wrasslin

If you’ve got the hose, Pittsburgh is the hole! In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys get the go-home Raw Is War leading into SummerSlam 1997. Bret Hart and the Pittsburgh crowd have an energetic confrontation, as do Chyna and Mankind. The Patriot gets some action in the ring, while Ahmed Johnson shows up wearing all of the baby oil ever produced. The Cartoon Stable division gets a new member with the Truth Commission, and Dr. James Andrews does everyone a solid. Let’s all bump and grind!

Let’s be honest, who hasn’t wanted to slap the shit out of Vince McMahon?  In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys get another mixed bag of matches featuring Vader, Ken Shamrock, Goldust, and Farooq.  The tag team division gets highlighted in a three way tag match, while the main event (a six-man tag team Flag Match!) gives us Dude Love, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and the Hart Foundation.  Holy crap, it’s a burnt piece of wood!

Stipulations aplenty! The Hart Foundation lays it all out there. All stipulations for Summerslam 1997 have been cemented. We catch our first glimpse of The Patriot. We also get a nostalgia pop with Ivan Putski, and a hometown pop for Shawn Michaels in San Antonio. Finally, Dude Love makes his first appearance and is now a tag team champion with Stone Cold Steve Austin!

When you're in Edmonton, you pop that Oilers jersey hard!  In this episode of Wrasslin' Raw, the boys get taught a lesson on international politics by Bret "the Hitman" Hart, in one of the hottest show openers in recent memory.  Brian Christopher's laugh nearly ruins a Taka Michinoku match, and the beautiful Paul Bearer brings us more details on why the Undertaker is a murderer.  Stone Cold Steve Austin and Hunter Hearst Helmsley put on a clinic, and Vince labels Chyna as a mesomorph!

Imagine being accused of murdering your whole family…  In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys bear witness to the hottest crowd in the history of the podcast.  Matches featuring Mankind, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, the Great Sasuke, and Taka Michinoku all provide solid entertainment, while Vader versus the Undertaker goes nowhere.  The crowd hits a fever pitch for the Stampede match, because you know who runs Calgary!

When were the Undertaker and Paul Bearer battling evil?  In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys sit down to talk about the go home show leading into the Canadian Stampede Pay Per View.  Ken Shamrock and Hunter Hearst Helmsley have a great opening match, but Crush and the Disciples of Apocalypse have another gang to fight in Savio Vega’s Los Boricuas.  The Undertaker gives us a cinematic soliloquy, and secret secret, Paul Bearer’s got a secret!

And... Crush is back.  In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys witness multiple points of failure as the Light Heavyweight division continues working, Ahmed Johnson tries to be a heel, and Crush returns to our screens.  The Intercontinental Title gets to (briefly) shine, along with Sabu and Bill Alfonso’s whistle. The Undertaker got to unceremoniously punch Vader in the face, and Ken Shamrock stared down Dan “The Beast” Severn.  We had Crush before, but now we’ve got four of them!

Hey, Mankind’s got a nice ass, too! In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys get served a weak dish of Raw is War. The long-awaited match between Steve Austin and Brian Pillman delivers serviceable results, while the episode’s storytelling doesn’t. The roster of the Calgary Stampede is announced, Marc Mero and the BIONIC Sable are back on our screens, and the WWF debuts its new Light Heavyweight Division in a forgettable match. How many times can the Undertaker keep getting bitched out?!?

This is the episode we’ve all been waiting for- Crush is FIRED! In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys ride a rollercoaster of emotion while the WWF rides its own rollercoaster of backstage drama. Matches featuring Rob Van Dam and Owen Hart look decent, while a backstage fight between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels forces another audible, with Mankind subbing in for a sub-in against Brian Pillman. In a world of regurgitated Pay Per View matches, nobody gives a shit about the European title!

Crush ruined things again! In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys view the 1997 King of the Ring, one of the higher tiered Pay Per Views of the year. Matches featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker, and Farooq all (mostly) live up to their promise, while Ahmed Johnson, Jerry Lawler, and Goldust all fall flat. Hunter Hearst Helmsley beats Mankind in a barnburner to become the King of the  Ring, and Vince McMahon continues to poison commentary with various MANEUVERS!

