Post by adamclark52 on Jan 24, 2015 1:27:17 GMT -5
I got the Network last week and even though I have a ton of WWE pay per view DVDs still wrapped in plastic there was one on the Network that I’ve wanted to see for a long time: Survivor Series 1997. So I sat down to watch the entire card tonight.
The opening video did a good job of painting a picture of two guys (Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels) who genuinely hated each other.
The Headbangers and the New Blackjacks vs. “Badass” Billy Gunn, the Road Dog and the Godwinns
This was one of the New Age Outlaws first matches together. Before they were even referred to as such. They were playing heels and I'm pretty sure the crowd was chanting "faggot" at poor Billy. If they only could see five years into the future. I hated the Headbangers but Mosh was wearing a Napalm Death shirt. He was wearing some really ugly rainbow socks too though. It's almost as if they were a stereotype of metalheads made up by people backstage who had no clue. This match really wasn't very good. No one in it is anyone I'd call a "solid" wrestler. Bradshaw was the star of the match. It's funny when you watch some of these older pay per views. He was always on them, he was always made to look strong and he was featured quite prominently but he never caught on as a singles star until years later.
Survivors: Badass Billy Gunn and Road Dog
Truth Commission vs. the Disciples of Apocalypse
I've always liked the Jackyl/Cyrus the Virus. He didn't last too long in this match though. He did go on commentary which was a position I always enjoyed him in. This match was pretty f***ing terrible though. A lot of miscues and bad timing.
Survivor: the Interrogator
Team USA (Vader, Goldust, Steve Blackman and “Wildman” Mark Mero) w/Sable vs. Team Canada (the British Bulldog, Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart, Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon)
Team USA came out to Kurt Angles theme music. Or, I guess you could say Kurt Angle used Team USAs theme music. Or, I guess you could say they both used the Patriots music. And a grand total of one member of Team Canada was Canadian. That's awesome.
This was a pretty good match. I just couldn't get behind Team Canada. I'm never into border war matches or national pride matches. Canada sucks anyways. The ending was kind of shitty.
Survivor: the British Bulldog
Mankind vs. Kane w/Paul Bearer
Kane was so awesome when he first came on the scene. I really can't believe he's still around. It was pretty cool that whenever he was around during his first month (be it a run-in or a promo) everything was illuminated with red light. Even during this match the house lights were all set to red. I never knew that. This was Kanes first actual match in the WWE. I guess if you're going to "feed" someone to someone you're building as a monster it may as well be Mick Foley. He was good for something. I think this match could've gone about ten minutes longer. It made Kane look strong and menacing but with Mick Foley as his opponent they could've done much more.
Winner: Kane
The Nation of Domination vs. The Legion of Doom, Ken Shamrock and Ahmed Johnson
Man, Ahmed Johnson was one imposing dude. I've never seen much of his stuff but I can tell that that was one guy who could've done a lot more in the WWE. This match wasn't too bad. Ahmed went out a little too early and quite frankly I wanted to see more of him. The crowd was really on Rocky Maivia.
Survivor: Ken Shamrock
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart (champion) w/Team Canada
For the WWF Intercontinental Championship
This match was very short. I would've given them another ten minutes. I don't even think it lasted five minutes. Given that it was the return match from when Owen had hurt Stone Colds neck a few months earlier I would've thought Austin would have been out for blood. But maybe his neck was still f***ed. I don't think his neck was ever not f***ed for the rest of his career.
Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin
I never knew that match happened and ended the way it did. Survivor Series 1997 was a bad night for the Hart family.
