WWF 1996 dark match try-outs

[Joe Neglia]

WWF @ Stockton, CA - Civic Autitorium - January 22, 1996 (2,904; sell out)
Steve Steward defeated Buddy Wayne
Avatar & Aldo Montoya fought the Headhunters to a double count-out
Dory Funk Jr. defeated Bob Holly

- Steve Steward doesn't have a link at wrestlingdata, but that may be a typo and it was Steve Stewart, aka Bart Sawyer

- So that's at least one more Headhunters appearance beyond the two televised ones

- Dory Funk Jr in 1996. Rumble aside, that's crazy.

WWF @ San Jose, CA - Convention Center - January 23, 1996
Mike Modest defeated Robert Thompson after 10 minutes

- This was the match seen in Beyond the Mat, I assume?

WWF @ Cincinnati, OH - Cincinnati Gardens - February 19, 1996 (8,500)
Herman the German defeated Scott D'Amore
Chris Clyde defeated Gary Scott

- I neglected to mention last time his name popped up, Herman the German is Ulf Herman, who was briefly in ECW's FBI

- No idea who Chris Clyde would be

- D'Amore did alright enough to get put on the next card in four matches as the jobber.

WWF @ Huntington, WV - Civic Center - February 20, 1996 (4,500)
Herman the German defeated Mark Kyle

- Mark Kyle is Smokey Mountain's Killer Kyle

WWF @ Beaumont, TX - Civic Center - March 6, 1996 (4,987)
Barry Horowitz defeated Guido Falcone

WWF @ Tyler, TX - Oil Palace - March 7, 1996
Justin Bradshaw defeated Bob Holly
Barry Horowitz defeated Guido Falcone

WWF @ Houston, TX - Summit - March 9, 1996 (8,868)
Barry Horowitz defeated Guido Falcone

- Guido Falcone is mostly known for his stint in Global during the early '90s. Was a later-day member of Skandar Akbar's Devastation Inc once it went to the indies.

WWF @ Corpus Christi, TX - March 10, 1996 (3,702; sell out)
Devon Michaels & Bo Vegas (High Voltage) defeated Alex Porteau & Rod Price
Duane Johnson (the Rock) defeated the Brooklyn Brawler (the Rock's WWF debut)
Steve Sawyer (Bart Sawyer) defeated the Brooklyn Brawler (w/ Harvey Wippleman)
The Sicilian Studs (Guido Falcone & Vito Mussolini) defeated two unknowns

- NOT the High Voltage from WCW. Devon Michaels (NOT the porn star) and his brother Derek Michaels were Texas regulars for a while. One of them retired early and commentated for PCW in the early 2000s.

- I think this cements the idea that the earlier "Steve Steward" was Bart Sawyer.

- An aside: Brawler with Wippleman?

- Vito is NOT Big Vito but rather a former Global guy I forgot about, real name Shawn Stevens (Thanks to James Fabiano for the correction)

- This got Porteau a job with the company as one of its New Generation JTTS.

- Somethingsomething Johnson something. Is this one available yet? For sure it has to be, right?

WWF @ San Diego, CA - Sports Arena - April 2, 1996 (7,052; 5,557 paid)
Barry Lee defeated Raven Clark

- I believe Barry Lee is Brian Lee, aka Underfaker. This would be right around the time he started in ECW, I think.

WWF @ Sioux City, IA - April 29, 1996 (4,000; 3,200 paid)
Greg Walsh pinned Carl the Lumberjack with a sunset flip

- No clue on either guy.

WWF @ Des Moines, IA - April 30, 1996 (7,000; 5,373 paid)
Tony Williams defeated Carl LeDuc

- Carl LeDuc is the kayfabe nephew of Jos LeDuc. He would be brought back a few more times during the year for Canadian shows

- Tony Williams was a Memphis mainstay of the 90s

WWF @ Erie, PA - Civic Center - May 9, 1996 (2,403)
The Smoking Gunns defeated Samu & the Tahitian Warrior

- Samu and LA Smooth getting another look.

WWF @ Fayetteville, NC - Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium - May 27, 1996 (5,000; sell out; 4,200 paid)
The Overlords defeated Matt & Jeff Hardy
Marty Garner defeated Jason Arndt

- Bunch of OMEGA guys getting a look.

- Garner is Cham Pain/Puck Dupp

- Arndt = Joey Abs

- No clue on the Overlords. They're called the Ringlords in some later results and ended up doing some TV jobs. I don't recognize them and too lazy to see if they're the same Ringlords that sipped coffee in WCW.

