June '97

Monday Night Wars June '97

This was a looong month with a whole lot going on. I'm not looking forward to editing this one, so sit back and enjoy my take on what actually went down during the Monday Night Wars, in June of 1997. If I'm lucky, I may even see some wrestling!

Raw/Nitro June 2nd

Monday Night Raw 2/5/97 (2.25 Stars)

Segment- Undertaker in-ring promo. Undertaker says he was blackmailed by Paul Bearer, and only agreed to take on Paul Bearer as manager in order to protect the innocent ones. Sycho Sid interrupts and challenges The Undertaker to a rematch that is accepted.

Match 1- Faarooq def Ahmed Johnson

Segment- Hart Foundation in-ring interview, providing an update on Bret's injury status. Shawn Micheals and 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin were live on the titan-tron and allowed to retort. Bret claims Steve Austin injured him, so the match at KOTR is called off. Shawn criticises Austin for hurting Bret Hart ahead of the PPV. Shawn and Austin are shown arguing backstage. Brian Pillman offers his KOTR shot to Shawn Michaels so he can face Steve Austin and "work out their differences"

Intercontinental Championship

Match 2- (c) Owen Hart def Bob Holly

Match 3- Goldust def Hunter Hearst Helmsley (No.1 contenders match for the European Championship)

Tag Team Championships

Match 4- Legion of Doom def Shawn Michaels & 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin (c) via count-out

Segment- J.R sit-down interview with Mankind.

Match 4- Mankind def Savio Vega (1st Round- King of the Ring)

Match 5- The Undertaker def Sycho Sid

Analysis

Opening segment & match 1

The Undertaker promo provided clarity, even if it was somewhat unneeded, as it was clear as day that he was being blackmailed. Still a good segment setting up an unpredictable alliance between Paul Bearer and The Undertaker. After Sid's challenge was accepted, Faarooq cut a promo on how black men were being held down before vowing to win the Title at KOTR! Solid start to the show. Apparently Ahmed Johnson joined the Bloods Street gang amidst an abusive childhood. But sure, the WWF weren't racist.

Anyway, a rudimentary match between Faarooq and Ahmed Johnson saw The Undertaker try and even the score, assisting Johnson against a Nation of Domination run-in. He inadvertently sent his 'ally' Ahmed Johnson, head first into the steel steps instead! Faarooq picked up a cheap win, with Johnson arguing with Taker post-match. Good idea on the surface, but massively overbooked in my opinion.

Segment 2

The Hart Foundation promo spurred the Austin/Michaels rivalry along. I liked the idea of them facing off at KOTR, and it was cleverly worked by explaining Pillman was so desperate to fight Austin, he'd sacrifice his own spot in the tournament in order to do so!

Matches 2 & 3

Owen Hart retained his Intercontinental Title in a good, albeit short match. Bob Holly and Owen clearly worked well together, so why they were given such little time baffled me. Goldust beat Hunter with a shock roll up. I'm unsure Why the WWF didn't want Hunter facing Bulldog as the number one contender's match instead. It would have made much better TV, and also played into the Bulldog/Owen jealousy at the same time. My consensus can only be that Vince had bigger things lined up for ole' HHH further down the line. Although we'll have to wait and see if that theory proves to be accurate.

Second Hour/WarZone

Great tag match to open the second hour. HBK and Austin had a great dynamic as a duo, constantly arguing and sniping at each other while somehow getting the job done. Unfortunately the match ended via count-out as Austin and Michaels brawled on the outside. Not a fan of the finish but a good match nonetheless.

Match 4

Following Savio Vega's loss, Nation of Domination members Crush and Savio brawled post-match, after Crush inadvertently tagged Savio with a right hand. This was teasing the inevitable shake up of The Nation of Domination.

Main-event

For whatever reason the main-event was no longer a Title Match. The Nation of Domination assaulted The Undertaker post-match, before turning their attention to Sid. Horrible main-event with LONG periods of inactivity. Allegedly Sid was threatened with termination if he refused to 'do the job' aka lose the match. Sid was returning from a bad back injury, and would soon leave the WWF as a result.

Summary

This had all of the makings of a great show on paper, even hosting a couple of really good matches. Fun show until the main-event, which let it down in a big way.

WCW Nitro 2/5/97 (2.5 Stars)

Segment- Scott Hall/Syxx call out Ric Flair. J.J. Dillon says Ric Flair is on his way and books Ric Flair Vs Scott Hall in the main-event.

Match 1- Glacier def Alex Wright

Match 2- Buff Bagwell def Joe Gomez

Match 3- Prince Iaukea def Hugh Morrus

Segment- J.J. Dillion/Mene Gene interview. Dillon announces The Steiner Brothers as the number one contenders for the Tag Titles. Harlem Heat interrupt, demanding a title match of their own.

Segment- Pre recorded DDP hype video for Savage/Page II.

Match 4- The Steiner Brothers def Masahiro Chono & The Great Muta

Segment- Ric Flair/Mene Gene interview. Ric Flair promotes his main-event against Scott Hall.

U.S Championship

Match 5- (c) Dean Malenko def Mr Wallstreet

Segment- Jeff Jarrett challenges Dean Malenko to a rematch for the U.S Title. Dean accepts the challenge.

Match 6- Ciclope & Damien def Harlem Heat

Match 7- Chris Benoit def The Barbarian

Match 8- Ric Flair def Scott Hall via DQ

Segment- Randy Savage in-ring promo. Savage gets too 'hands on' with Mean Gene, bringing out J.J. Dillon. Savage gets into a confrontation with Dillon, leading to Bischoff being forced to pull him away.

Analysis

Match 1

Glacier gets beaten down by Mortis and Wrath post-match, before eventually managing to fight them off. Wrath was portrayed by Bryan Clark aka Adam Bomb.

Matches 3/4

Hugh Morrus was attacked by Konan before his match with Prince Iaukea. Iaukea instantly rolled up Morrus for the victory.

There could have been an EXCELLENT match between The Steiner Brothers and Chono/Muta. J.J. Dillon stated earlier that night, that a win would cement The Stieners number one contenders status post The Great American Bash, only giving this already excellent match some added pop and meaning. It started off slow, but on a show as frantic as WCW Nitro, sometimes it's nice to have a breather. But once it got going, it was a fun match. Sadly, Harlem Heat interfered just as it was getting good. That said, I'll happily give WCW a pass on this one, as they were trying to give some meaning to rankings and actually, you know, being rewarded for winning matches as opposed to everything being random. As a result, what we saw was Harlem Heat try to stop The Steiners winning a crucial contest which made sense. Great booking, average match. In the return match, The Steiner Brothers provided some payback for the actions from Harlem Heat earlier in the night, costing them the win against Ciclope and Damien. My guess would be a four way elimination tag match for the new number one contenders. Credit to WCW for being creative and attempting to get more tag teams into the title picture.

