Weird First Matches Back After a Long Absence

[KAMALARAMBO: BOOMSHAKALAKA!!!]

Just found this on Cagematch: www.cagematch.net/?id=1&nr=34422

After Steve Austin was injured at SummerSlam 1997 his first match back was a main event against Triple H. The weird part is it was at a house show in a Boys & Girls Club in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

I’ve driven through Pittsfield and really that’s the most I can say about it. I was kind of surprised to see them having a house show in a Boys & Girls Club there just as the Attitude Era was really heating up. My guess is it was in the Club’s gym/basketball court. It’s the only place I could imagine them fitting in 2,000+ people indoors. I wonder if any footage exist.

[wildojinx]

I heard that it was basically a comedy match.

[Mozenrath]

Yeah, WWF used to do those small venues well into the Attitude era, actually. Basically, they had certain existing relationships, and guys basically looked at it as an intimate setting to wrestle and try some things out, but that the pay was pretty awful since yeah, they didn't seat a lot of people. On that front, Austin doing that was probably him easing back in.

Foley tells a story in, I forget Have a Nice Day or Foley is Good. One of those sorts of places had become concerned about the increasingly "mature" product, and as a concession, D-X for a show did not say "Suck it" and allowed the audience to say it. However, no one had told Foley about this arrangement, and he turned to his manager at the time, Bearer, and said, "I don't want to suck it, don't make me suck it!" WWF was then asked to not return.

This particular place was in Scranton, but it gives you an idea of the sorts of venues WWF resorted to using in the lean years.

[fg]

Nov 20, 2021 1:21:43 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Yeah, WWF used to do those small venues well into the Attitude era, actually. Basically, they had certain existing relationships, and guys basically looked at it as an intimate setting to wrestle and try some things out, but that the pay was pretty awful since yeah, they didn't seat a lot of people. On that front, Austin doing that was probably him easing back in.

Foley tells a story in, I forget Have a Nice Day or Foley is Good. One of those sorts of places had become concerned about the increasingly "mature" product, and as a concession, D-X for a show did not say "Suck it" and allowed the audience to say it. However, no one had told Foley about this arrangement, and he turned to his manager at the time, Bearer, and said, "I don't want to suck it, don't make me suck it!" WWF was then asked to not return.

This particular place was in Scranton, but it gives you an idea of the sorts of venues WWF resorted to using in the lean years.

It was the Catholic Youth Center that that took place in. The Catholic community was concerned with the company’s bad boy image in 1998.

I do find it strange that Austin of all people did a comedy match. Yeah, I know he just came back after a major neck injury but still.

[Mozenrath]

Nov 20, 2021 7:42:09 GMT -5 fg said:

Nov 20, 2021 1:21:43 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Yeah, WWF used to do those small venues well into the Attitude era, actually. Basically, they had certain existing relationships, and guys basically looked at it as an intimate setting to wrestle and try some things out, but that the pay was pretty awful since yeah, they didn't seat a lot of people. On that front, Austin doing that was probably him easing back in.

Foley tells a story in, I forget Have a Nice Day or Foley is Good. One of those sorts of places had become concerned about the increasingly "mature" product, and as a concession, D-X for a show did not say "Suck it" and allowed the audience to say it. However, no one had told Foley about this arrangement, and he turned to his manager at the time, Bearer, and said, "I don't want to suck it, don't make me suck it!" WWF was then asked to not return.

This particular place was in Scranton, but it gives you an idea of the sorts of venues WWF resorted to using in the lean years.

It was the Catholic Youth Center that that took place in. The Catholic community was concerned with the company’s bad boy image in 1998.

I do find it strange that Austin of all people did a comedy match. Yeah, I know he just came back after a major neck injury but still.

While Austin was very protective of the character (understandably, given how enormously important it was for people to buy into Stone Cold), I think he was more comfortable cutting loose a little with house shows, since isn't like most fans would have seen it or heard about it, anyway.

[flowercity]

I will never understand how the WWE brought back Daniel Bryan. Not only a weird tag match where his partner is Shane McMahon but Bryan doesn’t even get in the match till 10 minutes in. Shane just sells for over half the match. Bizarre stuff.

[wildojinx]

Wasnt one of Jericho's first matches back in 2007 against Santino of all people?

[Deleted]

Chris Benoit's big return match in 02 after a year out was a nothing tag match on RAW with Eddie against Bubba and Spike Dudley that they lost to setup a PPV match that they also lost.

[chrom]

Nov 20, 2021 11:12:45 GMT -5 wildojinx said:

Wasnt one of Jericho's first matches back in 2007 against Santino of all people?

