[RESULTS/OPINION] WCW Monday Nitro/WWF RAW is WAR (10/06/97)

[Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #99] (10/06/97)

This will be a difficult Recap to write. It's hard to think of things as one
usually does when a death has occurred which so profoundly impacts the sport.
I wish I could offer condolences to Brian Pillman's wife and children, but I
can't do so and make it seem genuine. Such words would only be an empty
phrase, devoid of any true meaning. The truth is I didn't know Brian
Pillman, and to be honest, didn't really like him. Whether it was as
"Flyin'" Brian, a Hollywood Blond, a member of the Four Horsemen, or the
"Loose Cannon", none of these aspects of his continually evolving character
ever really won me over. He would often wrestle in good matches and I would
like him for that, but he was on the whole not one of my favorite wrestlers,
nor one of the figures in pro-wrestling who I looked forward to seeing every
week.

Nonetheless, I grieve for his loss. Grief is really a selfish emotion. I
don't think human beings on a whole are truly evolved to the point where
they can grieve as a function by which other people's pain can be
alleviated. That is to say, when someone feels sad at the loss of someone
else, it's because they themselves miss them. It's a personal loss. I can't
be sorry for Melanie Pillman or her five children. I can say I am, and offer
words of support and encouragement, but it's up to her to deal with that
grief, pain and personal loss. Perhaps she can take some solace in those
words of support she receives (and in that way grief becomes a communal,
shared experience), but the expression of that grief isn't generated for
that function. Grief, sadness and emotional pain comes about because one has
lost something. That is selfish. I can't feel sad for Brian Pillman himself.
I am sad because I won't see him anymore. I'll never see him again. I'll
never get to meet him. The degree of one's grief is measured by how close
they were to the one that died. My limited grief can never match that of
those who knew him and loved him, which is why any such offers of condolence
are hollow. I can never share their loss at the same level.

This is also why I choose not to dedicate this Recap to him. It would be an
empty gesture, as these few pitiful words are not worthy of his memory. A
human life is deserving of something more. A show of emotion from those who
knew him is a worthy nod to his legacy. Erecting a lasting monument is a
worthy nod to his legacy. Naming a newborn child after him is a worthy nod
to his legacy. Dedicating this Recap to him is not.

Professional wrestling has lost so many of it's stars over the last decade
or so, and so many of them went before their times: Andre the Giant, Big
John Studd, Bruiser Brody, the Von Erichs, Adrian Adonis, Dick Murdoch, Dino
Bravo, Art Barr and Eddie Gilbert to name a few. What they all had in common
for me was that I never got the chance to see any of them wrestle in person.
To my genuine sorrow, their deaths meant I never will.

I saw Brian Pillman wrestle, in person, on September 4th, 1995. He wrestled
in a good match against Jushin Thunder Liger. I can take some solace in the
fact that of all the wrestlers who have come and gone and those that will
continue to do so, Brian Pillman was among those select few that I managed
to see in person. I have not only the memory of that match, but actually
have that match on tape, as well as many others of his which I feel were
quite good. It is based on the memory of these, and what he promised yet to
do, for which I grieve. I don't think any wrestling fan who didn't actually
know him can say much more than that. If they can, then they are a far
better person than I. Of Brian Pillman, I can only offer this final, honest
sentiment ...

I will miss him.


WCW Monday Nitro:
Live/Taped: Live.
Length: Two Hours+.
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota.
HOUR ONE Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Larry Zbyszko.

 - For those who refused to believe, WCW put the matter solidly to rest:
   "WCW extends our thoughts and prayers to the family of Brian Pillman
   1962-1997". While I myself might have liked to have seen a bit more, this
   was a fitting tribute to be offered by his former employer.

 - Speaking of seeing a bit more, the Nitro Girls really put on a show this
   week. Well, one Nitro Girl in particular, who had trouble keeping her
   right breast in her top. I didn't quite pick up on it live, but something
   in my subconscious told me to pay attention. By that time the production
   crew had picked up on it and cut to another camera view. A later check of
   the tape showed what my conscious eyes had missed, but my unconscious had
   spotted. Amazingly enough it was left in on the replay.

   *Boi-oi-oi-oi-oing!*

 - "Hollywood" Hogan and Eric Bischoff come to the ring for their weekly
   gabfest. Schiavone and Tenay try to tie tonight's proceedings into
   Minnesota's rich wrestling history by commenting on the demise of the
   AWA. Gee, thanks. This time around Hogan hypes his new straight-to-TNT
   movie "Assault on Devil's Island", a clip of which is shown.

   Somewhere around now Tony mentions that Chris Benoit will face Curt
   Hennig in tonight's main event. More on this later.

 - JEFF JARRETT (w/ Debra McMichael) vs. BOOKER T. (w/ Jacquelyn)
   I got an e-mail from a guy who went to the show. In it he confirmed my
   suspicion that WCW hands out the Debra McMichael posters we see every
   week.

   An okay match it's first half, up until the commercial break. Both guys
   looked to be on and were really connecting well. The crowd was into it as
   well. Then they cut to break. My e-mail informer, one Dan Hanner (hey
   Dan), tells me that Jarrett and Booker did absolutely nothing during the
   break, then went back into action just moments before the cameras went
   back on. From that point on Booker T. is in solid control, sending
   Jarrett to the floor a few minutes later.

