Slobberknocker Central Monday Night Recap #184 May 24th, 1999 The Opening Word: I was late in paying my satellite bill this month, so my access to PPV has been temporarily cut off. That meant I wasn't able to see Sunday's Over the Edge show. I instead watched the Jesse "The Body" Ventura movie on NBC. It was bad. So bad, I was having a ball watching it just so I could heckle it. Made without Ventura's permission or cooperation, the movie completely skipped over his childhood, glossed over his teen years and military service in about five minutes, and completely screwed up his pro-wrestling career. NBC hooked up with WCW to present that aspect of Ventura's life, and not-too-surprisingly they had everything wrong. In showing 15 years worth of matches, they all took place in the same ring, with the same entryway, with the same ring announcer. WCW logos were everywhere, though usually reversed, so it looked like Ventura wrestled for something called "WDW". WCW wrestler Kanyon played at least three different characters, including his masked Mortis persona (in one scene we see him win a WCW Tag Team Title belt in a Ladder Match--circa the 1970's). Ventura is shown wrestling, and beating, GOLDBERG! Repeated crowd shots show supposedly 1970's era fans wearing NWO shirts, Sting masks and holding Chris Jericho signs. Ventura's in-ring career ended due to health problems. They then portray his announcing career coming to an end when an evil promoter pulls a screwjob finish involving Ventura, some fictitious good guy wrestler, and RAVEN. Neither the name "Vince McMahon" nor the letters "WWF" were ever uttered, probably for fear of being sued. The evil wrestling promoter character didn't even look like McMahon. Speaking of looks, the guy playing Ventura only resembled him in that he was bald. Otherwise he didn't look or sound anything like Ventura. The Body's career as a movie star was then (inaccurately) condensed into one scene lasting about a minute long. From there they started to delve into Ventura's political aspirations. Losing interest, I decided to log onto the Net and check out Over the Edge results. It was at this point that I learned that Owen Hart was dead. I spent the rest of the night reading various news stories and watching reports all over TV about the accident, trying to convince myself that some kind of mistake had been made, that Owen was really okay and recovering in a hospital somewhere. By the wee hours of the following morning there was no escaping the undeniable. Fox News was the first to broadcast still photos of the paramedics' efforts to save Owen. CNN Headline News showed a clip from Vince McMahon's press conference. ESPN closed out their overnight Sportscenter edition with the story. And on and on, across the dial, seemingly on every station. In the days and weeks to come we'll sort out what happened, how it happened, and what repercussions there will be. At hand, though, is the more immediate tragedy of a family that's lost a son, a wife that's lost a husband, two small children that's lost a father, and an entertainment business which has lost one of it's brightest stars. Early Monday afternoon the WWF announced that RAW is WAR would go on as scheduled, but that it would be a two hour tribute show dedicated to Owen. WCW offered their condolences to the Hart family, and announced that the Bret "Hitman" Hart/Kevin Nash match scheduled to take place on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" would be canceled. Bret had returned to Calgary to be with the family. Given the somber circumstances surrounding this week's Monday Night shows, this installment of the Recap will be brief, with the usual critical analysis (read "bitching") left out. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WCW Monday Nitro: Live/Taped: Live. Length: Three Hours+. Location: . HOUR ONE Hosted By: Tony Schiavone and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. - A text graphic and three bell salute pay tribute to Owen Hart. - A video clip highlights what happened between Sting, the Steiner Brothers and Lex Luger last week. This is followed by another clip which recaps all the major stories from last week. - Bam Bam Bigelow confronts Raven and Saturn. Reminding them what he said to them last week, he says he's found himself a partner. Diamond Dallas Page comes in from off-camera and whacks the two Tag Team Champions with a 2X4. - Nitro Girls. - Tony Schiavone mentions Hart's death before running down tonight's scheduled matches. - CHAVO GUERRERO, JR. vs. VAN HAMMER Hammer has dumped his hippie gimmick in favor of a leather and studs biker look. He nails Chavo with a powerbomb and gets the pin. - Randy "Macho Man" Savage video package. - The sequel to "Assault on Devil's Island", "Assault on Death Mountain", premieres on TNT Tuesday