Royal Rumble 1996

Survivor Series is here.

Royal Rumble – 1996 Fresno

JRs gone again with the Bells Palsy, Gorilla returns, joining Cornette, and they toss Piper, who Gorilla worked with after Bobby left, in the mix too.

(Dark – Al Snow d. Marty)

1. Candido/Savio d. Smoking Gunns
The low card faces are going to Wrestlemania!!! Much rejoicing!!

2. Undertaker d. Mr. X.
The masked man gets in his Undertaker spots. Walks the ropes, the zombie sit – but is put away in three-four minutes. Undertaker unmasks him…who the hell is this??

It’s Duke Droese.

Undertaker’s confused. Duke Droese?

Lights off. Lights on. Jacobs, in the mask, in the ring. So, it wasn’t him.

Jacobs unmasks --- the Undertaker looks at him quizzically, as if he can't quite place him -he reaches out - the lights go off - when they come back, both men are gone. Spooky.

3. No DQ: HHH (w/Waltman and Sunny) d. Bob Holly
We get a garbage match for the third meeting between these two – Bob is all heart – and viciously attacks Waltman and HHH with chairshots – Bob missle dropkicks to the outside at Waltman – but Waltman pulls the girl in front, and Sunny takes the brunt of the shot. That will end her night. Holly tries to see if she’s okay – HHH gets Holly from behind with the chairshot – Hunter sets Holly up – and Pedigrees him onto the steel steps – Holly is busted open and laid out – Waltman and HHH drag him in for the fall.

Crotch Chops. Pose. Clique hand gestures.

4. Ahmed Johnson (w/Teri) d. Davey Boy Smith (DQ)
Solid enough power matchup, DBoy is still better than Ahmed, and has the advantage – but when Teri distracts the official, Ahmed lays into Davey Boy with chairshots – Owen runs, well, hobbles, in – and knocks Ahmed out with the enziguiri (selling the cast further, sell the cast, sell the cast) which, unfortunately for Davey Boy, the official sees and the Bulldog gets DQ’d.

Davey Boy is hot, yelling at Owen to mind his own business, yelling at Owen he cost him the title at Survivor Series, yelling at Owen he’s just like Bret…

Owen apologizes, but Davey Boy won’t hear it – Davey Boy shoves Owen away and walks back up the aisle.

5. Sean Waltman (w/HHH) d. Hakushi
Another terrific matchup, Waltman again going over Hakushi as numbers are enough to push the balance toward the bad guys. Again, this is a really good matchup, Waltman could really go back then – he maybe was even a better worker than Hakushi, actually – and this is a good feud that further establishes the Clique JV.

6. Tags: Steve Austin/Dustin Rhodes d. Diesel/Razor
Austin and Dustin go over clean. Austin with the stunner and the fall on Razor – Austin stuns Diesel for good measure. The crowd is shocked as Razor and Diesel get no heat back – but instead are laid out by Stunning Steve Austin. Dustin is fine, and particularly as a tag is a good wrestler – but Austin, obviously, is who they book to pop here. Austin and Dustin do the Clique hand gesture in a mocking fashion over Razor and Diesel, taking the belts and leaving.

HHH and Waltman enter, HHH taking the mic, as Razor and Diesel rise groggily. “this is how it is now? How are me and the Kid ever supposed to get any respect in this business when you two ‘superstars’ are getting your ass kicked on Pay Per View? You lose to the Undertaker – and you lose to Owen Hart – and now you can’t even keep the tag belts? The Kid and me are out here winning night in and night out – upholding the tradition of the Clique – and it’s obvious to us…

That the two of you can’t cut it anymore.”

Ooooh.

Diesel and Razor, barely able to believe their ears…Nash, for the first time in his WWF run – gets angry…

“What the fuck did you just say?”

You know, PPV. Gorilla will apologize for the swearing.

Diesel and HHH go nose to nose.

“I said that you old, burned out, has beens can’t cut it anymore.”

Diesel and Razor fire – Waltman and HHH return – and they are in a full scale brawl, officials from the back break it up. The Clique has broken in two.

7. IC: Vader (w/Perfect) d. Shawn Michaels
Vader’s big. Michaels is quick. That’s the matchup. But Vader was brutal, absolutely brutal – and he overwhelms the Heart Break Kid with a physicality never seen in the WWF – Vader fires full on blows at Shawn that bust him open hardway – Michaels can’t hit the superkick – but does hit the elbowdrop – but Hennig is there to put Vader's foot on the ropes. Vaderbomb for the clean finish. 1-2-3.