   Out comes Steve McMichael, who tries to drag his wife Debra away. Jarrett
   tries to interject. Mongo pops him one, then rolls him back in the ring
   so that Booker T. can cover for the pin.

   Veeeeeeery interesting. Jeff Jarrett's WCW contract expired on Tuesday
   the 7th. I don't know if he has yet re-signed, or plans to, but it is
   known that he did NOT have a "no compete" clause in that contract,
   meaning he could appear for any other organization-even the WWF-any time
   he wanted to. They did, however, show a later encounter between Jarrett
   and Mongo during Nitro in which the two briefly squared off in the back.
   A later announcement mentioned that a stipulation had been added to their
   Halloween Havoc match, stating that Debra McMichael would leave WCW if
   Jarrett lost the match. (I was half expecting a "loser leaves WCW" stip
   for Mongo and Jarrett instead). Unless Jarrett has already re-signed or
   extended his existing contract by now or by then, he will be wrestling
   that match without a written contract. It's possible that it could be his
   last WCW match. I think it's likely that Jarrett will re-sign, and that
   we'll probably know well before Havoc rolls around. If we don't though,
   a loss there would be a sure sign that he's on his way out. Prior to this
   match I outlined the situation and told my brother "if Jarrett loses
   tonight he's gone!" Jarrett lost, but the stuff they did with him later
   in the show made me less certain.

 - A video package on the way to the break hyped the Hogan/Piper Halloween
   Havoc match as their first cage match, as well as their last fight ever.

 - BILLY KIDMAN vs. ALEX WRIGHT
   This is a rematch from their Saturday Night TBS bout in which Raven
   "inspired" Kidman to win. Raven and Perry Saturn were shown watching from
   the front row at ringside. Tenay said they had a "long association in
   another wrestling organization", which translates as "they were both in
   another wrestling organization at the same time". They then cut to
   split-screen and showed Debra slapping Mongo in the back. Mongo then
   started yelling at Jarrett about making things right at Halloween Havoc.

   You know what the problem is with being a jobber? Their matches are
   usually too short, which can affect their cardiovascular development.
   Kidman was sucking for air late in this match, which really slowed him
   down. Wright, meanwhile, let Kidman miss a 450 degree splash, got up,
   wiggled his hips, and hoisted Kidman into the German Suplex for the pin.

   Not a terribly interesting match, and Raven's lack of doing anything
   killed the angle started on Saturday. Tenay went to great lengths to
   point out how Saturn was sitting NEXT to Raven instead of BEHIND him
   (like Stevie Richards does).

 - MORTIS (w/ James Vandenberg) vs. ERNEST MILLER
   I've dumped on Miller before ... and will continue to do so here. His
   entire offense for this match consisted of the following: an armbar
   takedown, a hip-toss, body-slam, leg sweep, Sunset Flip, three punches
   and four kicks-the last of which was done after he ran up the
   turnbuckles. Now while that last one may have looked good, and this list
   of moves puts Kevin Nash's repertoire to shame, this is really about the
   amount of offense any Power Plant newbie should be able to muster. None
   of it was done with any great level of skill or style. Hell, of this
   list, the Sunset flip and body-slam are about the only ones I myself
   couldn't do (and the body-slam is a "maybe" depending on how much my
   opponent helped)! I couldn't do that last kick either, but I'm sure I
   could manage the kick to the belly he did.

   Miller pins Mortis following the big kick.

   During the match the announcers report that TV champ Disco Inferno will
   meet Miss Jacquelyn in a title match at Halloween Havoc. Tenay, the
   supposed "human wrestling encyclopedia", says he's never heard of a man
   and a woman going one-on-one in a match.

   Also during this match my new bestest pal Dan Hanner held up a
   "Slobberknocker Central" sign, which could be seen behind Mortis' head as
   he went up to the top following Miller getting crotched on the top ropes.
   It's at the top of the screen and difficult to make out. "Central" is
   easy to read, but "Slobberknocker" looks like a bar code. I told him next
   time he should get twenty friends and they could all spell it out on
   their stomachs. (Heh).

HOUR TWO Hosted By: Tony Schiavone, Mike Tenay and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

 - They show a clip from two weeks ago when Hector Garza got the upset pin
   over Scott Hall. One would then expect ...

   Hall and Syxx come out to deliver a speech. Hall says the reason both he
   and Kevin Nash are both injured right now is because they both hurt
   themselves laughing while watching old Larry Zbyszko matches on tape. He
   then dumps on Lex Luger. Somehow they manage NOT to say "4 Life!" or "Too
   Sweet!" The crowd still acted like NWO sheep. I'd hoped for more from the
   people of my home state. I thought we were a wiser sort of people. Then I
   remembered the Herschel Walker trade ...

 - SCOTT HALL (w/ Syxx) vs. HECTOR GARZA
   Hall has no trouble at all beating Garza, pinning him after the Razor's
   Edge. He manhandles the ref more than he does Garza, which allowed Syxx
   to get in a shot on Garza unseen by the official. Hall's gut is taped,
   which apparently denotes a bad back, which Hall sold during the match.
   Afterwards Hall puts the ref in a Torture Rack, then sprays a "Z" (for
   "Zbyszko") on his back.

   During the match Heenan and the others get into it slightly when Bobby
   tries to allege Hall's rib injury may be legit. This and similar
   exchanges have sparked a rumor that Heenan will join the NWO and be their
   announcer on whichever show is dominated by the NWO (when the new
   Thursday show on TBS starts in January). Usually when WCW does an angle
   they club you over the head with it. I haven't felt any blow yet, so I'm
   not buying into the "turncoat" angle yet.

