#jeff jarrett intercontinental title

[spanishannouncetablepodcast]

May 31, 1999 - On WWF Monday Night RAW in Moline, Illinois, Jeff Jarrett defeated The Godfather to win the WWF Intercontinental Title.

On the same show The Acolytes (Bradshaw and Faarooq) became WWF Tag Team Champions for the first time, after beating Kane and X-Pac.

Start each day off right with a trip in The Spanish Announce Time Machine as Tim and Tom discuss something that happened ON THIS DAY in Pro Wrestling history.

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[blowflyfag]

Pro Wrestling Illustrated: 1995 THE YEAR IN WRESTLING. March 1996

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: DIESEL 24,209 votes

Had Diesel decided to be content with the WWF World tag team or Intercontinental titles, no one would have held it against him. After all, he already had come much further than nearly anyone had expected.

It isn’t what Diesel expected. He thirsted for more, and he got what he wanted. He also received Wrestler of the Year honors for 1995.

Three days after the 1994 Survivor Series, Diesel obliterated Bob Backlund in eight seconds to capture the WWF World title. All he’s done since then is prove his surprising victory was no accident. Simply put, he was the most dominant wrestler of 1995.

Along the way to earning the top spot in the “PWI 500”, he beat Owen Hart, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Jeff Jarrett. He has beaten Mabel, Sid Vicious, Waylon Mercy, King Kong Bundy, and Tatanka. And he has beaten Shawn Michaels.

“That did it for me,” wrote Sally Rutherford of Albany, New York. “When Diesel beat Shawn at WrestleMania, that showed he had arrived. He was a true champion.”

A champion who until late-1993 was nothing more than a bodyguard for Michaels. Diesel had done fairly well as Vinnie Vegas in WCW, but he hadn’t shown any indication that he could be a dominant titleholder.

“I would have figured a dozen guys would’ve won the World title before Diesel,” said Johnny Gunn, who wrestled him in WCW. “I always knew he was good but I didn’t think he was that good. He either made a dramatic improvement in a short time, or he held back for a long time.”

Diesel’s dominance was threatened when he hurt his elbow in his bout with Vicious at In Your House I, but successful surgery enabled him to bounce back after only a few weeks. He was determined not to let an injury spoil his amazing run.

The World champion enhanced his reputation further when he again formed a successful tag team with Michaels and nearly won the WWF tag title from Yokozuna and Davey Boy Smith and In Your House III, Had Owen Hart not got involved, Diesel and Michaels might have been tag team champions to this day.

It’s too early to consider Diesel among the all-time great WWF World champions but he’s off to a good start on his path toward greatness. It’s going to be fun watching this powerhouse try to maintain that level of excellence in 1996.

RUNNERS-UP

SHAWN MICHAELS: 16,091 votes

First runner-up:   Had Michaels defeated Diesel at WrestleMania, he might have been voted Wrestler of the Year. “The Heartbreak Kid” Had an outstanding year, defending the Intercontinental title against foes like Dean Douglas, Jeff Jarrett, Davey Boy Smith, and even SMW’s Buddy Landell before injuries forced him to give it up in October. He also won the Royal Rumble.

STING: 12,801 votes

Second runner-up: The “Stinger” held the WCW U.S. heavyweight belt for most of the year, and he was a lot more active than former World champion Hulk Hogan. He continued to demonstrate that he’s more than a charismatic personality. He is a flat-out terrific all-around wrestler, and plenty of fans don’t want the rest of us to forget that. Trust us, we won't.

HULK HOGAN: 11,349 votes

Third runner-up: One would expect the man who was WCW World champion for most of the year to finish higher in the voting, but many fans apparently remembered that the “Hulkster” once went five months without defending the belt. Still, on some nights, there isn’t a greater wrestler in the world. Those nights just don't come as frequently as they once did. 

VOTES FOR OTHERS (8,652)

Some of the top vote-getters who did not capture a runner-up spot include: Bret Hart, Antonio Inoki, Mitsuhara Misawa, Razor Ramon, Sabu, The Sandman, and The Undertaker.