Vader takes the belt, yelling “WHO’S THE MAN!” at the shocked WWF crowd. Hennig yells out "Now that's Perfect" as he puts the boots to the fallen Michaels. Austin, Dustin, and Vader have come in and taken belts at their first PPV – and not from stiffs – but from the Clique, who have had a longtime stranglehold on the top of the card. The company moved from being about Steamboat/Dynamite to being about Savage and Hennig – the company moved then to being about the Clique against the Harts – and now we begin to see another shift as the NWA talent starts to move north.

8. WWF Title: Bret Hart d. Owen Hart
Oh, what a good show. Bret finally beats Owen, keeping his title. Again, no sharpshooter submission. Owen breaks the sharpshooter – Owen hits the enziguiri with the cast – the cast breaking over Bret’s head -- but Bret kicks out. That’ll be the end of the cast. They do the WM X finish – but this time after Owen sits down – Bret rolls through and gets the fall.

Bret keeps in another all time classic match. He and Owen exhaustedly continue to punch each other after the bell, both on their knees – both bleeding – punch, punch, punch – they will not stop with the rights and the lefts even after the match -- Davey Boy enters – grabbing Bret and pulling him away – Owen, trying to punch Bret, inadvertently hits Davey Boy. Davey Boy fires back at Owen – and the two of them brawl to the back – it’s just a misunderstanding! It’s all a big misunderstanding!! -- Bret left alone, the blood trickling down his grinning face, as he holds the belt high in the air.

The NWA show has the Public Enemy – making the tour of all the companies, apparently. They debut The Giant who destroys Hogan. Mike Rotundo is back in the NWA – he goes over Luger. They debut Chris Kanyon, in the Mortis gimmick, and he sends Marc Mero up north. The Road Warriors make their triumphant return and go over Flair and Savage to win the tags. Page keeps the US over Arn. And Sting ends Pillman’s NWA run by keeping the World Title over him.


Superbrawl – 1996 St. Pete
NWA Title: Sting d. Brian Pillman
US: DDP d. AA
Tags: Road Warriors d. Savage/Flair
Chris Kanyon d. Marc Mero

Mike Rotundo d. Lex Luger
Konan d. Kevin Sullivan
The Giant d. Hulk Hogan
Public Enemy d. Nasty Boys

On the road to XII…

Piper returns for a Pit. Says he’s ready for his first wrestling match in 4 years. Says it was a dozen years ago since he started Pay Per View and he’s ready to be crowned a legend. Clip package of the first 11 Legend’s Matches:

Andre destroying David Sammartino
Andre pinning Bruno.
Andre pinning Harley.
Andre kicking out of Hogan’s legdrop and then bodyslamming Hogan.
Hogan with the legdrop on the Warrior.
Hogan with the legdrop on Dusty.
Undertaker tombstoning Jake.
Hogan dropping the leg on Jake
Hogan submitting to Backlund’s cross face chicken wing.
Savage hanging Crush from an apparatus backstage.
Undertaker tombstoning Lawrence Taylor.

After the package ends, Piper makes a crack about his old tag partner Roberts being the only guy to lose twice – then makes a crack about Jake being on crack. Jake enters. The crowd tries to warn Roddy – he thinks it’s funny that they’d say Jake was right behind him when he was just clowing Jake. How dumb do they think the Hot Rod is?

DDT. Jake reaches into the bag…but there’s no snake, instead he pulls a bottle of scotch out of the bag. Jake drinks some, pours some on Piper. “You people came to see a Legend? This is what a Legend looks like.” Jake, overweight as he was during this run, but not wearing a shirt to hide it – just fat, high, drunk Jake in all his totally fried glory -- grizzled, completely hammered – he takes another pull and then pulls a bible out of the bag. Jake reads a verse fervently: “1st Corinthians 2:4 ‘And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power.” Jake takes a pull, spits some out on Piper, staggers off.

Also returning for XII….the Ultimate Warrior. Warrior has now shaved his head, and paints the whole thing. He’s either in blackface – or he’s got a swastika on the top of his head – whatever we can get away with. He says he’s only coming back for one match – he’s not coming back full time, he needs to devote all his energies to Warrior Ministry -- he came back for two reasons. One, to remind the fans that Y2K is coming – and they need to stock up on their durable goods, ‘cause when the stuff goes down, don’t come crawling to Camp Warrior then. Then it will be too late. Only the chosen ones will be…chosen.

And because he’s heard about this man named Ahmed Johnson. A man who doesn’t understand his place. A man who puts his hands all over white women. At Wrestlemania, the Ultimate Warrior will show him what the power of destrucity is all about. Shake the ropes. Shake the ropes.

Ahmed enters. The so called Ultimate Warrior thinks he can stand up to the genetic superiority of the black man? The black man founded Anaheim, California. The black man discovered Wrestlemania – Wrestlemania was discovered by George Washington Carver in 1895 – and the white man stole it – and the white media covers it up – and it’s time that the Black Man got his Reparations!

