song and video clip, which sounds a little
   like Salt n' Peppa. It was used the night before at Survivor Series as
   the promo for the December "In Your House" PPV (which is also called
   "Degeneration X"). The music now plays whenever DX comes out, and the
   video is played on the screen. (The WWF may have a revolt on their hands
   if it replaces "Sexy Boy").

   Rick Rude comes out and-after wrangling with the crowd a bit-introduces
   Shawn Michaels. (The crowd chants "bullsh*t" as Rude says Michaels beat
   Hart. The WWF actually cranks up the crowd noise, making the chant even
   more noticeable). Jim Ross admits the Survivor Series match was
   controversial, and that many think Bret never gave up. He says Hart has
   now left the WWF.

   Shawn really starts laying it one thick. The crowd chants "faggot" and
   "we want Bret!" Shawn, saying someone else took the first shot (Nitro),
   tells the fans that he beat Bret in his home country with his own hold.
   Shawn says if people thought he was too much before, that they haven't
   seen anything yet. Shawn says he slapped the Sharpshooter on Hart,
   listened to him squeal and give up, then ran his ass "down south with
   the other dinosaurs". Those guys who aren't dinosaurs "down there" are
   his friends and that they'll kick Bret's ass someday. He says that unlike
   Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart and Randy Savage, he has "pure, God given natural
   talent!" Shawn asks Rude what it is he's trying to say and Rude says
   Shawn is a guy who won't quit and that he's a fighting champion. Shawn
   says he also won't beat up on a "52 year old man!" (That's right, Shawn's
   trashing Bret for the fact that Bret nearly broke McMahon's jaw).

   Out comes Ken Shamrock. Shamrock accepts Shawn's open challenge of sorts,
   saying he'll take him on if Shawn is the fighting champion he says he is.
   Shawn says he already gave Shamrock a wrestling lesson last week (to
   which Shamrock replies something that had to be bleeped out). Ken runs
   down each DX member, calling Chyna a "man ... or female ... whatever you
   want to call yourself!" (which gets a pop from the crowd).

   Shawn gets his turn back on the mic and speaks for each DX member, saying
   "this woman" (Chyna) can knock him out anytime she wants. He says this
   "old man" (Rude) could knock him out as well. The same for Helmsley.

   Sgt. Slaughter makes his way to the ring. Shawn tells him to say it, not
   spray it. Slaughter takes the mic away and says Shawn will face Ken
   Shamrock. Not tonight, but at a later date. Shawn, fearing he means
   tonight, starts saying he's too worn out to face Shamrock. Slaughter says
   Michaels won't have to fight tonight ... Helmsley will. HHH says he
   already has a match scheduled. Slaughter says he'll sit at ringside and
   make sure Michaels, Chyna and Rude stay out of the match, banning them
   all from ringside.

   On the way to the break they show the promo for the Survivor Series
   replay. All I can say is you really shouldn't comment on the situation
   until you've seen the match for yourself. Terrible finish or not, it was
   one of the most brutal and wild matches in recent history. Included in
   the promo is the line "What made him snap?" and a clip of Hart's post PPV
   rampage. This is not an endorsement of the PPV, nor am I saying you should
   get the replay. All I'm saying is make sure you know what actually
   happened (on the PPV) before making too many comments. A lot of people
   out there simply didn't see it, and a lot of what's being said is on the
   Net is based on erroneous info (such as Vince McMahon ringing the bell
   himself and handing Shawn the belt: neither of which happened). Seeing it
   won't change what happened, or the aftermath, and we'll probably never
   know fully what led up to it or happened afterward. One should at least
   try and learn the closest to what actually happened in terms of the PPV
   itself, though, and the best way to do that is actually see the PPV for
   yourself. (Of course the WWF may fiddle with the video, which is further
   reason why I can't recommend buying the replay).

 - MARC MERO (w/ Sable) vs. AHMED JOHNSON
   Mero has little to work with here, so we get about three minutes of
   punches being thrown. Ahmed then gets Mero in position for the Pearl
   River Plunge, but Mero slips out and launches a low blow into Ahmed's
   Posse Pouch. The ref signals the DQ. Mero then laughably tries to hoist
   Ahmed into the TKO, drops him, tries him again and drops him without
   successfully performing the move.

   Fat-assed boxing oddity Butterbean looks on from the front row. Read:
   setup.

 - Karate Fighters crap.

 - Sunny comes out to do the ring announcing duties. Brian Christopher sits
   in for color commentary. Yes ... it's Light Heavyweight time.

 - TAKA MICHINOKU vs. "DANGEROUS" DEVON STORM
   Devon Storm is one severely ugly guy. He looks like a blonde rooster in
   Power Ranger tights.

   Taka wins in an okay match. The two blew a few combinations. Christopher
   finally tries to interfere, but Taka drop-kicks him off the apron, puts
   Storm down with the Michinoku Driver, then leaps onto Christopher from
   the ring. The two brawl for a few seconds up the ramp.

   Taka will now face Aguila next week. There's been a change in the
   brackets: Jerry Lynn has been pulled from the tournament and will be
   replaced by Scott Taylor. The winner of that match will face the winner
   of the Brian Christopher/Flash Flanagan match. Michinoku vs. Christopher
   seems the obvious final match, which will now take place at the December
   IYH PPV.

   They replay a few seconds of Goldust and Marlena's interview on the way
   to the break.

 - Goldust comes to the ring for an interview wearing golden pj's, smoking
   jacket and earrings. His face is painted black with "F" and "U" painted
   on the cheeks. Cornette says it means "forever unchained", but you and I
   know what it means. Goldust calls his old man a "fatass", and that he's
   finally living for himself. Goldust says again that he's found someone
   new. They show stills of what happened in the "USA vs. Canada" match at
   the PPV. Goldust says he didn't wrestle because he wasn't cleared to
   (his broken arm and all).

   Vader comes to the ring and demands to know why Goldust left him at the
   PPV. Goldust starts to explain about his arm, but Vader tells him to shut
   up. Unable to come up with a good answer Vader pops Goldust and
   powerbombs him.

   I wonder who Goldust had "found"? I wonder if it's a woman?

 - TRUTH COMMISSION vs. HEAD BANGERS
   Who the f#@k cares?! The DOA ride their bikes out to watch the match. The
   Jackal is now David Koresh, and the TC is his cult. The Jackal babbles on
   in color commentary during the match. He tries to interfere, gets knocked
   down, and comes back to babble some more. After who knows how long one of
   the Head Bangers covers one of the TC and gets the pin. The Interrogator-
   scratch that: the SEVEN FOOT TALL Interrogator-comes in, which draws the
   DOA in. Big Brawl ensues.

   Again, who the f#@k cares?! Truth Commission, Los Boricuas, the Godwinns
   ... how many real athletes went by the way because the WWF signed these
   sacks of sh*t?

   Ross announces that there's a disturbance in the back and they cut to
   Blackjack Bradshaw yelling for a doctor. Blackjack Windham is down on the
   ground.

HOUR TWO Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler.

 - I notice on my satellite that the second hour is now officially listed as
   "WWF War Zone" on the on-screen guide. They kick hour two off with still
   photos of Steve Austin beating Owen Hart.

 - It's been some time now ...

   *KEE-RASH!*

   Austin gets maybe the loudest reaction of the show: mostly positive, but
   quite a few boo's mixed in. Michael Cole gets the honor of interviewing
   him. Instead of dwelling on the fact that he beat Owen, Austin instead
   points out that even though he just spent the last two months at home
   drinking beer and watching TV, that he came back and-with a snap of his
   fingers-won his Intercontinental Title back. Cole asks Austin if he's a
   marked man and should just paint a bullseye on his forehead? Austin asks
   if he should paint a bullseye on Cole's ass and kick him around the
   arena?

   Rocky Maivia comes out to the stage and says over a house mic that he was
   the best Intercontinental Champion ever (sounding an awful lot like Elvis
   for some strange reason). Maivia challenges Austin to future a match.
   Austin challenges Rocky to get a decent haircut.

 - Jim Ross tries to get some comments from Steve Blackman, but they are
   quickly interrupted by Los Boricuas. A scuffle breaks out and Blackman
   holds his own against the two lesser known Boricuas. Several referees
   come out to maintain order.

 - Michael Cole gets comments from Road Dog and "A-Double Crooked Letter".
   They will face Bradshaw in a handicap "Bunkhouse Match".

 - ROAD DOG/"BAD ASS" BILLY GUN vs. BLACKJACK BRADSHAW
   This was great, but woefully short. Bradshaw comes out and starts kicking
   some serious ass. He starts off throwing powder at Gunn. He then chucks
   Road Dog to the floor. Gunn is nailed with a trash can. Road Dog is
   thrown into the steps. Bradshaw nails Billy with a boot, then wallops
   Road Dog with the trash can's lid. He clotheslines Gunn out of the ring
   and sends Road Dog over with a big boot. Billy is tossed into the ring
   steps. Bradshaw kicks apart the timekeeper's podium and smashes it over
   Gunn's head. A follow up chairshot draws an even bigger roar. The chair is
   tossed into the ring and Bradshaw sets Gunn up on the ropes. The crowd
   chants for a "DDT" and they get it, but it's Billy who applies the DDT to
   Bradshaw. He and Road Dog both cover him and get the three count. Noooo!
   We want blood! We want blood!

   Blackjack Windham was apparently one of the guys who refused to wrestle
   due to the Hart situation. Hard to tell how good this would have been if
   Windham had actually been there.


 - They show the second part of the Jeff Jarrett interview (which aired on
   Live Wire this past weekend). This is where he played the word
   association game. Part three is next week.

 - Michael Cole gets an interview with Butterbean. As one might expect, Marc
   Mero comes out says he is a real boxer. Mero asks who Butterbean has even
   beaten? He tells him to stop looking at Sable, then says he can beat him
   in four rounds or less. Some pushing and shoving ensues.

   This was weaker than the travesty that lead to Lawrence Taylor getting
   into the ring. Does the WWF really want to bring boxers into this? WCW
   already has ties to Evander Holyfield, who beat Michael Moorer this past
   weekend. (Moorer was rumored as the WWF's first choice for something like
   this). If you've never seen Butterbean, he's bald and about the same size
   and shape as King Kong Bundy. He fights in "Tough Man" competitions and
   is the "Super Heavyweight" champion for one of boxing's alphabet soup
   organizations.

 - THE UNDERTAKER vs. KAMA
   It's nice to see that there's at least one WWF superstar which the
   Canadians still love unconditionally.

   Before you start getting fond memories about the Undertaker/Papa Shango
   days, let me tell you that there was no finish to this.

   Immediately after a shot which sends Kama to the floor the lights go out.
   The red lights come on and Kane and Paul Bearer take their place at the
   top of the ramp. Bearer taunts the Undertaker, but the Taker will have
   none of it. He says he senses there's still good behind the evil mask of
   Kane and that never, ever, absolutely positively not wrestle his brother.
   Bearer warns that whatever happens from now on is the Undertaker's fault.
   Kane raises his arms and signals for the pyrotechnics on the ring posts
   to go off. The segment ends with the Undertaker looking anguished.

 - Clips of Shamrock vs. Michaels from last week.

 - HUNTER HEARST HELMSLEY (w/ Degeneration X) vs. KEN SHAMROCK
   Sgt. Slaughter intercepts Michaels, Chyna and Rude and sends them back to
   the dressing room. He then prevents Helmsley from taking a quick powder.

   This match was at the dull end of the good spectrum. Everything just
   moved too slow. Shamrock did a very nice huracanrana. Helmsley proved he
   still needs a superior opponent to carry him in a match. Just as Jerry
   Lawler started giving his take on the Bret Hart situation Helmsley
   started swearing at Sgt. Slaughter, which was blanked out (thus blocking
   what Lawler was saying as well). Rude then came to the ring as they went
   to break. He tries to enter the ring, but Slaughter keeps him back. Chyna
   runs in and tries to help Helmsley, but Slaughter grabs her around the
   waist and herds her over next to Rude. Thus occupied, Slaughter misses
   Shawn Michaels running in. Rude tosses Shawn the Haliburton, which he
   uses to smash Shamrock on the back. Helmsley covers and the count reaches
   two when the show runs out of time.

   I'd say it's safe to assume that HHH got the pin, as Shamrock was
   completely out.

 - Next week: More Light Heavyweight action.

Comments:

Not bad, but there wasn't all that much I cared to see this week. Too many
"why's" and "what if's".

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Bottom Line:

Survivor Series wasn't that bad a PPV, but I'm still giving it a negative
review. The Kane/Mankind and USA/Canada matches were okay, but nothing
special. Austin/Owen was good-actually better than I expected-but short (for
obvious reasons).

Hart Michaels was a tremendous match forever ruined by the finish (though in
an odd sense it served to give the match the lasting memory it deserved).
If you want my take on the whole Hart situation, check out the main page on
my website. To put it bluntly, I support what the WWF did, but definitely not
the way they did it. I agree wholeheartedly with the notion that Hart had to
have the title taken away from him. His refusal to lose it cleanly backed
McMahon into a corner. That still doesn't excuse the solution McMahon came
up with, nor did it excuse Hart's attacking McMahon after the show.

Wrestling got a real black eye this weekend, and there's more than enough
blame to spread around. I don't feel particularly sorry for anyone involved,
except for myself as a fan, as well as the other fans understandably and
legitimately angered by all of this. Wrestling is and always has been a
dirty business. Many of us need to remember that the next time something
like this comes up which reveals that fact. Maybe its just a good reminder
that some of us take this whole "sport" too damn serious.

This week, by the way, marks the end of the second full year of the Recap
being written. What a way to celebrate an anniversary.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This Week's Winner: Nitro. How could I give the WWF the win this week?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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Volume One, Number 104 of the "Monday Night Recap", November 10th, 1997.