WWF @ North Charleston, SC - Coliseum - May 28, 1996 (4,500)
The Overlords (Ringlords) defeated Matt & Jeff Hardy

WWF @ Green Bay, WI - Brown County Expo - June 24, 1996 (4,660; sell out)
Barry Horowitz pinned Tracy Smothers at 9:00 with a fisherman's suplex

- Smothers would show up the next day as regular roster member Freddie Joe Floyd

WWF @ Seattle, WA - Key Arena - July 22, 1996 (6,755)
Salvatore Sincere pinned Billy Two Eagles with a brainbuster

- Not sure if this aired. BTE was a regular in the Portland area for years.

WWF @ Montreal, Quebec - Molson Centre - August 2, 1996 (9,128)
Carl LeDuc defeated Justin Bradshaw

WWF @ Quebec City, Quebec - August 3, 1996
Owen Hart defeated Carl LeDuc via submission with the Sharpshooter; after the match, Raymond Rougeau made the save for LeDuc when Hart refused to release the hold

WWF @ Ottawa, Ontario - Corel Centre - August 4, 1996 (5,572)
Carl LeDuc pinned Justin Bradshaw with a roll up

WWF @ Wheeling, WV - Civic Center - August 19, 1996
Rick Titan defeated Frank Stilleto
Flex Kavana (the Rock) defeated David Haskins
Barry Windham pinned Justin Bradshaw
Frank Stilleto defeated Lou Marconi

- Rick Titan = Fake Razor

- Stilleto was one of those 90s indy guys that just never caught on

- Windham would start his Stalker vignettes almost immediately

WWF @ Columbus, OH - August 20, 1996 (2,739)
Owen Hart defeated Flex Kavana (the Rock)

WWF @ State College, PA - Bryce Jordan Center - September 24, 1996 (3,189)
Freddie Joe Floyd defeated Mike Fury
Al Phillips defeated Bob Starr
Savio Vega defeated Terry Gordy

- Not sure why Phillips and Starr were given a match together; both had been off-and-on jobbers there for years

- Mike Fury = Big Guido from ECW

- Gordy jobbing in his try-out is...yeah.

WWF @ Calgary, Alberta - Saddledome - October 5, 1996 (5,062)
Several of the talent on the show, including Shawn Michaels, donated their pay to disease research in memory of Matthew Hart, who died from a flesh eating disease weeks earlier
Ted Annis (Teddy Hart) (16) & Harry Smith (10) defeated TJ Wilson (16) & Andrew Pakarnyk after 5 minutes when Smith pinned Wilson with a splash after a superplex from Annis

- Not a real try-out match, but included due to the nature of the match. I understand letting some of the Harts on the show in honor of a fallen family member, but Harry was literally 10 years old at the time. How did this come about and who let it happen?

WWF @ Lowell, MA - Memorial Auditorium - November 30, 1996 (2,678; sell out)
Argo (Achim Albrecht) pinned Dr. X (Tom Prichard)

WWF @ Poughkeepsie, NY - Mid-Hudson Civic Center - December 1, 1996 (matinee) (1,737)
Argo pinned Dr. X (Tom Prichard) with an atomic drop

- Argo = Brakkus. The next dozen or so shows after this would have him as Brakkus, but all essentially the same match.

[2coldMack is even more baffled]

Modest's Beyond The Mat tryout match wouldn't happen until 1998, actually, against Tony Jones.

[Deleted]

Vito Mussolini..real subtle there WWE.

[Deleted]

It’s wild to think that the Rock’s debut(or at least one of his first WWE matches) happened in front of 3700 people in Corpus Christi.

[Mozenrath]

I, uhhh, assume a 10 year old getting a pinfall victory in a WWF ring has got to be some sort of record.

[Mozenrath]

May 22, 2019 20:11:56 GMT -5 @kingakeemog said:

It’s wild to think that the Rock’s debut(or at least one of his first WWE matches) happened in front of 3700 people in Corpus Christi.

In honor of that, we decided to never pop for anything ever again.

[Wardlow on Wardlow 54]

May 22, 2019 20:17:42 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

I, uhhh, assume a 10 year old getting a pinfall victory in a WWF ring has got to be some sort of record.

Probably. But Nicholas topped him 22 years later by actually winning a title lol.

Also, is it possible that Carl The Lumberjack was Carl LeDuc? It would make sense if he wrestled both nights in the same state.

I thought Wippleman managing Brawler was exclusive to my EWR games.