Austin/Dustin defend against Candido and Vega. Austin cuts lots of Sunny promos on Candido. Says he’s better off – says she’s a five dollar piece of ass. Says he’s gonna pass the hat around though, pick up a few bucks in donations, and maybe a clothespin for his nose – and he’ll give her a try. He figures after being with Candido and the Clique – she’s itching for a man with a little size.

Perfect says Vader’s the Man. He’s a beast. No man in the WWF can match him.

Bong.

Undertaker to the ring.

So they do Undertaker/Vader for the IC.

In the middle of the card – Hart v. Hart, Clique v. Clique.

They keep upping the tension between Owen and Davey Boy. Neither one turning, it’s a misunderstanding exascerbated by Davey Boy’s recognition that his time at the top is growing shorter. And Bret chimes in whenever he can to further drive a wedge between the two. I like if we tease that maybe one of them will join Bret on the dark side – that maybe he recruits each of them – but both remain faces, just opposed to each other. There’s a spot in the ring where, say, it looks like one and then the other, will listen to Bret and turn – but they hold strong and just brawl with each other as Bret watches.

Bret enjoys this.

The Clique match is going to be Diesel v. HHH, Waltman and Razor in their corners. Sunny undecided.

Diesel becomes the old school veteran here – while HHH is the cocky upstart. The irony of Diesel becoming old guard is not lost on him. HHH/Waltman cut all the cocky “you guys suck, go home” promos. We let them dress up as Diesel and Razor to clown them. Diesel and Razor are stuck in the role of the aggrieved veterans – these young punks don’t know their history – don’t know their place. They haven’t traveled the roads that Razor and Diesel have traveled. These guys started off in the WWF on third base thinking they hit a triple.

Unlike the Hart feud – Michaels doesn’t interject himself in the Clique feud – but they come to him. HHH/Waltman go to Shawn’s locker – sort of pitching themselves as the rightful heirs of the Clique – they’re heels and Shawn’s a face – it’s sort of like Shawn’s name is on the building though, even though he’s gone on to start another company. They’re punks and come at him like punks – sort of kissing up to him and threatening him at the same time.

Diesel and Razor come to him to. But it’s more to just hang out, talk about the old times – they get sort of wistful – it’s a “’member when you turned on me…no, first you hit me with a chair…and then you threw me off the ladder…and you jackknifed me and took my title…good times.”

But they don’t leave friends – too much has gone on – they all recognize that. It’s sad.

At the top….Bret/Shawn. Iron Man. It’s Wrestlemania XII after all.

Shawn’s never beaten Bret in a singles. Never. It's Jumbo/Misawa (if that reference is lost on you...read your Bible) years of the younger guy never able to beat the older guy. Bret took Shawn’s title a year ago at XI. As the Clique clearly is changing forever – and maybe the Harts too – one wonders how much longer these two men will be able to keep warring.

It’s Bret’s 6th WM headlining match, including 5 in a row. It’s Bret’s 17th time headlining a PPV, which, amazingly, is more than twice that of anyone else in the WWF (Flair, combining NWA and WWF is at 19 – a number which Bret is well aware of)

Bret and Shawn, of course, are the only Triple Crown winners in the modern era – it’s a trophy that Shawn is currently in possession of.

They legit. hate each other – and make that point in their promos. “In this business, there are guys you hate because it makes good business – this is not like that – Bret Hart (Shawn Michaels) you know I hate your guts, I hate everything you stand for – and at WM XII – in the 60 Minute Iron Man match – I’m am going to prove once and for all that I am the showstopper (best there is) the main event (best there was) the icon of professional wrestling (the best there ever will be).

It's Wrestlemania XII from Anaheim. Bret/Shawn in the Iron Man. Vader/Undertaker for the IC. Austin and Dustin defending against Candido and Savio. Owen meets Davey Boy and Diesel meets HHH. Jake and Piper in a Parking Lot Legends Brawl and the return of the Ultimate Warrior, now with a swastika on his head.

You gotta, gotta, gotta call your cable company for this one!

Survivor Series 1995

Summer Slam was here.

Survivor Series – 1995 Washington DCJR and Cornette.

(Dark – Al Snow d. PJ Walker)

Ted DiBiase Presents: The Opening Tag!

1. Tables Match: Public Enemy d. Louie Spicoli/Marty Jannetty
PE tosses the mismatched Marty and Spicoli (Marty chosen for the tag team cred. – Louie ‘cause he could have taken the bumps) through tables. Fans Pop. Razor and Diesel run in – jackknife/Edge on PE, laying them out. They then promo

“Hey, yo. Big Mang. How many t-shirts will we sell tonight, in Chocolate City?”