[wrestlinghistorywithkay]

Happy Heavenly Birthday to the late , great , ‘ King of Harts ’ , Owen Hart. Owen would have been 59 years old today.

Owen Hart is the youngest brother of Bret ‘ The Hitman ’ Hart and son of Stampede Wrestling Promoters , Stu and Helen Hart. (Stampede Wrestling was a promotion in Canada founded by Stu Hart , the Patriarch of the Hart family in 1948. The wrestling school for the promotion was known as The Dungeon. It has many graduates such as Bret Hart , Owen Hart, Chris Jericho , Davy Boy Smith , and the only female graduate, Natalya. ) Owen started his wrestling career in high school in 1983. He placed 4th in wrestling in college at the University of Calgary in 1984. He worked for Stampede wrestling and earned title of Rookie of The Year for Pro Wrestling Illustrated ( PWI ) Magazine in 1987. However, he left Stampede to be a member of the New Japan Pro Wrestling ( NJPW) roster in 1988.

Owen was signed to Vince McMahon’s World Wrestling Federation ( WWF) in 1988 , with a superhero gimmick known as ‘ The Blue Blazer ’. Nevertheless , this gimmick would be the one to take his life eleven years later. He returned to Stampede and NJPW in 1989. Hart made his return to the WWF in 1991 , teaming alongside Brother In Law, Jim ‘ The Anvil ’ Neidhart ( father of current WWE Superstar, Natalya) and calling themselves , The New Foundation. Neidhart was teaming with Owen’s older brother , Bret, before Bret decided to try out a run as a Singles wrestler. Hart also teamed with Koko B Ware as High Energy. Owen followed in Bret’s footsteps as a Singles wrestler in 1993.

Owen was in a storyline with Bret from 1993 to 1995 to see who was the better wrestler in the family. After Survivor Series 1993 , Owen changed his gear from colorful to Bret’s signature pink and black to be like him. He also decided to use the Sharpshooter, Bret’s finisher, to add to this new Heel gimmick. He added , ‘ King Of Harts ’ , to the gear after winning King of The Ring in 1994. His original nickname was ‘ The Rocket ’. The Hart Brothers had a match at Wrestlemania X the same year. They also had a Steel Cage match at Summerslam of the same year. In 1995 , he teamed with Yokozuna and was managed by Jim Cornette as well as Mr.Fuji to form ‘ Camp Cornette ’ , winning the WWF Tag Team Championships.

In 1996-1997 , Owen teamed with Bret , Brother in Laws, Davey Boy Smith ( The British Bulldog) , Jim ‘ The Anvil ’ Neidhart , and family friend , ‘ Loose Cannon ’ Brian Pillman ( father of WWE NXT wrestler , Lexis King ) , to reform the Hart Foundation. Owen defeated Rocky Maivia ( The Rock ) , to win his first Intercontinental Championship for the first time in 1997. He also was tag team champions with The British Bulldog the same year, thus , they lost the titles to Stone Cold Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels. After the Montreal Screwjob , Owen returned with a new gimmick , The Black Hart. This gimmick meant he wanted to get justice for Bret and his family against Vince McMahon and D-Generation X ( DX) , mainly Shawn Michaels. He joined the Nation of Domination the same year and ended his run with the faction in 1998.

Owen soon formed a tag team with best friend , Jeff Jarrett , in 1998. He decided to use the Blue Blazer gimmick to develop the storyline. He kept denying that he was the superhero and he claimed to be ‘ retired ’. Whole doing this , Hart and Jarrett defeated Ken Shamrock and The Big Bossman in 1999 to win the tag team championships. Their manager at the time was Debra McMichael , also known as Debra.