John Petrie
petrie@bji.net
Slobberknocker Central
http://www.bji.net/pages/petrie/index.html



~~~~

Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #105
November 17th, 1997


WCW Monday Nitro:
Live/Taped: Live.
Length: Two Hours+.
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio.
HOUR ONE Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Larry Zbyszko.

 - They replay Sting getting the bejesus beat out of him.

 - The NWO come right out and immediately Tony Schiavone insults our
   intelligence. Hall and Nash are again carrying the new WCW World Tag Team
   Title belts and Schiavone again says they went out and had new belts
   made. If any of you have the Monday Nitro from May 26th on tape, check it
   out: right there we see Hall and Nash wearing those exact same belts for
   the first of many times. I guess in order to be fans of WCW we're
   supposed to be stupid and not be able to remember things from as little
   as six months ago. If you don't have that (or any Nitro after it) on
   tape, then check out "www.beltster.com": it's the site of the guys who
   made the belts, and he has a picture of them taken earlier this year
   before he delivered them to WCW.

   Bischoff strokes his ego on the mic. Hall badmouths Larry Zbyszko. Nash
   aims a few comments toward the Giant. Bischoff then brings out Hogan,
   who air guitars his way halfway to the ring. Unfortunately he's not
   alone.

   Rick Rude. "Ravishing" Rick Rude follows him out. Now, I'd been cut off
   from the Net since Saturday night, so I had no idea this was coming down.
   (I can't say as I was shocked or overly surprised. In fact, my first
   thought was "it figures"). Rude says there's things right and wrong in
   wrestling, and that Shawn Michaels claiming he'd beat Bret Hart when he
   didn't was wrong. He says Vince McMahon ordering a ref to ring the bell
   to rob Hart of that title was wrong as well. Bret's leaving the "Titanic"
   that is the WWF was right. He then joins in on the WCW program and says
   it was right for the NWO to lay out Sting.

   Hogan asks us all how great he is.

   At least this defection makes a little sense, as Rude feuded with Sting
   in the past. I guess this really does mean that the NWO is just
   "Degeneration X South" after all. Don't congratulate Rude for jumping
   ship because of Bret Hart, though. Word is that Rude (who wasn't under
   WWF contract) has joined WCW as part of a settlement in the lawsuit he
   filed against them after they fired him (because of an injury he suffered
   in Japan). Early word is that he'll be a pro-NWO color commentator on the
   new WCW show. ECW is the one who's really screwed here, as Rude was
   supposed to be part of the angle surrounding their main event at November
   to Remember '97. ECW has already announced that Rude will likely no
   longer be a part of their PPV (nor anything else, for that matter). Rude
   worked with ECW pretty much on a week-to-week basis. At least WCW paid
   the WWF back with some free advertising.

 - Nitro Girls.

 - Ray Traylor grants Mean Gene Okerlund a pointless interview which is
   quickly ended by an NWO stomp-fest. "NWO" is again painted on his ample
   body.

   Roughly 25 minutes have gone by now. Time for a match yet?

 - GLACIER vs. MENG (w/ Jimmy Hart)
   This isn't exactly what I had in mind.

   Meng pins Glacier with the Tongan Death Grip. Barbarian does a run-in,
   but Meng had already gotten the win. Ernest Miller then runs in, but he
   too tastes the Death Grip.

 - Diamond Dallas Page addresses Bret Hart in a brief comment on the way to
   commercial, saying he can't believe Hart is joining the NWO.

 - ALEX WRIGHT (w/ Debra McMichael) vs. STEVE "MONGO" MCMICHAEL
   Debra's only dumped Wright two or three times now, but the injury to
   Bill Goldberg has forced her to stick with him a bit longer.

   Mongo wrestles a Lex Luger-esque match, whereby he gets beat up for most
   of it then stages a comeback. Unfortunately he gets a bit carried away
   and tosses the referee aside to continue a beating on Wright in the
   corner. Wright via DQ. Move along folks ... nothing to see here.

 - Nitro Girls.

 - CHRIS JERICHO vs. REY MYSTERIO, JR.
   Good match, though they blew a few spots. Mysterio does a terribly
   unconvincing job of selling this time out, acting like he has a bad back
   from almost the start of the match. Jericho then lays in most of the
   offense, but Mysterio comes back to get the "surprise" pin with the
   springboard huracanrana. Jericho had hardly touched him before Rey
   started acting seriously injured. this allowed the announcers to hype the
   win as a "never say die" performance. Mysterio was still able to do all
   his moves during the match, which seemed to contradict with the "pain"
   that he indicated that he was feeling. Again, it was good, but I've seen
   better from both.

 - Lex Luger with comments about Bret Hart. Upset. Disappointed. You get the
   picture.

 - Eric Bischoff comes to the desk to taunt Larry Zbyszko. Larry responds to
   the challenge, but is blindsided by Konan, Buff Bagwell and others.
   Bischoff, as the others hold Larry up, lays in a kick to the gut (which
   Bischoff has the good sense to shield from the camera by blocking the
   shot with his own body). The NWO then stomp Zbyszko into paste on the
   concrete. Bischoff poses with a foot on Larry's unmoving body.

   Family entertainment? Bischoff has now pushed himself right up there with
   past promoters such as Jim Cornette and Paul E. Dangerously. If Vince
   McMahon tried this fans would scream their heads off. Bischoff satisfies
   his ego and it's okay, though. WCW the home of tradition? Hardly, as
   Bischoff's continuing effort to put himself over makes a victim out of a
   legendary wrestler. I doubt Zbyszko's eventual "revenge" will ever make
   up for this. Even Cornette and Paul E. got their asses kicked on a
   regular basis.

   Other than two notable occurrences, this hour was pretty miserable. Only
   the Mysterio match stood out in in-ring action.

HOUR TWO Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

 - DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE vs. VILLANO V (w/ Villano IV)
   The two Villanos switch, doubleteam and use every underhanded trick they
   can think of, but Page still manhandles both to earn a pin. Both Villanos
   receive Diamond Cutters. Even though this was standard house show fare,
   it was probably still the most purely enjoyable match of the night. Page
   looked on fire and it just pointed out how badly he's being under/misused
   right now.

 - DEAN MALENKO vs. EDDIE GUERRERO
   One of Malenko's best matches in some time. Both men start off fast and
   crisp (and I wish I had the time to do a blow-by-blow account). Rey
   Mysterio (still selling his "bad back") comes out to watch as they cut to
   commercial. (Disgustingly enough, Tony Schiavone has spent a lot of time
   up to this point blathering on about the World War 3 main event).

   Eddie does all the great heel bits where he tries to beg off, asks to
   shake hands, etc. Malenko is firmly in control, but Eddie turns it around
   with a series of drop-kicks. They then run a sequence on trading very
   close pins. Both climb to the top and Eddie suplexes Malenko to the mat.
   Both are slow to get up and they again ascend to the top, where Malenko
   nails Eddie with a belly-to-back suplex. This time they're REALLY slow to
   get up. In fact, they don't get up at all. The referee makes delivers a
   ten count and declares the match a draw. Dean rolls out of the ring while
   trainers start to look over Eddie, who had landed squarely on his
   shoulder out of the suplex.

 - They replay the comments by Lex Luger.

 - Another of those really embarrassing Nitro Party videos is played.

 - SCOTTY RIGGS vs. SATURN (w/ Raven and his Flock)
   Billy Kidman (stepping into the departing Stevie Richards' shoes) gets on
   the mic and asks Riggs to join his Flock. Riggs declines. During the
   match he would lose his eyepatch and the gauze underneath, revealing a
   milky white cataract (obviously a contact lens).

   This match was pretty dull for the most part. Saturn did a few suplexes
   and took some light bumps, but did little else. Riggs pulls off the spot
   of the night (and possibly one of the gutsiest of the year) by doing a
   plancha from the top turnbuckle onto Raven and crew at ringside on the
   other side of the guard rail. Saturn then whipped Riggs into the steps,
   followed by a legdrop off the top. He finishes Riggs off with a really
   weak looking submission hold.

   The last minute or so of this match was pretty intense. I might give this
   whole scenario if Saturn were able to perform at that capacity for the
   entire match. Riggs again shows he has some skills.

 - Nitro Girls.

 - THE STEINER BROTHERS vs. ???
   The NWO jumps the Steiners before they can reach the ring. Hogan directs
   traffic as the two brothers from Michigan are mudholed and spraypainted.

 - CURT HENNIG vs. LEX LUGER
   Though far from being an outright bad match, this one pretty much ran on
   autopilot for several minutes. Both took turns equally in the dominant
   position, laying in offense for a bit, then the other guy would take
   over. It was a little like one person playing two characters in a video
   game: control one guy for a bit, put the controller down and then control
   the other guy ... repeat. The match eventually spills to the floor, where
   Hennig tosses the ref into Luger, then nails Lex with the U.S. Title
   belt. Hennig drags Luger back in for a Hennig-Plex, but the ref signals
   that he's already DQ'ed Hennig. After Hennig throws down the ref the
   Giant comes out to chase him off and check on Lex.

 - THE GIANT vs. SCOTT HALL (w/ Syxx)
   Kevin Nash sits in for color commentary (sounding slightly drunk again. I
   don't just say this to be funny or insulting. Nash just wasn't all that
   coherent. About all he said was that the Giant was "one dimensional",
   then mumbled a lot).

   Not much of a match. They stall at first, then the Giant picks up Hall
   and sets him on the turnbuckles. The two trade a few chops before going
   to the floor, where Hall slams the Giant's hand against the ring steps.
   Once back in the ring the Giant signals for the chokeslam (which would
   have been affected by the attack on the hand), but is jumped by the other
   NWO members. The show ends with a few WCW scrubs running in to save the
   Giant, conveniently filling up the ring to give a hint as to what the 60
   Man Battle Royal at World War 3 will look like. (If you missed it, don't
   worry: they'll be doing it again this weekend at the end of WCW Saturday
   Night).

 - Next week: Nothing announced.

Comments:

Rude's appearance, while noteworthy this week (and embarrassing to the WWF),
doesn't really amount to much. Two good matches aside, the vast majority of
this week's show was pointless matches and run-ins.

Isn't it ironic how WCW continues to use WWF talent to keep up their ratings
momentum? It's simply amazing how so many WCW fans will say "the WWF sucks!"
yet turn right around and cheer those same WWF wrestlers when they come in.

I'm assuming that they are building to a triangle match involving Malenko,
Guerrero and Mysterio. That seems to be the only thing that fits the
scenario. Either that, or someone will get a definite win this Sunday and go
on to face Malenko at the next PPV. While a three-way matchup would make for
a great match, it's starting to make the Cruiserweight division look as
limited as the WWF's Light Heavyweight division. The WWF has two stars ...
WCW has three. The relative inactivity among the rest of the cruiserweights
have definitely placed them far behind these three. The rumors say that WCW
is going to try and make up for this by holding a tournament to crown the
top contender to the title (which by next week will either be held by
Guerrero still or Mysterio). If this happens it shows how much WCW has done
to dismantle their existing division (since it'll necessitate their bringing
in several guys from Japan).

There's also talk of WCW trying to start some kind of "Tough Man" division:
an idea which I think is really stupid. Since it's still just a rumor, I
have no idea what the "rules" will, be, nor what being in the division will
entail. It's just another effort to capitalize on the whole UFC thing. Bill
Goldberg, Meng, Steve Regal, Fit Finley and Saturn are all names being
tossed around as guys who'll be in the division.

World War 3 is this Sunday and I freely admit I have very little idea what
the entire card is. 60 Man Battle Royal ... Flair vs. Hennig ... Mysterio
vs. Guerrero ... Goldberg vs. McMichael ... is there anything else?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

WWF RAW is WAR:
Live/Taped: Taped 11/10.
Length: Two Hours.
Location: Ontario, Canada.
HOUR ONE Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jim Cornette.

 - Prior to the opening they show the finish to last week's Ken Shamrock/
   Hunter Hearst Helmsley match. After RAW went off the air Commissioner
   Slaughter stopped the ref's three count on Shamrock. Helmsley then nailed
   the referee. A shoving match ensued and Shawn Michaels ended up being
   rolled up and pinned by Shamrock. Slaughter made the three count.

   Bret Hart has been removed from the opening footage. There was also no
   on-screen graphic identifying the location of the show. I'm not sure, but
   I think they used some canned crowd noise at times throughout the show.
   Seems like the WWF didn't want to convey the fact that this was a
   Canadian crowd.

 - Pull my finger:

   *KEE-RASH!*

   "Stone Cold" Steve Austin opens the show with an in-ring challenge to
   Rocky Maivia. The Nation of Domination's music starts up and the NOD
   gather at the top of the ramp. Rocky sends Faarooq, Kama and D-Lo to the
   ring. As Austin is busy laying out D-Lo with Stone Cold Stunner, Rocky
   slides in and swipes the Intercontinental Title belt (which Austin had
   left lying on the mat). Austin menaces the announcers, saying he'll get
   his belt back soon enough.

 - Butterbean is shown in the front row.

 - This week's embarrassing Karate Fighters segment.

 - MARC MERO (w/ Sable) vs. JERRY "THE KING" LAWLER (w/ Brian Christopher)
   Let's get this straight right off: Mero did not hit Sable, nor is the WWF
   trying to pass on that impression. Sable was kicked in the head by a
   horse several days before Survivor Series. Since then she has covered it
   up with makeup and her sunglasses. During this match the sunglasses fell
   off accidentally. Fans in attendance saw the black eye last week and word
   spread on the Internet that the WWF was doing a "wife beating" angle.
   This simply isn't true. The black eye wasn't meant to be seen. Both Ross
   and Cornette mentioned several times during the match that the black eye
   was from an accident, in an effort to kill the irresponsible rumor that
   was being spread on the Internet and hotlines.

   Mero gets in Butterbean's face briefly before the match. Christopher
   comes out after the match has started and sits in for color commentary.
   Pre-match they show clips of Mero beating Christopher in a match from
   about a month ago.

   A somewhat slow match, but Lawler showed he's far from needing to draw a
   pension. After a sweet looking drop-kick, he comes out to gab with
   Christopher (who's just arrived at ringside). Mero baseball slides out
   and knocks father into son. The match resumes in the ring and Mero sends
   Jerry back out (up and over the top rope) with an uppercut. The match
   then switches to the King doing comedy spots (such as "boxing" with Mero,
   then hiding behind the ref on his hands and knees when Mero pops him).
   Mero is sent to the floor and Christopher kicks him in the head. He then
   bothers Sable as Lawler manhandles Mero in the ring. Mero takes control,
   but is distracted when he's sees Christopher out with Sable. Lawler nails
   him from behind, then spikes him with a Piledriver (and were this Memphis
   they'd be getting a priest for Mero). Lawler gets ready to cover for the
   pin, but Sable climbs in the ring and wraps her belt around the King's
   neck. The ref calls for the bell. Christopher helps Lawler escape as Mero
   angrily asks Sable why she got his disqualified. (Sable's sunglasses had
   fallen off as she entered the ring. This is where the fans in attendance
   got the impression that Mero was "abusing" Sable. Jim Cornette went so
   far as to say the fans may have the wrong impression about the eye, and
   reiterated that it was from an accident). Butterbean is shown looking on
   disapprovingly.

   On the way to break they hype the upcoming "Why Bret Why?" Vince McMahon
   interview.

 - The new "WWF Attitude" spot, now minus Bret Hart.

 - Vince McMahon's "Why Bret Why?" interview:

   * When asked if he screwed Bret Hart, McMahon answers that while he
     accepts responsibility for any decisions he's made ("and I'm not