“Well, Razor, attendance tonight is 17,128. On average, each customer will spend $11 bucks on merchandise; Razor/Diesel t-shirts account for 46% of all merchandise sales – the rest are those Mr. Freeze Freezer Bars…You know what they say about those, Bad Guy?”

“No Mang, what they say?”

“They are as fun to squeeze as they are to eat.”

“That’s what they say about Ra-zor Ra-mon, Chico.”

“Where’s the blonde at? Those kids are hogging her again. I have to get my stretching in.”

“She has to get her stretching in, Chico.”

“Hey Gunns – shine up our belts!”

2. Chris Candido d. Savio Vega
Spirited, good matchup. Candido clean – handshake afterward – everybody’s friends.

3. Sean Waltman (w/Sunny and HHH) d. Hakushi
Terrific match, tears the house down, as we give Waltman someone who can match him spot for spot and with three good matches right in a row, we’re rolling here in DC. Sunny distracts the official, HHH Pedigree – Waltman pinfall. It’s a pretty good formula. The Clique JV rolls on. Crotch chops. They make out with Sunny. Good times.

4. HHH (w/Waltman and Sunny) d. Bob Holly (DQ)
Another good match, Alabama Bob isn’t feeling the Clique – he gets frustrated with the interference and the related shenanigans – takes a chair to HHH and gets DQ’d. Holly gets some heat by firing chairshots at HHH and Waltman – but they eventually overwhelm him – a bloody Helmsley hits the Pedigree – they stand over Bob mockingly.

5. This is supposed to be Undertaker/Ahmed, which would tick the workrate down a little bit…but somehow, you, the purchaser of Survivor Series 95 has gotten your money’s worth, so Ahmed enters….the Undertaker enters…but before the match, the lights go out…and when they come on…the Undertaker is gone.

What the hell happened to the Undertaker??

We cut to the parking lot – and Jacobs, in the mask, is carrying the Undertaker over his shoulder and dumping him into the trunk of his car.

Who is this masked man???

So, Ahmed takes the mic – “Another white man who afraid of this! We in DC– and the brothers want to see Ahmed Johnson! And they gonna see Ahmed Johnson! Send some punk ass white boy down here fo’ his beatin’.”

5. Owen Hart (w/cast on leg) d. Ahmed Johnson
Not gonna be an ass beating. Owen makes a surprise return to the WWF, gone since the night after XI when Bret broke his ankle, Owen enters here with a walking cast on his ankle – his limping allows the match to be competitive – Ahmed’s undefeated but not very good – has a limited power based moveset – but Owen could sell the hell out of it here enough for this to count as our fifth straight good match of the night. Owen’s skill too much for Johnson in the end – and the finish comes as Owen hits the enziguiri – of course, with the cast.

Owen uses the cast as a weapon. You know, like he did with the cast on his arm during this actual year. Owen knocks Ahmed clean out with the enziguiri – and that now becomes Owen’s thing.

6. Tags: Diesel/Razor (w/HHH, Waltman, and Sunny) d. Smoking Gunns
First ever title for Diesel, Razor adds a tag to go with his 2 ICs. It’s another good match, the Gunns are the faces – but they’re just placeholders – it’s like putting the straps on the Killer Bees – they’re perfectly fine to open the show with – but can’t do anything more than that – so, the fans are sizably pro-Clique as Razor and Diesel roll over the Gunns.

Ted is thrilled, runs in with two briefcases full of money – Ted mocks the Gunns – grabs the arms of Razor and Diesel and thrusts them into the air…

They take the money – and then wipe Ted out. Big pop. Jacknife. Edge. That’s the end of Ted. The announce will explain the next night that Ted has resold the tag division back to the WWF.

They leave the post match beatdown for HHH/Waltman, like cackling vultures, they dive in and take the scraps, crotchchopping, laughing, mocking the Gunns. Diesel tosses his strap to Razor, then picks up Sunny and tosses her over his shoulder – they head back up the aisle as HHH and Waltman celebrate in the ring.

7. IC: Shawn Michaels d. Shane Douglas
Douglas could generate crazy heat, and this would have been a money match; they sell it as different than most matches, more out of control, most shoot-style, as if Douglas won’t co-operate. This is it for Douglas, he’s gone after this match, so it really should have that “outsider” type feel – I’m not explicitly using the outsider gimmick, this is more of a dry run with it – but Douglas is obviously not with anyone else, not part of the heel locker room, we know he’s from ECW – and it should far more have the feel of an interpromotional match than of a typical good guy/bad guy set up.

We get stuff in the ring – stuff outside – Michaels beats Douglas with the same gimmick he used to end Hennig’s career – elbowdrop, elbowdrop – lifts Douglas up, refusing to pin him – then the third elbowdrop and the lazy cover for the pinfall win. It’s a definitive, destructive finish. Michaels stands over Douglas, holding the belt high. Triumph for Shawn Michaels.