Second Hour

Chris Beniot received his opportunity for a match against Kevin Sullivan as he defeated The Barbarian. Bad match, right result. Jimmy Hart gave Beniot two more hurdles before he could face Sullivan. The first was a Death-Match against Meng at The Great American Bash, the second will be revealed next week on Nitro.

Main-event

Good match that rather predictably ended via DQ thanks to the numbers game finally catching up to Ric Flair. This was essentially a 2-1 handicap match, with Syxx constantly throwing shots at Flair behind the ref's back. They executed this part well, and to their credit, actually gave Hall and Flair a surprising amount of time to actually, you know, wrestle (around 12 mins) before the predictable DQ finish. That said, this one of the better main-events WCW had produced in quite some time. Hall and Syxx work over Flair post-match, before eventually being run off by Jeff Jarrett & Steve 'Mongo' McMichael.

The final ten minutes of the show was spent hyping Savage/Page II by the way of a Randy Savage interview. Surely this could have been a normal segment earlier in the show, giving more time to the main-event. I wasn't a fan of the final segment anyway as it went on far too long.

Summary

Between J.J. Dillon, who actually provided some meaning to a floundering tag team division, as well as a fun main-event. This proved to be a surprisingly watchable edition of Nitro. Point WCW.

King of the Ring '97

Live from Providence, Rhode Island…

Match 1- Hunter Hearst Helmsley def Ahmed Johnson (Semi Finals- King of the Ring)

Match 2- Mankind def Jerry 'The King' Lawler (Semi Finals- King of the Ring)

Match 3- Goldust def Crush

Match 4- The Hart Foundation def Legion of Doom & Sycho Sid

Match 5- Hunter Hearst Helmsley def Mankind (King of the Ring Finals)

Segment- Bret Hart issues a challenge to any 5 men to take on the Hart Foundation at Canadian Stampede.

Match 6- Shawn Michaels Vs 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin ends in a no-contest

WWF Title

Match 7- (c) The Undertaker def Faarooq

Analysis

Matches 1/2

The opening two KOTR matches were both pretty substandard, although it did set up an intriguing match between Mankind and Hunter.

Brian Pillman cut a promo on Austin backstage, leading to Austin attacking him and forcing his head into a toilet.

Matches 3/4

We see yet another pair of dull matches between Goldust and Crush as well as the 6 man tag. The Hart Foundation (British Bulldog, Owen Hart & Jim Niedhart) got one over on L.O.D and Sycho Sid. Owen Hart picked up the win, pinning Sid on what would transpire to be Sid's final PPV appearance for the WWF (he would appear in the WWE nearly 20 years later as a throwaway in the Royal Rumble) With Sid on his way out of the company, and one half of L.O.D unable to take back bumps, it was always an uphill battle for The Hart Foundation to make this match entertaining. To quote Brock Lesnar, they were essentially tasked with the challenge of making chicken salad out of chicken shit…

K.O.T.R Final

Hunter/Mankind splits opinion, so allow me to give mine. While I haven't seen the highly acclaimed Hart/Bigelow match from '93, this final easily topped the three prior editions I had seen, with Dave Meltzer even awarding it 3.5 Stars! It had fantastic psychology and was a slow burn, so not necessarily a match I'd be in a hurry to rewatch, but first time viewing with no prior knowledge of the outcome made it a really fun contest. Hunter had great knowledge and was a student of the game, and Mankind was one of the best around, so the fact these two partnered well shouldn't be a surprise to anyone. It was good enough to give the card a modest rating bump anyway (it desperately needed one to be honest)

Match 6

As expected, Austin and Michaels delivered in a big way. HBK even found the time to assist a 'special olympian' who jumped the guard rail, as Shawn kindly escorted him back to his seat, presumably in a move telling security to chill the fuck out. Multiple hilarious ref bumps ended the match prematurely with a double DQ. Michaels accidentally took out Tim White, leading to a frustrated Austin to hit Mr White with a Stunner. This led to the second official Charles Robinson to come down, but instead of officiating the match, he immediately went over to the fallen Tim White! In turn, this led to Michaels hitting the second official with a superkick. The so-called senior official came down, as Earl Hebner, who had finally seen enough, opted to disqualify both men! A really good match that was only hurt by its poor non-finish.

Main-event

Sadly, Undertaker Vs Faarooq demolished ANY of the goodwill built towards the fans with this poor main-event. Post-match, Paul Bearer forced Undertaker to hit Faarooq with several chokeslams, which led to Ahmed Johnson coming down to smack some sense into the Deadman. I had no idea why, but I was just glad the show was finally over and I could go and do something else.

Summary

In short, Hunter/Mankind was an excellent match in comparison to what preceded it and I'd recommend Michaels/Austin to almost anyone. But outside of that, this was a PPV to forget. A strange one to score as the final rating suggests the overall show was better than it actually was, when in reality, it's merely a reflection of the fact that it did host two very good matches (2.25 Stars)

Raw/Nitro June 9th

Monday Night Raw 9/6/97 (2.25 Stars)

Match 1- Ahmed Johnson & Legion of Doom def Savio Vega, Crush & Faarooq

Segment- Hunter Hearst Helmsley in-ring promo. Hunter issues an open challenge, accepted by Mankind.

European Championship

Match 2- (c) British Bulldog Vs Goldust ends via double count-out

Segment- Ahmed Johnson in-ring promo. Johnson addresses dissension within The Nation of Domination. Johnson kicks Savio Vega and Crush out of the faction, as well as Clarence Mason. Ahmed Johnson then challenges Undertaker and Ahmed Johnson to take on the "new Nation of Domination"

Match 3- The Headbangers def Doug Furnas & Phil Lafon

Segment- 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin in-ring promo. Austin calls out Brian Pillman ahead of their one on one match. Austin is the first man to answer Bret Hart's 10 man challenge at Canadian Stampede.

Match 4- Rob Van Dam def Flash Funk

Match 5- Sycho Sid def Owen Hart

Segment- J.R sit-down interview with Mankind. Mankind chokes out J.R with a mandible claw after the interview.