I always wondered about Porteau. In Titan Shattered, Smothers, Brandi, Irwin and Anthony were discussed, but no mention of Porteau.

The Headhunters are an enigma to me. Specifically the 1997 appearance where they attacked The Headbangers and Bulldog and Owen, and were managed by Cornette. Nothing ever came of it, so what was even the point?

Were Samu and LA Smooth appearing on TV as the guys stalking Fatu? I always heard it was Samu and Rosey, but I've seen no mention of the latter here, and I do remember reading about LA Smooth in the Apter mags way back when.

Also, I never knew Vito wrestled as anything but Skull Von Crush pre-1999.

[2coldMack is even more baffled]

May 22, 2019 22:17:36 GMT -5 Wardlow on Wardlow 54 said:

May 22, 2019 20:17:42 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

I, uhhh, assume a 10 year old getting a pinfall victory in a WWF ring has got to be some sort of record.

The Headhunters are an enigma to me. Specifically the 1997 appearance where they attacked The Headbangers and Bulldog and Owen, and were managed by Cornette. Nothing ever came of it, so what was even the point?

Well, the story there is that they were gonna be brought in as a "monster" team, but Bulldog pretty much immediately powerslammed one of them like it was nothing, which killed their "monster" image dead from the word jump, and they got released.

[Deleted]

Herman The German sounds like it would be the name of a poster here.

[Futureraven: Beelzebruv]

May 22, 2019 20:11:12 GMT -5 ani said:

Vito Mussolini..real subtle there WWE.

He's German, right?

[Deleted]

May 22, 2019 19:59:03 GMT -5 Joe Neglia said:

- An aside: Brawler with Wippleman?

Maybe to give some extra heat against the debuting Rock?

Whippleman and Brawler - long time hands backstage, of course - got paired off a few times over the years; I think pretty much for that reason. Last one I recall was on one of the Old School Raws several years ago, against Ezekiel Jackson.

WWF @ Sioux City, IA - April 29, 1996 (4,000; 3,200 paid)
Greg Walsh pinned Carl the Lumberjack with a sunset flip

- No clue on either guy.

WWF @ Des Moines, IA - April 30, 1996 (7,000; 5,373 paid)
Tony Williams defeated Carl LeDuc

- Carl LeDuc is the kayfabe nephew of Jos LeDuc. He would be brought back a few more times during the year for Canadian shows

Answered your own question regarding Carl (actual son of Paul LeDuc, Jos's kayfabe brother)...... Carl "the Lumberjack" LeDuc.

[mrpeacock]

The match with all the Hart kids had a funny story to it. Teddy Hart gave a Superplex standing on the top rope. The Stalker complained to them about it as the Superplex was Barry Windhams finish. Teddy responded with “Well you only went to the second. I went to the top rope.” The only thing preventing him from getting chewed out was Bulldog happened to be walking around the corner right after he said it

[Wardlow on Wardlow 54]

May 23, 2019 8:49:49 GMT -5 mrpeacock said:

The match with all the Hart kids had a funny story to it. Teddy Hart gave a Superplex standing on the top rope. The Stalker complained to them about it as the Superplex was Barry Windhams finish. Teddy responded with “Well you only went to the second. I went to the top rope.” The only thing preventing him from getting chewed out was Bulldog happened to be walking around the corner right after he said it

So Teddy was always a cocky jackass lol not surprised by this, that is so Teddy.

[James Fabiano]

May 22, 2019 20:11:12 GMT -5 ani said:

Vito Mussolini..real subtle there WWE.

The name/gimmick was created in Global, actually. He was Guido Falcone/Sweet Daddy Falcone's partner in a team called the Sicilian Studs.

And it wasn't Vito LoGrasso. It was a Dallas guy named Shawn Stevens, also wrestled as Kenny the Stinger, IIRC. (And yes that was a ripoff of just who you thought)

[Deleted]

May 23, 2019 8:49:49 GMT -5 mrpeacock said:

The match with all the Hart kids had a funny story to it. Teddy Hart gave a Superplex standing on the top rope. The Stalker complained to them about it as the Superplex was Barry Windhams finish. Teddy responded with “Well you only went to the second. I went to the top rope.” The only thing preventing him from getting chewed out was Bulldog happened to be walking around the corner right after he said it

People will point to Teddy but a grown man getting upset over a 16 year old doing his finish at a tribute show is hilariously petty.