Hit Mr. Perfect's music.

Gone since his stint as guest referee at X, the longtime WWF Champion returns, hitting the ring to a big, surprised pop and gets in the ring with Michaels as Douglas rolls out.

"So, here's the great HBK - here's the Triple Crown winner - here's the mighty Shawn Michaels."

Fans pop.

"I'm not impressed....I'm not impressed because, to me, you'll always be that kid in the locker room who was too scared to call me by my first name. You're a punk, Michaels. You're a punk and you'll always be a punk."

That's a heel turn.

Michaels responds, "Curt Hennig - no one has more respect for what you accomplished here in the WWF than me - you were one of the great WWF Champions of all time - and one of the great accomplishments in my life was that I ended your career. And I did you a favor, Hennig, yeah, I did you a favor - because you and I know that your back was in no condition for you to work, the last year, maybe the last two years of your career - and it was sad for all these fans to watch a shell of himself come out here and pretend to still be Mr. Perfect."

'Cause he's Shawn Michaels, babyface or not.

Hennig just laughs.

"Michaels, a couple of weeks ago, that's the kinda thing that woulda really bothered me - it woulda bothered me that a piece of crap like you ended my career - it woulda bothered me that these fans, who I bled for for so many years, are here right now cheering for a guy like you instead of a guy like me - but Michaels, something happened in the last week - in the last week - I got a call from a man....from a man in Atlanta..."

Crowd interested.

"I got a call from a man in Atlanta who said he was ready to take the next step - ready to move to the next level - ready to come here, to the World Wrestling Federation - and stake his claim as the best wrestler in the world.

And the man he's gonna beat to do that will be you, Michaels."

Crowd interested.

"And right next to him when he does it....is going to be me."

Perfect music hits. Perfect leaves. And the people speculate about who is coming from the NWA to take on Shawn Michaels.

8. WWF Title: Bret Hart d. Davey Boy Smith
One more classic from Bret and Davey Boy. This is one of the great PPV’s ever, 3 great matches and every match on the show a good one. Survivor Series 95. Who knew?

Owen comes down to the ring at midmatch, rooting for Davey Boy. Sharpshooter, of course, but Davey Boy won’t submit – Bret moves to the ankle spot, Davey Boy quits while simultaneously Owen climbs into the ring. Simultaneously. Very important. Owen and Bret brawl – Owen knocks Bret out with the enziguiri and stands over him and yells at him, “What the hell’s the matter with you? When are you going to be my brother again? What the hell’s the matter with you, Bret?” Owen helps Davey Boy up – Davey Boy unhappy – Davey Boy says he could have broken the hold if Owen hadn’t have jumped in…Owen says that Davey Boy quit first, and he was trying to save his ankle – they calm things down…

Owen drops the belt on Bret’s body and that’s where the shot holds as the show ends.

In the NWA…Mero beats Luger, Regal wins. This was the PPV when they did a tournament against New Japan, so there’s an unbelievable amount of talent here – Benoit and Eddy each have crazy good wins, Savage/Flair keep the belts, Page keeps the US, and Sting beats Jushin Liger to keep the World Title. It’s a show even better than Survivor Series – a real good end to the year.

Starrcade – 1995 Nashville
NWA Title: Sting d. Jushin Liger
US: DDP d. Tenzan
Tags: Savage/Flair d. Sasaki/Chono
Eddy Guerrero d. Otani

Chris Benoit d. Kanemoto
Steve Regal d. Alex Wright
Marc Mero d. Lex Luger
American Males d. One Man Gang/Eaton


On the way to the Rumble…

Candido and Savio, new respect between them, and with a recognition that Razor and Diesel are mowing through the tag ranks, team up. They’ll meet the Gunns at the Rumble – winning team will go onto WM XII to wrestle for the straps.

We’re gonna do Undertaker/Jacobs. Undertaker still does not know who this giant man is who is doing all of his old undead guy moves. But now he’s less interested in solving the mystery than he is in kicking his ass. The important thing is – it’s not a dentist.

Actually, again this is gonna be a swerve, we’re still not really gonna do this.

Ahmed is pissed off. The white man lied to him – he was prepared for the dead white guy and instead they brought in one of the Harts – the whitest family alive. Ahmed says if he got to prepare, he’d kick any one of they so called Canadian asses. Davey Boy music. Davey Boy. And there’s that match.

Clique rematches all around. HHH/Bob, Waltman/Hakushi. We’ll tag up these two sides on the way to the Rumble – we’ll switch up and have singles matches on each side – we’ll give the faces enough heat that people want to watch the matches again – but they’re good matches, and the Clique is a good act – so it’s not that tough.