June 8th. "Hollywood" Hogan again stars. - DJ Ran. - "Mean" Gene Okerlund interviews a battered and bruised Disco Inferno, who was attacked last Thursday on Thunder by Randy Savage. Ernest Miller and Sonny Onoo then come out. With the help of Onoo he gets the upper hand on Disco in the ensuing brawl. Miller challenges anyone to come out and fight him. As has happened before, the NWO Black & White (backstage) tell Scott Norton that Miller has called him out. Norton heads to the ring. Miller suffers a few clotheslines before sliding out of the ring and telling Norton that his hands were lethal weapons, and he hadn't had a chance to register them recently. Miller and Onoo escape with Norton in slow pursuit. - Mike Tenay is shown entering President Ric Flair's office. - Kevin Nash video package. - Ric Flair and Arn Anderson have cornered El Dandy. Flair tells him he'll make him the biggest latino star in the world if he agrees to take a dive for his son, David. Dandy goes for it. Flair is then confronted by Sgt. Buddy Lee Parker, who complains he hasn't gotten what Flair promised him last week for jobbing to David. Flair says he got him a Gold's Gym membership. Arn tells him that he'll get his reward in the form of a "brush with greatness"--a match against Chris Benoit. - "Mean" Gene interviews Mike Tenay, who announces that Kevin Nash will be defending the WCW Title against Randy savage at the next PPV, the Great American Bash. - "Mean" Gene interviews Ric Flair. Flair talks about the Nash/Savage title match, Savage injuring Charles Robinson, Roddy Piper, etc. - DAVID FLAIR (w/ Torrie Wilson, Ric Flair & Arn Anderson) vs. EL DANDY Dandy looks like he's decided not to take a dive, so Anderson ambushes him with a kick and a spinebuster. David applies the Figure Four for the win. - "Mean" Gene interviews Buff Bagwell. - Clips from the video game convention where WCW showed off their latest, "WCW Mayhem". Sting and Diamond Dallas Page staged a match, only to have Bret Hart break it up with a chairshot on Sting. - A lengthy video segment (just a little under ten minutes) highlights everything Eric Bischoff has done in WCW since the creation of Nitro in 1995. The overall theme is questioning whether or not the fans can trust the "new" Bischoff. HOUR TWO Hosted By: Tony Schiavone and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. - CRUISERWEIGHT BATTLE ROYAL The participants are: Kidman, Juventud Guerrera, Psychosis, Blitzkrieg, Prince Iaukea, Evan Karagias, Villano V, Kaz Hayashi, Damien, Johnny Swinger, Lash LeRoux. I think I got them all. A few minutes in, after just a handful of eliminations, Hugh Morrus and Jimmy hart come out to wreak havoc. Morrus dumps most of the smaller men out, then concentrates on beating up Kidman. Rey Mysterio, Jr. comes out for the save. Had there been a winner, they would have gotten a Cruiserweight Title shot. - Nitro Girls. - Clips from last week's show. - "Mean" Gene interviews Roddy Piper. Out comes Gorgeous George, Madusa and Miss Madness. Piper and the ladies trade insults. Ric Flair then runs out. More insults fly. Those two start to go at it and Piper has the advantage, until he's attacked by DDP and Bam Bam Bigelow. Flair thanks the two for the assists and says they can have whatever they want. DDP asks for a Tag Title match between he, his partner Bigelow, and Raven and Saturn. Flair gives it the green light. He then stomps on Piper, telling him the two will meet again at the next PPV. - Backstage Dean Malenko, Chris Benoit and Arn Anderson are having a heated discussion. Benoit and Malenko have become disenchanted with the promises Flair has made to them: promises he has yet to keep. Despite Arn's protestations, the two declare that they're going to start looking out for themselves. Malenko suggests that they give an example of what they mean in Benoit's match later tonight against Buddy Lee Parker. Arn mutters that he can't believe he's wound up in the middle of this situation. - Video package featuring the history between Sting and Lex Luger. This is followed by clips of stuff that happened last week. - Footage from the Nitro Grill Grand Opening party in Las Vegas. - Roddy Piper is being attended to in the back, getting his ribs taped up. He challenges Ric Flair to team up with DDP and Bigelow tonight, while he'll dig up two partners of his own to face them. - Schiavone talks about the deal WCW signed with Tommy Boy Records. Curt Hennig joins the announce team and trashes rap music. They then play footage from a party to celebrate the agreement between the two companies. - CHRIS BENOIT (w/ Dean Malenko) vs. SGT. BUDDY LEE PARKER Benoit crushes Parker, securing a submission with the Crippler Crossface after about three minutes. Malenko tells the cameraman that the fan reaction shows that guys like them are