 - They show clips of Bill Goldberg.

 - DISCO INFERNO vs. DIAMOND DALLAS PAGE
   A very watchable match, with Page looking really fired up. Things start
   off slow with each doing a move, then playing to the crowd. Then a
   lengthy string of moves culminating in Disco being sent to the floor.
   Page hits a baseball slide, then a standing plancha to the floor. Not
   much later Page hits a face forward piledriver, followed by a Fireman's
   Carry into a Diamond Cutter.

   Out comes Randy Savage. Savage beats on Page, dragging him all around the
   ring and slamming him into things. He rolls back a section of floor
   padding and hoists Page up for a piledriver. Suddenly Roddy Piper comes
   out of nowhere and stops it. Piper and Savage jawjack at each other,
   allowing Page time to recover, grab Savage, and Diamond Cutter him on the
   concrete. Piper grabs Page and the two escape through the crowd.

   Hogan and the NWO come out, followed shortly behind by an ambulance
   gurney and Elizabeth (who looks as concerned as she did during all of
   Savage's matches in the 80's). They take forever to help Savage onto the
   stretcher as Schiavone sort of apologizes to the NWO fans for not feeling
   sorry for his injury. Heenan just laughs, while Tenay suggests they use a
   spatula to pick him up. The EMT's put on rubber gloves, which suggested
   Savage was "busted open" (Couldn't see any blood myself). Tony says this
   puts his match against Benoit later in the show in jeopardy.

   Wait a minute! All during the show Schiavone had been saying that Benoit
   would face Hennig. Now it's supposedly Savage. What gives?

 - Mean Gene Okerlund interviewed "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Piper had a clip
   played of him working over Scott Hall way back at Slamboree. He then
   order Hall and Nash to defend their World Tag Team Titles next week, or
   else he would strip them of the belts. He also announced that the DDP/
   Savage match would be determined by whichever wrestler was unable to
   answer a ten count.

   Hogan and Bischoff come back out, sending Mean Gene scurrying. Hogan says
   the "Icon" stuff stops here, and asks him who he thinks he is telling
   Bischoff and the NWO what to do. Hogan says Piper has stood in his shadow
   for the last fifteen years, and that everyone in the arena was there to
   see him, not Piper. Hogan says he's going to help Piper fulfill the
   promise he made to his wife by ending his career. Hogan, the "G" rated
   villain, actually says "ass".

   Bischoff then kicks Piper in the know, dropping him down to the mat.
   Hogan seizes the opportunity to beat on him. He then hold him for
   Bischoff to kick, but Piper ducks out of the way, Hogan taking the kick
   instead. He then pounds on Bischoff and Hogan. The rest of the NWO comes
   out to pull Hogan out of the ring, while Piper stands in the center of
   the ring waving the World Title belt over his head.

   Wild stuff, but think about this for a moment: Eric Bischoff just booked
   himself into a situation where he dropped both Piper and Hogan each with
   ONE KICK! Oh yeah ... he's got no ego.

 - This is where Schiavone mentions the Jarrett/Mongo/Debra stipulation for
   Halloween Havoc.

 - They run the first Lucha Libre segment, which was actually pretty good.
   Tenay explained a lot of the Mexican wrestling terms as they showed lots
   of old photos and clips. The piece served as a brief history of wrestling
   in Mexico since the 1930's. Next week: masked wrestlers.

   This was somewhat ironic when you consider the tribute paid to the
   classic wrestlers at the WWF's "Badd Blood". With all WCW has done to
   turn it's back on the past of the sport, the WWF right now has a more
   legitimate claim to the past-the NWA in particular-than WCW does. Don't
   forget that the WWF used to be a member of the NWA, and though it severed
   ties to it back in the 60's, it still used a lot of it's talent well into
   the 70's. (I recall there being at least one match between the NWA and
   WWF champions in the late 70's). "World Championship Wrestling" was the
   name for the television show promoted by the Crockett family, which ran
   cards under the NWA banner on TBS. When Ted Turner bought WCW he severed
   all ties with the official NWA, which essentially killed it (since this
   put all the NWA's top stars, it's titleholders, belts, etc., under
   exclusive Turner contract). The WWF may have left the NWA much earlier,
   but at least it was in existence and part of the NWA at the time most of
   the legends honored competed. WCW wasn't even in existence then. Don't
   make the mistake of saying WCW was the NWA, because it wasn't. It was
   IN the National Wrestling Alliance, not THE National Wrestling Alliance.
   "WCW" was just a TV show which featured the NWA, which all ended when
   Turner bought the show.

   Now both promotions seek to honor the past. The WWF can do it due to a
   legitimate, albeit tenuous, connection to the NWA. WCW, on the other
   hand, has to go to Mexico to do it. Go figure.

 - EDDIE GUERRERO vs. ULTIMO DRAGON
   This was a good match, but I'll be honest: I didn't see this live, didn't
   see it on the replay, and didn't actually see it until after I'd seen all
   of RAW and two-thirds on Nitro. The truth is I wasn't really in the mood
   to watch a match of this promising a caliber. I'd rather have seen it
   some other time when more in the mood, especially since the outcome was
   so obvious (in my mind, anyway). Highlights:

   Ultimo gets Eddie into the Dragon Sleeper following an incredible batch
   of maneuvering. Eddie escapes by getting his feet into the ropes. Eddie
   then catches him with a DDT off the second turnbuckle, followed by a
   botched Frog Splash. Eddie gets the pin, cleanly defending his
   Cruiserweight Title.