On May 23,1999 at the WWF Over The Edge Pay Per View in Kansas City, Missouri, would be the last time Owen Hart would ever be the Blue Blazer . While being lowered into the ring for a match against The Godfather for the Intercontinental Championship, he fell almost 80 feet into the ring. This was thought to be a part of his dramatic and funny entrance for the character. However, it was not. He landed on his chest on the top rope before being thrown into the ring. Owen James Hart passed away at the hospital from Internal Bleeding due to his injuries at the age of 34. He left behind his wife Martha, and two children , Oje and Athena , as well as his huge family. The tribute episode of Monday Night Raw for Owen aired May 24, 1999. This episode of the show was called RAW is Owen, with wrestlers giving their memories of him and Steve Austin coming down to the ring and saluting him by holding a beer to his photo. Jeff Jarrett defeated The Godfather and became the new Intercontinental Champion. Jarrett soon screamed his name after getting the belt.

On an episode of WCW Monday Nitro , Bret Hart wanted to face Chris Benoit as a tribute to his fallen brother in the same arena where Owen died. This happened October 5th , 1999, five months after Owen passed away.

Martha Hart is currently keeping her husband’s legacy alive with All Elite Wrestling. In 2021 , she alongside AEW President , Tony Khan, announced the Owen Hart Cup Tournament. Winners of this tournament include Adam Cole and Britt Baker. Owen is also a character in AEW Fight Forever.

My Final Thoughts:

Owen Hart was a once in a lifetime wrestler. If he didn’t pass away so young and tragically, he would have went on to be a world champion. Owen , thank you for everything. Even though I didn’t get to watch you live and I was an infant when you passed away, you still made an impact on me as a fan. I watch your matches on the internet and streaming services. You’re one of the coolest people. You will always be to me. Happy Heavenly Birthday , I and many others will always love and miss you. This post is my tribute to you. - Kay

* TW: Falling , Death *

[razor-ramons-thighs]

Jealousy Cuts Deep; Why Diesel’s Success Eats Razor Ramon Alive

Transcript below

WHY DIESEL’S SUCCESS EATS RAZOR RAMON ALIVE

( Three page article in four images with the first one being the title featuring Razor and Diesel)

(Page 1)

By Bryan Ethier

THERE ARE NIGHTS when he can’t bear to hear the deafening blare of the diesel truck’s horn. There are nights when the ring announcer’s echoing introduction of “Big Daddy Cool” nearly sends him running from the wrestling arena, and away from the sport that once made him an icon.

Today, he is a man on the razor’s edge.

(A year ago, Razor Ramon was Intercontinental champ and the most popular man in the WWF. Now the “Bad Guy” isn’t such a hot commodity. And it burns him to see that Diesel is.)

[BOLD, SMALL TEXT] One reason Ramon seethes as soon as he sees Diesel is Jeff Jarrett. Diesel manhandled “Double-J” in a series of bouts (top left), while Razor, although he pinned Jarrett several times (above), ultimately came up short in their feud.

A year ago, Razor Ramon towered over the rest of the WWF community. He was the street-smart, 6′8“ Intercontinental champ, the “Bad Guy” with the devilish, crooked grin. He walked around with a toothpick jutting [...] [CONTINUED ON PAGE 2] [...] out of one corner of his mouth, the slick hair, and the 48-hour beard. He looked every bit the cool, entertaining Miami socialite.

Then a funny thing happened, only Ramon found nothing humorous in it. On his way to taking over as the best wrestler in the WWF, an ostentatious bleached-blond with dreams of ruling the billboard country singles chart beat him and took away his Intercontinental title. And when Jeff Jarrett beat Razor Ramon for the I-C crown, he stripped the “Bad Guy” of his gold, and in the process, much of his heart, his drive, ... and his power over the souls of his fans.

Although tall enough to pick up Michael Jordon, Razor Ramon today looks small. Perhaps that’s because every time he sees Diesel wearing the WWF World belt, he feels like he stands about 4′10“. These days, the “Bad Guy” is the “Jealous Guy.” He knows that he should be the one serenading fair maidens, as Diesel has done. He recognises that he is as talented as Diesel, as powerful as Diesel, as intimidating as Diesel, and almost as big as Diesel.

But why can’t Ramon come to grips with the fact that Diesel today is the WWF personified?

“It’s more than jealousy,” confided one WWF fan favorite. “Razor once beat Diesel for the I-C title. He is as physically dominating a wrestler as is Diesel. But he lacks these things: He lacks the friends, he lacks Diesel’s confidence and steely glare, and he lacks the mettle to consistently win big matches. It’s killing him, and his wrestling has suffered for it.”