     perfect"), it was Bret Hart who screwed Bret Hart. McMahon talks about
     how it's a "time honored tradition" for a wrestler and a champion to
     acknowledge those who helped him get where he was when leaving the WWF.
     Bret refused to do this (i.e. "job").

   * Hart leaving the WWF was a mutual decision based on Hart's dislike for
     Shawn Michaels and McMahon's decision that Hart wasn't worth the money
     he was being paid. The mutual decision cleared the way for Bret to come
     to terms with WCW for a contract worth $3 million per year for three
     years, with 125 wrestling dates per year. McMahon says that to his
     knowledge this is the largest contract in all of professional
     wrestling.

   * Vince suffered a concussion and some lingering vision loss due to
     Hart's attack. Vince says that he knew Bret was going to hit him, hoped
     he wouldn't, but ultimately allowed him to. Vince suggests that he
     might have had a better showing if he'd have fought back. He hasn't
     ruled out the prospect of pressing charges or filing a lawsuit, but
     says that it's "up to Bret". (McMahon had a clearly visible black eye).

   * Broaching the tender subject of what Bret should have done, Vince
     describes it as if he were telling a "story" (laying out the booking
     scenario the WWF had hoped to do). Vince says Bret should have lost
     cleanly to Michaels, stood up like a man, and proved the real champion
     he was to the fans and other wrestlers.

   * On the subject of sympathy, Vince says he has no sympathy for Bret.
     He wishes Bret had done the right thing for himself, the fans, the WWF
     and the other WWF superstars.

   To be continued in hour two.

 - LOS BORICUAS vs. "BAD ASS" BILLY GUNN/ROAD DOG
   Cornette says Savio Vega and Miguel Perez are upset because someone broke
   into their dressing room and looted it. It's quickly apparent that Gunn
   and Road Dog are the culprits as they come out to Los Boricuas music
   wearing some of their stuff. All four men brawl for a minute or so until
   the other two members of Los Boricuas come out. Gunn and Road Dog win via
   DQ.

 - They run a lengthy feature on Ken Shamrock, showing him beating everyone
   from Bret to Shawn (in non-decision "tap outs") to Vader. Some UFC clips
   are included.

 - Sunny comes out to serve as referee for the next match.

 - MAX MINI/MINI NOVA/MINI TAURUS vs. EL TORITO/TARANTULA/BATTALION
   The usual mini mayhem multiplied by three. Non-stop action during the few
   minutes in which the match lasts. Just as they set up a comedy bit where
   Sunny does a leapfrog over one of the minis the lights go out.

   Jim Ross: "Good God no! Through fire and brimstone ... it's KANE!"

   Kane strides to the ring as the minis scatter. They and Sunny end up
   huddling behind Cornette and Ross. Cornette, brandishing his tennis
   racquet, yells at Paul Bearer "Paul ... I've always liked you!"

   As Kane decides what he's going to do the Head Bangers sneak up behind
   him. When he turns they smash their radio over his head. Kane doesn't
   react. They then climb up separate corners and come off with axehandle
   shots, which staggers Kane, but doesn't knock him down. Kane quickly
   takes out both Head Bangers with Tombstone Piledrivers. Paul Bearer
   enters, surveys the carnage and gives his nod of approval.

   Pretty funny stuff.

HOUR TWO Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jim Cornette.

 - They recap the first hour, then they replay the entire Helmsley/Shamrock
   match finish clip which they showed at the top of the show. (Arrrrrrgh!)

 - Rick Rude is in the ring. (What the ... ? Somehow he's grown back the
   beard which had been missing on Nitro). Shawn, Hunter and Chyna's
   entrance is intercut with the Degeneration X video, which gets
   disorienting after a while as they switch every half second or so. Shawn
   gets on the mic and runs down Ken Shamrock. He says he ran Bret Hart and
   his family out, and will now do the same to Bret's friends. Hunter then
   takes the mic and tells Commissioner Slaughter to bring his "fat ass"
   out. Slaughter comes out, giving Shawn a "three count" clap. Hunter says
   if Slaughter sticks his chin in their business again they'll knock it
   off. He then goes on to talk about Slaughter's "old Lady", and how he
   hears that she's unsatisfied with Slaughter's "privates"-that Slaughter
   can't go past "half mast". Hunter says if Slaughter doesn't watch out,
   he'll go over to his house and show his wife his "lance corporal" and
   show her what it means to "stand at attention".

   Slaughter smacks him. This leads to the whole gang laying out Slaughter,
   whacking him with Rude's Haliburton, Pedigree'ing him, and finally laying
   a big "X" on his chest made out of toilet paper. A few hundred crotch
   chops follow as other WWF officials try to rescue Slaughter.

   I'm almost positive the audio was tinkered with during this segment.

 - SCOTT TAYLOR vs. ERIC SHELLY
   Solid match, but a bit on the unspectacular side. Taylor hits Shelley on
   the floor with a drop-kick off the guard rail. He ends up with the pin
   following a DDT (applied as Taylor leaped from the top rope).

   Jeff Jarrett "phoned in" during the match, ragging on the WWF for not
   hyping this phone call (while they overhyped Bret Hart, who isn't even
   with the WWF any more). Jarrett says he'll make his "debut" on RAW next
   week.

   Taylor faces the winner of the Brian Christopher/Flash Flanagan match.
   The Light Heavyweight tournament final will be at the December 7th PPV.

 - Marc Mero and Sable come back out. Long story short, Mero challenges
   Butterbean to come into the ring. He does and the to get into a shoving
   match after Mero tells him to stop looking at Sable. Really weak.

 - "Why Bret Why?" part two:

   * Would Vince welcome Bret back to the WWF? Yes, though Bret would have
     to apologize for what he did. McMahon says he'd apologize for the
     decision he was forced to make. There'd also have to be an complete
     understanding beforehand about what the return would entail. If
     troubles did arise, Bret wouldn't get any more "free shots".

   * Did Bret "sell out"? Yes, says McMahon, because Vince helped him sell
     out. He says Bret sold out and he doesn't blame him for one bit for
     doing so given the money involved. He says Bret acts touchy about this
     subject, and that every time Bret denies selling out he loses some of
     his credibility. Vince says it's no big deal and that other WWF
     superstars may come to him asking for help "selling out" as well.

   * The WWF will go on. He regrets the decision he was forced to make,
     regrets that Bret made the wrong decision, regrets that Bret's fans are
     hurt by what Bret did, and regrets that his own son had to see what
     happened backstage. Nonetheless, McMahon stands by the decision he had
     to make.

   * When asked what he would say to Bret, Vince reiterates several of the
     above points. He says it's too bad that Bret forgot that they were in
     the business of "sports entertainment".

   * When asked when he'll be over it, Vince says he's over it now. Bret
     will always be a part of the WWF in some small way or another. McMahon
     will remember the good times, thinking of Bret as the "Excellence of
     Execution". "It's just too damn bad that in the end Bret really wasn't
     'the Best There Is, the Best There Was and the Best There Ever Will
     Be'. Bret had his chance to prove it in his final match in the WWF ...
     and failed."

 - VADER vs. GOLDUST
   No match. Goldust comes out (in pajama top, nylons and gold slippers) and
   says he hasn't been cleared to wrestle. He presents a letter from his
   doctor, which Vader crumples up. As Vader is arguing with the referee
   Goldust pulls a hammer out of the sling his arm is in and whacks Vader on
   the head. Vader drops like a sack and lays on the mat twitching.

 - Commissioner Slaughter comes back out and says that Helmsley crossed the
   line. Slipping into the old Sgt. Slaughter persona, Slaughter announces
   that he will come out of retirement to face Helmsley at In Your House
   "Degeneration X" on December 7th.

 - ROCKY MAIVIA (w/ the Nation of Domination) vs. DUDE LOVE
   Rocky, carrying the Intercontinental Title belt, announces that this is a
   "non-title" match.

   Imagine my surprise when Rocky and Dude go into a sequence where they
   trade scientific holds, reversing armbars and such. Going into the break
   they run the promo for 13 tape WrestleMania set.

   Dude Love signals for and nails the "Sweet Shin Music". In comes the
   other Nation members, who deliver a whipping to Dude Love.

   Steve Austin runs in for the save, though Rocky manages to escape with
   the title belt. D-Lo Brown suffers a second Stone Cold Stunner just
   before the show ends.

 - Next week: Taka Michinoku vs. Aguila. Brian Christopher vs. Flash
   Flanagan.

Comments:

A lot stronger show than I expected given that it was taped.

Rocky Maivia is getting almost as much heat as Vince McMahon! I'm really
starting to get into his heel bit (just as it took a while for Eddie Guerrero
to win me over with his new persona).

Dammit, just when I figured Survivor Series would be the last PPV I'd get
this year, the next In Your House is starting to interest me.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Bottom Line:

Once again I switched over to RAW when it came on and never switched back.
For all its lack of depth in the roster and lack of quality in-ring action,
RAW is still going farther to entertain me. They're still doing things that
are surprising and entertaining from segment to segment. With WCW, they blew
their wad ten minutes in after Rude had come out. From that point on I, as a
regular viewer, know that the most that will happen is one or two okay
Guerrero/Malenko/Mysterio/Jericho matches will take place, some NWO run-ins
and a possible Sting appearance at the end. The rest-and this is the way
it's been for weeks-looks hardly better than the average WCW Saturday Night.

RAW is still only hampered by their lack of depth in the roster, which has
meant lesser quality wrestlers have had to be used, which has brought down
their overall match quality. For those asking "why doesn't the WWF hire more
wrestlers?", the answer is, simply, there are none. WCW, with their
bottomless checkbook, has them all. Cruiserweights who aren't being used ...
quality midcarders not being used ... names from the past ... there's just
so many wrestlers currently under WCW contract that they just don't have
time to show them all. Maybe half of WCW's roster is on a "revolving door"
and they're lucky to be seen on TV once a month. People gripe about the
WWF's lack of talent as if the WWF can actually do anything about it. No
matter how much money the WWF makes, and how much they have to offer, WCW
can offer more-almost always in conjunction with a promise of less work.
Literally dozens of guys are currently wrestling for WCW completely blinded
by the money and easy schedule-oblivious to the fact that their career is
going absolutely nowhere. For those only in it for the money there's no need
for them to look beyond what WCW is currently giving them. This is why
holding out hope for guys like the Giant and Ric Flair to jump to the WWF is
probably a waste of time.

In the past there would have been a natural migration of talent between the
two federations, which kept the rosters of both fresh, as well as serving to
revive sagging careers of those wrestlers. Both companies are now employing
a siege mentality, locking all their wrestlers into long term contracts. This
quickly leads to the wrestlers becoming boring to the fans of the respective
promotions. That's why Bret Hart jumping ship becomes such a big deal (just
as most any defection the other way would be to WWF fans). Hart's hardcore
fans aside, deep down many WWF fans realize Hart had done all he could, and
were on the verge of losing interest in him (if they hadn't already). WCW's
fans, always just as anxious for new talent as the WWF's fans are, welcome
him with open arms. Even a great many of the WWF's fans (myself included)
regain some interest in Hart because of the new potential matches. The once
natural flow of talent back and forth has been cut off by WCW. They have
signed most everyone there is to sign, and those not on TV are sitting at
home watching Monday nights, content to be paid without working. The WWF
simply can't muster enough money to draw away a significant number of
wrestlers. When they do get any, like Jeff Jarrett, it's because WCW decides
he's not worth matching the money the WWF is forced to pay him. Many of
WCW's wrestlers are kept on the payroll not because of their talent, ability
or drawing power, but merely to prevent them from working for the WWF.

There currently exists a serious, legitimate threat to the future of the
WWF. All it would take would be for the USA Network to drop the WWF to turn
them overnight into a regional promotion barely on par with ECW. What would
happen then, you might ask? First off, a great many WWF wrestlers would be
unemployed, with only a slight few being able to find work elsewhere. If the
WWF folded altogether it would be the single most disastrous event in the
history of professional wrestling. First off, the vast majority of WWF
wrestlers would be out of work. ECW and the other indys would employ some,
some might go overseas, and some could end up in WCW. Most of them would
simply disappear from the business. The second thing that would happen is
that WCW would probably fire a great many of their own wrestlers, since
there'd be no further need to keep them under contract. Next we'd see the
average match quality go way down. Wrestlers wouldn't need to push
themselves. With WCW being the only show to watch, the wrestlers would know
that they wouldn't have to knock themselves out to get over. They also
wouldn't want to risk injury, as there'd be numerous guys waiting in the
wings to replace them. Pro-wrestling would become a very bland, watered down
pastime, dominated by the fading stars of the past and present, crowding
the young athletic superstars out of the spotlight.

This is obviously a very drastic scenario, and one that would take a whole
hell of a lot of (further) bad luck to strike the WWF. While the chances of
the WWF going away completely are next to zero, (as the name of the
promotion would live on somehow, no matter how small it became), there does
exist the real possibility of the WWF being knocked out of competition with
WCW. As I said above, all it would take would be for USA to drop them
(especially if it happened before the WWF were able to arrange a new
television home elsewhere). Anyone who thinks the WWF could fold and have it
benefit WCW are really ignoring the reality of the situation. WCW obviously
wouldn't hire all the WWF wrestlers. Why? Because they wouldn't have to. Any
wrestler who declined a low offer from WCW, who couldn't cut it in ECW,
wasn't willing to wrestle at fair grounds and swap meets, and wasn't willing
to leave the country probably wouldn't work at all. Guys like Ahmed Johnson,
who are near the top of the WWF, wouldn't even get a job in WCW if he didn't
accept what little pay they offered him. With there being no one to outbid,
and the wrestlers having no other credible career options, the minimum
salary in WCW would get pretty low pretty quick. Again, WCW stars aren't
currently being paid based on ability, potential, and drawing power: most
are being paid to keep them out of the WWF.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: the WWF, even when they marched
over the competition back in the 80's, never sought to shut down all the
competition in the wrestling world. They realized that they needed other
promotions to exist to serve as breeding grounds for new talent, as well as
a place for the older wrestlers to go every so often. Wrestling promotions
need the talent to move because the fans need to see new faces periodically
to stay interested. WCW, if they had their way, would shut down all the
opposition and replace it with themselves. Vince McMahon only wanted the WWF
to be the biggest wrestling promotion in the world. Since Ted Turner took
over WCW, he's not only wanted his to be the biggest, he wants it to be the
ONLY wrestling promotion in the world. That's why he's trying to kill the
WWF. If not in the whole world, at least in the United States. Then Mexico,
Canada Japan, and the world.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This Week's Winner: RAW.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Slobberknocker Central" and "Monday Night Recap" are copyright 1997 by
John Petrie, and all opinions expressed therein are his own, and not those
of "Internet Access, Inc". Check the "Slobberknocker Central" main page for
info on how to receive the "Recap" free via E-Mail every week.
Volume One, Number 105 of the "Monday Night Recap", November 17th, 1997.

John Petrie
petrie@bji.net
Slobberknocker Central
http://www.bji.net/pages/petrie/index.html



