SummerSlam ’97

(All screen captures are the property of World Wrestling Entertainment)

SummerSlam

August 3, 1997

Continental Airlines Arena

East Rutherford, New Jersey

Announcement: My Road Wild ’97 review is coming. I wanted to do a bonus review of the 100^th episode of Nitro. But it’s too long for a mid-week review. So I’m doing a live-tweet of the show on Wednesday, March 3^rd (this Wednesday) instead. Join me on Twitter and watch along on the WWE Network. You can follow the conversation with the hashtag #Nitro100. I’ll provide a link and we’ll start at 8/7c. Spread the word because anyone is welcome to join!

News & Notes: Welcome to SummerSlam: Hart & Soul. The Undertaker defends his WWF title against Bret Hart. And Shawn Michaels is the special referee! Meanwhile, each individual member of the Hart Foundation has a match. And everyone has a stipulation. If any Hart Foundation member loses, Jim Neidhart will shave his goatee! (Don’t get your hopes up. Neidhart is gone for the time being. He had a contract issue. When he returns, they forget the stipulation.)

In other news, the WWF held a tag team tournament. The winner faced Stone Cold and a partner of his choosing for the tag team titles. The problem is, Austin didn’t want a partner. Mankind continued his efforts to convince Austin otherwise. It appeared to work. Austin invited him into the ring and offered to shake his hand. But Mankind wanted a hug. The two embraced—and Austin gave Mankind a Stunner! Stone Cold told him to DTA, don’t never trust anybody! He didn’t want Mankind as his partner because he was a long-haired freak. This caused a change in Mankind. He vowed to do something he never thought he’d do again. Then Austin faced the winners of the tournament, Owen & Bulldog. He started the fight alone, but his partner showed up half-way through the bout. Strange funky music played and a familiar face appeared on the Titantron. It was Mick Foley in tie-dye and sunglasses. He didn’t blame Austin for not wanting Mankind. But Stone Cold said nothing about—Dude Love! The Dudester danced to ringside and joined Austin. They won the bout after a Stunner. Then a pair of Dudettes entered the ring to dance with Dude Love. Austin handed Dude his tag belt and shook his hand. Stone Cold said he proved he could get the job done. Now Foley has a second personality. But he switches between Mankind and Dude Love when the situation warrants it.

I also have a few more tidbits to share before we begin. There are some new faces and continuing storylines on RAW. First, The Patriot debuted in the WWF. We haven’t seen him since his Stars & Stripes days in WCW. He wandered onto the stage during a confrontation with the Hart Foundation. The Patriot said he stood for patriotism in any country. But Canada could pick better heroes. He didn’t like Bret Hart trashing America. Then The Patriot interfered in Hart Foundation business and got a beating. This led to a match with Bret. The Patriot won when Shawn Michaels distracted Hart. Next, there’s a new faction in the WWF. They’re called The Truth Commission. It’s based on the Truth & Reconciliation Commission in South Africa. They were a pro-Apartheid movement. Don’t ask me why the WWF based a group on that! The group includes Sniper (a Canadian indie wrestler), Recon (Bull Buchanan), and The Interrogator (Kurrgan). They’re led by a South African actor who calls himself The Commandant. Finally, we have the continuing Kane saga. Paul Bearer provided proof Kane is alive. He presented Kane’s charred half of a grim reaper statue. Taker & Kane made it in their youth. It didn’t convince the commentators. But Bearer insisted it was proof.

The show opens with the national anthem playing. It’s an instrumental version. I guess they couldn’t find the American equivalent of Farmer’s Daughter. Vince appears stoic, but Lawler looks angry for some reason. I also noticed Vince stuck his hand in his coat, as opposed to over his heart. He’s doing his best Napoleon impression.

Then we get the proper opening video. The narrator tells us about a perfect and fair world. A perfect world wouldn’t have hate and villains. We would applaud athleticism and sportsmanship. Heroes would be heroes. Bret wouldn’t be a fallen idol with a bludgeoned legacy. The Undertaker would revel in the championship spotlight. Instead, Earthly hells and a dark past singe his aura. Also, Shawn Michaels would dance, fly, and thrill the fans. But his unwilling knee and lost smile ruined that. Is it fair these men face hate and adversity? Will Shawn Michaels be a fair referee? Perhaps not. But who said life would be fair?