Let’s take a look back at last week’s episode description!  In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys watch quite a bit of old footage in the build up for the 1997 King of the Ring Pay Per View.  An audible is called regarding Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, and the Hart Foundation; Psycho Sid makes a surprise return, and Paul Bearer continues to blackmail the Undertaker.  The Nation of Domination is divided, and the amount of moving parts in these stories is UNBELIEVABLE! 

Ahmed Johnson is overdressed again!  In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys get some incredible, and then questionable, content on Monday Night Raw.  Matches featuring Stone Cold Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, the Legion of Doom and the Hart Foundation all deliver, while matches featuring Flash Funk, Goldust, and a promo from Jerry Lawler fall completely flat.  Mankind continues to be interviewed by Jim Ross, and the in-ring debut of D-Lo Brown looks good.  Sable is a cyborg!

Everyone gets a rager this week! In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys take a look at the Monday Night Raw following the Cold Day in Hell Pay Per View. Besides a weak debut from Scott Putski, strong matches featuring Ahmed Johnson, Savio Vega, and Rob Van Dam round out the card. We get the finish to the Goldust exposé, a cluster of a 4-way Tag Team Elimination match, and a very satisfying send-off to the worst hype men ever. Any time Crush gets punched in the face, we’re going to like it!

Vader finally put someone over! In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys sit down to talk about In Your House 15: Cold Day In Hell, another ‘sleeper’ Pay Per View that often gets overlooked. Great matches featuring Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Ken Shamrock, Rocky Maivia, and Mankind lead up to a hellacious main event: the Undertaker defends the belt against Stone Cold Steve Austin. Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler throw out the best commentary we’ve had in months- and there will be no standing 8-counts!

Do you have the jam to tune in and listen?  In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys review the go-home episode of Monday Night Raw, leading into the In Your House: Cold Day in Hell Pay Per View.  Rockabilly continues to grace our screens, while Vader has returned from Kuwait.  Ken Shamrock attended a little league game, Goldust revealed his inner Dustin Runnels in a shocking interview, and someone has stolen the Undertaker’s championship belt.  We also get three Crush matches!

Please pray for the healing of the beloved knee! In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys get to see a very sacrilegious episode of Monday Night Raw, continuing the ‘soap opera’ storytelling by giving Brian Pillman a live microphone. Rockabilly and the Honky Tonk Man take on Flash Funk, the Legion of Doom are in action, and a new Intercontinental Champion is crowned. There’s a surprising Jobber of the Week, and they’ve finally figured out what to do with Sunny- put her in a sexy bed!

Who’s ready for a scraping procedure? In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys evaluate the fallout from the Pay Per View. Matches featuring Ahmed Johnson, the Sultan, and Rockabilly fall flat, while Hunter Hearst Helmsley and the Undertaker deliver in-ring action. Stone Cold Steve Austin, on the other hand, delivers total chaos in what is a fantastic early example of unexpected Raw storytelling when he and Bret Hart take a memorable ambulance ride. Vince is starting to see dollar signs!

Where’s Pillman hiding that boner? In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys take a look at In Your House 14: Revenge of the ‘Taker, and one of the most underrated Pay Per Views of the late 90’s. Phenomenal matches including the Undertaker, Mankind, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin highlight the card. Matches featuring Rocky Maivia, Savio Vega, and the Legion of Doom fill in the lesser portions of the card.  What’s going on in the men’s room, is that Jeff Reed?

This one’s a stinker!  In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys take a trip to South Africa, where there is no wrestling commentary- and matches featuring Ahmed Johnson, Crush, Goldust, and the Sultan become pantomimes of wrestling.  The Legion of Doom did the best they could to spice things up, but the technical difficulties of getting over the upcoming “In Your House: Revenge of the ‘Taker” Pay Per View were too much to overcome.  But it’s not a total loss- you can have some straight T & A!

It’s a jobber smorgasbord!  In this episode of Wrasslin’ Raw, the boys see the aftermath of the reuniting Hart Foundation, as well as matches featuring Freddie Joe Floyd, Barry Horowitz, and Frank Stiletto.  Stone Cold Steve Austin wrestles in two matches against Billy Gunn and then Mankind, and there’s some No-Holds-Barred Exhibition from Ken Shamrock.  The Headbangers keep movin’ on up, while the Godwinns keep movin’ on down.  There’s a feeling in the air, and it feels like softball season!