The demographics prove Diesel is today’s true superstar. He is popular with fans of all ages. Ramon’s popularity is somewhat limited to women who love a man [...] [CONTINUED ON PAGE 3]

[BOLD, SMALL TEXT] Tatanka is just one of many, many men Diesel has pinned this year. On the other hand, Razor has had trouble putting together even modest winning streaks after fully expected 1995 to be his year.

[...] who oozes machismo. More important, no wrestler today has an entourage as charismatic and influential as Diesel. Consider that his unofficial list of cornermen includes news I-C champ Shawn Michaels and Bam Bam Bigelow, two of wrestling’s most popular wrestlers. These three effuse so much energy that it’s impossible to dislike them.

Conversely, Razor’s closest ally is Savio Vega, a friend and capable wrestler. But this duo has yet to distinguish itself in the tag team division. And Vega, unlike Michaels, doesn’t have movie-star looks and attitude.

Then there is the Diesel stare, which is as formidable as Waylon’s Mercy’s sleeperhold. Ramon’s peckish grin works well ... If he has a belt around his [...] [CONTINUED IN NEXT ROW]

[BOLD, SMALL TEXT] Ramon probably feels like exploding when he sees pictures like this. We’re not saying WWF head Vince McMahon shows favoritism towards “Big Daddy Cool,” but it’s no secret he thinks he makes a terrific champion.

[BOLD, SMALL TEXT] You can only expect Ramon to let this jealousy eat at him for a little while longer. He’ll have to act on his feelings sooner or later. When he does, expect more Diesel-Ramon wars.

[...] waist. Therein lies Ramon’s problem. He is a champion stripped of his badge of greatness. And Diesel seems reluctant to offer his nemesis a shot at the World belt.

So just how jealous is Ramon, and will it affect his future in the WWF? People are already beginning to talk about the possibility of him turning rule breaker.

It seems hard to believe that a man as upbeat as the “Bad Guy” could turn had just because he is jealous. Furthermore, Ramon has yet to publicly denounce “Big Daddy Cool.”

Maybe he should. Perhaps he should just have a man-to-man chat with Diesel and open up to him. Be a little vulnerable. Cry a bit. Talk about his emotions. Who are we kidding? That will never happen. What could occur is this: Razor Ramon will continue to struggle in the ring, continue to lose tag team matches with Savio Vega, and his popularity will continue to wane. Depression will set in, but just briefly.

Then the true “Bad Guy” part of him will emerge, awaken with a scream like a three-month old with gas. Then Ramon will be back and and making some noise. He will do something about his jealousy and forget about friendships he made with the WWF’s fan favorites. Remember, he did have a brief stint as a rule breaker in the USWA this spring, and he won the heavyweight title in his first match there. Soon he will be ready to face Diesel in the squared circle. By that time, Razor Ramon the rulebreaker might be back for the long haul .

[aj-the-cat]

Shawn Michaels Title History

Intercontinental Title

Vs British Bulldog - Saturday Night's Main Event 1992

Tag Team Championship

Vs Owen Hart/British Bulldog - RAW 5/26/97

Vs Jeri-Show - TLC 2009 (Unified Titles)

European Title

Vs British Bulldog - UK One Night Only 1997

Royal Rumble

1995

1996

WWF/E Championship

Vs Bret Hart - Wrestlemania 12

World Heavyweight Championship

Vs Triple H, Booker T, RVD, Chris Jericho, Kane - Survivor Series Elimination Chamber 2002

Hall of Fame

2011 - Individual

2019 - w/ DX

Not Listed

WWE

Intercontinental Championship

Vs Marty Jenetty - 6/6/1993

Vs Jeff Jarrett - In Your House 2

Tag Team Titles

Vs The Headshrinkers - 8/28/94

Vs Yokozuna/British Bulldog - In Your House 3

Vs Rated RKO - RAW - 1/29/07

WWF/E Championship

Vs Sid - Royal Rumble 1997

Vs Bret Hart - Survivor Series 1997

AWA

AWA Tag Team Championships

Vs Buddy Rose/Doug Somers - 1/27/87

Vs Midnight Express - 12/27/87

CSW

NWA Tag Team Championship

Vs The Batten Twins - 5/15/86

CWA

AWA Southern Tag Team Championship

Vs The Rock N' Roll RPMs - 10/26/87

Vs The Rock N' Roll RPMs - 11/22/87

If you would like to see a certain superstar's title history, feel free to ask!