Match 6- Bart Gunn def Rockabilly def Bart Gunn

Match 7- Mankind def Brian Pillman via DQ

Analysis

Preamble

So, some behind the scenes stuff went down here. According to Jim Cornette (and even Vince McMahon the following week on Raw) Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart engaged in a fight backstage. The story goes that one of them said something that led to a brawl, while Jerry Lawler was using a sitdown cubicle in the bathroom. Jerry was forced to get up in an effort to separate them. Shawn was hot at Bret, and stormed into Vince's office, holding a clump of his hair. He yelled "It's unsafe for me to work here!" Jim Cornette claims that he took the clump of hair home to show his wife. Anyway, onto the show.

Opener

The show kicked off with a fun six-man match that topped the previous effort at King of the Ring. Ahmed Johnson scored the pinfall at the expense of his rival Faarooq

During Hunter's promo, he openly referenced the curtain call that cost him his spot last year when he questioned Vince McMahon's "politics" HHH was never the best promo, but he did a decent enough job here.

Matches 2 & 3

Following the European Championship match, Ken Shamrock hit The British Bulldog with a German Suplex in order to prevent him from striking Marlena with a chair. I was actually looking forward to a Bulldog/Shamrock feud as I believe the two would have paired well together.

Jerry Lawler was backstage, championing Rob Van Dam, before cutting a promo on Paul Heyman.

Second Hour/WarZone

Ahead of his match against Flash Funk, Tommy Dreamer and Paul Heyman were shown ringside shouting at RVD and Lawler. RVD and Funk delivered another entertaining contest, before Lawler, Heyman, Dreamer and Van Dam all brawled post-match. If McMahon actually had full control of RVD at this point, he could and should have been used much better. RVD already had the recognition as well as being fantastic in-ring as well as being exciting and fresh. Especially to the late 90s WWF crowd, who hadn't yet been over exposed to Rob's style of wrestling.

Match 5

Ken Shamrock continued to get involved in everyone else's business as he laid the smackdown on Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart, stopping him from interfering in Owen Hart's match. After learning that he was soon leaving the WWF, I was shocked to see Sid go over. That said it wasn't a match of any real consequence so it may have been set up that way solely to put Shamrock over…

Main-event

The Hart Foundation attacked Steve Austin before his match with Brian Pillman. Mankind went after Pillman, effectively replacing Austin in the main-event as a result. Apparently the live crowd weren't happy being swerved, after being repeatedly promised a match between the two men who once wrestled as a tag team (Hollywood Blondes) with Jim Ross and Vince McMahon even being forced to admit as much on commentary! Although given the time remaining on the show (5 minutes) I don't really think it mattered who wrestled in this spot. It ended via DQ after outside interference by the Hart Foundation, leading to Ken Shamrock and Steve Austin making the save. Austin stunned the former UFC champion as Raw went off the air.

Summary

Overall a serviceable episode of Raw. There wasn't any particular segment or match that you could call fantastic, but nothing was all that bad. Although I was getting sick of the constant DQ run-ins during the main-events.

WCW Nitro 9/6/97 (2.5 Stars)

Match 1- Juventud Guerrera, Ultimate Dragon & Super Calo def Psychosis, La Parka & Silver King

Segment- Lex Luger promo. Luger accuses Hogan of ducking him, before announcing a match between himself and Hogan, set to take place later that night.

Match 2- Alex Wright def Chris Jericho

Match 3- Akira Hokuto def Malia Hosaka

Segment- Steiner Brothers/Harlem Heat confrontation.

Match 4- Lex Luger def 'Hollywood' Hogan

Segment- J.J. Dillon fines 'Macho Man' Randy Savage 50,000 dollars for laying his hands on him last week. He also changes his match against DDP to a lights out match (Unsanctioned)

United States Championship

Match 5- Jeff Jarrett def Dean Malenko (c)

Segment- Kevin Sullivan returns. Cuts a promo on Chris Benoit. Chris Beniot answers, but is outnumbered by Sullivan, Faces of Fear and Jacqueline.

Match 6- Ric Flair & 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper def The Outsiders via DQ

Segment- Locker room spills out leading to a mass brawl ahead of the PPV.

Analysis

Preamble

This show marked WCW's HIGHEST EVER gate to this point, with 18,000 fans filling the Boston arena!

Opening segment & match 1

DDP kicks in Randy Savage's limo window, but Liz jams Page's arm in the door, allowing the limo time to speed away.

Following that hectic segment, we learnt about how Mexican wrestling has COMPLETELY different rules. YAY! I actually enjoyed the variation whereby tags weren't required during multi-man tag team matches, with the participants being allowed to simply roll out of the ring, having any of their partners replace them. Six man tags are supposed to be chaotic, and this minor rule change only added to the excitement. Fun opening contest which saw La Parka attack Super Calo with a chair post-match…

Matches 2/3

Wright/Jericho got over 8 minutes. A decent amount of time all things considered. While personally I enjoyed the match, considering who was involved it could have been much better.

Showcase for Akira Hokuto ahead of her title vs Career match against Madusa at Great American Bash. Madusa attacked Hokuto post-match with a barrage of german suplexes.

Segment

Kevin Grenne attacks Steve 'Mongo' McMichael ahead of his match with Konan. Konan is shown laid out in the middle of the ring next to a broken weapon (broom handle) It wasn't shown on TV who assaulted Konan, and the commentary team is just as confused as me. Unnecessary, overbooked segment.

Match 4

Ahead of his match with Luger, Bischoff and Hogan bragged that no one can force Hogan to wrestle. This leads to Luger running down and blindsiding Hogan, before the referee rings the bell, making the match official. Luger defeats Hogan with the Torture Rack, before an NWO run-in as they proceed to beat down Lex. Cool moment but not much of a match as it was very short. They were wrestling on crushed up Pepsi cans as fans started to throw things in the ring during Hogan's promo, with both men taking bumps onto the debris. Anyone who's ever handled a crushed can knows how sharp they can be, so I'm surprised they weren't cleared away.

Second Hour

Eddie Guerrero interfered on behalf of Jeff Jarrett, as revenge for Dean Malenko injuring him prior. Jeff Jarrett won the United States Championship as a result following a strong matchup. Two accomplished workers simply being given time to do what they did best, wrestle. Why WCW didn't take this approach more often was beyond me. So far I'd only seen 5 matches with far fewer segments, and in my opinion, the show was far better as a result. This match along with the subsequent title change, was actually a highlight of the show and a talking point, instead of being lost in the shuffle.