At the top….

Razor and Diesel, as said, run over the full tag ranks, faces and heels alike – not really taking any of them seriously, Diesel saying, “to quote a great man, ‘when are we gonna get us some competition?’”

“Hey Chi-co, what we gonna do at the Rumble, Mang?”

“We’ve killed the whole tag team division, you were Intercontinental Champion 1100 times, I think one of us broke Sunny…”

The giggling is interrupted when two blond men leap from the stands, one on each side – and, shockingly, wipe out Diesel and Razor with a move known in Japan as the Ace Crusher, adopted by Mikey Whipwreck in ECW as the whippersnapper – and will, eventually, be called the Stone Cold Stunner – but right now is used by these men, Dustin Rhodes and Steve Austin – to wipe out the tag champs.

Austin takes the mic. “You two yellow bastards make me sick. Look at you – the “Clique” – you want something to do at the Royal Rumble – the Natural Dustin Rhodes and Stunning Steve Austin will give you something to do at the Rumble – you two are about to find out what it’s like to play with the big boys.”

Michaels continues his program with Perfect, the always cocky Michaels getting a little nervous as Hennig drops hints as to who is coming, he's a former NWA World Heavyweight Champion - he's a former champion in Japan....

...and eventually, on the video wall....

“Shawn Michaels…..Shawn Michaels….I’m coming Shawn Michaels…I’m coming to HURT YOU Shawn Michaels. Who’s the Man? Who’s the Man?”

Michaels sells the shock at the sight of Vader on the video wall talking to him - allowing Hennig to smash him over the head with the IC belt and PerfectPlex him.

Austin and Dustin are sold as tag team specialists – Dustin’s got 2 NWA tag titles with two different partners – Austin has one – and also was US Champ – so all three newcomers are highly decorated shots in the arm of the talent roster.

And in the main….Bret and Owen. Man this is a good card.

Bret does some manipulation now, doing a promo where he calls out Davey Boy and berates him for letting Owen stop the match at Survivor Series. Bret says he couldn’t keep the sharpshooter locked on for much longer – that he was tired – that all Davey Boy had to do was hold on one more second and he would be WWF Champion right now – but instead – Bret’s never gonna give him another shot – and it’s all Owen’s fault.

Davey Boy isn’t too bright, so he listens to Bret and his resentment of Owen grows.

Bret’s never beaten Owen – and now vows not just to beat him – but to rip the cast of his ankle and break it again.

Bret’s the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be – and he owes his little brother a long overdue receipt.

Owen will be wrestling with the cast – and promises that one enziguiri will knock Bret cold – and again he’ll be WWF Champion. They have Owen do a series of singles matches on RAW, each one ending with an enziguiri knockout finish. Bret breaks ankles – Owen knocks suckers out. Owen says he lost his WWF title over a year ago, and has never gotten a rematch. And even then – he never lost it to Bret.

Owen/Bret, Shawn/Vader, Diesel/Razor v. Austin/Dustin -- that’s the top of your card for Royal Rumble ’96. Add in the two Clique matches and the long awaited Undertaker v. Giant Masked Man who will turn out to be his brother, almost.

Royal Rumble '96. Call your local cable company right now! Do it! Do it bitches!

Summer Slam 1995

XI was here.

Summer Slam 1995 Pittsburgh

JR and Cornette on the announce.

(Dark – PJ Walker d. Louie Spicoli)

Ted DiBiase enters to begin the show. Says if the tag division doesn’t start to turn a profit soon, he may have to sell it – and that would be the end of tag team wrestling in the WWF. Boo. So he is going to give the fans their money’s worth tonight – and have the Smoking Gunns defend their titles not once---but twice, tonight! And the first defense, will happen…right now!

Ted DiBiase Presents: The Opening Tag!

1. Tags: Smoking Gunns d. Kama/Mabel
Billy! Bart! The Smoking Gunns!

2. Mr. X d. Barry Horowtiz
-Jacobs, in the mask, does the whole old Undertaker schtick – the no selling, the zombie sit up – walking the ropes, chokeslam, tombstone, bodybag…who is this giant undead masked man? Well, he’s Glen Jacobs, of course, but we don’t know that yet. All I’m saying is – he’s not a dentist.

3. HHH (w/Sunny and Waltman) d. Bob Holly
Clique time. Good match, Hunter’s playing the cocky, DX version of Hunter, he fits in with the rest of the group. Alabama Bob’s a pain in the ass. Sunny distracts the official, HHH goes low, Pedigree. Crotch chops. Posing.