[90s00wcwwwf]

From London, England it’s Capital Carnage. Ken Shamrock defends the Intercontinental Title against Steve Blackman. L.O.D. 2000 battle The Headbangers. The Rock defends the WWE Championship against X-Pac. Triple H takes on Jeff Jarrett. The New Age Outlaws defend Tag Team Championship D-Lo Brown and Mark Henry and more.

Dark Match

Mosh vs. Droz

Singles Match

Al Snow vs. Gangrel

Tag Team Match

The Head Bangers (Mosh & Thrasher) vs. LOD 2000 (Animal & Droz)

Singles Match

Val Venis vs. Goldust

Singles Match

Tiger Ali Singh vs. Edge

Tag Team Match

Jacqueline & Marc Mero vs. Christian & Sable

WWF Intercontinental Title Match

Ken Shamrock (w/The Big Bossman) (c) vs. Steve Blackman

Singles Match

Triple H (w/Chyna) vs. Jeff Jarrett (w/Debra)

WWF World Tag Team Title Match

The New Age Outlaws (Billy Gunn & The Road Dogg) (c) vs. The Nation (D-Lo Brown & Mark Henry)

WWF World Heavyweight Title Match

The Rock (c) vs. X-Pac (w/Chyna & Triple H)

Fatal Four Way Match (Special Referee: Gerald Brisco)

Mankind vs. Kane vs. Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer)

Full stream-

[wrestlingclubelite]

Epic Collision: Kenny Omega Set to Face 6-Time WWE Intercontinental Champion in Blockbuster Match"

For this Wednesday’s Dynamite 200, which will feature Kenny Omega and Jeff Jarrett in a new match, Tony Khan has just made the announcement. The Elite will now engage in six-man tag team combat with Jeff Jarrett, Jay Lethal, and Satnam Singh on the program. Since their most recent attempt to defend their AEW World Trios titles in March, Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks have not tagged together…

[wrestlingmgc]

WWF Women's Champion Debra & WWF Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett

[nwonitro]

On this day 1999...CHYNA wins the WWF Intercontinental title from Jeff Jarrett and becomes the first woman to hold a men’s title in WWF History!

[angelkerisimasi]

Jeff Jarrett challenges Chyna and Debra to an Intergender Tag Team Match, but Chyna has one condition for him.

A chaotic Intergender Tag Team match results in a strange victory for Chyna, earning "The Ninth Wonder Of The World" another shot at Jarrett's Intercontinental Title.

RAW is WAR (September 27th, 1999)

Chyna's Birthday Week Tribute (December 20th - December 27th)

[wrestlingisfake]

On May 23, 1999, I was not watching WWF Over the Edge on pay-per-view.  But I was on the internet checking for the results, because I couldn’t wait for Owen Hart to win the WWF intercontinental championship.

This was 20 years ago.  I was on dial-up.  There was no liveblogging the show as we know it today.  (Apparently the word “blog” had just recently been invented.)  Instead you would go to a wrestling news site that would post an article about the event and manually update the page now and then.  There were no push notifications; you had to manually reload the page yourself, and if nothing happened right away, you’d wonder if you needed to clear your browser cache.  I’d done this many times, and I was fine with it.  On this occasion, though, I was in a chatroom where one or two people were watching the show.  I probably asked about everything that happened, but I was primarily interested in one match: The Godfather vs. The Blue Blazer.