Main-event

Supposedly ahead of the main-event, Hall told Roddy Piper not to "jumpstart" the match (take things slowly) as otherwise, it wouldn't go anywhere. The complete opposite happens, and according to Nash, both Ric Flair and Roddy Piper were "shitcanned out of the ring" as a result. A Syxx interference gets the main-event called off. Predictable yet understandable as the exact same match was set to take place only 6 days later on PPV. The Four Horsemen ran-in in an attempt to even up the score, only for The Steiners and Harlem Heat to decide to go at it for some reason. Mortis and Glacier spilled out as police surrounded the ring without actually trying to prevent any fighting. Basically everyone who was set to face the Great American Bash took advantage of the situation and came out for a fight. Sting appeared, taking out multiple NWO members with his bat before Nitro went off the air.

Backstage incident & Summary

What happened backstage once the cameras stopped rolling, depends on whose story you believe. Roddy Piper, angry at what happened, supposedly ran his mouth to Hulk Hogan. This led to a confrontation between Kevin Nash and Roddy Piper. Nash claims to have hit Piper with an open hand. Piper claims he 'leg drove' Nash out of the locker room. Again, it's all speculative. Anyway, my final thoughts are these. While the close to the show wasn't to my taste, WCW did well enough prior for me to look past it. Nitro had the better wrestling and was simply more entertaining than Raw this week. Better pacing definitely helped them along the way. Point WCW.

Great American Bash '97

Match 1- Ultimate Dragon def Psychosis

Match 2- Harlem Heat def The Steiner Brothers (Tag Team Championship Number One Contenders Match)

Match 3- Konan def Hugh Morrus

Segment- 'Mean' Gene teases a new acquisition for WCW. Public Enemy cut a promo on Harlem Heat

Match 4- Glacier def Wrath

WCW Women's Championship

Match 5- (c) Akira Hokuto def Madusa (Title Vs Career Match)

Match 6- Chris Beniot def Meng (Death Match)

Match 7- Kevin Grenne def Steve 'Mongo' McMichael

Tag Team Championships

Match 8- (c) The Outsiders def Ric Flair & 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper

Match 9- 'Macho Man' Randy Savage def DDP (Falls Count Anywhere Match)

Analysis

Match 1

Ultimate Dragon/Psychosis was billed as a 'respect match' The angle being that Sonny Onoo recruited Psychosis in order to teach Dragon a lesson for betraying him. Ultimate Dragon won via submission following what was one of the best matches of the month so far! Great way to start the PPV.

Match 2

Vincent of the nWo causes a DQ in favour of Harlem Heat. This was explained away by the commentary team saying The nWo viewed The Stieners as the stronger tag team, thus didn't want to wrestle them for the titles. Silly logic following an average match. I expected slightly more from my two favourite tag teams in WCW.

Matches 3/4

Konan/Morrus failed to hold even an ounce of my attention. I became so restless with this match I was forced to watch it at x1.5 speed. Minus 5 stars.

Mortis was handcuffed at ringside in order to prevent him from interfering in Glacier's match with Wrath. Mortis tossed a chain into the ring, but it was misdirected as Glacier managed to use it on Mortis. Post-match, Glacier was handcuffed to the turnbuckle as he was beat down by Mortis and Wrath. Not nearly as good as the Glacier's match at Uncensored, but that contest had the advantage of the talented Chris Kanyon aka Mortis being involved.

Match 5

Maduas's career was seemingly over at the hands of Akira Hokuto, before 'Mean' Gene started harassing Madusa IMMEDIATELY after her career came to an end, demanding an impromptu interview. Weird moment considering Gene was supposed to be a face, but came across as a complete asshole instead. WCW would decide to vacate the belt after Hokuto went back to Japan, only for the title to be permanently retired in 1998. It was an interesting experiment by WCW to attempt to create somewhat of a women's division, yet unfortunately it failed for a few reasons. For starters, it was impractical to rely on constantly flying out unsigned wrestlers from Japan. Couple that with the general standard of women’s wrestling in the States in the mid to late 90’s, combined with the mainstream audiences supposed apathy for it, the concept was just a few years (closer to 5 in all honesty) ahead of its time.

Match 6

Chris Beniot defeated Meng in a 'death-match.' This wasn't exactly a death match, but more a no pinfall, answer the 10 count match. It was stiff, but not particularly violent. At least in the context of pro-wrestling. The finish was terrible as Beniot applied the crippler crossface 3 DIFFERENT TIMES, finally making Meng pass out due to the pain of it all. This spot went on far too long, with each application of the submission hold seeming longer than the last. As a whole it wasn't a bad match by any means, but like most of this card, it was just so-so. Meng was put onto a stretcher post-match.

Match 7

The battle of the NFL stars saw Steve 'Mongo' McMichael take on Kevin Grenne. I wasn't interested in this one iota, but considering Mongo wasn't amazing in the ring anyway, and Greene was a "non wrestler" it wasn't as bad as I expected. Kevin Greene won due to Jarrett inadvertently smashing 'Mongo' with his case.

Match 8 & Main-event

During the Tag-Title match, Ric Flair left Roddy Piper to fend for himself, as he fought Syxx to the back in an effort to stop him from interfering. WOOOO! Hall and Nash double team Piper in the most entertaining moments of the match.

The main-event saw Randy Savage topple DDP in a lights out, unsanctioned, falls count anywhere match. Or as I like to call it, the match of 1001 unnecessary stipulations. Just say it's a hardcore match and move on. Whatever WCW wanted to call it, it would prove to be a fun brawl to end the show on a relatively high note. A Scott Hall run-in aided Savage's victory so we've surely not seen the last of this rivalry.

Summary

In summary, what started off with a bang but was sparklers at best for the rest of the night. Outside of the opener and main-event, whatever wasn't bad was average at best. Disappointing show considering the card.

(2.25 Stars)

Raw/Nitro June 16th

Monday Night Raw 16/6/97 (2.25 Stars)

Segment- 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin & Shawn Michaels are stripped of the tag titles and a tournament to crown new champions is announced. Ken Shamrock confronts Austin and challenges him to a match.

Segment- Brian Pillman cuts a promo on 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin ahead of their match later that night.

Match 1- British Bulldogs def The New Blackjacks (Tag Team Tournament)

Match 2- Hunter Hearst Helmsley def Phineas Godwinn

Segment- Faarooq promises two new members set to debut for The Nation of Domination

Match 3- Brian Christopher def Chris Candido via DQ

Match 4- Goldust def Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart

Match 5- 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin def Brian Pillman

Segment- Steve Austin agrees to team up with Legion of Doom, Ken Shamrock & Goldust in order to take on the Hart Foundation 5 on 5 at the upcoming PPV, In Your House 16: Canadian Stampede.