Stridex presents WWF SummerSlam: Hart & Soul. Fireworks explode while Vince welcomes everyone. We see the cage is set up for the first match. Vince is with Lawler and JR. Ross has a gut feeling gold will change hands. Lawler is too excited about seeing Owen’s butt when Stone Cold kisses it.

Cage Match: Mankind vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/ Chyna)

Notes: I already spoke about Dude Love’s debut and the tag titles. But that’s not all that happened with Foley. Triple H had a match against Austin. Mankind came to Austin’s aid and ate a chair shot from Hunter. Then on the go-home episode of RAW, Mankind attacked Helmsley. Mankind disguised himself as a cameraman to get into the ring. He hit Hunter with the camera and the two men brawled into the crowd. Mankind also managed to crotch Chyna on the top turnbuckle in the melee. It was payback for the low-blow she gave him months ago.

The Match: Hunter tries escaping early, but Mankind stops him twice. Mankind then uses a running knee and a pulling piledriver. However, Chyna keeps interfering. She chokes Mankind through the bars and punches him in the balls. This allows Hunter to land a superplex off the cage! Hunter almost leaves, but he decides to hurt Mankind more. They fight back and forth at the top of the cage, and on the ropes. Mankind puts Helmsley in a tree of woe on the wall. Hunter also gets his foot caught in the ropes. Mankind attacks both times.

Then Mankind heads for the door. But Chyna swings it full-force into his head!! She then throws a chair into the ring. But it backfires on Helmsley. Mankind catapults Hunter into Chyna and gives Helmsley a Double-Arm DDT on the chair. Then Mankind almost climbs out. (Chyna jumps her cue and tries pulling Hunter to safety. She leaves when she realizes she’s early.) Mankind has a change of heart. He returns to the top of the cage and rips his shirt open. (It was supposed to reveal a heart painted on his chest. This signifies he’s Dude Love. But sweat erased the paint.) Mankind then lands a super Cactus Elbow off the top of the cage! (It’s an homage to Jimmy Snuka.) He climbs again while Chyna pulls Hunter toward the door. But Mankind reaches the floor first.

Thoughts: The finish didn’t quite work out how they wanted, but it was still good. I enjoyed this. They had some fun spots and brutal bumps. Plus, I liked the story of Chyna’s interference and Mankind’s dive off the top. Regardless of the miscues, the fans reacted exactly how they should. It did everything it needed to do. This was a solid opener.

Winner: Mankind (16:13)

Mankind lies on the floor while his piano music plays. But then it stops. After a moment, it switches to Dude Love’s theme. Mankind’s foot taps to the beat. Then Dude Love rises to his feet and dances down the aisle. He has some trouble because of the beating he took. Vince says Dudeness is all over the place! (I’d hate to be the cleanup crew!)

Next, Todd Pettengill welcomes the governor of New Jersey, Christine Todd Whitman. She helped the WWF return to New Jersey by finding a loophole in the entertainment tax. This is the first televised WWF show in the state in eight years. Gorilla Monsoon and The Headbangers accompany her, but the fans boo. Todd thanks her for what she did. Christine says she’s ready to rumble. (Wrong show.) She also makes a few wrestling puns. Then she calls The Headbangers New Jersey’s best. So Todd asks if she’s had her shots. The Headbangers aren’t amused. Next, Gorilla calls her a people’s champion. He presents her with a replica WWF title belt. Whitman says she takes the title seriously. She’ll defend it if someone wants to take the belt. Vince then claims she’ll be president someday.

Then the commentators talk about the next match. Vince and JR talk about Pillman wearing a dress if he loses. They make some jokes at Lawler’s expense. We also see WWF legend, Tiger Jeet Singh. He’s in the crowd with his son, Tiger Ali Singh. He recently debuted in the WWF. Vince then shows clips of a beach party that happened in the parking lot. The Headbangers crowd surfed. Shawn Michaels posed on top of a car. Steve Austin flipped off the crowd to cheers.

Goldust and Pillman enter for their match while they recap the build. Then Pillman cuts a short promo. Brian says Marlena longs to have him in her dress. But that won’t happen. He’s not that easy. She’ll have to wine and dine him first. Brian gives the camera a maniacal grin as the promo ends.