Owen Hart had been in a tag team with Jeff Jarrett, along with Jarrett’s manager Debra.  Somewhere in that run, the WWF hit upon the idea of having Owen romantically pursue Debra to cause tension with Jarrett.  Owen refused to go for it, so he didn’t feel comfortable rejecting the creative team’s second idea, to bring back his old masked character, The Blue Blazer.  There were actually two separate runs with this idea.  The first time, Owen “quit” the WWF and denied involvement when "someone” in the Blazer outfit ambushed his enemies.  Later, Owen suddenly brought the outfit back acting like he believed he was a superhero.  I don’t know if refusing to do the Debra angle prompted the first Blazer storyline or the second.  I didn’t know anything about it at the time.  I just thought Owen was hilarious wearing a mask and a cape and pretending that you couldn’t tell he was Owen Hart.

Initially the Blue Blazer was just a “clever” disguise to create plausible deniability, but by this point they’d decided to use it to parody white-meat, cartoony, superhero babyface wrestlers.  The Blazer talked about taking vitamins like Hulk Hogan.  I’m sure there were some Adam West Batman references.  Sooner or later he would spoof the gimmick of rappelling to the ring from the rafters like Sting.  Every time Sting did it in WCW, it always seemed to take forever for him to unfasten himself from his harness when he reached the ground, killing the momentum of live TV.  I used to wonder why they didn’t have some quicker way to get him out of that rig.  I used to think the WWF wouldn’t put up with that delay, because they had slicker production that WCW.

It was inevitable that the Blazer would try to go after the babyface characters who were technically awful role models.  The Godfather was a wrestling pimp, and had improbably won the intercontinental title, which would normally be above his level.  I could see where this was going--the Blazer would be offended by Godfather’s licentiousness, and wrestle him, and end up with the title.  If the Blue Blazer had been fun before, he’d be even better with a championship.  Moreover, it would reverse the downward trend in Owen’s career, after some big highlights in 1997 petered out in 1998.

So I got on this chatroom and and asked about Owen.  Somebody told me the match had been about to start earlier in the show, but there’d been some kind of accident in Owen’s entrance.  I didn’t get enough specifics right away.  In my head I imagined the Blue Blazer doing some sort of wacky Super Dave Osborne stunt, where they’d make it look like he was hurt to set up a twist in the story later in the night.  I may have even wondered if the Blazer would be “hospitalized” so Owen could “take his place” in the title match.  The point is, nothing I’d been told suggested this wasn’t a comedy skit, because I wasn’t watching the show.

A little later, my source quoted Jim Ross’s update in the chatroom.  I’ll never forget it.  They wrote it in all caps for some reason: OWEN HART HAS DIED

It sounded like some overwrought story element.  I wanted to believe it was part of the act, that the “Blazer” was in critical condition at the “hospital,” and things had taken a turn for the worse so Owen could play mindgames with the Godfather.  I wanted to believe anything that would make it okay.  But I knew.  If they had come up with some sick story like I’d imagined, they wouldn’t have used the wrestling pimp as the victim of the scam.  If it was an angle, they would have announced the Blue Blazer had died, not Owen Hart.

Now I was all over the news sites.  Owen was supposed to do a rappelling entrance like Sting.  Something went wrong and he fell from the top of the Kemper Arena.  This part of the story’s been covered thoroughly, and you don’t need the details from me.  I couldn’t believe it.  The story wasn’t supposed to end this way. 

I didn’t know what to do.

I stayed online and followed coverage of the rest of the show. 

Maybe I was just in shock.  Maybe I wanted some sort of update.  Maybe I hoped against hope that it was all just an angle.  Maybe I just wanted to know if the Undertaker was going to win the world title.  I don’t know.  But I’ve never been able to be too hard on the WWF for continuing with the show, because I can imagine what it’s like to not know how to proceed except to follow the format sheet.

I got wall-to-wall coverage of Owen for at least the next 24 hours.  The mainstream news acted like The Blue Blazer was his wrestling name and Owen Hart was his real name, like they were talking about Rey Mysterio and Oscar Gutierrez.  The WWF set up an Owen tribute site, with little OH graphics based on the design he wore when he wasn’t the Blazer--a design that had originally been used for Jarrett’s gear, and adapted for their tag team.   Bret Hart was supposed to wrestle Kevin Nash on the Tonight Show on May 24, which obviously didn’t happen.  People talked like Owen did the rappelling thing all the time, or he was feuding with Sting, or all sorts of simplifications of why the hell he was even up there.  I thought, nobody’s going to understand any of this, nobody’s going to remember the nuances of these little details, because none of it matters anymore.  But I remember.

