(01.08.96)
Live from Newark, DE
Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler
Hakushi Vs Jeff Jarrett
This could be decent! Jarrett wins with The Figure Four. This wasn't as good as I was hoping. I know they didn't have a lot of time to work with, but I expected more from these two. Hakushi was severely underutilized.
*3/4
We get a Royal Rumble report with Jim Ross. Vader will be making his debut at the Rumble. In other noteworthy news, Jake "The Snake" Roberts will be returning at the Rumble. Also, "Scheme" Gene shows up as well. "Scheme" Gene is a dig at "Mean" Gene Okerlund.
Ahmed Johnson Vs Jeff Brettler
Ahmed wins with a Pearl River Plunge. Jeff Jarrett tries to drill Ahmed with a guitar after the match, but Ahmed evades it and makes Jarrett flee to the back. Ahmed was more stiff than usual in this match, including a couple of very sloppy kicks as well.
1/4*
IT'S THE UNDERTAKER VS KANE NEXT WEEK! Oops, I meant Issac Yankem, DDS.
Ted Dibiase is the guest on Brother Love's show. Ted says he's been trying to find someone to exemplify what a Million Dollar Champion should be. He says he hadn't found anybody worthy of being the champion, until now. He introduces The Ringmaster. The Ringmaster says he's gonna give everybody in TV land a chance to be somebody. He puts his hand out near the camera, asking people to touch the screen so they can feel what it's like to be destined for success. He says he's entered the Royal Rumble to prove how good he (The Ringmaster) really is. He says he's gonna win The Royal Rumble and get a shot at the WWF Championship. He says the WWF Championship is nothing compared to the Million Dollar Belt, though.
Thoughts:
For the uninformed, The Ringmaster is "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Steve is my favorite superstar of all time and I have a huge grin each time I see this promo. Steve has green trunks, a slim figure, and a bit of hair left. He also says "man" a bit too much for my liking. His delivery isn't anywhere near as smooth, and It's a little rough around the edges, but you could easily see the potential for greatness. Steve's run with Ted Dibiase is very forgettable to say the least.
Goldust Vs Aldo Montoya
Montoya is Justin Credible. Goldust wins rather easily with the Curtain Call. (a version of an inverted DDT) I don't have much to say about this one.
½*
We get a press conference with Shawn Michaels about his future in wrestling. Shawn's doctors think it's best that he never wrestles ever again. He announces he's NOT retiring and promises to win the Royal Rumble to carry the company into the new millennium. In other news, "Scheme" Gene says it's "Vader" time.
Diesel, Razor Ramon, and Owen Hart comment on Shawn's return.
We get the encore of Bret Hart vs The British Bulldog from In Your House V: Seasons Beatings. If you want the review, go read my review for In Your House V.
Bret Hart will face The Undertaker for the WWF title at the Royal Rumble. The Undertaker says Bret is a great champion, but his creatures of the night want him to beat Bret Hart.
We head to Billionaire Ted's "Wrasslin' Waroom"
Vince takes some shots at WCW. I did like that they took a shot at the overused "Where the big boys play" slogan that Eric Bischoff uses every 30 seconds on Nitro.
Overall, I have to give this episode a recommendation, simply because it's the debut of Steve Austin. Steve is the guy that got me into wrestling and he's very special to me. This episode isn't exactly good, but it is very monumental.
Live from Newark, DE
Your hosts are Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler
Hakushi Vs Jeff Jarrett
This could be decent! Jarrett wins with The Figure Four. This wasn't as good as I was hoping. I know they didn't have a lot of time to work with, but I expected more from these two. Hakushi was severely underutilized.
*3/4
We get a Royal Rumble report with Jim Ross. Vader will be making his debut at the Rumble. In other noteworthy news, Jake "The Snake" Roberts will be returning at the Rumble. Also, "Scheme" Gene shows up as well. "Scheme" Gene is a dig at "Mean" Gene Okerlund.
Ahmed Johnson Vs Jeff Brettler
Ahmed wins with a Pearl River Plunge. Jeff Jarrett tries to drill Ahmed with a guitar after the match, but Ahmed evades it and makes Jarrett flee to the back. Ahmed was more stiff than usual in this match, including a couple of very sloppy kicks as well.
1/4*
IT'S THE UNDERTAKER VS KANE NEXT WEEK! Oops, I meant Issac Yankem, DDS.
Ted Dibiase is the guest on Brother Love's show. Ted says he's been trying to find someone to exemplify what a Million Dollar Champion should be. He says he hadn't found anybody worthy of being the champion, until now. He introduces The Ringmaster. The Ringmaster says he's gonna give everybody in TV land a chance to be somebody. He puts his hand out near the camera, asking people to touch the screen so they can feel what it's like to be destined for success. He says he's entered the Royal Rumble to prove how good he (The Ringmaster) really is. He says he's gonna win The Royal Rumble and get a shot at the WWF Championship. He says the WWF Championship is nothing compared to the Million Dollar Belt, though.
Thoughts:
For the uninformed, The Ringmaster is "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Steve is my favorite superstar of all time and I have a huge grin each time I see this promo. Steve has green trunks, a slim figure, and a bit of hair left. He also says "man" a bit too much for my liking. His delivery isn't anywhere near as smooth, and It's a little rough around the edges, but you could easily see the potential for greatness. Steve's run with Ted Dibiase is very forgettable to say the least.
Goldust Vs Aldo Montoya
Montoya is Justin Credible. Goldust wins rather easily with the Curtain Call. (a version of an inverted DDT) I don't have much to say about this one.
½*
We get a press conference with Shawn Michaels about his future in wrestling. Shawn's doctors think it's best that he never wrestles ever again. He announces he's NOT retiring and promises to win the Royal Rumble to carry the company into the new millennium. In other news, "Scheme" Gene says it's "Vader" time.
Diesel, Razor Ramon, and Owen Hart comment on Shawn's return.
We get the encore of Bret Hart vs The British Bulldog from In Your House V: Seasons Beatings. If you want the review, go read my review for In Your House V.
Bret Hart will face The Undertaker for the WWF title at the Royal Rumble. The Undertaker says Bret is a great champion, but his creatures of the night want him to beat Bret Hart.
We head to Billionaire Ted's "Wrasslin' Waroom"
Vince takes some shots at WCW. I did like that they took a shot at the overused "Where the big boys play" slogan that Eric Bischoff uses every 30 seconds on Nitro.
Overall, I have to give this episode a recommendation, simply because it's the debut of Steve Austin. Steve is the guy that got me into wrestling and he's very special to me. This episode isn't exactly good, but it is very monumental.