Goldust (w/ Marlena) vs. Brian Pillman

Notes: Brian Pillman said he respected Dusty Rhodes’ parenting style. Dusty neglected his son until he turned into the world’s biggest drag queen. So Pillman said there’s only one fitting stipulation for their bout. If Brian can’t defeat Goldust, he will wear a dress on RAW. Pillman said it might as well be Marlena’s dress. It won’t be the only thing of hers he’ll get inside. Marlena agreed to use one of her dresses. But she didn’t believe Pillman could fill it out as she does. He can’t even fill out his tights. Then Goldust brought a mannequin to the ring in one of Marlena’s dresses. Pillman used the dress to choke Goldust until Marlena jumped on his back.

The Match: Pillman jumps Goldust. He punches, bites, and claws at him. But Goldust blocks a Manhattan Drop out of the corner and kisses Brian. This makes Pillman regroup. But he returns with eye-rakes and strikes. Pillman also rolls outside to harass Marlena. Goldust follows and maintains control of the bout. He presses Pillman onto the ropes. So Brian regroups again and hides behind Marlena. It was a trap! Pillman nails a DDT on the floor and rams Goldust into Marlena’s chair. Brian follows with a flying clothesline and some rest holds. Goldust rallies with his own clothesline and a flip, flop, & fly. But Pillman blocks a bulldog and sends Goldust outside. Then they meet at the apron and badly botch a slingshot sunset flip. Pillman crawls into position and Marlena clocks him with her purse. Goldust covers for the win.

Thoughts: It’s hard watching Pillman wrestle at this point. He’s limited in what he can do and in constant pain. Because of this, the match was basic. Then they botched the finish. I can’t hold it against either man. Pillman shouldn’t be in the ring. They wanted him to become a commentator. But Pillman couldn’t accept that. It’s a shame, especially when you know what’s coming. This was a mess. I don’t recommend watching it.

Winner: Goldust (7:17)

There’s a mannequin in one of Marlena’s dresses at ringside. She grabs it and throws it into the ring. So Pillman destroys the mannequin in anger and storms away.

The Godwinns enter the arena for their match. They carry the Confederate flag with them, so the fans boo. They show a recap of Henry Godwinn breaking his neck. This leads to a promo from The Legion of Doom. Hawk says they’ve been slopped, slop dropped, and hit with buckets. They didn’t like it very much. But it all ends tonight in New Jersey. Then Animal says revenge is sweet. And payback will be hell for the Godwinns! Vince calls them intense. JR repeats the theme of the night. Life isn’t fair.

The Legion of Doom vs. The Godwinns

Notes: The Legion of Doom broke Henry Godwinn’s neck with a Doomsday Device. When Henry returned to action, The Godwinns had a change of attitude. They ditched Hillbilly Jim. The Godwinns even ditched their shirts! Then they attacked the LOD during the tag team tournament. Henry & Phineas hit them with their buckets. The Godwinns also attacked the LOD with chairs and Henry gave Hawk a Slop Drop on the ramp. This busted open the back of Hawk’s head. Next, they attacked a third time. Henry gave Animal a Slop Drop on the floor and dumped the contents of his bucket onto him. The LOD said they broke Henry’s neck fair and square the first time. (Huh??) But the second time won’t be an accident!

The Match: It starts with a brawl and spills outside. Hawk nails a diving clothesline off the apron. The Godwinns then regroup when they keep getting sent to the floor. Hawk & Animal fend off double-teaming and ram Henry into the steps. But Phineas answers with a hanging choke on Hawk. He breaks free and tags Animal. However, The Godwinns take control when Phineas knees Animal in the back. Henry capitalizes with a Cactus Clothesline and focuses on Animal’s back. He sends Animal into the rail and locks him in a bear hug. Animal head claps his way out. But he falls victim to more double-teaming. Then Phineas eats a boot on a diving nothing and Hawk makes a tag. Hawk cleans house with wild punches, a powerslam, and corner clotheslines. He also gives Henry a neckbreaker, and the LOD set up for the Doomsday Device. Phineas blocks it. But they send Phineas to the floor and use a spike piledriver instead. It gains them the victory.