[2coldMack is even more baffled]

May 23, 2019 11:14:35 GMT -5 ani said:

May 23, 2019 8:49:49 GMT -5 mrpeacock said:

The match with all the Hart kids had a funny story to it. Teddy Hart gave a Superplex standing on the top rope. The Stalker complained to them about it as the Superplex was Barry Windhams finish. Teddy responded with “Well you only went to the second. I went to the top rope.” The only thing preventing him from getting chewed out was Bulldog happened to be walking around the corner right after he said it

People will point to Teddy but a grown man getting upset over a 16 year old doing his finish at a tribute show is hillatiously petty.

Yeah, it's a rare thing, but I'm gonna side with Teddy on this one.

[Psicofreak667]

Regarding Brooklyn Brawler and Harvey Whippleman...

A looong time ago I watched one of the small syndicated WWF shows - don't remember which one - but it was main evented by Al Snow defending the Hardcore Championship against Brooklyn Brawler. Harvey Whippleman was the referee. First the commentary talked about Harvey and Brawler's history together, and then Harvey started blatantly helping Brawler. Snow won anyway. I've been looking at match databases and damned if I can find when it was, though.

[cjh]

May 23, 2019 15:17:15 GMT -5 Psicofreak667 said:

Regarding Brooklyn Brawler and Harvey Whippleman...

A looong time ago I watched one of the small syndicated WWF shows - don't remember which one - but it was main evented by Al Snow defending the Hardcore Championship against Brooklyn Brawler. Harvey Whippleman was the referee. First the commentary talked about Harvey and Brawler's history together, and then Harvey started blatantly helping Brawler. Snow won anyway. I've been looking at match databases and damned if I can find when it was, though.

WWF @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - June 28, 1999 (19,553; sell out)
Shotgun - 7/3/99 - featured Michael Cole conducted an in-ring interview with Michael Hayes, Matt & Jeff Hardy, with WWF Tag Team Champions the Acolytes eventually interrupting and attacking all three men:
Test pinned Gangrel at 4:50 with the elbowsmash off the top; after the bout, Gangrel hit the DDT on referee Mike Chioda
Viscera (w/ WWF European Champion Mideon) pinned D-Lo Brown (w/ Mark Henry) at 3:40 with a splash after Mideon hit Brown with the title belt after Brown hit the Lo Down but the referee was distracted by Henry
Meat (w/ Terri, Jackie, and Ryan Shamrock) pinned Brad Anderson at 2:02 with a reverse DDT
WWF Hardcore Champion Al Snow pinned the Brooklyn Brawler in a non-title hardcore match at 3:14 after hitting Brawler and guest referee Harvey Wippleman with Head, then slapping Wippleman's hand to the mat to count the pinfall; Wippleman prevented Snow from using weapons throughout the match but did allow Brawler to use them
Los Super Astros - 7/4/99:
Miguel Perez defeated Apollo Dantes
Batallion pinned Max Mini at 4:27 with a powerbomb and splash
The Giant Silva pinned Pantera at 2:35 with a splash off the top
Shotgun - 7/10/99:
Christian defeated Chuck Coates
Chaz defeated Donnie Parker
Raw is War – included an opening segment in which Steve Austin told Vince McMahon that, although he had lost the CEO position the previous night at King of the Ring, he went ahead and signed a world title match for himself while still CEO and if the Undertaker had anyone interfere on his behalf, Austin would win the title via forfeit; prior to Austin coming out, McMahon announced that the Undertaker would defend the title against Triple H at Fully Loaded; featured Steve Blackman attacking Ken Shamrock with a kendo stick in the ring, causing Shamrock to bleed from the mouth; included an in-ring promo in which Billy Gunn, Chyna, and Triple H said they wanted the rights to the DX name; included Ivory turning heel in an in-ring promo in which she challenged any woman in the crowd; someone eventually did take her up on her offer just for Nicole Bass to intervene and take out the mystery woman:
Chaz (w/ Marianna) pinned Meat (w/ Terri Runnels) with a roll up after Marianna pushed Terri off the ring apron
Hardcore Holly pinned Kane after the Big Show interfered and hit a chokeslam on Kane; after the bout, Kane hit the chokeslam repeatedly on Holly
The Rock defeated Triple H via disqualification when Billy Gunn interfered and hit the Rock with a foreign object
The Godfather fought Edge to a no contest when Droz and Albert came ringside
WWF Tag Team Champion Bradshaw pinned Billy Gunn after X-Pac interfered; after the bout, both Chyna and the Road Dogg came down
WWF IC Champion Jeff Jarrett (w/ Debra) pinned X-Pac after interference from both Debra and Billy Gunn; after the bout, a brawl ensued pitting X-Pac and the Road Dogg against Gunn and Chyna
Steve Austin pinned WWF World Champion the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) to win the title at 12:03 with the Stunner; stipulations stated that if there was any interference from the Corporate Ministry, Taker would be forced for forfeit the title to the challenger (The Atittude Era)