~~~

Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #106
November 24th, 1997

WCW Monday Nitro:
Live/Taped: Live.
Length: Two Hours+.
Location: Saginaw, Michigan.
HOUR ONE Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Larry Zbyszko.

 - The New World Order has assembled backstage, preparing to make their
   entry. Bischoff is smoking a cigar. Everyone is present except Kevin
   Nash. One might think we are being shown this because something is
   supposed to happen. Instead, the camera follows them to the ring, where
   they generate their weekly quota of hot air. Hogan brings a "Bischoff
   owns Vince" sign in the ring (taken from the fan which it had most likely
   been planted with in the first place). Rick Rude reprises his
   Degeneration X role by standing around and doing nothing. Bischoff
   introduces Hall as the man who beat "59 other men!" (well ... 47 or so
   anyway. I didn't count anywhere near 60 for the WW3 main event. Maybe I
   just missed one or two ... or a dozen). Hogan then gets on the mic and,
   knowing that Sting isn't in the building, challenges "anyone in the
   building" to come out tonight for a title match.

   Here comes the Giant, followed by J.J. Dillon. The Giant accepts the
   challenge, but Dillon says he isn't cleared to wrestle. The Giant says
   he'll sign a waiver absolving WCW of any responsibility. Dillon agrees
   and the match is set. The Giant rightly points out that the WCW Title
   belt still has his name on it. He has a cast halfway up to his ass on
   his right arm. I thought it was his hand that was injured?

   You know why I hate the NWO? All bias against WCW aside, or my
   monumental dislike for Eric Bischoff, it simply comes down to this:
   they're the bad guys. I'm SUPPOSED to not like them! Somebody out there
   explain why I should ignore the traditional "face/heel" structure and
   like them. Their t-shirts are cool? Kevin Nash's long hair is cool? Buff
   Bagwell gives me a "special feeling"? Seriously, what is it about the NWO
   you guys out there like? Their interviews are weak across the board, so
   it can't be that. Hennig and Bagwell are okay wrestlers, so maybe I can
   see them being liked. Savage and Hall are adequate. Beyond these four,
   what is it that's just so damned great about the NWO? Konan is really
   that cool? Scott Norton? VINCENT!?

 - THE STEINER BROTHERS (w/ Ted DiBiase) vs. DISORDERLY CONDUCT
   Squash.

 - Nitro Girls. Yay ... boobies. WCW wants me to treat them as objects, well
   then I'm willing to oblige.

 - MENG (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. BOOKER T. (w/ Jacquelyn)
   Meng is beating the piss out of Booker, but Booker escapes from a
   powerbomb and rolls Meng up for the upset pin. Enraged, Meng slaps on the
   Tongan Death Grip(tm). Out comes Stevie Ray (you know ... the Harlem Heat
   guy that sucks) with a balsa wood chair, which he breaks over Meng's
   head. Just watching it hurt me more than that chair would ever hurt Meng.
   Stevie Ray gets his throat massaged Tonga style as well.

   I actually liked this match, though if this were the WWF the equivalent
   would probably be Henry Godwinn vs. Ahmed Johnson. (Which isn't really a
   fair comparison since neither Meng nor Booker T. have legitimately hurt
   as many guys as Ahmed has).

   On the way to the break they play the special sneak peek look at "Aliens
   Resurrection". The clip lasted exactly 30 seconds.

   In case you didn't quite get it, the Steiners won the above match.
   Easily. In poor fashion.

 - They show still photos chronicling Scotty Riggs' destruction at the hands
   of Raven at the PPV. They show a snippet of the J.J. Dillon interview
   from the PPV in which he made the ultimatum stating that Raven had 24
   hours to sign with WCW. They go live to Mean Gene Okerlund and Dillon.
   Dillon says Raven did indeed sign a contract overnight, but that it had a
   "lot of scribbling in the margins" which altered the contents of the
   contract. Raven, at ringside with his Flock, says he'll wrestle when,
   where, how, and against who he wants to. Dillon says he isn't happy with
   the stipulations, but will apparently abide by them and considers Raven
   officially under WCW contract. During all this Scotty Riggs slinks out
   and takes a seat among the members of Raven's Flock (which now includes
   Riggs, Perry Saturn, Billy Kidman, Van Hammer, Sick Boy and Skank).

 - CHRIS BENOIT vs. RAVEN
   Raven gets up and sends Sick Boy into the ring, making it ...

 - CHRIS BENOIT vs. SICK BOY
   Very short match, as Benoit quickly gets the upper hand. The other Flock
   members run in, but Benoit holds them off. He then applies a submission
   hold to get the win. Another wave comes in and Benoit does well until
   Saturn clocks him with his TV Title belt. The Flock stomps Benoit into
   the mat as Raven looks on.

   Skank, by the way, looks just like Glacier. Short blond hair.

 - A black-and-white NWO sponsored promo replays Bischoff's "victories" over
   Larry Zbyszko. Larry heads to the ring and challenges Scott Hall. NWO
   leaflets drop from the ceiling, showing a picture of Bischoff kicking
   Zbyszko. Bischoff comes halfway to the ring and says Hall is too busy
   defending his tag team title to accept Larry's challenge. Larry
   challenges Bischoff, which Bischoff basically accepts, but security keeps
   the two separated. I guess you can pencil these two in for Starrcade.

HOUR TWO Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

 - Nitro Girls.

 - PRINCE IAUKEA vs. ALEX WRIGHT (w/ Debra McMichael)
   They show stills from the Wright/Steve McMichael match from the PPV.

   These two put together a solid match (though frankly by this point I'd
   switched over to RAW for good). The upshot here is that Wright is
   dominating, but Debra jumps up on the apron and her sash gets caught on
   a turnbuckle bolt. Wright is so distracted telling her to get down that
   Iaukea is able to hit a crossbody off the top for the upset pin.
   Afterwards Wright gets on the house mic and "fires" Debra. (Gee, and I'd
   just made the logical assumption that the two were sleeping together).

   Heading into the commercial they show a good (but waaaaaay over the top)
   promo for Starrcade.

 - RANDY "MACHO MAN" SAVAGE (w/ Elizabeth) vs. DISCO INFERNO
   Tony Schiavone mentions Bret Hart for the only time in the entire show
   (as far as I could tell), stating flat out that Hart was in the NWO.

   Savage has no trouble whatsoever with Disco, pinning him after an elbow
   off the top. After his third elbow he throws down the ref. Liz, who had
   also gotten involved in the match, comes in and places a boot on Disco as
   Savage makes a three count. (Since this is WCW we can probably count that
   as an actual victory, making Liz the number one contender for the WCW
   Television Title). Savage hits a fourth elbow off the top before the
   carnage is concluded.

 - Another of those Nitro party videos. This one wasn't nearly as
   embarrassing as the previous one: mostly because it looked more like a
   real party (as opposed to a drunken frat's cheap attempt to get on TV).

 - BRAD ARMSTRONG vs. DEAN MALENKO
   For those trashing the likes of Scott Taylor and Flash Flanagan in the
   WWF's Light Heavyweight tournament, don't forget that Armstrong was once
   considered one of WCW's top Cruiserweight contenders.

   A good match, but the crowd was absolutely dead until Malenko slapped on
   the Texas Cloverleaf for the win.

 - Mean Gene interviews Steve "Mongo" McMichael. Debra comes out and tries
   to sweet talk him into taking her back. He tells her to "get the hell out
   of here!"

 - Nitro Girls.

 - BUFF BAGWELL vs. CHRIS JERICHO
   Another good match. (You'd have a hard time convincing me that it meant
   anything, though). Bagwell gets the somewhat illogical win after Jericho
   had dominated for most of the match. Bagwell catches him with a boot to
   the chin, then blew his finisher off the turnbuckles (hitting him
   crosswise instead of flipping over him for the Buff Blockbuster).

 - They show stills from the Hennig/Flair PPV match.

 - CURT HENNIG vs. RAY TRAYLOR
   Mike Tenay plugs the Brian Pillman memorial video WCW is putting
   together.

   Why the hell is Traylor getting a U.S. Title match? Hasn't he gotten
   beaten up by the NWO every week for the last month or two?

   This match is no different, as Traylor once again falls victim to an NWO
   run-in and beating. In one particularly terrible spot during the match,
   Traylor hits Hennig with an uppercut. Hennig then leisurely turns around,
   takes a step and blatantly THROWS himself over the top rope to the floor
   (as if Traylor's blow had sufficient force to knock him from the ring).
   That aside, this match was actually watchable for the most part. Traylor
   is in control, on the verge of winning (yeeeeeeaaaaah suuuuuuuuure), when
   the NWO run in, drawing the DQ. Traylor is once again laid out and "NWO"
   is painted on his carcass.

 - Clip of the Giant getting his hand hurt by Hall last week, then still
   photos from the PPV.

 - "HOLLYWOOD" HOGAN vs. THE GIANT
   Bischoff and Rick Rude chase the announcers away to do the commentary for
   the match. Rude doesn't say much: maybe two or three sentences. Bischoff
   uses the time to trash the Steiners.

   The Giant, despite his injured hand, manages to nail Hogan with a choke-
   slam. The NWO quickly flood the ring, drawing the DQ. (This is #1).

   Sting walks to the ring and hits the Giant's cast with a baseball bat.
   Yup ... Kevin Nash. (This is #2).

   Sting drops from the ceiling and tragically falls through the canvas of
   the ring. Nash starts hitting it in the head with the bat, revealing that
   it's a mannequin. (This is #3). The show ends.

 - Next week: Nothing announced.

Comments:

Three (3) elements made up the end of this week's show and all three of them
have been done before. The NWO DQ run-in has been done dozens of times. Nash
has dressed as Sting two or three times now. Finally, the dummy Sting bit
was done once before as well. Obviously originality wasn't a big concern
here.

While some of the wrestling was okay, there wasn't the usual "standout"
match where you could point to it as obviously being the best of the
evening.

My overall impression is one of "did anything happen?" I guess I'd attribute
that to the fact that they now have to build to Starrcade: a PPV which was
already established months ago as being "Hogan vs. Sting" and nothing else.
Sure, they'll try to attach a big undercard, but the vast majority of buyers
will be tuning in to see Hogan and Sting. Even as the matches of the
undercard take place all the announcers will be able to discuss is the main
event. WCW may manage to put together their biggest undercard ever and it
will be overshadowed by the "greatest match of all time".

I dunno ... this wasn't a bad Nitro, it just didn't do anything for me. All
things considered that probably constitutes high praise from me.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

WWF RAW is WAR:
Live/Taped: Live.
Length: Two Hours.
Location: Fayettevile, North Carolina.
WWF RAW Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jim Cornette.

 - Bret Hart or no Bret Hart, the crowd is huge. Jim Ross later announces
   that it's an all-time attendance record for the arena. One out of every
   two fans seems to have a sign.

 - "Ravishing" Rick Rude's music starts up, but it's "Handsome Harvey"
   (Whippelman) instead. Dressed in a suit and carrying the Haliburton, he
   heads to the ring to do the usual Degeneration X intro ("cut the music!")
   DX comes out. Shawn Michaels grabs the mic and says "THAT was a hard
   spot to fill!" then pushes Whippelman down. Hunter Hearst Helmsley shoves
   him out of the ring.

   Shawn then gets all serious and, in a very emotional tone, says that not
   only was Bret Hart screwed at Survivor Series, but that Bret, the WWF and
   the fans all deserved better. He says he takes full responsibility for
   what happened. Shawn says he's been in contact with Bret without the
   knowledge of the WWF, the Internet and "underground dirt sheets". Since
   Bret is still under WWF contract until November 30th, Bret will come out
   later in the show and the two will settle things once and for all-either
   with a handshake or a fight.

   Ohhhhhhhh reeeeeaaaaaaalllllllly?!

 - LEGION OF DOOM vs. ROAD DOG/"BAD ASS" BILLY GUNN
   Mr. Ass and the Dog come out wearing the LOD's shoulder pads. Like them
   or not, these guys are currently the most interesting tag team in either
   the WWF or WCW.