Thoughts: This wasn’t bad. The heat spot on Animal went long. It made the hot tag to Hawk a little weak. But this was a half-decent hoss fight. I didn’t mind it. They kept it the right length. Plus, the finish was good. I wouldn’t call it great. But it had a good build and served its purpose.

Winners: The Legion of Doom (9:15)

Hawk motions he wants the tag belts. Meanwhile, the commentators speculate about Henry’s neck. Did the Legion of Doom try to break it on purpose? (All the talk about breaking necks is regrettable in hindsight. But they didn’t know what was coming.) Then they show footage of the contestants for the Million Dollar Giveaway.

Todd, Sable, and Sunny are with Ryan Chadick and Patrick Stevenson. They can win a million dollars if their key opens The Undertaker’s casket full of cash. Todd says Patrick looks like Stone Cold. (I say he looks more like Justin Credible.) Patrick said he had the look first. Then Ryan chooses key #52 and Patrick picks #13. But Todd also calls two additional contestants on the phone. However, this goes as expected. Todd is distracted by Sunny’s chest. (Lawler notices and calls him out.) The first number gets no answer. He calls another one, but it’s a disconnected number. (Vince laughs nervously.) Todd gets an answer on the third try. But he isn’t watching SummerSlam. His cable company doesn’t carry it. This guy picks key #33. Todd doesn’t ask the next person if they’re watching. She picks key #14. No one’s key works. Nobody wins! The winning key was #3. But the contestants all get $5000 savings bonds. (You know the lack of a winner relieved Vince. This was an entertaining train wreck. However, Vince doesn’t learn his lesson. They do this again in 2008.)

Next, they recap the Bulldog/Shamrock feud. We see them arm-wrestling on RAW. But Bulldog attacked Ken and smeared dog food on him. After the video, we see cans of dog food on the announce table. The loser of the next bout has to eat it. (Lawler spends half the next match complaining about the smell.) While Bulldog enters the arena, Vince and JR plug a special One Night Only PPV in the UK. Bulldog will face Shawn Michaels at the event.

European Title Match: The British Bulldog (c) vs. Ken Shamrock

Notes: Bulldog challenged the so-called World’s Most Dangerous Man. A confident Davey promised he’d eat a can of dog food if he couldn’t defeat Ken. Then Bulldog & Anvil attacked Shamrock after a match. They gave him a spike piledriver. Davey even hit Ken with a running powerslam on the ramp the following week. Next, Davey and Shamrock arm-wrestled. But Bulldog headbutted Shamrock and attacked him with a chair. Davey then smeared dog food over Ken’s face. It left a nasty mess in the ring that remained for the rest of RAW. (I felt bad for the wrestlers who worked around it.)

The Match: They brawl and Ken gets the advantage. He gives Davey a belly-to-belly, rams him into the steps, and puts Bulldog in leg grapevines. Bulldog answers with boots to the face and a stalling suplex. Then Bulldog uses chinlocks. And I mean lots of chinlocks! Ken fights out with knees and gets pin attempts. But Davey returns to the hold. He apparently chinlocked Shamrock hard enough to bust his lip! Then the fight spills outside again. The ref stops Bulldog from using the steps as a weapon. So they return to the ring and to chinlock city! But Shamrock breaks free and they fight outside once more. Bulldog has enough. He slams Ken and slaps dog food across Shamrock’s face. Ken loses it and clocks Davey with the can for a DQ.

Thoughts: This was slow, especially when Bulldog controlled it. There were too many chinlocks. Then we had the inconclusive finish. The post-match stuff makes it more bearable. But the bout itself was disappointing. Shamrock is still awkward in the ring. And Bulldog isn’t known for carrying guys.

Winner: The British Bulldog (by DQ) (7:29)

Shamrock rolls Bulldog into the ring and shoves the ref. Ken attacks Davey with kicks and puts Bulldog in a chokehold. The officials call for help and try to stop Shamrock’s attack. They finally convince Ken to let go, but Bulldog is unconscious. Pat Patterson and other officials confront Shamrock. So Ken starts belly-to-belly suplexing everyone! No one is safe! He then screams, “Get out of my way!” The fans cheer and chant Shamrock’s name. They cheer again when Ken lets out a primal scream.