   A solid match which I'm still not in the mood to appreciate.

 - Embarrassing Nitro Party promo.

 - They show a clip of the Benoit/Hennig match from Saturday. Schiavone
   again says Benoit was to face Savage, but that Hennig is now his
   replacement. Dan the Man tells me that the arena crowd was told right
   from the outset that Benoit would face Hennig, and that the whole notion
   of Benoit facing Savage was made up for the TV crowd. Schiavone himself
   screwed up by saying Benoit would face Hennig right at the top of the
   show.

 - CHRIS BENOIT vs. CURT HENNIG
   A very good match which, unlike the above Guerrero match, I was in the
   mood to appreciate. With the Guerrero match the appeal was the pure
   technical mechanics of the match. Besides that, Eddie and Ultimo are
   about as exciting as dishwater, and you just knew there was no chance of
   Eddie dropping the title. (Little chance, anyway). Here, there was a
   storyline going in. Benoit is looking to get back into (or perhaps into
   for the first time after wasting a year with Kevin Sullivan) title
   contention. Hennig is in his "hometown", so to speak. This had all the
   elements of  being a main event match, with the possibility of the match
   actually being fairly decent throw in for good measure. The NWO might get
   involved, as well as the possibility of Ric Flair showing up, which
   Schiavone had been hinting about for the previous half hour. Don't forget
   the possibility of Sting showing up, since this was the main event. This
   match delivered on most counts.

   Benoit jumped Hennig in the aisle, knocking the crap out of him. Hennig
   rallied back and dragged Benoit around the ring outside on the floor. By
   the time they came back from the first break Hennig was really fired up,
   with the crowd totally in the match. Benoit tried to come back, but
   Hennig snapped him over in the Perfect-Plex for the three count. A bit
   short, but still very hot.

   Out comes the scrubs of the NWO to stomp on Benoit. Konan, Bagwell and
   Vincent lay in a beating until the crowd explodes as-

   Ric Flair runs to the ring. Hennig slips out as Flair drops the NWO "B"
   team. Flair chases Hennig completely out of the Target Center (with a
   cameraman following). "He's running down Hennepin Avenue!" yells Heenan.
   Flair makes his way back to the ring and closes out the show by vowing
   revenge on Hennig, and somewhere down the road, "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan.

 - Next week: The Outsiders defend the belts.

Comments:

Like most other recent Nitro's the end was great, with everything leading up
to it a real chore to sit through. It did a lot to hype Halloween Havoc,
which is still three weeks away. WCW now has the task of building to the PPV
over the next two Mondays without overhyping it, or making the two shows
seem meaningless by comparison. (Booking matches like Miller vs. Mortis will
do that).

I think I left out a few Nitro Girl appearances. Please forgive me.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

 - Quick WWF In Your House XVIII: "Badd Blood" Results (10/05/97):
 * Free For All Countdown Show:
 - No matches. Vince McMahon announced the death of Brian Pillman.
 * In Your House XVII: "Ground Zero" Pay-Per-View:
 - The Nation of Domination defeated the Legion of Doom in a three-on-two
   handicap match. The LOD's scheduled partner, Ken Shamrock, could not be
   cleared by doctors to wrestle. The LOD insisted on facing the NOD
   anyway, taking on Rocky Maivia, D-Lo and Kama. Faarooq interfered on the
   NOD's behalf, allowing Maivia to pin Hawk.
 - Max Mini and Nova defeated Tarantula and Mosaic in a Mexican minis tag
   team match.
 - The official attendance was announced as 21,151.
 - The Godwinns defeated the Headbangers to win the WWF World Tag Team
   Titles. Phineas Godwinn pinned Mosh. Uncle Cletus Godwinn attacked one of
   the Headbangers with a horseshoe after the match, and the Godwinns acted
   belligerently towards McMahon and the announcing crew.
 - The WWF honored several wrestling legends, thanking each for the past
   contributions they made to the sport: Gene Kiniski, Jack Brisco, Dory
   Funk Jr., Harley Race,  Terry Funk, St. Louis area promoter Sam Mushnick
   and the legendary Lou Thesz. Video packages showing newspaper and
   wrestling magazine headlines were shown for each.
 - Owen Hart beat Faarooq to win the WWF Intercontinental Title for the
   second time. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who had been at ringside to
   provide color commentary and annoy the other announcers, knocked out
   Faarooq with the IC Title belt, allowing Owen to get the pin.
 - The Disciples of Apocalypse beat Los Boricuas in a four-on-four tag team
   match.
 - Bret "Hitman" Hart and the British Bulldog defeated the Patriot and Vader
   in a "Flag Match". In a lengthy match which saw neither team display any
   great dominance over the other, Hart managed to pin the Patriot, which
   reflected changes made to the stipulations just prior to the match.
   Originally the only way to win was for a team, to capture their own flag
   at the top of a pole in opposite corners. This was changed to include
   wins being possible by pin and submission. Vader swore during his pre-
   match interview, which the WWF apologized for.
 - Shawn Michaels managed to score a win over the Undertaker following
   interference by the Undertaker's "long lost brother", Kane. This what was
   undoubtedly one of the greatest WWF matches in recent history. Prior to
   the start of the match they checked under the ring to make sure no one
   was there. They then lowered the cage. Michaels, Hunter Hearst Helmsley,
   Chyna and Rick Rude entered first, followed by the Undertaker. Shawn's
   Kliq was shooed out of the cage and the door was chained shut by the
   referee on the inside. The cage covered the whole ring, allowing about
   three feet of floor space between the ring apron and cage wall.