Match 6- Tommy Rogers def Bobby Fulton

Match 7- The Headbangers def Rob Van Dam & Jerry Lawler (Tag Team Tournament)

Segment- Faarooq announces Kama Mustafa as the newest member of Nation of Domination

Match 8- Faarooq & Kama Mustafa def The Undertaker & Ahmed Johnson

Analysis

Opening segment

The altercation that took place last week (9/6/97) between Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart was explained on TV. It was said that both men were hurt and would be out of action for the next few weeks as a result. In reality Jim Cornette explains that Shawn Michaels was hot at Bret, citing "it's unsafe for me to work here" This led to Austin and Michaels both being stripped of the titles, with Austin being allowed to choose a partner and face the winning team of tag tournament for the championships. Austin cuts a promo saying he doesn't need a partner, before Mankind offers his services. Austin then cut a promo on Pillman ahead of their match, before Ken Shamrock called Austin a bully and challenged him one on one.

Match 2

A rivalry I wanted to forget about but sadly this episode reminded me, as Hunter Hearst Hemsley took on Phineas Godwinn. Hunter's character had a lot more edge to it this time, but that didn't help the quality of the match…

Match 3

We saw an interpromotional match as Chris Candido (formally known as Skip) from ECW took on Brian Christopher of the USWA. Brian Christopher was Jerry Lawler's real life son, promtong Lawler to get involved. Lawler, along with Rob Van Dam and Brian Christopher, triple teamed Candido in a post-match assault. Tommy Dreamer made the save and broke it up. To his credit, Vince McMahon attempted to make a potential feud between ECW and USWA sound like a big deal. But I very much doubt that would have been the reality of the situation…

Match 4

The British Bulldog attempted to interfere on Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart's behalf, but it wouldn't be enough as Goldust picked up an "upset win" This first hour had been pretty dull so far, but we have Austin/Pillman still to come so let's see if that improves the show at all.

Second Hour/WarZone

The Hart Foundation all handcuffed at ringside during Austin/Pillman. This was a really fun brawl and a good segment on the show, with Pillman even getting colour (bleeding) Brian Pillman was extremely talented and one of my personal favourites from this era. His match with Austin ended via DQ following members of The Hart Foundation freeing themselves from the handcuffs and interfering in the match. Mankind, Ken Shamrock and Goldust evened things up. Shamrock and Austin go at it, but the fight is broken up by Legion of Doom. Goldust attempts to hold peace talks and unite Austin, LOD and Shamrock to take on The Hart Foundation at the upcoming PPV. Austin reluctantly accepted.

Match 6

Rodgers/Fulton was billed as a match in the newly formed 'Light Heavyweight Division'. A solid contest but relatively bland. Post-match Marc Mero walked away with 'special guest ring announcer' Sable, possibly sparking a jealousy storyline between the two. When speaking about this match, Jim Cornette said it was his suggestion to bring in some outside talent a level above "TV job guys" Eventually gimmicks came in and ruined the idea, plumber, the goon etc. Light Heavyweight Division. Ultimately Jim was left upset that they didn't give them (Rodgers/Fulton) a meaningful spot on the show. Jim Cornette also heavily criticised Sable, saying she only "wanted to be on TV", before blaming her for "Killing Marc Mero's career" Cornette also recounted a time when Steve Austin got angry after Marc Mero received a powerbomb from Sable a week before a scheduled main-event match between Steve Austin and Marc Mero, as in Austin's mind, it made Mero look weak and killed any prospect of a feud between the pair.

Match 7

During the tag match between Rob Van Dam/Jerry Lawler and The Headbangers, The Sandman (ECW Talent) got involved in the match, using his trademark cane on Lawler and costing his team the match. The Headbangers progressed to the next round of the Tag Team Tournament as a result.

Main-event

Kama Mustafa aka The Godfather pinned Undertaker in a shock upset. Ahmed Johnson nails Undertaker with a powerbomb post-match, joining forces with The Nation of Domination. A nice little swerve to end the show.

Summary

I enjoyed Mustafa's debut as well as the surprise of Johnson linking up with his rivals. Solid enough show but for the most part it seemed like they were holding back…

WCW Nitro 16/6/97 (2.5 Stars)

Segment- NWO in-ring promo. 'Hollywood' Hogan & Dennis Rodman both call out The Giant and Lex Luger ahead of their upcoming match at Bash at the Beach

Match 1- Glacier def Mortis

Segment- Madusa farewell interview following her retirement match.

Segment- Dean Malenko calls out Eddie Guerrero. Eddie's nephew, Chavo Guerrero, answers the call instead.

Match 2- Dean Malenko def Chavo Guerrero

Match 3- Super Calo def La Parka

Segment- 'Mean Gene' Okerlund informs Lex Luger and The Giant that Hogan and Rodman said the tag match at Bash at the Beach is a no go. The pair challenge them to a match set to take place later that night

Match 4- Harlem Heat def The Amazing French Canadians

Segment- J.J. Dillon corrects 'Mean Gene' Okerlund, stating that Hogan and Rodman issued the challenge earlier that night, and the match is in fact on! J.J. Dillon also overturns Harlem Heat's number one contenders status, ordering a rematch with The Steiners for next week to determine the true number one contenders.

Cruiserweight Championship

Match 6- (c) Syxx def Rey Mysterio

Segment- Randy Savage gloats about his victory over DDP. DDP challenges Randy Savage and Scott Hall to a match at Bash at the Beach.

Match 7- Ultimate Dragon def Chris Jericho

Segment- 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper promo. Piper defends Ric Flair's decision to leave the match at The Great American Bash. Flair says he would never betray Piper, stating that he had the "fight of his life" with Syxx.

Match 8- Buff Bagwell & Scott Norton def Steve 'Mongo' McMichael & Jeff Jarrett

Segment- 'Hollywood Hogan' and Dennis Rodman lure The Giant and Lex Luger to the ring. The match never officially starts and Lex Luger and The Giant are beaten down by The NWO…

Analysis

Opening segment & Match 1

The NWO with Dennis Rodman are seen arriving in a limo. 'Hollywood Hogan' would SEEMINGLY call out Lex Luger and The Giant in the main-event! I say seemingly because it all gets quite confusing later on in the show.

Ernest Miller joined forces with Glacier, as the pair successfully fought off Mortis and Wrath following the opener, keeping that feud alive.