[Wardlow on Wardlow 54]

May 23, 2019 15:42:05 GMT -5 cjh said:

May 23, 2019 15:17:15 GMT -5 Psicofreak667 said:

Regarding Brooklyn Brawler and Harvey Whippleman...

A looong time ago I watched one of the small syndicated WWF shows - don't remember which one - but it was main evented by Al Snow defending the Hardcore Championship against Brooklyn Brawler. Harvey Whippleman was the referee. First the commentary talked about Harvey and Brawler's history together, and then Harvey started blatantly helping Brawler. Snow won anyway. I've been looking at match databases and damned if I can find when it was, though.

WWF @ Charlotte, NC - Coliseum - June 28, 1999 (19,553; sell out)
Shotgun - 7/3/99 - featured Michael Cole conducted an in-ring interview with Michael Hayes, Matt & Jeff Hardy, with WWF Tag Team Champions the Acolytes eventually interrupting and attacking all three men:
Test pinned Gangrel at 4:50 with the elbowsmash off the top; after the bout, Gangrel hit the DDT on referee Mike Chioda
Viscera (w/ WWF European Champion Mideon) pinned D-Lo Brown (w/ Mark Henry) at 3:40 with a splash after Mideon hit Brown with the title belt after Brown hit the Lo Down but the referee was distracted by Henry
Meat (w/ Terri, Jackie, and Ryan Shamrock) pinned Brad Anderson at 2:02 with a reverse DDT
WWF Hardcore Champion Al Snow pinned the Brooklyn Brawler in a non-title hardcore match at 3:14 after hitting Brawler and guest referee Harvey Wippleman with Head, then slapping Wippleman's hand to the mat to count the pinfall; Wippleman prevented Snow from using weapons throughout the match but did allow Brawler to use them
Los Super Astros - 7/4/99:
Miguel Perez defeated Apollo Dantes
Batallion pinned Max Mini at 4:27 with a powerbomb and splash
The Giant Silva pinned Pantera at 2:35 with a splash off the top
Shotgun - 7/10/99:
Christian defeated Chuck Coates
Chaz defeated Donnie Parker
Raw is War – included an opening segment in which Steve Austin told Vince McMahon that, although he had lost the CEO position the previous night at King of the Ring, he went ahead and signed a world title match for himself while still CEO and if the Undertaker had anyone interfere on his behalf, Austin would win the title via forfeit; prior to Austin coming out, McMahon announced that the Undertaker would defend the title against Triple H at Fully Loaded; featured Steve Blackman attacking Ken Shamrock with a kendo stick in the ring, causing Shamrock to bleed from the mouth; included an in-ring promo in which Billy Gunn, Chyna, and Triple H said they wanted the rights to the DX name; included Ivory turning heel in an in-ring promo in which she challenged any woman in the crowd; someone eventually did take her up on her offer just for Nicole Bass to intervene and take out the mystery woman:
Chaz (w/ Marianna) pinned Meat (w/ Terri Runnels) with a roll up after Marianna pushed Terri off the ring apron
Hardcore Holly pinned Kane after the Big Show interfered and hit a chokeslam on Kane; after the bout, Kane hit the chokeslam repeatedly on Holly
The Rock defeated Triple H via disqualification when Billy Gunn interfered and hit the Rock with a foreign object
The Godfather fought Edge to a no contest when Droz and Albert came ringside
WWF Tag Team Champion Bradshaw pinned Billy Gunn after X-Pac interfered; after the bout, both Chyna and the Road Dogg came down
WWF IC Champion Jeff Jarrett (w/ Debra) pinned X-Pac after interference from both Debra and Billy Gunn; after the bout, a brawl ensued pitting X-Pac and the Road Dogg against Gunn and Chyna
Steve Austin pinned WWF World Champion the Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) to win the title at 12:03 with the Stunner; stipulations stated that if there was any interference from the Corporate Ministry, Taker would be forced for forfeit the title to the challenger (The Atittude Era)

Whoa whoa whoa! WHOA!!!

Giant Silva wrestled on Super Astros?! What.