   During the match Jim Ross mentions the ECW pay-per-view scheduled for
   this Sunday: November to Remember. A lot of folks have been making a big
   deal of this, pointing to it as evidence that the two feds will be
   working together soon in an increased capacity. Ross says that ECW has
   "purchased" some time and will air some kind of a pre-taped promo for
   their PPV. Ross warns that ECW "is not for everyone" and that it isn't a
   sanctioned WWF event. My bet is that this is being said because the PPV
   will feature a number of present and past WWF wrestlers, and one of the
   bigger matches involves a stipulation in which the winner will hold aloft
   his promotion's flag. As the angle is currently running in ECW, Sabu, Rob
   Van Dam, the Pitbulls and Lance Wright are all "acting under the orders
   of Vince McMahon"-or so they'd like you to think. They make numerous
   references to "Stamford, Connecticut", wear WWF clothing and even bring a
   WWF flag to the ring (Sabu and Van Dam, anyway). I myself took Ross'
   comments as an attempt by the WWF to distance themselves from the PPV,
   yet assist ECW in hyping it-clearly making the distinction between the
   two companies. We'll see this weekend on Shotgun (and probably Superstars
   as well) what this all amounts to. As to future joint ventures ... I'll
   believe it when I see it.

   The match actually starts off pretty good, but Hawk runs out of gas
   quickly (and as we all know Animal bats cleanup for the LOD, meaning Hawk
   usually spends the most time in the ring). An early commercial (and the
   stretch of restholds that usually calls for) kills any chance for this
   match to ever be anything much better than "okay". Once back the match is
   firmly set on "idle", with Hawk taking a prolonged amount of punishment
   until he can make the hot tag to Animal. Animal, as many people have
   noticed, is in the best shape he's been in in years, and looks pretty
   good cleaning house. They then set up a great ref bump: Animal pitches
   Billy Gunn into the ropes and launches a flying shoulderblock. Gunn drops
   down and Animal squarely nails the ref. An age old spot which looked
   really good here since the ref didn't obviously move himself into
   position. The LOD then set Gunn up for the Doomsday Device, but Road Dog
   nails Animal with a chair. Hawk chases the Dog out of the ring while
   Billy rolls Animal up. A second ref enters the ring and makes the three
   count. New World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Champions.

   Gunn and the Dog are so happy (and afraid of retaliation) that they run
   completely out of the arena ("just like bank robbers!" yells Ross) and
   into a waiting sports car in the parking lot. Gunn, at the wheel, tears
   out of the lot, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision with a long white
   stretch limo which is pulling up to the arena.

   Going into the break they run this week's Karate Fighters spot. This week
   Sunny bedazzles Shrimp Scampi with her cleavage, which gives her the edge
   and the victory. A slow-mo replay shows Sunny's winning moves: both of
   them ... bouncing up and down.

   After the commercial they replay the getaway, make note of the limo, and
   show Hawk and Animal assaulting a security guard in the ring (which took
   place during the break). Ross speculates as to whether or not Bret Hart
   is in the limo. Jim Cornette says everyone who is supposed to be in the
   arena is already there and accounted for. (Does that include Kane?)

 - Goldust, in a wheelchair, is rolled to the ring. Michael Cole moves in
   for the interview. After showing clips of the events which have lead up
   to this (between Goldust and Vader) Cole asks what Goldust hit Vader with
   last week. Goldust ducks the question and says what has been afflicting
   him has spread throughout his body. ("A broken bone!" yells Cornette).
   Goldust says he has become a paraplegic, and now in the last day a
   quadriplegic. He asks Cole to cross his legs for him. He also requests an
   alcohol rub from his nurse (which draws a swishy, lispy "Good God yes!"
   from him as she rubs his shoulders). Goldust continues recounting his
   woes until ...

   "It's time ... it's time ... it's ... "

   Vader strides to the ring, where he accuses Goldust of faking his
   injuries. Goldust's protests fall on deaf ears. He grabs the golden one,
   but receives an eyeful of rubbing alcohol from the nurse, who tears off
   her blues to reveal Luna Vachon! Vader stumbles around and issues a
   censor bleeped profanity as Goldust and Luna make their escape. Jim Ross
   accuses the duo of raiding Elton John's wardrobe, then ties it in to the
   most appropriate Elton song title: "The Bitch is Back!"

 - Cornette sarcastically calls a live shot of the white limo "captivating".

 - They show clips recapping the Helmsley/Slaughter confrontation. They then
   show classic clips of Slaughter in the ring.

   Commissioner Slaughter comes to the ring. In a bizarre, over the top
   interview (which ran much too long) Slaughter talks about dead bodies and
   gut wounds and such. He starts off mild mannered: by the end he's wearing
   his drill sergeant hat and nearly frothing at the mouth. Slaughter says
   his match with Helmsley will be a "Boot Camp" match. If I remember right,
   the stipulations for one of these involves Greg Gagne showing up wearing
   cammo and a headband calling himself "Rambo".

 - BRIAN CHRISTOPHER (w/ Jerry "the King" Lawler) vs. FLANAGAN
   Flanagan loses his "Flash" for this one.

   Early on Christopher nails Flanagan with a Sunset Flip from the apron to
   the floor (nice move). From then on it's a foregone conclusion. Lawler
   gets in a few licks while Flanagan is down on the floor. Christopher
   finishes him off a few minutes later with a legdrop off the top rope.

   Christopher will face Scott Taylor next week. Taka Michinoku faces
   Aguila. The two winners will square off at the December 7th In Your
   House "Degeneration X" PPV.

   Two matches ... ouch. It was entertaining, but that's just too few
   matches for an entire hour.

WWF WAR ZONE Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler.

 - The War Zone has its own new intro now. It's similar to the start of the
   first hour, but it incorporates more of the footage the WWF shot back in
   1995 for the unsuccessful country music intro (which they only used one
   week). My brother tells me that the music is from the "In Your House"
   video game for the Playstation.

 - DX returns to the ring. Helmsley quickly tosses off a few insults at Sgt.
   Slaughter, resuming his military theme from last week (threatening to
   show Slaughter's wife his "soldier in the purple helmet!'). Shawn then
   takes the mic and introduces "Bret Hart" ...

   ... who turns out to be a midget in a Bret Hart mask. Dressed in a
   leather jacket, he plays to the crowd just as Hart does. Once in the
   ring, Helmsley acts as ringmaster, recounting the events at Survivor
   Series. Michaels pushes "Bret" down, then applies the Sharpshooter.
   Helmsley holds the mic close as "Hart" (mimicking referee Earl Hebner)
   yells "Ring the bell! Ring the bell!" The mini "Hart" then confirms that
   Shawn is the best, the Icon, etc. A "WCW" sign is slapped on his butt
   and "Bret Hart" is sent packing.

   While Hart's theme is still playing Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart comes out.
   "I AM the Hart Foundation!" yells the Anvil. He threatens to take out
   Michaels, but Shawn turns the tables by pointing out that Jim has always
   been in Bret's shadow, and that he's not benefiting from Hart's new big
   WCW contract. "Bret's at home in Calgary," says Shawn, pointing out that
   Jim is here working to feed his family. When asked about the Bulldog,
   Neidhart says he's having surgery done on his knee. Shawn makes fun of
   this, alluding that the Bulldog is faking it (adding that he himself is
   "familiar" with that type of injury). Neidhart says Owen hart is
   "emotionally distraught", which Shawn also makes light of. Shawn bottom
   lines it by offering Neidhart the opportunity of his life: a spot in
   Degeneration X.

   Funny stuff, though it went on too long. Yeah, they pulled a "Nitro" with
   the bait-and-switch. If you're still pissed, Hart will be doing the same
   when he shows up in WCW. (Consider this: would this segment have been
   "disgraceful" if Hart was still in the WWF? Suppose they had done it six
   months ago. Why should it be any different now? He didn't die, folks, he
   just quit the WWF. That's all). Michaels now has a firm lock on "most
   hated wrestler" in the world.

 - They show a brief clip of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin having dinner with
   the winner of the Survivor Series "Super Supper" contest. They
   fortunately cut this short before it looks like a Nitro Party video.

 - A special look at Butterbean, showing him beating up guys, video games
   he's in, a song that's been written about him and other stuff that has
   nothing to do with professional wrestling.

 - KEN SHAMROCK vs. SAVIO VEGA (w/ Miguel Perez)
   Ken beats the salsa out of Savio, making him submit with an ankle hold.
   Miguel Perez tries to interfere with no success.

   Steve Austin is shown pulling up to the arena in a snazzy looking pickup
   with "Austin 3:16" painted on the door (as well as other identifying
   "Stone Cold" logos on the hood and such). I thought Cornette said
   everyone who was supposed to be there already was? Austin make a beer
   run?

 - Rocky "the Rock" Maivia comes to the ring for an interview, flanked by
   the other Nation of Domination members. As Rocky speaks, strange things
   happen: the lights flicker, his mic cuts out, "Rocky Sucks" flashes on
   the screen. Rocky cuts his comments short and sends the NOD off to check
   out what the problem is. Steve Austin then appears on the Titan-Tron,
   showing him in the control truck messing with the switches and buttons.
   Austin says "when you're walking through the airport and your beeper goes
   off, and it says 'Austin 3:16', you'll know your ass is mine!" Austin
   asks Rocky if it's "live or Memorex?"

   Back in the ring Austin is shown sneaking up behind Rocky. Rocky's beeper
   goes off and he checks it. Presumably seeing "3:16" his eyes nearly pop
   out of his head. Austin whirls him around and delivers a Stone Cold
   Stunner. The NOD returns, but Austin slides out to grab a chair. By then
   Rocky has scooped up the IC belt and he and the NOD make their getaway.
   Austin offers Maivia an early Thanksgiving bird by flipping him one.

 - Replay of what just happened.

 - CRUSH vs. JEFF JARRETT
   No match. After Crush rides his bike to the ring they cut to Jarrett in
   the lockerroom. Jarrett says McMahon hasn't lived up to his end of their
   contract, pointing out the shabby quality of the accommodations (as well
   as the opponent in the ring). Jarrett, for some reason, is dressed like
   a futuristic Aztec priest. Crush wins the match via forfeit.

   The lights then cut out, the pyros blow and Kane comes out. Crush quickly
   falls victim to a chokeslam and Tombstone Piledriver. The other DOA
   bikers come out to pull Crush from the ring. WWF official Jerry Brisco
   accidentally bumps into Kane and he gets slammed as well.

   Wow ... two "Nitro's" in one night!

 - VADER vs. SHAWN MICHAELS (w/ Degeneration X)
   Before Shawn and crew hit the ring they bring out DX's newest member:
   Jim "the Anvil" Neidhart. One can imagine a TV screen being shot out
   somewhere in Calgary. Vader has one eye bandaged (from the rubbing
   alcohol tossed by Luna).

   The match starts during the commercial break. This one is almost all
   Vader. Neidhart shows he's definitely on DX's side by pulling down the
   ropes as Vader hits them, sending him to the floor. He and Hunter then
   stomp on Vader as Shawn distracts the ref. Vader is tossed back in, but
   continues to dominate Michaels. Vader sets up Shawn for the Vaderbomb,
   but Hunter throws a cup of "hot" coffee in Vader's good eye (as Neidhart
   distracts the ref). Shawn nails the Superkick and covers for the pin.

   The newly expanded Degeneration X celebrates in the ring. Suddenly Chyna,
   who had surreptitiously circled around behind Neidhart, whomps him with a
   crotch shot from the rear. Shawn and Hunter turn and clothesline the
   Anvil to the mat. The show ends with the three stomping on Neidhart as
   Shawn yells stuff like "Who is the 'Icon'?!" into the mic.

 - Next week: Michinoku vs. Aguila. Christopher vs. Taylor.

Comments:

Four matches. I generally liked all the interviews and angles, but showing
only four matches in two hours is inexcusable. Since the four matches they
DID show were okay (barely), my only major complain this week was the lack
of in-ring action. Maybe we're lucky, though, in that we didn't have to see
the Truth Commission or Godwinns.

Maivia's reaction to his beeper was one of the funniest things I've seen in
the last six months.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Bottom Line:

There's too many PPV's. World War 3, which I won't criticize too much (since
I didn't see it) came off as very weak listening to it via RealAudio. With
"November to Remember" this Sunday and "Degeneration X" next week, that's
just too damn many PPV's. Let's not forget Starrcade, which is only about
four weeks away. Quality line-ups aside, it's just too hard to get fired up
for them when they now happen almost every other week. The PPV's suffer from
the matches being underdeveloped, while the TV shows suffer from having to
hype the PPV's, which hampers the ability to set up coherent, well thought
out angles and storylines. It seems the best they can do is like in the case
of Hennig vs. Flair: one wrestler gets a few wins over the other, then the
other (generally the face) gets his revenge the second or third time around.
This pretty much describes the Guerrero/Mysterio feud to a "T".

Of course none of these are new observations. It's just that they seem
especially noticeable now with the current scheduling of the shows. There was
barely any time between Halloween Havoc and World War 3, and they're already
hyping Starrcade now (as well as, to a lesser extent, "Souled Out 2" and
"SuperBrawl VIII"). The WWF, to their credit, hasn't started shoving the
Royal Rumble down our throats yet (but that'll begin soon enough).

The ratings were interesting this week. Nitro did a 3.9, while RAW pulled in
a 3.0: the closest margin of difference since before Luger beat Hogan on
Nitro for the World Title several months back. Both of these are slightly
down from the last few weeks, with Nitro's drop being a bit bigger. A look
at the quarterly breakdowns showed that RAW lost viewers during some of the
lengthier interview segments-Slaughter's in particular. Had they shown a few
more matches the numbers may have been even closer. You can see all the
numbers for yourself at "1Wrestling.com".