Match 2

Eddie Guerrero looked on as Chavo submitted to the Texas Cloverleaf at the hands of Dean Malenko. A simple old school feud involving two extremely technically proficient workers. Not overly complicated…

Match 3

Following La Parka clocking Super Calo with a chair after the 6 man last week, this was the revenge encounter. La Parka once again assaulted Calo with a chair post-match. The first time he used a wooden one, and this time it was made of plastic. Were WCW building up to La Parka using a steel chair?

Segments 4 & 5

WCW constantly moving the goalposts is confusing. Hogan didn't actually say the match was called off at Bash at the Beach, he just called them out. But 'Mean Gene' suggested that was the case. I've either misunderstood the opening promo, or it had been miscommunicated. I know what my money is on anyway. Even the WCW Commissioner had to set 'Mean Gene' Okerlund straight, as following the Harlem Heat match, he was forced to come out and CORRECT HIM, stating that Hogan and Rodman issued the challenge earlier that night, and it had now been accepted (which it had) A small detail but it was still massively confusing at the time. The promise of a main-event between the four men was probably false advertising anyway, so what was the point? All I can say is, thank god WCW had an on screen commissioner to go around cleaning up other people's messes.

Second Hour

Fun match between Syxx and Rey Mysterio. Rey fought off Hall and Nash, before being choked out by Syxx.

Match 7

Ultimate Dragon Vs Chris Jericho was probably the best match of the week between both shows (Raw/Nitro)

Match 8

During their tag-match against Buff Bagwell & Scott Norton, Steve 'Mongo' McMichael turned on Jeff Jarrett, hitting him with a piledriver, before saying it was a direct consequence of Jeff's actions at The Great American Bash.

Main-event

Non-finish to the show as it transpires the promise of a main-event tag match was simply a ruse to get The Giant & Lex Luger in the same place for a beatdown! Predictable and disappointing end to the show.

Summary

Nitro edged a narrow win thanks to some stronger wrestling this week.

Raw/Nitro June 23rd

Monday Night Raw 23/6/97 (2.5 Stars)

Segment- Nation of Domination in-ring promo. Ahmed Johnson claims he joined The Nation as he was tired of being held down. Crush comes out on a motorcycle with his new group, Disciples of Apocalypse. DOA and Nation of Domination brawl in the ring.

Match 1- Ken Shamrock def Rockabilly

Match 2- Legion of Doom def The Godwinns (Tag Team Tournament)

Match 3- Sabu Vs Flash Funk ends via double count-out

Match 4- Mankind def British Bulldog via DQ

Intercontinental Championship

Match 5- (c) Owen Hart def Goldust & Hunter Hearst Helmsley

Segment- Bret Hart cuts a promo on his In Your House opponents, Legion of Doom, Ken Shamrock, Goldust and Steve Austin. Bret Hart calls out boxing legend Thomas Hearns for allegedly stealing his nickname. Hearns jumps the guardrail and confronts Hart.

Segment- The Nation of Domination holds down and whips Savio Vega in the locker room following a confrontation.

Match 6- Brian Christopher def Scott Taylor

Match 7- Faarooq & D-Lo Brown def The Undertaker & Vader

Analysis

Opening segment & Match 1

Ahmed Johnson's new look suited him as he donned a black vest and a durag. He looked more like a serious ass kicker rather than a cartoon character. Crush came out on a motorcycle with others, surrounding the ring. Crush and his D.O.A (Disciples of Apocalypse) fought with The Nation of Domination in the ring. This would be the start of a gang warfare storyline, with a white biker gang feuding with a black panthers inspired faction.

Dan Severn on commentary during Ken Shamrock's opener with Rockabilly. Severn said that Mixed Martial Arts has a zero percent mortality rate, prompting Vince to chip in and say the same about Pro Wrestling. It must be said that Vince was being very economical with the truth in making that claim.

Match 2

It was further teased that Marc Mero was possibly jealous of all the attention his wife Sable was getting, before LOD went over The Godwinns in a stinker. Beforehand, they showed the footage of when Henry O. Godwinn cracked his C7 vertebrae after a move went wrong when wrestling LOD, on Shotgun Saturday Night. This severely impacted his pro-wrestling going forward, with him calling it "career ending" Mark Canterbury aka Henry O. Godwinn was told by doctors it was a clean break, yet merely 6 weeks later Canterbury was back lifting weights and wrestling on the road.

Backstage promo

Paul Bearer reminded The Undertaker of "the fire" leading to the deadman throttling his manager in an effort to keep him quiet…

Match 3

Great match between Flash Funk and Sabu. It ended in a double count-out as Sabu failed to put Flash Funk through a table TWICE before storming off through the crowd. It's a shame Botchamania wasn't a thing in the late 90's, as that moment would have made the ultimate "I AM THE TABLE" skit.

Match 4

Mankind dedicated his match with British Bulldog to Steve Austin in an attempt to persuade Austin to choose him as his tag partner. It ended via DQ when Bulldog cracked Mankind with stiff chair shots to the head and face. Mankind recovered quickly, before putting the mandible claw on Bulldog…

Second Hour/WarZone

We were treated to the first Raw Triple-threat match in the show's history! Dusty finish as Owen Hart had his foot on the rope, leading to a Gorilla Monsoon coming out and restarting the contest. Owen would go on and retain his title in a really solid match, especially considering it was the WWF's first effort at a true 3 way. Frantic and very fun to watch. Jim Cornette is actually credited with creating the idea of a triple threat match, when booking in Smoky Mountain Wrestling in the early 90's.

Main-event

DOA interfered in the final match of the evening yet for some reason a DQ wasn't called. This main-event fell flat in my opinion. The Undertaker struck Vader, costing his team the match. Paul Bearer was seemingly getting fed up with The Undertaker not playing ball, promising to finally reveal his secret next week before Raw went off air!

Summary

A fun show lacking a decent main-event. The Undertaker/Paul Bearer stuff was entertaining, but not much happened on this show surrounding that angle other than in-fighting and threats which we had seen before. They needed to start delivering on some of these promised moments, and quickly.

WCW Nitro 23/6/97 (2.25 Stars)

Segment- DDP promo. DDP promises a surprise tag partner for Bash at the Beach. Kimberly says DDP is booked to wrestle Scott Hall in the main-event

Match 1- La Parka & Damien def Public Enemy

Segment- Eddie Guerrero promo. Eddie says he wasn't medically cleared to wrestle last week, and his nephew Chavo Guerrero offered to take his place and wrestle Dean Malenko. Eddie offers Chavo his title shot against Syxx.