   The match started with Michaels taking a huge amount of punishment, being
   repeatedly slammed against the cage in various ways. Michaels staged a
   comeback, nailing the Undertaker with the top half of the ring steps,
   then piledriving him on the bottom half of the steps. Michaels used a
   steel chair as well, which had been under the ring. The match then took
   an odd turn when Michaels accidentally collided with a WWF cameraman in
   the cage. After a second such incident, Michaels attacked and knocked out
   the cameraman. WWF officials ordered the cage opened so that the cameraman
   could be taken out. Michaels seized the opportunity to Superkick the
   Undertaker and try to make his escape, but the Undertaker quickly sat up
   and followed. Outside the cage Michaels drop-kicked the Undertaker into
   the mesh. He tried a second drop-kick, but was caught by the Undertaker
   and flipped into the cage mesh, busting him wide open. Shawn was a bloody
   mess as he tried to escape by climbing up and onto the roof of the
   enclosed cage. The Undertaker followed, and the two battled on the cage
   roof. Shawn tried to escape by climbing down the far side, but the
   Undertaker knocked him off. Shawn fell on and through one of the new WWF
   announcer's desks, smashing it. The Undertaker climbed down and
   bodyslammed Shawn on another of the desks. The two combatants made their
   way back in the cage. The Undertaker retrieved another steel chair from
   under the ring and knocked out Michaels, then signaled the Tombstone
   piledriver to the crowd.

   Suddenly the lights went out-then back on with a red glow-and the
   Undertaker's brother Kane came out. Kane ripped the door off the cage and
   stood eye-to-eye with the Undertaker in the ring. Making a gesture (such
   as the Undertaker does to bring up the arena lights) Kane signaled for
   fiery pyrotechnics, which erupted from the ring posts. Kane then kicked
   the Undertaker in the stomach and Tombstoned him. Moments later Michaels
   was able to weakly lay an arm across the Undertaker's chest. The referee,
   who had been knocked aside by Kane, crawled over and made the very slow
   three count. Shawn got the win, but had to be carried-drenched in blood-
   out of the cage by Helmsley and Chyna.

   Incredible match. Kane wore an outfit slightly similar to the
   Undertaker's, but his was red spandex. His face was covered by a red
   leather mask.


WWF RAW is WAR:
Live/Taped: Live.
Length: Two Hours.
Location: Kansas City, Missouri.
HOUR ONE Hosted By: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler.

 - Vince McMahon announces to the crowd that Brian Pillman has died, and
   that all the wrestlers in the WWF have agreed to stand side by side in
   honoring his memory. Pillman's picture is displayed on the Titan-Tron as
   most all the current WWF wrestlers and officials stand on the stage
   beneath the screen at the top of the ramp. The ring bell tolls ten times.
   For one brief moment the WWF's good guys stopped being good guys, the bad
   guys stopped being bad guys, and the officials stopped being officials.
   They instead stood shoulder to shoulder as friends, family and co-workers
   honoring his memory, stepping completely out of character to openly
   display their emotions over his loss. It was a powerful moment, and a
   fitting tribute to a man who should be remembered as so much more than a
   "Loose Cannon". This was a tribute to a man who had friends who cared and
   a wife and five children who loved him.

   Before I continue with the rest of this Recap, I've got to take this
   opportunity to address a few individuals (who I won't name) who have
   attracted my attention over the last day on the wrestling newsgroup
   (r.s.p-w) and a few of the wrestling websites. This may not be the best
   time for it, but it's certainly the best place for it:

   SHAME on you clueless idiots who rushed to post saying Pillman's death
   was all a "work", and was being done to boost "Badd Blood"'s buyrate and
   the TV ratings. Hoping that the man is alive is one thing. Skepticism is
   another. What you few did was neither: it was plain ignorance, and in the
   process you squashed on the legitimate emotions of those who had posted
   their thoughts of shock in dismay. You had no right to trample on the
   feelings of these people by declaring that their genuine, heartfelt
   emotions were misplaced because this was "obviously an angle". Even had
   it somehow turned out that you were right, this did not justify your
   trampling on these people's legitimate emotions.

   SHAME on these same people who now try to defend their actions by
   declaring "at least I was hoping he was still alive", or try to divert
   attention by accusing those people of somehow being "happy" now that it's
   proven that Pillman is dead. The simple fact is that you thought you were
   a "smart" and wanted to show off that knowledge by being among the first
   to "see through the ruse" and declare it all a "work". You were wrong,
   and have no one to blame but yourselves for public sentiment to backfire
   against you. You can call them "marks" all you want, but at least they
   weren't the ones being ugly about it.

   SHAME on those who have jumped to the conclusion that Pillman was a drug
   addict, died of a "cocaine overdose", killed himself, and so on. There is
   at least one prominent poster to the group who has declared that it's
   "obvious" Pillman died due to cocaine abuse. At least one newsletter
   stated that heroin may have been involved (while another was more
   judicious in quoting a Hart family friend in saying they feared heroin
   may be involved). When confronted by the fact that the police apparently
   found no such drugs, the above mentioned poster stood by his assertion,
   saying that there may have been sufficient time for Pillman to hide the
   drugs before he died. (What, did he put them under a rock in the parking
   lot-just on the off chance that he might die before he woke up?!) In
   the race to have the "right answer" as to his death and to condemn him,
   some have latched onto the wildest rumors and magnified the smallest
   details until rumor has become truth and fiction has become fact.