Shawn Michaels vs. Bret “the Hitman” Hart (champion)
For the WWF Championship
I really don't like watching Bret Hart at this point. He had the world at his fingertips and had he stuck around he would've main-evented shows for years to come. He chose to leave and even at this time, before his career had fallen apart, he was just pissed of and bitter at everyone. I've said it many times: I'm with Vince McMahon on this whole situation. Honestly, if Bret hadn't have floundered as much as he did in WCW I doubt he'd have the grudge he holds today over the whole thing. So it was hard trying to watch this match already knowing everything that happened. It was a lot more vicious than anything I'd ever seen Bret Hart in. It was more of a Street Fight. Even before the Screwjob happened there was a lot of tension surrounding everything. You have to wonder how much of it was a hot feud and how much of it was all the officials at ringside knowing what was about to happen. Although as far as I know only Vince, Earl Hebner, Sgt. Slaughter and Shawn Michaels knew what was up. But the cloud that hangs over it changes everything forever. The match itself starts after ten minutes of Bret manhandling HBK all over the arena. So once it does get started it's just more beating but not as one-sided. It was entertaining and had it just been a match with a straight-up finish I would call it one of the better Bret Hart matches. But I honestly spent most of the match waiting for "it" to happen and seeing if I could pick up and clues or signs. I guess the biggest sign I got was when Vince came out. I was surprised that when it happened, HBK grabs the belt and runs backstage and the screen fades. I guess I was expecting a more drawn out ending. I did see Bret spit at Vince but all those other shots of him I guess are archival footage. It was the most unceremonious ending to a pay per view I’ve ever seen. I can only imagine the confusion amongst fans when it did happen. It really was kind of sad.
Winner: Shawn Michaels
So I waited over fifteen years to see that and I really saw nothing I haven’t seen before. The rest of the card was okay. It started off pretty bad and jobbertastic but it got better the further on it went. I think one thing that plagued the card was too many things I was enjoyed got cut too early; the Mankind verses Kane match, Ahmed Johnson, the Owen Hart verses Steve Austin match and the main event. So it was worth watching.
I liked that this show was huge but didn't have all the pomp the WWE has now. No big entrances. No video screens. Not much in the way of fireworks. The Karate Fighters blimp (I miss that thing). Even having the French announcer (who was TERRIBLE) gave it a different feel. I'm not even sure that the WWE isn't ignorant enough to book a Team USA verses Team Canada match and change up the role of "heel" and "face" depending on what country they were in. I was also glad the f***ing Hart family wasn’t entirely in attendance in the front row, as there were at EVERY WWF show that was in Canada in 1997. I think Vince McMahon was smart enough to know that he’d have had a rioting horde of sad-looking grumpy zombies with a grudge after him.
So if you’ve been hankering to see the Montreal Screwjob unfold in real-time for a long time (like me) I’d recommend watching the entire card.
The opening video did a good job of painting a picture of two guys (Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels) who genuinely hated each other.
The Headbangers and the New Blackjacks vs. “Badass” Billy Gunn, the Road Dog and the Godwinns
This was one of the New Age Outlaws first matches together. Before they were even referred to as such. They were playing heels and I'm pretty sure the crowd was chanting "faggot" at poor Billy. If they only could see five years into the future. I hated the Headbangers but Mosh was wearing a Napalm Death shirt. He was wearing some really ugly rainbow socks too though. It's almost as if they were a stereotype of metalheads made up by people backstage who had no clue. This match really wasn't very good. No one in it is anyone I'd call a "solid" wrestler. Bradshaw was the star of the match. It's funny when you watch some of these older pay per views. He was always on them, he was always made to look strong and he was featured quite prominently but he never caught on as a singles star until years later.
Survivors: Badass Billy Gunn and Road Dog
Truth Commission vs. the Disciples of Apocalypse
I've always liked the Jackyl/Cyrus the Virus. He didn't last too long in this match though. He did go on commentary which was a position I always enjoyed him in. This match was pretty f***ing terrible though. A lot of miscues and bad timing.
Survivor: the Interrogator
Team USA (Vader, Goldust, Steve Blackman and “Wildman” Mark Mero) w/Sable vs. Team Canada (the British Bulldog, Jim “the Anvil” Neidhart, Doug Furnas and Phil Lafon)
Team USA came out to Kurt Angles theme music. Or, I guess you could say Kurt Angle used Team USAs theme music. Or, I guess you could say they both used the Patriots music. And a grand total of one member of Team Canada was Canadian. That's awesome.