In other ratings news, WWF Superstars beat WCW Saturday Night this past
weekend for the first time in ... well, a LONG time. They also tied them the
week before, which many in the TV business would count as a win to
Superstars since it had a higher share (due to the smaller number of overall
TV viewers on Sunday mornings). In fact, Superstars has been tying Saturday
Night roughly three out of every four weeks for the past several months.
When Saturday Night does beat Superstars, it has only been by a slight
margin (usually well below half a ratings point). This past weekend on
Superstars they started the show by thanking the fans for making them the
most watched wrestling show the previous weekend, which means that they may
actually have narrowly beat Saturday Night instead of just tying them (as
was reported on the Internet). If this was the case, that makes two weeks in
a row in which Superstars beat Saturday Night. With the show having a good
share for the timeslot, it is rapidly becoming a very important show for the
WWF. The WWF should seriously consider putting more resources into the
show, airing more original matches (and being less of a RAW recap show). If
they could feature less of the "controversial" subject matter, yet maintain
the ratings, Superstars could alone serve as a valuable asset in the WWF's
relationship with the USA Network.

I think the WWF should start busting up the various gangs and "factions" in
the WWF, then go back to pushing guys like Ahmed Johnson, Crush and Savio
Vega as singles wrestlers. There's some slight talent there being wasted in
these matches, which invariably end in run-in DQ's. A lot of these guys
could be pushed as straight up tag teams as well. They could also dump the
Truth Commission altogether, and put the Godwinns out to pasture. They also
need to start showing the OTHER Light Heavyweights in matches together. Just
because they were showing the tournament match this week didn't mean that
they couldn't show a Super Loco/Tajiri match (just as an example). And green
or not, they need to get Brakus and Mark Henry in the ring. Same with Glenn
Kulka. Marc Mero is being wasted as well (though things may look up if they
do indeed kick off a Mero/Dude Love feud soon). It's time for some new
blood, and with the build to the royal Rumble about to begin, this is the
time to start it. ECW, maybe?

As for WCW, just wake me up after Sting beats Hogan for the title. Maybe
then they'll get back to some REAL wrestling.

You know, I'd actually have given Nitro the win this week if ANYTHING had
actually happened.

On a whole other topic, local station KBSU (which is run by students at the
nearby Bemidji State University) started airing Music City Wrestling this
Monday. The best thing I can say about it is that it has a charming cheap
look to it. I guess I'm just spoiled. MCW airs at 6:00 PM, ending just as
Nitro starts. They also show ECW at 10:00 PM, which is just after RAW ends.
It's obviously being put together by some serious wrestling fans, and kudos
go out to whoever they are.

I'm sorry this week's installment was so late. Happy Thanksgiving,
everyone!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This Week's Winner: RAW.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Slobberknocker Central" and "Monday Night Recap" are copyright 1997 by
John Petrie, and all opinions expressed therein are his own, and not those
of "Internet Access, Inc". Check the "Slobberknocker Central" main page for
info on how to receive the "Recap" free via E-Mail every week.
Volume One, Number 106 of the "Monday Night Recap", November 24th, 1997.