Meanwhile, Todd is with the special ref for the main event, Shawn Michaels. Pettengill asks if Shawn will risk his career to get even with Bret. Shawn claims there’s nothing between him and Bret. They settled that at Mania XII. He’s there to be an impartial and unbiased referee. Nothing will get bast—past the keen eye of Shawn Michaels. (Well said, Shawn.) Shawn then awkwardly leans on Todd as Pettengill sends it back to Vince.

JR says Shamrock needs to calm down or he’ll have a short career in the WWF. Lawler thinks Ken needs to get help. There’s no excuse for his behavior. Then they recap the gang wars. They show footage of the formation of the DOA and Los Boricuas. Plus, we see their various brawls. What will happen when the factions compete? After the video, Los Boricuas enter the arena and shake hands with the Spanish announcers. JR says they’re proud of their heritage, as they should be. Next, The DOA enter on their bikes. They circle the ring and park in the aisle.

Los Boricuas vs. The Disciples of Apocalypse

Notes: The gang wars rage on. The DOA and Los Boricuas brawled on both Shotgun and RAW. Skull & 8-Ball press slammed Jesus onto one of their bikes. Then Savio dragged a cameraman backstage to the scene of a bad accident. Los Boricuas ran over one of the DOA’s bikes and smashed it with a trash can. This led to another brawl. It ended when Los Boricuas dragged the motorcycle away behind their low-rider. Both factions received a week’s suspension for their actions. That didn’t stop Los Boricuas from powerbombing Crush on the ramp the following week.

The Match: Everyone brawls until the DOA take control. Skull & 8-Ball fend off Jose & Savio. Then Crush hands out side slams and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Meanwhile, fans tell Miguel to shave his back. And Skull & 8-Ball press slam Jesus onto the turnbuckles. Savio finally swings momentum with a corner wheel kick. Then Los Boricuas keep Skull in their corner and triple-team him. While this happens, The Nation arrives through the crowd. (The fans tell Ahmed he sucks.) Los Boricuas’ rally continues as Jesus nails a scissor kick. They also use frequent tags and rest holds. Miguel follows with a missile dropkick on Skull. However, Chainz tags and another brawl erupts. Chainz ends up outside, where he fights with Ahmed Johnson. This leads to a Pearl River Plunge on the exposed concrete. Savio then rolls Chainz inside and pins him for the win.

Thoughts: This was dull and uninteresting. It was brawling, quick tags, and punches and chinlocks. The finish was the only interesting part. But no one cared. Ahmed had more heat than anyone in the bout. Even that wasn’t great. Unfortunately, the gang wars continue for a while.

Winners: Los Boricuas (9:08)

The three factions continue fighting after the bell. Los Boricuas escape down the aisle. But The Nation and DOA scuffle until Crush breaks up the fight. He drives his motorcycle through the melee and sends everyone scattering.

Next, they show a recap of the Owen/Austin feud. They repeat a clip of Owen bragging about beating Austin at Canadian Stampede. Owen says he can out-wrestle Austin. He pinned his shoulders to the mat for a three-count. Then we see footage of Austin flipping off the Canadian crowd. Steve says you can shut him up, but you can’t silence his fingers! Austin also says he’ll kiss Owen’s ass if he can’t kick it.

Owen enters the arena and messes with a turnbuckle pad. Meanwhile, newcomer Michael Cole tries to interview Austin. (Pettengill recommended Cole. This is Todd’s final WWF PPV. Cole replaces him.) Cole asks Stone Cold if he’s prepared to put his reputation on the line. Is he ready to kiss Owen’s backside? Austin tells Michael he’ll make him kiss his ass if he doesn’t leave him alone. Austin also tells Cole to get his stupid bow-tie out of his face. He doesn’t impress him! Vince says Cole was overzealous. Then the camera follows Austin through the curtain. He enters the ring, flips off Owen, and poses.

Intercontinental Title Match: Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart (c)

Notes: Again, I already discussed the tag title situation. But there’s more to this build. Owen bragged about defeating Austin at Canadian Stampede. So Stone Cold challenged Owen. If Austin can’t defeat Hart, he’ll kiss Owen’s ass. Owen said Austin must be a pervert to want such a thing. But he’s welcome to suck his toes. (Wait, what? I didn’t know Owen was into that!) Austin also attacked Owen with a chair while the Canadian national anthem played. So Owen returned the favor on the go-home RAW. Hart nailed Austin with the Intercontinental belt and caused him to get counted out of a match.