popular. HOUR THREE Hosted By: Tony Schiavone and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan. - RICK STEINER (w/ Scott Steiner) vs. BUFF BAGWELL Scott and Rick work the crowd up over the house mic before the match. Rather than concentrating on just winning the match, Steiner looks to be trying to put Bagwell out permanently. Rolling the ringside mats aside, he piledrives Buff on the concrete. He then has Scott hold Buff an the apron, intent on coming off the top turnbuckle and snapping Bagwell's neck. They are interrupted by the sound of a loud engine roaring, and look up the aisle to see a monster truck being driven into the arena. Decorated with Sting logos and pictures, it is driven by someone wearing a Sting mask and wig. It's quickly revealed to be Lex Luger, as the real baseball bat-wielding Sting enters the ring from the opposite direction. The two camps stare off. - Nitro Girls. - Curt Hennig is back out to gripe about rap music and Konnan. Konnan comes out and the two brawl around and in the ring, down the aisle and out back. - Hugh Morrus and Jimmy Hart are in the ring, awaiting Mike Tenay to conduct an interview. Morrus says he wants a piece of Rey Mysterio, Jr. Mysterio comes out and the two go at it. Morrus, with a little help from Hart, is able to lay out Rey. Hart places a chair on Rey's face and Morrus threatens to come off the turnbuckles with a moonsault. Konnan shows up at ringside and warns Morrus not to do it. The distraction effective, Kidman is able to slide in and powerbomb Morrus out of the corner. Konnan then takes out Hart with a clothesline, and Rey gives Morrus the Bronco ride in the corner. A video clip reminds us that it was DDP who put Hogan out of commission. - A clips of Hogan's new TNT movie is shown. "Mean" Gene then interviews the returning Hogan, who is referred to as "Hulk" as much as he is "Hollywood". Hogan, wearing a leg brace and on crutches, says that DDP is on top of his priority list, then goes on to say that he doesn't like the way the wrestling business has changed, and that he's looking to bring it back around when he returns to action. - Kevin Nash, flown in from his canceled "Tonight Show" appearance, talks about Randy Savage. Out comes Madusa, Gorgeous George and Miss Madness. A comment from Nash about George's "box" starts a scuffle, with Madusa trying to slap Nash, George busting a crutch across Nash's back (which he doesn't sell), then Madusa bringing him down with a low blow. Randy Savage runs in and clobbers Nash with his own World Title belt. Then, like last week, he cover's Nash's face with lipstick. - Ric Flair, Arn Anderson and Asya hit the ring, followed by DDP and Bam Bam Bigelow. Roddy Piper then comes out, and we wait to see who his partners will be. - RIC FLAIR/DDP/BIGELOW vs. RODDY PIPER/DEAN MALENKO/CHRIS BENOIT The start of the match is briefly delayed by a fan trying to run into the run--the second week-in-a-row that has happened. Malenko, in his street clothes, never actually participates in the match. After a few minutes of brawling, Raven and Saturn run in, attacking DDP and Bigelow. Those four fight up the rampway as the ref throws out the match. Flair and Piper continue to go at it, with Piper throwing Flair off the top turnbuckle, then applying Flair's own Figure Four on him. Benoit stomps on Flair, who is eventually able to crawl out of the ring. Backstage, DDP is laid out on the ground with two crutches folded around him. Standing over him is Hogan, who tells the unconscious DDP that this is what paybacks are like. - This Thursday: Nothing announced. - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: I thought this show had a better flow to it than many recent efforts, but it also seemed to drag on forever. I think that's more due to my own mood, though, than anything else. We'll dig into some of this stuff more next week. On a final note, I'll point out that a few of the wrestlers were wearing black armbands in Owen Hart's memory, showing just how far reaching this tragedy is. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- WWF RAW is WAR: Live/Taped: Live. Length: Two Hours+. Location: St. Louis, Missouri. WWF RAW Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler. - The show opens with the entire WWF roster assembled on the stage and rampway. Almost everyone is wearing black armbands with either Owen's name or initials on them. Ring announcer Howard Finkel asks the fans to stand as they ring a ten bell salute. They then play a short tribute video on the Titan-Tron, showcasing a happy, vibrant, eternally youthful Owen Hart throughout his WWF career. The conclusion of the video, and a still shot of Owen (1965 - 1999) triggers applause from the crowd. Jim Ross thanks the fans for joining the WWF in what will be a unique tribute show to the memory of