   I won't even get into the Goldust theory.

   For those who have remained sensible and level-headed about the whole
   affair, here's where things stand right now: the autopsy was performed on
   Monday and the results were inconclusive. However, it may have turned up
   the fact that Pillman had a damaged heart. Pillman's wife has said that
   there is a history of heart problems in Brian's family. The authorities
   found-in Pillman's room-some empty prescription containers, as well as
   empty alcohol container(s). What affect these, or a combination of the
   two, had on him and his heart is at this time uncertain. Tests which
   should tell what drugs he had in his system and how much of them will be
   back next week. At this time nothing can be assumed, but all reasonable
   evidence thus far suggests that Pillman died of heart failure, possibly
   brought on by either an accidental overdose of pain pills, the mixing of
   pain pills and alcohol, or both. Yes, I am aware of his past, but that
   doesn't support needless speculation that isn't supported by the facts
   at hand.

   I also have some comments about the WWF's handling of his death, which I
   will address in later portions of the Recap.

 - Shawn, Hunter and Chyna come to the ring for an interview conducted by
   Michael Cole. Shawn gives him the official "Kliq" hello by having Chyna
   give him a wedgie. Shawn then brags about how he beat the Undertaker,
   then asks for footage containing highlights of his victory to be played.
   After a lengthy delay (during which Shawn rags on McMahon) the tape
   finally plays ... only instead of it being "Badd Blood" footage, it's
   handheld camera footage from Madison Square Garden. May 19th. Last Year.
   The "MSG Incident" in which Hunter Hearst Helmsley broke "kayfabe" by
   coming to the ring to celebrate with his "Clique" friends Shawn, Nash,
   and Hall. This is what supposedly lead to Hunter being "de-pushed" for
   the better part of a year (because the action directly defied McMahon's
   orders). Shawn and Hunter make goofy faces and sputter about "how can
   that be ... you were a 'good guy' ... I was a 'bad guy' ... how could we
   be friends?" When the picture is cut Shawn begins to lay in on McMahon
   about how he and his friends "ruined" McMahon's big moment of selling out
   the Garden for the first time. This goes on for a bit until McMahon says
   "we've heard enough of this crap" and they clumsily cut to a commercial.
   Once back Hunter is just about to gripe about how he's been held back
   when the Hart Foundation music starts. Shawn and Hunter start "ooh"-ing
   about how McMahon needs Hart to come out and save him.

   Bret says this is typical of America's heroes, then breaks form and says
   the "H" in "HBK" stands for "homo". He also calls Hunter a "homo". "I'm
   no homo!" says Hunter. Bret says Shawn and the "two guys with him"
   (meaning Hunter and Chyna) are all degenerates. Bret says he makes more
   money than all of them combined. He also says he ran Shawn's pals Diesel
   and Razor out of the WWF. He says he'll take out Shawn's "Kliq", and will
   start with Hunter later tonight, challenging him to a match.

   Shawn responds by saying Bret works harder to earn his money, as Shawn
   wrestles much less and is always in the main event. Shawn says until Bret
   gets in the main event he's a "paper champion", and that the only way
   Bret is in the Survivor Series main event is because he's wrestling HBK.
   Shawn also tells Bret not to confuse "destruction" with "expansion",
   indicating that Diesel and Razor left so that they could continue the
   "Clique" elsewhere. Shawn says he and the "Kliq" (or "Clique"-even I'm
   confused now) dominate the business of professional wrestling. In other
   words, the NWO is just an extension of Shawn's "Clique", and that they
   combined run wrestling. (Rick Rude was at ringside, and the allegation is
   that it was he who forced the production people to play the MSG tape).

 - The next installment of Sable's Lazer Tag adventure is shown.

 - They show still of the Godwinns beating the Head Bangers for the titles.

 - THE GODWINNS (w/ Uncle Cletus) vs. THE HEAD BANGERS
   This is a "Lumberjack Match", with dozen or so of the other wrestlers
   surrounding the ring. Lawler tries to goad McMahon into addressing some
   of Shawn's comments. Vince declines. Lawler then says Vince should start
   firing some guys. Ross quips that's already happened to him.

   Not much of a match. After the lumberjacks get a couple of chances to
   beat on both teams they all spill into the ring (much to the delight of
   the crowd). Somewhere amidst all the chaos one of the Head Bangers pins
   one of the Godwinns.

   They show a live shot from the Pillman home in Walton, Kentucky, just
   outside Cincinnati. (They also did this going in to a previous break).
   McMahon will get a few comments from Brian's wife, Melanie, later in the
   show. The various shots over the course of the show focused on old photos
   and magazine covers of Pillman.

   They also show Jim Cornette being prepped for a little "diatribe" he will
   be delivering later in the show. Cornette tells someone off camera not to
   have a heart attack when he gets to Eric Bischoff. (Maybe I'm just being
   picky, but he could have used a better line than "heart attack", given,
   well ... you know).

 - Comments from Los Boricuas are played.