The Match: Owen chop blocks Austin and focuses on his knee. But Stone Cold answers with a Thesz Press, hair-pulling, and eye-rakes. He then attacks Owen’s arm. Austin uses knucklelocks, hammerlocks, and arm wringers. However, Owen takes control by pulling Austin into the post. Owen has his own strategy. He goes after Austin’s middle finger! Owen wrenches it, twists it, and even bites it! (Owen tells the ref, “He put his fingers in my mouth!”) But Austin counters with a Stun Gun and a powerbomb. So Owen bails and tries to leave. Austin stops him, rams him into the stage, and returns Owen to the ring.

Owen rallies again with a neckbreaker, leg drop, flying elbow, and a head vice. (JR mentions Austin’s history of neck issues. That’s unfortunate foreshadowing.) Austin counters with a Sharpshooter attempt and some pins. But Owen continues with a Camel Clutch, a DDT, and a sleeper hold. Austin breaks free with a jawbreaker. But Owen counters with a Russian Leg Sweep and a chinlock with leverage. When Earl Hebner catches him, Owen argues. Austin uses the opening to attempt a Tombstone. But Owen reverses it and…

Owen knows something went wrong. Austin can’t move. Hart stalls for time and plays to the crowd. You see him look at the commentators. McMahon understands and mentions Austin is hurt. After a moment, Austin crawls into position and gingerly rolls Owen up for the win. (It’s amazing he was able to do this. But Owen’s kick out after the three hurt his neck more.)

Thoughts: Outside of the unfortunate finish, this was a great match. I loved the storytelling of Owen targeting Austin’s middle finger. The action was crisp and never dragged. If the accident hadn’t happened, this would have been a classic. But that ending makes this hard to watch. Things could have been worse. He thankfully wasn’t paralyzed. Austin takes off a few months, but he opts to have the surgery later. He’s on the cusp of his big push. They find ways to use him on TV in the meantime. On the other hand, Owen was distraught over what happened. But he was ashamed and scared. Owen never called Austin afterward. It led to a rift between them.

Winner: Steve Austin (New Champion) (16:16)

I also want to point something out about the piledriver. Owen and Austin discussed doing the sit-out version. Austin was against it. He broke Masahiro Chono’s neck with the same move years ago. But Owen was confident he could do it. I’m unsure why they used a Tombstone at all. The Undertaker is in the main event.

The officials help Austin to his feet afterward. He manages to stand and lift the belt. But it’s obvious he’s in bad shape. Earl Hebner and Tim White aid Stone Cold to the back. Meanwhile, Lawler demands a replay of the piledriver. He sounds almost gleeful. (Did he realize how serious this was. Or was he staying in character? It seemed odd.)

Next, they recap the main event feud. The Hart Foundation is on a roll. But has it led to insolence and overconfidence? Bret promised to never wrestle in America if he can’t win the title. The most awesome force in the WWF stands in Bret’s way. The Undertaker proudly carries the torch of distinction. But that’s not the only roadblock in Bret’s way. Shawn Michaels is the special ref. If he leans toward The Undertaker’s side, he too can’t wrestle in the United States. Then we see Bret brawling with Vince and wrestling The Patriot. They also show Shawn costing Bret a match while Taker watched from the ramp. Pride, power, and conflict will rule in this bout. Will possibility become reality?

Then the commentators speculate about Austin’s condition. Lawler says they didn’t care as much about Henry Godwinn. Then they discuss the next match. Lawler calls out HBK for his ego. Vince and JR also question Bret’s decision to put so much on the line.

Bret enters first and asks for the Canadian national anthem. He dedicates the match to his Canadian fans who still stand behind him. After the song ends, Shawn Michaels enters the arena. He gets fireworks. So JR worries the other refs will want pyro. Lawler says Earl Hebner would look good in front of a Roman Candle. The Undertaker enters next and raises the lights with a bang. The fans scream. JR says it almost knocked his hat off. Vince says, “All you can say is, WOW!” Then Shawn checks the competitors for weapons. Bret doesn’t want to let him. Hart also asks to hold the WWF title belt. Shawn allows it, but Bret hits Taker with the belt.