Match 2- Chris Jericho def Alex Wright

Match 3- The Steiner Brothers def Harlem Heat (Tag Team Championship Number One Contenders Match)

Segment- Buff Bagwell and Scott Norton cut a promo on The Steiner Brothers. Bagwell dubs the team "Vicious and Delicious" Scott and Rick Steiner proceed to call out the tag champions.

Match 4- Hector Garza def Villano IV

Segment- Lex Luger & The Giant promo. Luger & The Giant hype their match against 'Hollywood' Hogan and Dennis Rodman

Cruiserweight Championship

Match 5- (c) Syxx def Chavo Guerrero

Match 6- Konan def Steve 'Mongo' McMichael

Segment- 'Rowdy' Rowdy Piper promo. Piper says he trusts Flair and he is a dear friend of his, yet he has his scruples. Ric Flair comes out before Beniot and Steve McMichael interrupt. The Horsemen (Flair, Beniot and McMichael) triple team Roddy Piper.

Match 7- Glacier & Ernest 'The Cat' Miller def High Voltage

Match 8- DDP defeats Scott Hall via DQ

Analysis

Match 1

La Parka used a chair during the opening tag bout, meaning a rematch would probably be on the cards. Oh joy!

Match 2

Stieners/Heat was fine, but I preferred their outing at The Great American Bash. Although neither contest set the world on fire.

Second Hour

Good match between Chavo and Syxx. Scott Hall got involved, hitting his finish on Chavo as Eddie watched on with his arms folded. This would unsurprisingly prove to be the best match of the night.

Match 6

Hugh Morrus distracted Konan, costing him his match with Steve 'Mongo' McMichael

Segment 5

'Rowdy' Roddy Piper delivered a great line during this promo. "The reason Ric keeps two girls in his bed is so when he falls asleep they have someone to talk to". What would follow, was mildly shocking as Ric Flair showed his true colours with a heel turn!

Mongo agitated Piper, prompting Flair telling Piper to let it go and leave the ring. Piper refuses and strikes Mongo, leading to all three Horsemen beating Piper up. This was a decent segment and Flair was always best playing a heel anyway, so it's win win.

Match 7

Ernest 'cat' Miller made his in-ring Nitro debut, as he and Glacier defeated High Voltage in tag action.

Not much to report as it was a short match. Ernest Miller looked ok, with his base style being reliant on his flashy leaping kicks.

Main-event

DDP/Scott Hall ended via DQ (shock horror) Just as the match started to pique my interest, Randy Savage interfered causing the DQ. Sting made an appearance and saved DDP as Nitro went off air.

Summary

Subpar episode in which nothing really happened. The Syxx match was entertaining and The Flair segment was fine I suppose, but as usual, Nitro refused to give us a proper main-event. This was really starting to hurt the overall quality of the shows. Raw wins the point.

Raw/Nitro June 30th

Monday Night Raw 30/6/97 (2.25 Stars)

Match 1- Hunter Hearst Helmsley def Ken Shamrock

Match 2- Nation of Domination def Legion of Doom (Tag Team Tournament)

Segment- Faarooq argues that Ahemd Johnson was the number one contender, but now is sidelined due to injury. As a result, another member of The Nation of Domination should replace him as number one contender, and not Vader. Savio Vega interrupts and brings out men in white vests, with the two groups fighting in the ring. D.O.A also surround the ring on bikes, starting a brawl of their own.

Match 3- Brian Christopher def Scott Putski

Segment- Undertaker backstage pre-recorded interview. Undertaker says we will hear a "slanted version of the worst night of his life" He asks the fans for the opportunity to tell his side.

Match 4- Brian Pillman def Mankind via count-out

Segment- Paul Bearer reveals Undertakers secret. Bearer says The Undertaker had a little brother called Kane. Paul Bearer says the funeral home he worked at was burned down, with Undertaker and Kane's family were inside. Paul Bearer accuses Undertaker of burning down the home, killing his parents in the process.

Match 5- British Bulldog & Owen Hart def The Headbangers (Tag Team Tournament)

Segment- The Undertaker replies to Paul Bearer. Undertaker says he and Kane were playing with matches. Undertaker says he saw Kane with chemicals and matches leaving the back of the funeral home, but when Undertaker returned it was too late. Undertaker also says that Paul Bearer forced him to look at his parents burned body at the mortuary, something he was reluctant to do. Finally he says that the lasting image is what made him who is today, and Paul Bearer will reap the worst of it.

Match 6- Vader def Rockabilly via DQ

Match 7- 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin def Jim 'The Anvil' Neidhart via DQ

Analysis

On this day, Michael Cole made his WWF debut as a backstage announcer. Supposedly, the draw behind hiring Michael Cole was due to his real life journalistic experience.

Match 1

A big match opened Raw as Ken Shamrock beat Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Shamrock hit one Suplex on Hunter and it was over. I'm unsure if it made Shamrock look tough as nails, or Hunter look like someone who can't kick out of a rudimentary wrestling move. Mankind distracted Hunter as he caught his attention walking down the ramp mid-match, so maybe that was the reason Hunter was caught off guard.

Match 2

During the tag team tournament, Henry Godwinn got involved, costing L.O.D the win against Nation of Domination. Legion of Doom chase off The Godwinns post-match.

Segment 1

We learned that Vader had replaced Ahmed Johnson as number one contender, due to Johnson being sidelined. Faarooq argued it should have been another member from The Nation that replaced Johnson. Savio Vega interrupts Faarooq's segment, debuting his new faction 'Los Boricuas'. D.O.A surrounds the ring, and the three factions all brawl.

Match 3

We learned that in order to compete in the lightweight division, competitors had to be 250 lbs or under. Brian Christopher pinned Scott Putski, with Jerry Lawler and Brain Christopher both double teaming Scott Putski post-match.

Match 4

We learned that Brian Pillman was banned from Shotgun Saturday Night for 'assaulting a fan.' An erratic apology was aired before his match with Mankind. His match with Mankind saw Hunter Hearst Helmsley get involved, leading to Mankind suffering a count-out loss as he chased Hunter away with a folding chair.

Second Hour/WarZone

British Bulldog & Owen Hart defeated The Headbangers, progressing to the finals of the tag team tournament. The bigger news however, was that Jim Cornette made his return to TV and debuted two large men who immediately attacked the Headbangers. One of them (400lbs) hit a moonsault which was particularly impressive. These men had previously competed in the WWF as The Headhunters. They wouldn't be used on WWF television again following this segment.

Match 6

The Undertaker interferes in Vader's match with Rockabilly, taking Paul Bearer to the ground and screaming at him to tell the truth. Paul Bearer responded by telling him that Kane was still alive!