 - MARC MERO (w/ Sable) vs. MIGUEL PEREZ
   Mero's entrance music is a generic, pulsing rock number. His look is like
   a boxer. His ring work is explosive, as he quickly takes out Perez with
   his new finisher: a Fireman's Carry into a Diamond Cutter ... more or
   less.

 - Jim Cornette rips into a few things that are making him "cranky" these
   days. In brief:

   * How some talent in this business is treated by the wrestling promotions
     and the fans. Prominently mentioned are Arn Anderson, Ric Flair and
     Mankind/Cactus Jack/Dude Love. These guys are ignored in favor of ...

   * The NWO. Jim calls them "childish and obnoxious". They have a "fixation
     on trying to act macho".

   * Kevin Nash: "40 year old-trying to act like a teenager. The biggest
     'no-talent' in the business. He's got six moves, no mobility, and
     enough talent to cover up for some of it!" Jim says the WWF made him a
     star then Nash lied about staying, then left for a big money contract
     in WCW.

   * Scott Hall: the WWF made him a star after he wrestled for ten years
     "without putting three asses in a seat".

   * Syxx: "Syxx, 1-2-3 Kid-his names Shawn Waltman, whatever you want to
     call him. As far as I'm concerned the only reason he's employed is
     because the other guys think he's funny when he gets drunk and throws
     up on himself!" Waltman is the only guy since the "wrestling war"
     started who was actually released from a contract to get rid of him.

   * Jim says the only reason these guys are in the spot they are is because
     Eric Bischoff-who Jim points out is the boss of WCW, not the NWO ("look
     at the credits of their pay-per-views, if you can get one for free")-
     uses a "billionaire's money" to hire guys who he thinks is macho, so
     that he can hang around them, hoping some of it will rub off on him.
     Jim calls Eric a "mark".

   Cornette says it's time for the fans to stand up and start applauding
   guys (like Arn, Flair and Mankind) who work hard-not those who get where
   they are by sucking up to the boss.

   WCW's response? As expected Bischoff has already tried to save face in a
   Prodigy chat session. He makes the ridiculous claim that this rant
   somehow served as advertising for WCW. (Oh yeah, like someone heard
   Cornette and thought "NWO ... maybe I better check these guys out."
   *click!*) Bischoff also attacked Jim's business acumen, insinuating that
   he was responsible for all that money WCW lost several years ago. Many of
   WCW's fans have tried to rebut this rant by saying similar things. What
   they all ignore is the fact that dumping on Cornette doesn't disprove
   anything he said! Bischoff says Cornette is jealous. Maybe he is, but
   does that mean Kevin Nash is suddenly a talented wrestler? Hell no!

   WCW and it's fans can fume about what Cornette said all they want. They
   can also trash Cornette all they want. Neither detract from the fact that
   pretty much everything Cornette said was right on the mark. Killing the
   messenger doesn't kill the message.

   This was apparently taped last Friday so McMahon could review it. A lot
   of WWF critics have griped that it was nothing new: that it was the same
   stuff he said a few weeks ago on "Byte This" on the WWF's website. My
   only response to this is "big deal!" So now it was heard by a few million
   instead of the few hundred that heard it on the Internet. Just because
   YOU heard it before doesn't mean everyone else did.

 - THE BRITISH BULLDOG (w/ the Hart Foundation) vs. ROCKY MAIVA (w/ the NOD)
   An okay match, but I couldn't care less. Man, did the crowd hate Rocky.
   The Bulldog wins following a powerslam. As the Harts celebrated Faarooq
   starts whipping on them with a leather belt. The other Nation of
   Domination members come in and it's a four-on-four brawl until the
   referees can break it up. Obviously the various "factions" in the WWF
   can't get along ... which works out great for Survivor Series: "Gang
   Rulz".

HOUR TWO Hosted By: Vince McMahon, Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler.

 - Recap of the first hour. After a shot of the live crowd they show more
   stills from Sunday's "Badd Blood".

 - Everybody ready? Grab hold a something ...

   *Kee-Rash!*

   "Stone Cold" comes to the ring. Just to blast through this, we saw the
   usual witty repartee between Austin and McMahon. Austin refused to tell
   McMahon why he helped Owen win the Intercontinental Title. When asked
   about a doctor's release he said he didn't have one because he hadn't
   seen any doctor. He goes on to say that he'd be a fool to not sign the
   WWF's injury waiver and get himself fired. Austin says he'll sign, but
   that he'd need a document from the WWF first: one that assured him of a
   title match with Owen Hart. McMahon immediately agreed and offered his
   hand, but Austin said to put it in his pocket or he'd shove it up his
   ass. Faarooq then appeared on the Titan-Tron and chewed out Austin for
   interfering in Nation business. Austin responded by telling him to "shut
   up!" On his way out of the ring area he went over and pestered Jerry
   Lawler, took his crown and booted it into the crowd.

   Comments from Road Warrior Hawk on the way to commercial.

 - OWEN HART vs. ROAD WARRIOR HAWK
   Owen gets on the mic and brags how he beat Faarooq without any help.

   This match was like watching two guys play a wrestling video game.
   *Punch*, *kick*, *bodyslam* ... *punch*, *kick*, *suplex*, etc. It wasn't
   bad, it was just so formulaic that one could almost imagine a guy in each
   corner hitting the buttons. Anyway, the match only goes a few minute when
   the Godwinns come out and interfere, hitting Hawk once with the slop
   bucket, then nailing him with a horseshoe. Owen gets the pin. Animal came
   out to help, but there were still enough Godwinns to fight him off,
   distract the ref AND hit Hawk with the horseshoe.