WWF Title Match: Bret Hart vs. The Undertaker (c)

Notes: Bret hart vowed to win the WWF title for the fifth time. If he fails, he’ll never wrestle in the United States again! This announcement drew Shawn Michaels out of his hiatus. Shawn begged Vince for a role at SummerSlam. He’d even sell popcorn if he had to. Michaels wanted to watch Bret lose. So Vince made Shawn the special referee for the bout! However, if Shawn favors The Undertaker in any way, he too can’t wrestle in America again. A furious Bret attacked Vince over the decision. He slapped the headset off Vince’s head and the two scuffled. Then Bret attacked Shawn backstage. Meanwhile, The Undertaker was around too. He joined Austin & Dude to face The Hart Foundation in a Flag Match. The Foundation won when Pillman crotched Taker on the top rope. That’s the extent of Taker’s involvement. Could it be any more obvious who is winning?

The Match: They fight in and out of the ring. Both men take turns ramming each other into the apron and the post. Then Taker focuses on Bret’s back with backbreakers and bear hugs. Bret scratches and claws free before attacking Taker’s leg. Once Taker is in trouble, Paul Bearer appears. Taker breaks free and punches Bearer. But this allows Bret to continue his leg attack. Hart puts Taker in a ring post Figure Four. It leads to an argument with Shawn. So Owen & Pillman arrive to help. Taker once again heads to fend off the interference. Michaels also confronts The Hart Foundation. But Shawn misses Taker’s chokeslam and pin attempt. It angers The Undertaker.

Bret then focuses his offense on both Taker’s back and legs. He goes into his routine and tries a Sharpshooter. Taker blocks it by grabbing Bret’s throat. Then Taker attempts Old School and gets crotched. Bret locks in the Sharpshooter, but Taker powers out of it! This sends Bret to the floor and Taker attempts the Tombstone. Bret blocks it. He then takes Taker to the corner for a ring post Sharpshooter! But Taker shoves Bret into Shawn. Since Michaels is down, Bret uses a chair on Taker. However, Taker kicks out! Bret then argues with Michaels. But Shawn spots the chair and confronts Bret. He won’t back down, so Bret spits in Shawn’s face. (It was a ridiculous amount of spit!) An angry Michaels swings the chair, but Bret ducks. The chair clocks Taker in the face! Bret covers and Shawn reluctantly counts a three-count.

Thoughts: This started and finished hot. The middle dragged somewhat. But I liked the psychology and storytelling. It feels as if they had extra time because of the Austin/Owen accident. So I’ll give the length of this bout a pass. It was still a solid match. Plus, I loved that finish. They executed it as perfectly as possible.

Winner: Bret Hart (New Champion) (28:10)

A frustrated Shawn storms to the back while Bret celebrates. The fans throw trash into the ring. But Bret doesn’t care. He holds up five fingers to signify he’s a five-time champion. Meanwhile, The Undertaker stumbles after Shawn Michaels. He looks pissed. But Taker takes a moment to look at Bret and roll his eyes into his head. JR says there’s jubilation in Canada and the UK. But there’s no joy in New Jersey tonight. Then the Hart Foundation joins Bret for the celebration. Bret kisses the belt. Vince sounds disappointed. JR doesn’t understand what Shawn Michaels was thinking.

The Good:

• The finish of the main event was great.

• Most of Austin/Owen was good.

• The Mankind/Triple H cage match was fun.

The Bad:

• Austin’s accident.

• Bulldog/Shamrock was dull.

• The Gang Wars match was uninteresting.

Performer of the Night:

As far as quality, I’m giving it to Mankind. I liked both his in-ring and character work. But I also have to give props to Austin. This night proved how tough he is. I’m amazed at what he did. He couldn’t feel his hands when he performed that roll-up. He was on autopilot.

Final Thoughts:

This show is a mixed bag. Plus, the Austin accident tarnishes the overall enjoyment. However, it’s still mostly fun to watch. There are enough good action and moments to keep it from being bad. I’d call this middle of the road and leaning toward good. Much like the main event, the show starts and finishes strong.

Thank you for reading. My next review is WCW’s Road Wild ’97. And don’t forget the live-tweet on Wednesday!