Owen Hart. Ten matches will be accompanied by taped, heartfelt comments from various WWF Superstars. - Comments from Mick Foley. Owen was Mick's son Dewey's favorite wrestler. - Comments from Bradshaw. - JEFF JARRETT (w/ Debra McMichael) vs. TEST Dedicating the match to Owen (who, "for the record, NEVER was a nugget!"), Jarrett gets the quick win with the Sharpshooter--Owen Hart's usual finishing maneuver. Those wishing to make some kind of memorial contribution in Owen's name can do so to the following charity, which was his favorite: The Alberta Childrens Hospital 1920 Richmond Road S.W. Calgary Alberta T2T 5C7 - Comments from Mark Henry, in the form of an emotional poem. - Comments from Darren Drozdov. - X-PAC/KANE vs. THE BROOD Gangrel is on the receiving end of a chokeslam from Kane, who then press-slams X-Pac onto him for the pin. - Comments from Chyna and Triple H. Both speak at length of their relationship with him. - Comments from WWF official Dave Hebner. - THE HARDY BOYZ (w/ Michael Hayes) vs. TAKA MICHINOKU/SHO FUNAKI Matt Hardy pins Funaki following a reverse neckbreaker. - Comments from WWF official Bruce Pritchard. A short video package details how the Undertaker took the WWF Championship from "Stone Cold" Steve Austin at Over the Edge. - Comments from Dustin Runnels. Dustin tells of a prank Owen pulled at a BBQ party hosted by Harley Race. - BOB HOLLY vs. KEN SHAMROCK Shamrock wins by way of anklelock submission. - Comments from Faarooq. - Comments from Test, who recounts a practical joke played on him by Owen. Test did not learn that Owen was behind the joke until this morning. WWF WAR ZONE Hosted By: Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler. - Billy Gunn tells the crowd, "if you're not down with Owen Hart, I've got two words for you--" You know the response. - "BADD ASS" BILLY GUNN vs. MANKIND Some stalling on the floor to retrieve a steel chair, followed by Mankind slapping on the Mandible Claw while Gunn is on the apron, results in Gunn losing by countout. - Comments from Jeff Jarrett. Jarrett delivers the most emotional interview of the show, breaking down into tears on several occasions as he tells of how close he and Owen were. He promises to make sure Owen's children grow up knowing how good Owen was. - Comments from Edge. - D-LO BROWN/MARK HENRY (w/ Ivory) vs. THE ACOLYTES D-Lo, being held by Faarooq, ducks just as Bradshaw launches a kick. Faarooq goes down, while D-Lo schoolboys the off-balance Bradshaw for the pin. - Comments from Pat Patterson. - Replay of the Undertaker/Austin clip. - Comments from Bob Holly. - ROAD DOGG vs. THE GODFATHER (w/ Ho's) The Godfather offers the Dogg a few of his Ho's, and suggests they go out for some drinks. The Dogg instead suggests they "light one up" and swap some Owen stories. The two leave with the Ho's. - Comments from Paul Bearer. - Comments from X-Pac. - AL SNOW vs. TRIPLE H (w/ Chyna) Triple H with the Pedigree. - Comments from Road Dogg, who is too distraught to say more than a few words. - Comments from Gerald Brisco. - PAUL WIGHT vs. GOLDUST (w/ the Blue Meanie) Wight pops the crowd feet with a flying clothesline which takes out both men. Two chokeslams later, and a cover of both, and Wight scores the win. - Comments from Debra McMichael. Crying throughout, Debra expresses her love and admiration for Owen. - Comments from Shane McMahon. Shane tells about a prank he and Bret Hart played on Owen, and how Owen got back at them the next day. - THE ROCK vs. VAL VENIS Both men deliver mic work making mention of Owen. In short order the Rock lands the People's Elbow to earn the win. Ross and Lawler both become emotional in summing up their thoughts of Owen. Lawler says he learned one thing from the tragedy of Owen's passing: "don't ever leave home without letting the ones you love know what you think of them." "Stone Cold" Steve Austin comes out, catches two cans of beer tossed to him, and offers one up in salute to the still picture of Owen on the Titan-Tron. - Next week: Nothing announced. Comments: No "bad guys". No "good guys". No angles or ongoing storylines. Just a bunch of wrestlers coming out for a few minutes each to do their best in the ring, all in Owen's memory. A very moving, powerful show. Not much more I can say than that. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bottom Line: Craig Kilborn, who joked about Owen's death on his late night CBS show, is a real dickhweed. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Slobberknocker Central" and "Monday Night Recap" are copyright 1999 by John Petrie, and all opinions expressed therein are his own, and not those of "USLink". Check the "Slobberknocker Central" main page for info on how to receive the "Recap" free via E-Mail every week. Volume One, Number 184 of the "Monday Night Recap", May 24th, 1999.