 - Vince McMahon interviews Melanie Pillman. McMahon was sitting somewhere
   quiet in front of a gray backdrop. Melanie was in the livingroom-the same
   ring seen before during the Austin/Pillman gun incident. I really don't
   want to dwell too much on this: suffice it to say this was painful to
   watch. Melanie said all she knew was that he had died in his sleep from a
   heart attack. From there it really dragged on, with Vince and Melanie
   trying to pass along the message that athletes have to be careful when
   using prescription medicine. It's a good message, but way to soon to
   expect the deceased's widow to deliver it. The real point of the
   interview was to make sure the fans knew that Pillman was more than the
   character he played in the WWF. Him being a good father was stressed more
   than once. I think it was just too soon to go ahead with an interview
   like this. To put it bluntly, I think the WWF didn't want a repeat of the
   Adrian Adonis situation.

   They then ran a video tribute. Jim Ross does the voice-over and does a
   great job of painting a positive image of Pillman. The only problem was
   that they were limited to the use of WWF footage, meaning the great
   commentary was accompanied by lengthy footage of the "Loose Cannon". This
   was one of those moments where you wished things could be different and
   the WWF and WCW could have gotten together to pool some footage.

 - When they return from the break Jerry Lawler drops out of character and
   comments on how much Pillman will be missed. This moment was as moving
   as anything else during the show.

 - THE HARDY BOYS vs. THE TRUTH COMMISSION
   Suddenly Nancy Drew runs in! No, wait ... suddenly the light go out and
   Kane and Paul Bearer come out. Kane chokeslams both Hardys, throws Matt
   out of the ring, then throws Jeff out on top of him.

   Paul Bearer then gets on the mic and dumps on the fans for not believing
   him. Bearer says Kane is missing an eye, which the camera tries to show.
   

 - TRIPLE H (w/ Chyna) vs. BRET "HITMAN" HART
   Helmsley is billed as just "Hunter" on the screen, but wants to be called
   "Triple H". Ross says Hart will have to battle Michaels to prove who is
   the most dominant force in the WWF. Lawler again tries to goad Vince into
   talking about Shawn's earlier comments. Vince says, about WCW, that they
   probably wouldn't exist without the WWF. Shawn comes to the ring about
   halfway through the match, making the chopping motion towards his groin
   and mouthing "suck it!" Once at ringside he stuck the end of Bret's
   Canadian flag up his nose.

   The match itself wasn't all that great, but the finish was pretty wild.
   Hart, after a back-and-forth struggle, manages to take control. He slaps
   Hunter in the Sharpshooter, but Chyna pushes the rope inward far enough
   for Hunter to grab it, breaking the hold. Bret then drops to the floor
   and sets Hunter up for the Figure Four around the post. Chyna comes over
   and SLUGS him in the face! Bret grabs Chyna and considers socking her,
   but instead winds up receiving a Superkick in the head from Michaels. A
   ten count later and Hunter has gotten a countout victory over the World
   Heavyweight Champion. The other Hart Foundation members (having come to
   the ring about halfway through the match) tend to Bret. Rick Rude showed
   up as well just at the end.

   In one of those moments that really make you wonder, Shawn reaches around
   and GRABS HUNTER ON THE ASS! Sure, he hoists him up in a sign of victory,
   but this was a bit after the initial grab. Shawn's hand was halfway up
   his arse for God's sake! Even I'm beginning to wonder ...

 - Next week: Nothing really announced.

Comments:

A really hot show from top to bottom, but nothing much in the way of great
in-ring action. I've never heard so many pseudo-shoot comments in my life.
Almost the whole show seemed to be presented solely for the more "clued in"
fans.

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The Bottom Line:

I hadn't intended to get "Badd Blood", but my brother offered to pay for
half. I compromised and said we'd watch the Free For All first, then decide.
Once the Pillman announcement was made we decided to get it, if for no
reason other than to hear if there was any more Pillman news. It turned out,
as expected, to be a fairly lackluster show for the most part. I didn't even
pay that much attention to the first half or so. By the last few matches I
was into it, with the main event being one of the most incredible matches
I've ever seen. I was totally wrong in my prediction in that one. My problem
was I had assumed there would be less room than there was for them to work
outside the ring. I thought the cage would be right next to the apron. A
good PPV match is one that shows you something you didn't expect. This match
had about a dozen spots like that. That match alone was worth every penny of
the $15 I'll end up spending on it.

I just wish Pillman had been there to play out the next chapter of his war
with Goldust.

On a different note, next week will mark the 100th edition of the "Monday
Night Recap". I'm planning on a special supplement to that edition. This
will also serve as the second anniversary of the Recap (though Recap #104
will technically mark the end of two full years worth of Recaps). I haven't
yet decided if it will be a part of the regular Recap, or if I'll just put
it on the website (with a copy posted to the newsgroup). Either way, I hope
you'll all forgive me if next week's Recap and the 100th edition "special
supplement" is a bit later than usual. 

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This Week's Winner: I've decided not to declare a winner this week.

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"Slobberknocker Central" and "Monday Night Recap" are copyright 1997 by
John Petrie, and all opinions expressed therein are his own, and not those
of Internet Access, Inc.
Volume One, Number 99 of the "Monday Night Recap", October 6th, 1997.