John Petrie
petrie@bji.net
Slobberknocker Central
http://www.bji.net/pages/petrie/index.html

~~~~

Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #108
December 8th, 1997


WCW Monday Nitro:
Live/Taped: Live.
Length: Two Hours+.
Location: Buffalo, New York.
HOUR ONE Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

 - A clip of J.J. Dillon telling Eric Bischoff that he'll have to face Larry
   Zbyszko at Starrcade gets the ball rolling this week. Larry is absent
   from the announcing booth this week so that he won't be a target for the
   NWO, according to Tony Schiavone. Massive crowd this week: over 19,000
   according to Mike Tenay. Jim Kelly and a number of Buffalo Bills are
   reportedly in attendance (more on that later).

 - KONAN vs. RAY TRAYLOR
   Man, how I wish Konan would pull his pants up.

   The match starts off at about half speed, with both just kind of running
   into each other and laying in some fat punches. They briefly go to the
   floor, then back into the ring. The crowd is noisy, but really not that
   much into the match. The move of the match comes when Traylor whips Konan
   into the corner. Konan flips up and Traylor catches him. Konan then
   slides out of the grab, falling behind Traylor and applying an inverted
   DDT. Konan then starts whipping Traylor from corner to corner.

   Suddenly the lights go out!

   For very nearly a full minute (58 seconds by the counter on my VCR) the
   lights are out. Flashbulbs pop in the crowd, occasionally revealing that
   something is going on in the ring (which the crowd can see, but we at
   home really can't). When the lights come back on Konan is laid out in the
   center of the ring. Traylor looks around dumbly, then drops for the
   cover. The ref makes the three count.

   My assumption at this point was that the Steiner Brothers had lived up to
   their promise to help Traylor when he needed it. Poor match to warm up
   the crowd with, but the trickery with the lights did the job.

 - BARBARIAN (w/ Jimmy Hart) vs. STEVE "MONGO" MCMICHAEL
   Raven's Flock, minus Raven, arrive during this match. The fans seem more
   interested in this than the match itself.

   Slower than the last match, as well as shorter (I think), but somewhat
   more entertaining. The two are evenly matched, trading bodyslams and the
   like. McMichael catches the Barbarian off the second turnbuckle with a
   slap to the belly, then puts him away with a Tombstone Piledriver. Mongo
   then faces Jimmy Hart, who had jumped up on the apron. After teasing it a
   bit, Mongo knocks him to floor-except that Meng is now there to catch
   him. Meng enters the ring and takes Mongo down with the Tongan Death
   Grip.

 - Mean Gene Okerlund brings out Disco Inferno for an interview. Disco
   doesn't really seem to know why he's out there. Okerlund runs him down,
   pointing out his loss to Jacquelyn, and that the other wrestlers don't
   know which door he'll come out of when he goes to the bathroom. Disco
   nearly snaps, saying he's tired of this nonsense. He points out how the
   match with Jacquelyn was a "no win" situation. Disco says he's had
   enough. So have we all, Disco baby, so have we all!

 - Buff Bagwell, in comments given to Mean Gene, challenges Lex Luger to a
   match (rematch, actually, from their match last week).

 - DEAN MALENKO vs. PRINCE IAUKEA
   Eddie Guerrero comes to the desk to deliver color commentary, doing a
   much better job coming across as a "cool heel", instead of an "annoying
   heel" or "jerk heel" ... or "boring heel, as he was the last time out.

   Dean has little trouble getting Iaukea into position for the Texas
   Cloverleaf and the win. Okay match, but again really short.

 - Nitro Girls.

 - NWO promo, this time running down the Giant. I'm beginning to think that
   these things are setting up the fans for an increased NWO presence and
   style on Nitro. That probably says a lot about the upcoming Zbyszko/
   Bischoff match for Starrcade. If Larry wins, he gets a match with Scott
   Hall next year. If Bischoff wins, the NWO gets Nitro.

 - Pretaped Kevin Nash comments are played. He says he and Hall have taken
   the Giant's chokeslam away (when they broke his hand), making him even
   less than one dimensional. Nash challenges the Giant to a match at
   Starrcade.

 - Mean Gene brings out the Giant, who in essence accepts the challenge. He
   says being one dimensional is all he needs, but that he'll bring the
   chokeslam with him to Starrcade. Tony Schiavone wets himself over how big
   Starrcade is shaping up to be.

 - They play the Starrcade promo where Sting walks through a ruined gothic
   cathedral, pulling his baseball bat out of a pile of NWO rubble.
   "Paybacks Are Hell!" is the slogan. I could make a "WCW PPV's Are Hell!"
   joke, but I won't.

 - Nitro Girls.

 - They replay the clip from last week of the Sting mannequin falling from
   the roof through the ring.

 - CHRIS BENOIT vs. RAVEN
   Doesn't happen. For the third week in a row (sounds familiar) Raven
   doesn't wrestle, even though he's scheduled to. This time he isn't even
   in the building. His Flock member with the blonde hair heads to the ring.
   Though he's been called "Skank" behind the scenes for almost a month, WCW
   finally gives him a name: "Lodi" (pronounced "Low-dee").

 - CHRIS BENOIT vs. LODI
   Lodi displays no wrestling talent or ability whatsoever. He doesn't even
   perform any moves. Benoit just tosses him into anything buckled down at
   ringside, throws him in the ring, stomps on him, suplexes him off the
   turnbuckles, hits him with a headbutt off the top, and applies the
   Crippler Crossface for the submission. Total squash.

   Raven's Flock consider running in, but instead just stand around looking
   lost. Mike Tenay points out that the group has no direction without
   Raven. Benoit grabs a house mic and challenges Raven to come out and take
   a beating like a man. "You were abused as a child? Come see what 'abuse'
   really is!" (Or words to that effect).

HOUR TWO Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

 - Mean Gene brings out the "Nature Boy", Ric Flair. Flair says he's got a
   few things on his mind about the whole NWO, as opposed to just Curt
   Hennig. He says he thinks Sting will beat Hogan. Showing he's not too up
   on the card he says Hall and Nash will lose to the Steiners. He admits
   that he doesn't know what Savage will be doing that night. He then,
   almost offhandedly, says he wants a cage match with Curt Hennig. Mean
   Gene then, for no apparent reason, brings up Bret Hart. Flair says Hart
   is wrong in calling himself the "best of all time". He says it's easy to
   get a newspaper column printed in your own hometown. He says if Hart
   comes to Charlotte, he'll see who really is "the Best There Is, the Best
   There Was, and the Best There Ever Will Be!" He talks about Hart as if
   he's joined the NWO, furthering the red herring WCW wants us to swallow
   on that account. The fans are less than 100% in support of Flair's
   anti-Hart comments.

   In case you didn't know, Hart and Flair have traded low key barbs at each
   other for the last few years. Hart has called Flair an "unoriginal"
   wrestler who uses the same moves every match. He's even gone so far as to
   not only insult Flair, but those fans who consider Flair the "greatest
   ever". Flair, on the other hand, has apparently said Hart has one of the
   biggest egos in the business: bigger even than Hulk Hogan's. I think it's
   fairly telling that Flair and Hogan have, for the most part, coexisted
   peacefully together in WCW for more than three years, while Flair and
   Hart couldn't stand to be near each other for more than a few months in
   the WWF.

 - The NWO promo of Sting being beaten up is shown.

 - HUGH MORRUS vs. RANDY SAVAGE
   Very early in the match (before it really starts) Savage goes over to
   the guard rail to badmouth Jim Kelly and Bruce Smith. Savage slaps
   Kelly's hat off his head. Morrus grabs him from behind, with Kelly and
   Smith laying in some laughably weak forearm and elbow shots (Smith
   laughing so hard that he can barely connect). Kelly has this goofy,
   determined look on his face (kind of like when Paul E. Dangerously gets
   in a fight). Savage gets away, but Morrus catches him and throws him back
   into the rail for more. (The crowd, as you'd guess, really eats this up).
   Once in the ring the match settles down to the usual back-and-forth
   affair. Savage hits an elbow off the top, but Morrus kicks out. He hits
   another, but this time picks Morrus up instead of taking the easy pin. He
   shoves aside the ref and climbs up for a third when ...

   Again the lights go out!

   More camera flashes and several figures can be barely made out in the
   ring. A loud, fake sounding electrical buzz noise arises. This time the
   lights are off for well over a minute. Once back up they reveal Savage,
   Morrus and the ref all laid out in the ring. Savage has a Sting mask on,
   which pretty much tells us who is doing all this. No finish to the match
   ... they just go to break showing the mess in the ring.

 - "Ravishing" Rick Rude and Eric Bischoff come to the announcer's desk.
   Rude grabs a mic and accuses Tony Schiavone of being in on everything
   that goes on in WCW, since it's WCW who not only pays his salary, but
   also the production crew and power bill. He calls Tony, Mike and Bobby
   the "Three Monkeys", and says if anything else funny happens he'll come
   out and take the three of them out. He then grabs Tenay's wrists and
   forces his hands over his eyes ("See No Evil"), and puts Tony's hands
   over his mouth ("Speak No Evil"). The Brain wisely covers his own ears
   ("Hear No Evil"). After they've left Bobby points out that he once
   managed Rude, yet he's never seen him fired up like that. Bobby threatens
   to walk. Schiavone announces a commercial break so that they can regroup.

   Classic Rude, but an obvious attempt on WCW's part to come up with
   something for him to do.

 - DISCO INFERNO vs. SATURN
   A terribly sloppy match, as the two blew several moves (such as a whip
   into the ropes). Still, a somewhat entertaining match. Disco displays his
   new "extreme" attitude, taking the match to the floor. Saturn whips him
   into the rail, where the Flock waits, but Disco gets in the first shot.
   Saturn charges and Disco backdrops him into the crowd. Disco nails one of
   the Flock with a Stone Col-err, "Chartbuster" on the guard rail. Back in
   the ring they go and after bumping into each other a bit more, plus some
   suplexes by Saturn, Disco nails the Chartbuster out of nowhere and covers
   for the upset pin. New WCW Television Champion! The Raven-less Flock (now
   0 for 2 on the night) hit the ring, but Disco grabs the belt and heads
   for safer ground.

   Good ol' fashioned southern booking ... I guess.

 - The latest Nitro Party Video is another candidate for the worst yet. Once
   again a frat house full of slobs (this time in Illinois) make fools of
   themselves just to get on TV. This one includes a really embarrassing clip
   of one pinning another on their beer stained carpet. The air is thick
   with bong smoke as a pair of them mouth several NWO slogans. The rest
   stand around in the background looking pretty well baked. There's been a
   lot of talk lately by people "embarrassed" to be wrestling fans. It's
   stuff like this that embarrasses me.

 - Nitro Girls.

 - BUFF BAGWELL (w/ Vincent) vs. LEX LUGER
   Luger is just barely more over than Bagwell this time out. Of those fans
   even bothering to make noise, Luger leads something like 51% to 49%.
   Speaking of "annoying heels", Bagwell fits that mold nicely.

   Once again Luger lets himself get beat up for almost the whole match,
   then comes back with a series of clotheslines and the Bionic Forearm.
   Bagwell rolls to the floor. Luger follows and is met by Vincent and Scott
   Norton, who keep him occupied long enough for referee Nick Patrick (yeah
   ... THAT guy) to make the countout. Bagwell celebrates like he's just
   won a title match.

   Meanwhile the rumors of Nick Patrick turning NWO again continue. I'm
   going against the stream on this one, betting that WCW has you all
   suckered.

 - Another NWO promo: this time "Rowdy" Roddy Piper gets the black-and-white
   treatment. Coming back from the break they show a collection of Sting
   clips in black-and-white, set to moody, spooky music.

 - DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE vs. SCOTT HALL
   Hall conducts his weekly poll, designed to do no more than kill time and
   stay on the air against RAW. The Buffalo sheep chant "NWO" along with
   him, even though they'd just cheered loudly when he asked them if they
   were there to see WCW. You know what this reminds me of? WrestleMania XI,
   when they showed Bret Hart's kid singing along with Shawn Michaels' theme
   music. Some people just don't seem to realize how stupid they can come
   across. "The NWO sucks ... (pause) ... NWO rules!" Well, which is it?!
   Anyone who wears an NWO t-shirt, boos them when they come out, then yells
   "Too Sweet!" along with them should just be shot, you know?

   WCW then actually has the nerve to take a commercial break before Page
   comes out.

   A fan near ringside holds up a six foot tall cardboard cutout of the
   Undertaker. It's that kinda night. I have no idea what that means.

   Another in a string of not-bad-not-good-just-blah Nitro main events. Lots
   of rest holds. Page, wrestling with his ribs taped, nails Hall with a
   Pedigree (of sorts).

   In comes Curt Hennig, drawing the mandatory Nitro main event NWO run-in
   DQ. The rest of the NWO follows and Page soon resembles a speed bump on
   an off-ramp.

   Sting drops from the ceiling, again dropping through the ring. Yes, it's
   another dummy. The wiggling, twisting rope going into the hole
   immediately gives away what is happening under the ring.

   "Hollywood" Hogan takes the mic and says since Sting is so afraid to face
   him that the fans should just wait until he wrestles Scott Hall in
   February to see a real match. Hogan then says he wants to wrestle the
   Sting dummy and sends Hennig to pull it out of the hole. Hogan runs
   down Sting's track record as a non-main eventer as it takes three guys to
   pull the not-quite-as-limp-as-it-just-was-dummy out of the hole. The
   "dummy" is stood up against the ropes. Hogan says he's going to wipe the
   smile off the dummy's face. He walks over and tales a swipe at the mask
   and wig on the dummy, which fall away to reveal the real Sting. Several
   NWO members are sent packing by him as Hogan cowers in fear on the
   arena floor.

 - Next week: Nothing announced.

Comments:

C'mon! Do they really expect us to believe that Hennig, Norton and Bagwell
pulled that "dummy" out of the hole and didn't realize it was really a
person? They could have at least had whoever controls the rope rigging to
tow the rope back up, bringing the "dummy" back out of the hole in the
canvas. Then as they went over to it his head would snap up, the fans would
have been fooled, etc. This is now the third time that they've dropped a
Sting mannequin from the ceiling, and the second time that he's popped up
from under the ring. Combining the two is only barely a new variation on the
theme.

The finish aside, this was an okay installment of Nitro. A lot happened,
though not as much in the ring as usual. The lack of a strong cruiserweight
match was very noticeable. Hell, if I didn't know better, I'd think I was
watching RAW! All it was missing was a lot of cussing and bare asses!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

WWF RAW is WAR:
Live/Taped: Live.
Length: Two Hours.
Location: Portland, Maine.
WWF RAW Hosted By: Jim Ross, Michael Cole and Kevin Kelly.

 - Still photos are shown from Steve Austin's victory over Rocky Maivia at
   the "DeGeneration X" PPV. Intro. Fireworks. An incredibly packed house,
   with at least one sign for every 2.3 people it would seem.

 - New announcing crew tonight. Cole actually isn't bad, having seamlessly
   replaced Todd Pettengill on the WWF's shows. I'll say this about
   Pettengill: he had one major plus and one major minus. The plus was that
   he was good behind the mic in terms of the quality of his voice and such.
   The minus was that he spent all of his time trying to get himself over as
   some kind of comic genius. Cole, who actually physically resembles
   Pettengill a little bit, just sticks to doing his job.

 - Vince McMahon heads to the ring. The crowd lets him know how little they
   they think of him. McMahon just smiles. He goes into a speech, saying
   that despite his overwhelming popularity, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin has
   crossed the line and gone too far. Vince says Austin endangered the
   safety of the fans by driving his truck all the way to the ring. Austin's
   abuse of referees is brought up, as well as the fact that Austin used his
   truck as a weapon in the match. Vince says the ref who Austin had Stunned
   was in the process of calling for a DQ when the second ref came in to
   make the three count in Austin's favor. McMahon says that because of
   this, he is ordering Austin to defend his Intercontinental Title in a
   rematch against the "People's Champion", Rocky Maivia. (Huh?)

   Katie bar the door, cuz ...

   *KEE-RASH!*

   Stone Cold doesn't look too happy (though frankly when does he ever?)
   He chucks the belt into the ring and gives Vince the cold shoulder as he
   plays to the crowd. McMahon contemplates making an exit, but decides to
   stay in the ring since Austin wants to speak. Austin says he wasn't sure
   if he heard him right because of all the explosions. A rematch? Tonight?
   Austin says he doesn't give a damn who McMahon is. "Who I am," says
   McMahon, "is the proud owner of the World Wrestling Federation. And
   furthermore, Mr. Austin, I'm your ... your boss!" Austin says he doesn't
   give a damn. He asks the fans if they'd like to see him whip McMahon's
   ass, then "Gimme a 'Hell yes!'" The crowd gives with a loud "Hell yes!"
   McMahon says he's been meaning to talk to him about his language also.
   Austin replies with something that gets edited out by the playing an
   audio clip of crowd noise over it. McMahon says if Austin doesn't defend
   the belt there'll be serious consequences. Austin says he'll go in the
   back, drink a beer, eat a hot dog and think over whether he'll defend the
   belt or not. Whatever he decides, if he comes back out, someone is
   getting their ass whipped.

   Either Cole or Kelly points out during this how many WWF officials and
   "agents" are around ringside. Calling this a "heel turn" on McMahon's
   part wouldn't be too far off the mark. I have a theory about this. It's
   a bit whacky. It's down in the "Bottom Line" section.

 - SUNNY vs. JERRY "THE KING" LAWLER
   It's the finals of the Karate Fighters Holiday Tournament. Lawler quickly
   wins, but a "Hidden Camera" instant replay shows that he used chewing
   gum to rig his fighter, used a Sable action figure to seduce the opposing
   fighter ... and paid off the ref. An announcer comes out and says that
   the "Tribunal" has stripped Lawler of the title and crowns Sunny the 1997
   Karate Fighters Champion.

   A good angle, but the match itself sucked.

 - They show stills from the LOD/Dog & Gunn match.

 - LEGION OF DOOM vs. THE GODWINNS
   A total *ugh!* of a match. Road Dog and Bad Ass come to the ring to keep
   an eye on things. This actually wasn't too bad. Why? Because the first
   few minutes of an LOD match usually aren't too bad, since that's how long
   it takes for them to completely run out of gas. They're still going
   strong when ...

   Suddenly the lights go out!

   It's Kane ... again. Hawk is the only one left in the ring, Animal having
   been thrown into the ring steps. Everyone else hightails it out of there.
   Kane kicks him in the gut and piledrives him. Hawk stands right back up.
   Kane grabs him by the throat (instantly killing a huge cheer that had
   started to go up for Hawk) and chokeslams him. Hawk tries to get up
   again. Kane grabs him and hoists him into the Tombstone Piledriver, which
   finally puts him down for good. After Kane and Paul Bearer leave, Road
   Dog and Bad Ass sneak in to lay in a few shots of their own. Animal
   eventually chases them off with a chair.

 - Replay of Kane's attack. Gunn and Dog are still in the ring. Road Dog
   says that now that they've completely finished off all the tag teams in
   the WWF, he and Billy Gunn will start competing in singles competition,
   (but not until he and Gun do a chorus of the "Nah nah hey hey goodbye!"
   song, dedicated to the "OLD"). Road Dog challenges anyone to come out and
   face Billy Gunn in a singles match.

 - "BAD ASS" BILLY GUNN vs. ???
   Dude Love comes out! "I said one guy, not three!" laments Road Dog.

 - "BAD ASS" BILLY GUNN vs. DUDE LOVE
   A surprisingly decent little match. They start off attacking Dude on the
   floor. Road Dog sits in for commentary as the match progresses. Nice
   back-and-forth action as Road Dog alternates between worry and
   confidence, based on Gunn's performance. Dude eventually gets Gunn set up
   for the "Sweet Shin Music", but Gunn avoids it and nails a standing
   Rocker Dropper a few moments later. Dude comes back with the "SSM" and
   double arm DDT. Dude covers and gets the surprisingly clean pin.