4. Sean Waltman (w/Sunny and HHH) d. Candido
Red hot match, Candido’s all fired up – Sunny on the outside – we let Candido get some heat back on her during the match – but Waltman’s too good, goes over and he and Sunny make out in the ring. HHH pedigrees Candido after the match, the Clique poses – Holly runs in for the save on Candido – he brawls with HHH again – and again, HHH with the Pedigree. It’s the Next Generation of the Clique! Pose. Pose. Pose. Chop. Chop. Chop.

5. Undertaker d. Diesel
This is really a big selling point of this show. We get their match from XII, since they're not doing it then. A good big man brawl, the crowd heavily divided – Undertaker going over. Chokeslam. The Clique JV hits the ring, Waltman and HHH going after the Undertaker. Lights off. Lights on. The masked Jacobs in the ring. Jacobs and the Undertaker fight off HHH and Waltman. Jacobs and the Undertaker get the pop – the Undertaker continues to look perplexed – who the hell is this guy???

6. Tags: Smoking Gunns d. Harris Brothers
Billy! Bart! They successfully defend the titles twice in the same night – Ted mutters all the way back up the aisle – what will he do about these guys??

7. IC: Ladder: Shawn Michaels d. Razor Ramon (w/Waltman/HHH)
Michaels regains the IC for the third time, more than any man in history.
It’s their second ladder match, they did it at the actual Summer Slam. Michaels gets revenge, regains his strap. Big face pop for Michaels. Razor and Diesel both lose, while HHH and Waltman both win. As Waltman and HHH enter, dragging the bloody Razor from the ring, a discerning fan notes the dichotomy between the two halves of the Clique. The new guys winning, the old guys losing (save the babyface Michaels)

8. WWF Title: Bret Hart d. Hakushi
Like Tenryu, Bret defends against all comers. Here, it's harder to sell Hakushi as a top junior, as Muta and Liger have been in the NWA title picture for years. Hakushi does the underdog gimmick, but Bret’s too strong. It’s a terrific match, better, because it’s longer, than the ones they actually had, which were pretty good to begin with. Sharpshooter. Submission. Bret’s gonna break Hakushi’s ankle! Bret’s gonna break Hakushi’s….save by Davey Boy. Davey Boy breaks the hold – hits the press slam – and saves Hakushi. Davey Boy points at Bret – Bret rolling around in pain – Davey Boy yelling at Bret as the show ends.

In the NWA…Boss Man gets a win. Hogan goes over Haku. Yeah, Pillman goes over Mero. Eddy, Chris, and Dean hit town together, just as they did in ECW. Eddy works first and wins. Savage and Flair keep. DDP takes the US from Arn – and Sting keeps over a returning Luger.


Fall Brawl – 1995 Asheville
NWA Title: Sting d. Lex Luger
US Title: DDP d. Arn Anderson
Tags: Savage/Flair d. Harlem Heat
Brian Pillman d. Marc Mero

Eddy Guerrero d. Alex Wright
Hogan d. Haku
Bubba Rogers d. Disco
Bagwell/Riggs d. Nastys


In ECW…Raven goes over Dreamer, Terry Funk goes over the Sandman, they do an off the charts lucha match with Rey going over Psychosys in a 2 of 3 falls. Bubba Ray Dudley and Mikey Whipwreck end the Public Enemy run as the tag champs. 2 Cold Scorpio successfully keeps the TV title over Cactus Jack – and Sabu keeps the World Title going over a recent WCW refugee named…Steve Austin.

November to Remember – 1995 Philadelphia
ECW Title: Sabu d. Steve Austin
TV: 2 Cold Scorpio d. Cactus Jack
Tags: Mikey/Bubba Ray d. Public Enemy
Rey Mysterio d. Psychosys

Terry Funk d. Sandman
Raven d. Dreamer
Konan d. JT Smith
Axl Rotten/Hack Meyers d. Tony Stetson/Donn Allen

On the road to Survivor Series, Savio makes a comment about Sunny which Candido overhears and overreacts to – Candido attacking Savio in the locker room. Neither turns heel, but they’ll meet at Survivor Series. Bob Holly earns some respect from the fans as he goes right after HHH again – and their feud continues at Survivor Series. Ted announces a new acquisition, Public Enemy, fresh off a two year run at the top of the tag division in ECW. They’ll work the opening tag in a Tables Match at Survivor Series.

We meet a new heel, Ahmed Johnson. Ahmed, with his valet, Teri Runnels, draped all over him – is all militant black power. The WWF has never had a black champion, everytime you see a black man in wrestling he’s getting hit on the head or carrying someone’s bags – well this is Ahmed Johnson – his people were oppressed for 400 hundred years – and he’s coming to take it out on the so-called WWF.

Ahmed destroys people on RAW – Sid, Bigelow – Ahmed attacks the Taker during a RAW, beating him down, bloodying him with the Taker’s biker chain. “Why can’t the Black Man be a Legend? What about the Black Man? We’ll do that at Survivor Series. Actually, we won’t – but we’re gonna announce that we are.