This was a pretty good match. I just couldn't get behind Team Canada. I'm never into border war matches or national pride matches. Canada sucks anyways. The ending was kind of shitty. Survivor: the British Bulldog
Mankind vs. Kane w/Paul Bearer
Kane was so awesome when he first came on the scene. I really can't believe he's still around. It was pretty cool that whenever he was around during his first month (be it a run-in or a promo) everything was illuminated with red light. Even during this match the house lights were all set to red. I never knew that. This was Kanes first actual match in the WWE. I guess if you're going to "feed" someone to someone you're building as a monster it may as well be Mick Foley. He was good for something. I think this match could've gone about ten minutes longer. It made Kane look strong and menacing but with Mick Foley as his opponent they could've done much more.
Winner: Kane
The Nation of Domination vs. The Legion of Doom, Ken Shamrock and Ahmed Johnson
Man, Ahmed Johnson was one imposing dude. I've never seen much of his stuff but I can tell that that was one guy who could've done a lot more in the WWE. This match wasn't too bad. Ahmed went out a little too early and quite frankly I wanted to see more of him. The crowd was really on Rocky Maivia.
Survivor: Ken Shamrock
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. Owen Hart (champion) w/Team Canada
For the WWF Intercontinental Championship
This match was very short. I would've given them another ten minutes. I don't even think it lasted five minutes. Given that it was the return match from when Owen had hurt Stone Colds neck a few months earlier I would've thought Austin would have been out for blood. But maybe his neck was still f***ed. I don't think his neck was ever not f***ed for the rest of his career.
Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin
I never knew that match happened and ended the way it did. Survivor Series 1997 was a bad night for the Hart family.
Shawn Michaels vs. Bret “the Hitman” Hart (champion)
For the WWF Championship
I really don't like watching Bret Hart at this point. He had the world at his fingertips and had he stuck around he would've main-evented shows for years to come. He chose to leave and even at this time, before his career had fallen apart, he was just pissed of and bitter at everyone. I've said it many times: I'm with Vince McMahon on this whole situation. Honestly, if Bret hadn't have floundered as much as he did in WCW I doubt he'd have the grudge he holds today over the whole thing. So it was hard trying to watch this match already knowing everything that happened. It was a lot more vicious than anything I'd ever seen Bret Hart in. It was more of a Street Fight. Even before the Screwjob happened there was a lot of tension surrounding everything. You have to wonder how much of it was a hot feud and how much of it was all the officials at ringside knowing what was about to happen. Although as far as I know only Vince, Earl Hebner, Sgt. Slaughter and Shawn Michaels knew what was up. But the cloud that hangs over it changes everything forever. The match itself starts after ten minutes of Bret manhandling HBK all over the arena. So once it does get started it's just more beating but not as one-sided. It was entertaining and had it just been a match with a straight-up finish I would call it one of the better Bret Hart matches. But I honestly spent most of the match waiting for "it" to happen and seeing if I could pick up and clues or signs. I guess the biggest sign I got was when Vince came out. I was surprised that when it happened, HBK grabs the belt and runs backstage and the screen fades. I guess I was expecting a more drawn out ending. I did see Bret spit at Vince but all those other shots of him I guess are archival footage. It was the most unceremonious ending to a pay per view I’ve ever seen. I can only imagine the confusion amongst fans when it did happen. It really was kind of sad.
Winner: Shawn Michaels
So I waited over fifteen years to see that and I really saw nothing I haven’t seen before. The rest of the card was okay. It started off pretty bad and jobbertastic but it got better the further on it went. I think one thing that plagued the card was too many things I was enjoyed got cut too early; the Mankind verses Kane match, Ahmed Johnson, the Owen Hart verses Steve Austin match and the main event. So it was worth watching.
I liked that this show was huge but didn't have all the pomp the WWE has now. No big entrances. No video screens. Not much in the way of fireworks. The Karate Fighters blimp (I miss that thing). Even having the French announcer (who was TERRIBLE) gave it a different feel. I'm not even sure that the WWE isn't ignorant enough to book a Team USA verses Team Canada match and change up the role of "heel" and "face" depending on what country they were in. I was also glad the f***ing Hart family wasn’t entirely in attendance in the front row, as there were at EVERY WWF show that was in Canada in 1997. I think Vince McMahon was smart enough to know that he’d have had a rioting horde of sad-looking grumpy zombies with a grudge after him.
So if you’ve been hankering to see the Montreal Screwjob unfold in real-time for a long time (like me) I’d recommend watching the entire card.