   Road Dog slides into the ring and pastes Dude Love with a steel chair. He
   and Gunn then set him up for shot off the top rope, Billy intending to
   drive a knee into Dude's head with both tag team belts placed on his
   face. The knee misses, though, but the crowd still pops for the insane
   move.

 - Rocky Maivia, in the back with the Nation of Domination, says there's no
   way Austin wants to face him again tonight. Rocky says he clearly kicked
   Austin's ass the night before, and is the "People's Champion".

 - Stills from the Taka Michinoku/Brian Christopher match are shown. They
   then show Christopher, after the match at the PPV, roaming the halls with
   a cupful of ice for his busted lip. Christopher says there's no way he's
   letting a "foreigner" come into this country and win HIS belt. Cut to a
   clip of Jim Ross teaching Taka some English. Ross tells him that a
   "knock down, drag out fight" is a "slobberknocker", which Taka is able to
   say on his second try. Cut back to the ring, where Jim Cornette is
   awaiting to do a special interview with Taka and his first challenger to
   the title. Taka comes out. Moments later Jerry Lawler comes out,
   interrupting Cornette's setup for the champion/challenger interview.
   Lawler does the usual anti-foreigner schtick, joking that every four
   seconds a woman in Japan gives birth and that he is going to track her
   down and make her stop. Lawler asks Taka if he even knows any English: a
   prerequisite, in his opinion, for someone to hold a title in this
   country. "You ... jack-ass!" replies Taka. "That's two!" exclaims
   Cornette.

   Out comes a masked wrestler, named "El Unico" by Cornette. Okay, I'll
   admit it: I fell for it. I looked this guy over and wondered "who's he?"
   My dad took one look at him and said "Ahhh ... that's Lawler's jerk of
   a kid!" Lawler, meanwhile, runs the "masked man" down as being another
   foreigner-"Still drippin' wet from swimming across the Rio Grande!".
   Lawler puts a finger in "El Unico's" face, prompting a shove in return.
   He and Taka then stand side-by-side, teasing a fight with Lawler ...
   until the masked man attacks Taka. Yes, it is Brian Christopher. He and
   Lawler proceed to destroy Taka, taking turns nailing him with THREE
   straight piledrivers! (If this was Memphis the ring doctor would have
   declared Taka legally dead). The usual host of referees arrive to break
   things up.

   Heading into the break they show Austin reclining in the back, scarfing
   down a hot dog.

 - In what is hopefully the final jab at Bret Hart, the WWF shows what
   they'd been hyping since the top of the show as the "Destruction of the
   Hart Foundation", which turns out to be a series of clips showing Shawn
   Michaels beating the British Bulldog in the U.K., Shawn beating Bret at
   the Survivor Series, Degeneration X turning on Jim Neidhart and Owen Hart
   attacking Shawn at the previous night's PPV. This last bit is played up
   as Owen getting "final revenge" on Michaels, settling the score for the
   Hart Foundation. The idea here is that Shawn rid the WWF of the Hart
   Foundation, but that Owen got in the final word and that we won't be
   seeing any more of him. Uh-huh. Yeah.

 - KURRGAN THE INTERROGATOR (w/ the Jackal) vs. FLASH FUNK
   Boy, am I glad there can be only one! Kurrgan, formerly the Interrogator,
   has a slightly more interesting ring outfit. He still can't wrestle a
   lick, with his performance in this match comparable to a tree being hit
   by lightning and slowly toppling over. I've seen a stack of cardboard
   boxes being knocked over display more wrestling acumen. The Jackal sits
   in for color commentary, playing up his generic cult leader gimmick.
   Kurrgan wins wit the lamest looking Iron Claw to the forehead I've ever
   seen. He then refuses to release the hold, causing the referee to reverse
   the decision and give Flash Funk the DQ win. Sniper and Recon from the
   Truth Commission come out, but they are unsuccessful in getting him to
   let go the hold. Finally the Jackal slaps Kurrgan's face, which cause the
   big man to let go and give him an evil stare. The two then trade a
   maniacal laugh as Recon and Sniper look on in the corner.

   I'd never have devoted this much text to the match, except that it seems
   to have signaled the end of the Truth Commission. Huzzah!

 - Stills from Michaels vs. Shamrock. They then show post-match comments
   from Shamrock, who essentially throws his hat into the ring as the first
   official entrant in the Royal Rumble.

   Hype for the "War Zone" closes out the first hour.

WWF WAR ZONE Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler.

 - No fireworks for the second hour. DeGeneration X come out instead. Hunter
   gets on the mic first, taking another opportunity to run down Sgt.
   Slaughter and his "old lady". Shawn then takes over and says he
   "schooled" Ken Shamrock. He then moves on to the Hart family, which he
   claims to have destroyed. He calls them a "big, smoking, stinky, nasty
   turd!", which nearly gives Jim Ross a heart (Hart?) attack. Shawn says
   what you do to turds is flush them. They all go down, except for that
   last little nugget that just won't go. Owen is that nugget. Shawn closes
   by saying that he knows Owen isn't in the building, but nonetheless won't
   leave the ring until Owen-if he's anywhere in the state of Maine-comes
   out to face him.

   A card table is set up. Chyna whispers something to Shawn, who then says
   over the mic that he's going to live up to that old promise to walk naked
   on live TV. A deck of cards has appeared and what was going to be a game
   of poker is now a game of strip poker.

   The segment ends with the first hand being dealt ... and the DOA entering
   the ring area on their motorcycles. Back from the commercial they show a
   graphic for the Royal Rumble, which is being sponsored by 1-800-COLLECT.
   In case you're wondering about the WWF having advertiser problems, well,
   1-800-COLLECT is also a sponsor of Nitro (or at least they used to be).

 - THE DOA vs. LOS BORICUAS
   The card table has been moved from the ring to ringside. The strip poker
   game progresses at the same time as the match (sort of. Other than Shawn
   and Hunter losing their shirts, nothing much seems to be happening-except
   for all three shielding their cards from the camera).

   Total yawner of a match. Los Boricuas-at full strength-get the win over
   just the two bald members of DOA. Someone uses a 2X4 and someone gets the
   pin-aw ... who cares! Los Boricuas win.

   DX, smoking stogies, tell Los Boricuas to beat it. The camera cuts to
   the back, where Rocky Maivia is pacing in anticipation of his possible
   match with Steve Austin later in the show.

 - The poker game has moved back into the ring. Even though Shawn is only
   holding maybe two cards, and doesn't pick up any of the ones he's dealt,
   he acts like he's lost another hand and "reluctantly" strips off his
   pants. The squeal from the women in the crowd is overwhelming, if not a
   bit embarrassing. Shawn strips to his jockeys as the Head Bangers come to
   the ring for their match. The two men in skirts politely ask for the card
   table to be removed from the ring. DX refuses. The Bangers flip over the
   card table. Shawn takes the glass he'd been drinking Jack Daniels from
   and smashes it over Mosh's heads (leaving several tiny cuts and scrapes).
   Shawn follows this with a swat from a steel chair. Thrasher is then
   triple-teamed, set up on Helmsley's shoulders on the top turnbuckle and
   powerbombed through the card table! The bottle of booze is dumped over
   Thrasher. Shawn struts about the ring as Hunter is shoving a chair into
   Mosh's throat. Shawn stops to plant a foot on Thrasher's chest and jiggles
   his jimmy.

   CUT THE F&@#ING MUSIC! I was into it up to this point, but really ...
   Shawn fidgeting with his Unit was just too much!

   Fortunately this spectacle is finally cut short when out of nowhere Owen
   Hart slides into the ring and attacks Shawn. Hunter quickly chases him
   off and Owen runs away through the crowd.

 - JEFF JARRETT vs. VADER
   Yes, the WWF may have completely botched Jarrett's return. The outfit is
   dumb, his entrance music is even dumber, and he's yet to do anything in
   the ring. This match is no exception.

   Before the two can even lock up Goldust's new music starts to play. Out
   he comes wearing a black robe, accompanied by Luna. Once he reaches the
   ring he opens the robe, flashing Vader. He and Luna split, with Vader in
   close pursuit. Jarrett earns a countout victory.

   Like Raven, this is the third week in a row that Jarrett has been
   announced in a match, but didn't wrestle. (At least to WCW's benefit
   they've provided one good match to take his place on one of those
   occasions). I simply don't understand where they're going with this one.
   Jarrett, although he technically has back-to-back wins over the
   Undertaker and Vader on successive nights, has absolutely no credibility
   built up whatsoever. What are they saving him for? The WWF has an
   overabundance of heels right now and frankly Jarrett is the least
   interesting of all of them. They seem to be portraying him as a "new age"
   Ric Flair. Having him wrestle as a face would probably be wise, but may
   not be doable given this stupid persona they've saddled him with. Jarrett
   came back and said the "Double J" gimmick McMahon made up for him was
   stupid. This is supposed to be better? We're SUPPOSED to think that
   Jarrett came up with this gimmick. I just don't get it.

   Now Goldust I understand. It seems that after he broke his hand several
   weeks back he was left with two courses of action: let the hand heal
   naturally and keep wrestling, which would almost guarantee the injury
   sticking around for the next half year, or he could get it operated on,
   which would put him out of action until January, but almost guaranteed a
   full recovery. Goldust chose the latter, which is why his match with
   Vader was scrapped from the PPV. Expect a lot more stuff like this over
   the next month. Thank God you couldn't actually see anything. Goldust was
   first shown from the side, then from across the ring, where he could only
   be seen from the chest up. I doubt seriously that he was actually totally
   nude under the coat as so many have assumed. I may not quite get what
   they're trying to do with him, but at least I understand why he isn't in
   the ring.

 - Stills from Marc Mero vs. Butterbean are shown. Butterbean, in post-match
   comments, says he's after Mero and that this isn't over.

 - SALVATORE SINCERE vs. "MARVELOUS" MARC MERO
   Mero comes to the ring and says he's the greatest wrestler and boxer in
   the world. He says he's annoyed that McMahon has sent him out to wrestle
   a jobber like Sal Sincere. Mero says it's a jobber's role to lose every
   match, and that Sincere-a "jobroni"-isn't even really named "Sal
   Sincere". Mero reveals the jobber's real name: Tom Brandi. Mero says the
   WWF gave him a stupid gimmick and that Brandi foolishly accepted it.

   He then brings out Sable, who he calls his "property". Sable comes down
   the ramp wearing a potato sack. Once in the ring he says he'll quickly
   finish of the jobber Brandi, but that Sable has to disrobe him first. As
   he stands there waiting for her to pull off his robe she stops, thinks it
   over, and removes her potato sack, revealing the skimpiest assortment of
   dental floss ever to be called a bikini. Mero turns to see what the crowd
   is going nuts over and quickly wraps his robe around her. Brandi seizes
   the opportunity to drop-kick him out of the ring. Mero, instead of
   continuing the match, hustles Sable out of the ring area. Sincere/Brandi
   wins the match by countout.

   You have to say this about the WWF: they're equal opportunists in their
   sexist ways. First we got Shawn's "oscar", then Sable's "golden globes".
   Ah, it's an award winning night all around!

 - You can win Steve Austin's "3:16" pickup yourself, simply by calling a
   special phone number and entering a contest. You can also enter by
   sending in a postcard to a certain address. If interested, I'm assuming
   all the details are on the WWF's website. The winner will be contacted
   during the Royal Rumble. Yes, they'll be fixing the damage Austin did to
   the truck first.

 - "THE ROCK" ROCKY MAIVIA (w/ the NOD) vs. "STONE COLD" STEVE AUSTIN
   Maivia comes to the ring first. The "Rocky sucks!" chant which
   accompanies him is louder than anything else heard on the show.

   *KEE-RASH!*

   Austin heads to the ring, though he's still dressed in street clothes.
   McMahon meets Austin in the ring and points out that he doesn't appear to
   be dressed to wrestle. Austin asks if he has to be dressed to wrestle
   just to wrestle? McMahon says if he wants to wear jeans in a match then
   he can, and that the match should start. Austin says it's not gonna be
   that way, as he sat in the back, drank a few "Steveweisers" and decided
   not to wrestle Maivia. He asks McMahon what he's going to do ... fire
   him? Maivia interjects, saying "Vince, 'The Rock' thinks you should fire
   him!" McMahon tells him to keep out of it, then warns Austin that he
   won't fire him, but that Austin is forcing him to strip him of the title
   and give it to "The Rock". Austin says if Vince strips him of the title
   he'll beat the hell out of him. Austin goes on to say that he's already
   been the Intercontinental Champion, as well as a Tag Team Champion (twice
   for both), and that there's only one title he's interested in: the World
   Heavyweight Title. Because Austin's got "bigger fish to fry" he forfeits
   the title, offering the belt to Maivia. "Take it!" says McMahon. Rocky
   snatches away the belt. Austin the offers Rocky his hand. Rocky shakes it
   and Austin holds his arm up as McMahon announces Maivia as the new WWF
   Intercontinental Champion. The celebration quickly ends as Austin kicks
   him in the gut and drops him with a Stone Cold Stunner. "There's your
   champion!" says Austin, who picks up the belt and tells McMahon that if
   he wants ratings, then everyone should tune in next week to see what
   plans Austin has for the belt. "Same 'Stone Cold' time ... same 'Stone
   Cold' channel!" He starts to leave, then comes back to the ring for one
   last hurrah as McMahon confers with his aides at ringside; McMahon
   himself standing on the apron.

   Austin suddenly decides to run the ropes. Hitting the ropes closest to
   the ramp, McMahon is propelled off the apron, slamming hard on the floor
   at the foot of the ramp! McMahon comes up cussing, calling Austin a name
   that had to be covered over with a crowd noise audio fill. Austin shows
   that he was just bouncing on the ropes and that it was an accident, but
   McMahon looks unconvinced. The show ends with a quick replay of Maivia
   getting stunned, then McMahon getting dumped.

 - Next week: Nothing announced.

Comments:

One of the weirdest RAW's I can ever remember. The poor match quality aside
(with only one good match out of seven advertised-only four of which
actually took place), this show was packed with surprises, some drama, and a
ton of general strangeness. From an in-ring standpoint Nitro obviously won
the night. RAW easily cleaned up in every other category though. I might
have been more impressed with Nitro if I felt any of the matches actually
meant anything.

Even the Disco Inferno title win seemed pointless, since WCW's continuing
fascination with him will obviously wane again in the next few weeks and
he'll once again be relegated back to jobber status. (Hey, maybe I'm wrong
on this one, but frankly I gave up on him long ago. He's yet another in a
long string of wrestlers who everyone says is really good, yet never manages
to show it in most of his matches). Too many people also overlook the fact
that he really has one of the dumbest gimmicks in wrestling-if not THE
dumbest. Drop the gimmick, have him go by his real name, let him turn up his
in-ring performances and maybe, just maybe, I'll give a damn. Until then
he's a comic relief wrestler who's been pushed and de-pushed too many times
to even begin taking seriously.

RAW delivered a show that kept my full attention for the two hours, yet it
wasn't until it was all over that I realized they'd only delivered one
decent match (and I bet I'm probably in slim company as one who enjoyed that
match-Dude Love vs. Bad Ass). Still, it was enough for me to give the show
the nod over Nitro, since despite the marginally better match quality this
week, I can't even point to one Nitro match which really did anything for
me. The Disco/Saturn match came the closest, but that involved a wrestler
who means nothing to me (Saturn) and a wrestler I actively dislike (Disco).

The bit with Shawn juggling his nutsack really was too much, though. I
actually felt bile rise in my throat. I was really enjoying myself up until
then. Fortunately Sable brought me out of that funk a few minutes later.
Arrrooooooo! Rowf, rowf! Oink!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Bottom Line:

Suppose you're Vince McMahon and you'd like to downplay the whole Bret Hart
situation. Most wrestling fans don't know all of what happened at Survivor
Series, and it'd be difficult to find any two fans who agree on the "facts"
of the story. The "smart" fans on the other hand have, for the most part,
taken Bret Hart's side of the story. So, what's the best way to get the
"smart" fans on your side?

Make them think it's all a work.

That's right, make them think McMahon has worked the "smart" fans again.
Get enough fans to think it might all have been an elaborate angle and
maybe, just maybe, some of this online hostility dies down a bit. Some might
even go so far as to declare him a "genius" again. Could it work? Hell, the
seeds of doubt are already there. Joey Styles has gone on the ECW hotline
expressing his belief that the whole thing was a work. Jim Neidhart, a
staunch defender of Bret Hart, allows himself to be humiliated two weeks in
a row by DeGeneration X (when it would have been much simpler for him to
just stay lost). Owen Hart, who we all believed had left the WWF, "suddenly"
makes a return appearance at a PPV and on live on TV the following night.
Some fans might even begin to doubt if Hart has even left the WWF (after
all, it's been more than a month, yet he still hasn't appeared in WCW).

So how do you go about doing it?

First off you set up a scenario which, on the surface, bears a strong
resemblance to what happened in the Bret Hart situation. Now obviously Steve
Austin isn't planning on going to WCW, but this is a situation where, just
like in the case of Bret Hart, a wrestler is refusing to follow one of
McMahon's orders. What's more, it involves another title. Even more, it
would seem that McMahon is maybe showing favoritism for one wrestler over
the other (possibly referenced to by his "People's Champion" remark about
Maivia). Austin refuses to do what he says, so McMahon takes the title away
from him ... just like he did to Bret Hart. Throw in a bit of intrigue with
an increase in the number of WWF officials at ringside ... just like at
Survivor Series. Finally, maybe it wasn't a sock to the head, but knocking
McMahon off the apron was a physical response ... just like after Survivor
Series.

So what next?

Well, maybe McMahon does an interview saying he and Austin have had
"differences of opinion over the direction of the WWF", with Vince blaming
all the foul language in the WWF on Austin. Austin might even say he was
asked to quit because of his injuries, which made him no longer worth the
money he was being paid. Austin, though, says he's no Bret Hart and won't
run away to WCW. He'll stick around and make McMahon's life a living hell.
The WWF plays up the angle that Austin is too beat up and worn out to do
much of anything. They could even bring up Austin's needing a doctor's
waiver again, saying that they no longer want to take a risk with him
getting hurt any more. Austin manages to get a doctor's release just on the
eve of the Royal Rumble, much to the chagrin of McMahon. Austin then wins
the Rumble. The angle then concludes after WrestleMania when Austin beats
Michaels for the title. McMahon comes up to shake Austin's hand, saying he'd
always believed in him. Austin says "Okay Vince," kicks him in the gut and
lays him out with the Stone Cold Stunner. McMahon, instead of looking
manipulative and evil, ends up looking just silly. Somewhere along the line
most folks forget all about how he "screwed" Bret Hart.

Could it happen?

Probably not. Still, whatever McMahon is up to has succeeded in getting fans
talking about him and the WWF in a slightly less negative light, making
everyone forget about Bret Hart for a minute. Maybe that's all he's up to
after all. What do I think? Ask me again after WrestleMania.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

This Week's Winner: RAW.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Slobberknocker Central" and "Monday Night Recap" are copyright 1997 by
John Petrie, and all opinions expressed therein are his own, and not those
of "Internet Access, Inc". Check the "Slobberknocker Central" main page for
info on how to receive the "Recap" free via E-Mail every week.
Volume One, Number 108 of the "Monday Night Recap", December 8th, 1997.

John Petrie
petrie@bji.net
Slobberknocker Central
http://www.bji.net/pages/petrie/index.html