We’re gonna get Waltman/Hakushi for the workrate. Waltman and HHH heavily playing the punk card as we start to cleave the Clique in half.

Ted says he’s done, just done with the Smoking Gunns and has paid a lot of money to form a tag team that will end their run….

Razor and Diesel.

“Boys, we ain’t mad at you...who are they?”

“Bil-ly…and Bart.”

“Billy and Bart? Are they new?”

“No, Mang. They been here for years. They tag team champs, Chico.”

“Seriously? Billy and Bart? I really got to start watching the programming.”

It’s gonna be tough for the people not to cheer Diesel/Razor over the Gunns – so we’ll just go with that, as evidenced by the conclusion to this…

Some RAW after Summer Slam, Michaels opens with a promo. He’s the three time IC Champion, more than anyone in history – he’s the showstopper, the main event, he’s the icon…he gets hit with a cane by an entering Shane Douglas, who comes in through the crowd.

Boom goes the dynamite.

Douglas canes Michaels over and over – busting him up – Douglas cuts a promo over the bloody HBK, “For those of you who do not know, I am the Franchise Shane Douglas – and that man right there (puts the cane to Michaels) is everything that’s wrong with professional wrestling! I first came to this company in 1990 – and I heard, ‘Shane, we’re gonna build the future of the company around you. Shane, if you just wait patiently, you’ll get your chance’ – and I was patient while lesser talents than the Franchise like Owen Hart and like Shawn Michaels (more cane) were handed – were given – the spot that I was promised.

And then I left, and went to WCW, where they put me in the Four Horsemen, because someone had to do all the work when Ric Flair stood on the apron doing that ridiculous Fargo Strut. And I went to Dusty Rhodes – I went to the Fat Man and he said (doing Dusty’s lisp) ‘Baby, just got to be patient. We got a lot of big plans for you, baby. Just be patient.’

And I was patient – I was patient doing the best match on the card, every night, while they put the World Title on a man whose chief attribute is face makeup.

And then I went to ECW – and I became the Franchise of ECW – I showed the world – I showed the whole world that I am the Franchise Shane Douglas, the igniter of the Sport of Professional Wrestling – and the day I lost my patience with this business – I gained the reputation as the finest wrestler in the world today (more cane shots to Michaels) and at Survivor Series – I will show to all of you who have not had the pleasure – what a real professional wrestler looks like – and give you an Intercontinental Champion you can be proud of.”

Douglas lays into Michaels with more cane shots – face pop as Razor and Diesel run in – Razor and Diesel run Douglas off and then stand over the bloody Michaels – will they attack him?

They don’t. They pick Michaels up, carry him back to the locker room. Tweeners. They’re tweeners.

Finally, the title match. It’s Bret/Davey Boy, one last time.

We get them put them over Razor/Diesel as singles on RAW, Bret keeping over Razor, Davey Boy beating Diesel – which is the end of that feud. We get Billy/Bart stuff with both those matches as the Gunns go after the Clique, getting some two way action as they go to the PPV.

We get clips of the whole relationship, joining as the Hart Foundation in 1985, winning the tag straps at II, 18 months of title defenses, Davey Boy turning on Bret at the first ever Summer Slam in Madison Square Garden in ’88, Bret keeping his IC title over Davey Boy, the Bulldog returning to the WWF at the end of 1990 – Bret refusing to forgive him –Davey Boy winning the battle royal on Saturday Night’s Main Event, eliminating Bret, to become the number one contender – and then at Summer Slam, Davey Boy beating Mr. Perfect to become the WWF Champion. Davey Boy and Bret hug in the middle of the ring.

We see Ric Flair taking the title from Davey Boy – Bret taking from Flair at VIII, and the Harts filling the ring to hold Bret aloft. We see Davey Boy submit to the sharpshooter in London at Summer Slam. Finally, Davey Boy’s return at Summer Slam ’94, climbing the outside of the cage to knock Bret back in – Davey Boy and Owen battling with Bret and the Anvil for several weeks in the best 3 of 5 to award the Hart Foundation name. We see the Hart v. Clique brawls with Bret and Davey Boy momentarily fighting on the same side – and finally Davey Boy saving Hakushi by press slamming his brother in law.

It’s Bret/Davey Boy, for the WWF Title – one more time at Survivor Series 1995. It's Michaels against the Franchise Shane Douglas for the IC, it's the Gunns against Razor and Diesel, Ahmed Johnson meets the Undertaker, Waltman v. Hakushi, HHH v. Holly, Candido and Vega explode - and the PE debuts in a tables match. There ain't nothin' wrong with some Survivor Series '95!