Main-event

Bret interferes in the main-event, before Mankind makes the save. Mankind was beaten down by members of The Hart Foundation as Raw went off the air. Frantic end to what was quite frankly, a dull show.

Summary

The Undertaker stuff was interesting but the best was yet to come. Shamrock/Hunter had huge potential but was very stripped back, with the rest of the matches also failing to live upto expectation. Subpar episode this week.

WCW Nitro 30/6/97 (2.25 Stars)

Segment- Ric Flair in-ring promo. Flair brings out a mannequin of 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper along with 2 women. Flair and the women insult Piper, before Flair says he "crossed the line"

Cruiserweight Championship

Match 1- (c) Chris Jericho def Juventud Guerrera

Segment- Syxx confronts Chris Jericho. Syxx says he's still the real champion, before slapping Jericho! Alex Wright joins ringside and accosts 'Mean' Gene Okerlund demanding an interview. Wright accuses WCW of holding him down.

Match 2- Dean Malenko def Eddie Guerrero

Segment- Rey Mysterio calls out Kevin Nash and the rest of the Wolfpack. Rey Mysterio challenges Nash one on one. Kevin Nash accepts.

Segment- Eric Bischoff rides out on an NWO motorcycle before Hollywood Hogan cuts an in-ring promo. Hogan says he's having the night off and leaving Lex Luger, The Giant and DDP to the Outsiders and Randy Savage.

TV Title

Match 3- (c) Steve Regal def Hector Garza

Segment- The Steiners challenge Scott Hall and Kevin Nash. Hall and Nash accept, before saying they have to beat Masahiro Chono first.

Match 4- Psychosis def Super Calo

Match 5- Ric Flair, Steve 'Mongo' McMichael & Chris Beniot def Buff Bagwell, Scott Norton & Masahiro Chono via DQ

Match 6- High Voltage def Mortis & Wrath

Segment- Raven shown sat at ringside

US Championship

Match 7- (c) Jeff Jarrett def Konan

Match 8- Kevin Nash def Rey Mysterio

Segment- Mike Tenay attempts to interview Raven. Raven refused to speak.

Match 9- Scott Hall, Kevin Nash & 'Macho Man' Randy Savage def Lex Luger, The Giant & DDP

Analysis

Opening Segment

I didn't understand why Ric Flair brought out a mannequin during his promo on Roddy Piper, but the promo itself was fine I guess.

Match 1

We learned that Chris Jericho won the Cruiserweight Title from Syxx during a special show in LA, broadcast online. Jericho went on to have a fun opening match with Juventud Guerrera, but it wasn't anything overly special.

Match 2

Eddie Guerrero rushes Dean Malenko, attacking him from behind before their match. Dean and Eddie famously worked well together, making the most of their sub 5 minute match.

Segment 4

Hogan's promo was essentially a glorified main-event announcement. Next…

Segment 5

Steiners challenge Hall and Nash. Nash says not tonight, before making a joke about all of the call outs he's been subjected to on one show! Stieners sign a contract to face the champions. The contract had a hidden clause whereby The Steiners had to beat Chono and The Great Muta beforehand.

Match 4

Following his loss to Psychosis, Super Calo was attacked by La Parka with a wooden chair, before Juventud Guerrera made the save. The first hour was solid enough, with two entertaining matches

Second Hour

The Horsemen picked up a win during the 6-man against team nWo (Buff Bagwell, Masahiro Chono & Scott Norton) thanks to a Vincent interference, ending the match via DQ

Match 6

High Voltage took on Mortis and Wrath in tag team action. A run-in from Ernest Miller and Glacier distracted Wrath and Mortis, giving High Voltage the upset victory.i didn't understand why Mortis and Wrath couldn't be given a clean victory? I genuinely can't recall either of them winning a match, despite them supposedly being "monsters"

Segment 6

Raven shown sat at ringside in the most anticlimactic moment ever. WCW had been hyping up a new "impact player" since The Great American Bash. If it was Raven. This was a huge botch on WCW's part. Even if it wasn't. Bringing him in to zero fanfare was still very lame. He didn't look best pleased anyway but with Scott Levy aka Raven, it's hard to know if that's him in character or just being genuinely moody.

Match 7

Ric Flair aids Jeff Jarrett during his victory over Konan, despite Jeff's differences with Steve 'Mongo' McMichael. Post-match, Jeff cuts a promo saying all professional jealousy has been squashed. Jeff Jarrett is officially kicked out of The Four Horsemen by Ric Flair, leading to Jarrett threatening him. This has to have been one of the most back and forth angles I've ever seen. It feels like the entire experiment with Jarrett was just that, an experiment, and one that didn't work out. In my opinion, it's been a massive waste of time with zero pay off.

Match 8

Kevin Nash squashes Rey. Mysterio Konan goes after Mysterio afterwards, seeing Mysterio leave on a stretcher.

Main-event

The Main-event devolved into a brawl with the bell never ringing. Hogan and other C-Tier NWO members get involved, overwhelming the face trio of Lex Luger, The Giant and DDP. Sting appears, as does Mr Perfect aka Curt Hennig, before Raven jumps the guardrail. The show ends on that cliffhanger.

Some solid wrestling in the first hour and I'd be lying if I said the close of the show failed to hook me. Despite all of that though, as a show all round. It wasn't as strong as it could have been. Smarter booking could have vastly improved it. Personally, I would have opened the show with Raven and ended it with Curt Hennig, bookending the show nicely. Ultimately, this was a show that was heavily hyped up, and for that reason I feel as if it was a let down. Anyway, that month is finally over. With the final show giving us a tie.

Summary & final scores

Uncanny at times how the booking of the two shows are so similar. Raw has a surprise going off air, so does Nitro. Which isn't too dissimilar to when they used to literally copy each other's main-events. You have a cage match, so do we. Your world title is on the line, let's call Hogan. The main talking points from this month are Undertaker's feud with Paul Bearer, Bret Hart's real life beef with Shawn Michaels as well as WCW's surging momentum in general. Nitro picked up more week to week wins (3-1-1) according to how I scored the shows, but neither WCW or WWF blew me away with their weekly TV's. As for my MOTM, I'm tempted to give the award to Hunter and Mankind, as that was my personal choice. But I can still appreciate just how good Austin/Michaels was, and how they probably edged it. Final scores see WCW continue to lead the way with 43-37 WWF and 10 draws.

Match of the Month: 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin Vs Shawn Michaels (King of the Ring '97)