Correct, where he debuted The Codebreaker

[nickcave]

I believe D'lo Brown's first match back in 08 was also against Santino

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Warrior v Orlando

[Cranjis McBasketball]

Nov 20, 2021 7:42:09 GMT -5 fg said:

Nov 20, 2021 1:21:43 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Yeah, WWF used to do those small venues well into the Attitude era, actually. Basically, they had certain existing relationships, and guys basically looked at it as an intimate setting to wrestle and try some things out, but that the pay was pretty awful since yeah, they didn't seat a lot of people. On that front, Austin doing that was probably him easing back in.

Foley tells a story in, I forget Have a Nice Day or Foley is Good. One of those sorts of places had become concerned about the increasingly "mature" product, and as a concession, D-X for a show did not say "Suck it" and allowed the audience to say it. However, no one had told Foley about this arrangement, and he turned to his manager at the time, Bearer, and said, "I don't want to suck it, don't make me suck it!" WWF was then asked to not return.

This particular place was in Scranton, but it gives you an idea of the sorts of venues WWF resorted to using in the lean years.

It was the Catholic Youth Center that that took place in. The Catholic community was concerned with the company’s bad boy image in 1998.

I do find it strange that Austin of all people did a comedy match. Yeah, I know he just came back after a major neck injury but still.

I saw Austin v. Hunter Hearst Hemsley shortly after SummerSlam 96 and it was basically a comedy match there too. Lots of Austin calling him a chicken and making the wings.

If only at the time one was to know who they would be. Mankind and Taker was the main event.

[Starshine]

Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn wrestling the returning Daniel Bryan and.... Shane McMacmahon.

Two of those three names are pretty good choices, and the other one seriously drags it all down.

[Can you afford to pay me, Gah]

Nov 23, 2021 18:37:59 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

Warrior v Orlando

Who would guessed that the first time since 98. The Warrior return to the ring and at the same time his final match ever would be against Orlando Jordon?

[Cvslfc123]

The Rock's first match back being a tag team match with R-Truth and Miz as his opponents was very weird.

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

The Rock leaves for a year and comes back to lose a weird three on two handicap match against Evolution. Like it's ridiculous to look at that card in hindsight and see the Rock in a lower card match and then going away for like 8 years.

[bob]

Batista vs Alberto Del Rio

[Rumble McSkirmish]

Nov 23, 2021 19:45:27 GMT -5 Cranjis McBasketball said:

Nov 20, 2021 7:42:09 GMT -5 fg said:

It was the Catholic Youth Center that that took place in. The Catholic community was concerned with the company’s bad boy image in 1998.

I do find it strange that Austin of all people did a comedy match. Yeah, I know he just came back after a major neck injury but still.

I saw Austin v. Hunter Hearst Hemsley shortly after SummerSlam 96 and it was basically a comedy match there too. Lots of Austin calling him a chicken and making the wings.

If only at the time one was to know who they would be. Mankind and Taker was the main event.

Steve generally liked to show off his more humorous side during the house shows, because generally there were no cameras around to capture these moments of breaking character.

Case in point Mick Foley told a story in his second book about before the main event at a house show in 1999 Austin got on the mic and told this bizarre story about his uncle's shrimp boat sinking and the uncle replying to this by saying "Well it's true what they say: Shrimping ain't Easy."

And of course there was the run back in 1997 where Mick and Owen would put on bad matches on purpose in order to get Austin (who accompanied Foley at ringside) laughing.

[Venti]

Nov 24, 2021 11:30:13 GMT -5 Rumble McSkirmish said:

Nov 23, 2021 19:45:27 GMT -5 Cranjis McBasketball said:

I saw Austin v. Hunter Hearst Hemsley shortly after SummerSlam 96 and it was basically a comedy match there too. Lots of Austin calling him a chicken and making the wings.

If only at the time one was to know who they would be. Mankind and Taker was the main event.

Steve generally liked to show off his more humorous side during the house shows, because generally there were no cameras around to capture these moments of breaking character.

Case in point Mick Foley told a story in his second book about before the main event at a house show in 1999 Austin got on the mic and told this bizarre story about his uncle's shrimp boat sinking and the uncle replying to this by saying "Well it's true what they say: Shrimping ain't Easy."

And of course there was the run back in 1997 where Mick and Owen would put on bad matches on purpose in order to get Austin (who accompanied Foley at ringside) laughing.

My favorite humorous Steve Austin moment is the story he told about wrestling the Undertaker.

Austin took a sharpie and drew a big goofy smiley face on his palm, and during the match he put out his hand to do the test of strength spot. So right in Undertaker's face was this unexpected crudely drawn smiley face.

I really love all the stories of guys trying to get Taker to break character and laugh in the ring.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Nov 23, 2021 20:13:56 GMT -5 Can you afford to pay me, Gah said:

Nov 23, 2021 18:37:59 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

Warrior v Orlando

Who would guessed that the first time since 98. The Warrior return to the ring and at the same time his final match ever would be against Orlando Jordon?

I think it was also in Spain or Portugal which just makes it even weirder