Every time the anniversary of Owen’s death comes around, I remember how much I wanted him to play the Blue Blazer, how much I wanted him to wrestle that match, and how lame I thought it was that Sting couldn’t get out of his safety harness.  And I think about how he apparently didn’t want to play the Blazer, and how he certainly didn’t want to be up in the rafters, and I just know why properly securing him to the cable wasn’t a priority.  And I blame myself.

[blowflyfag]

WRESTLING ALL STARS: Heroes and Villains : JUNE 1996

Shawn Michaels will either win the WWF title OR DIE TRYING!

By George Napolitano

Sure, 1995 looked like it was going to be Shawn Michaels year. After eight years in the WWF, MIchaels was on the threshold of super-stardom! Although Michaels was a major force in the WWF, the Heartbreak Kid still had to win the WWF title before he could be recognized as the best wrestler in the Federation.

On January 22 in Tampa, Florida, Michaels outlasted 29 other wrestlers to earn the right to wrestle Diesel at Wrestlemania XII for the WWF title. 

During their war Michaels appeared to be on the way to victory until his bodyguard, “Psycho” Sid, interfered. Sid’s interference cost Michaels the match and his shot at immortality. Six months later, however, on July 23 in Nashville, Tennessee, the Heartbreak Kid regained the Intercontinental title in a wild bout against Jeff Jarrett. Once again Michaels was riding high, but his reign at the top ended abruptly when he was attacked by nine thugs outside a Syracuse, New York night club. Michaels spent several days in the hospital following the attack, but on his release Michaels was still not fully recovered.

[As 1995 got underway, Shawn MIchaels was on top of the wrestling world. As 1996 began, he appeared this close to retirement. 

Michaels’ near-retirement came because of the post-concussion syndrome he suffered following a non-wrestling related mugging outside Syracuse NY.]

Then, on October 22, interim president Gorilla Monsoon reluctantly stripped Michaels of his Intercontinental title when it was learned that he was still unable to wrestle. Michaels was disheartened, but he vowed to return. On November 19, less than four weeks after the attack, Micahels against the advice of his doctors, entered the Survivor Series and was put into the “wild Card” match.

During the battle, in a five-minute span, Michaels was power bombed by Psycho Sid, was on the receiving end of a Razor Ramon “Razor’s Edge” and then had 600 pounds land on his chest when Yokozuna delivered his devastating leg drop. Needless to say, that was the end for Michaels that night. The following night, however, the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels was back doing his thing on Monday Night Raw.

[It’s Savio Vega’s turn to send Michaels for a ride. 

An angry Heartbreak Kid dominates his foe

Michaels has had better days. Here, he’s about to get squished by King Mabel.]

But during his bout against Owen Hart, Michaels fell to the mat and collapsed. A hush descended on the arena as Michaels laid in center ring unable to move. Seeing this, paramedics immediately ran into the ring. Within seconds, Shawn Michaels was put on a stretcher, placed in an ambulance and rushed to the hospital for observation. 

[At a press conference, SMichaels announced that he would not retire, and predicted that he would win his second straight Royal Rumble.]

After undergoing a battery of tests, the doctors said that Michaels was suffering from post-concussion syndrome. The doctors also said that if Michaels received another blow to the head, it could be fatal! 

For the next few weeks Shawn Michaels career hung in limbo. Many friends, family members and fellow wrestlers felt that Shawn Michaels had already suffered too many injuries in his career and that the time had come for him to retire. After starting 1995 on such a high note, Shawn Michaels was entering 1996 not sure whether or not he would ever wrestle again. 

On January 8, 1996 in Fresno, California, Shawn Michaels stood in front of a battery of microphones and television cameras and spoke about his future: “For eight years I have been working day and night to become the biggest star in the history of the WWF and I wasn’t going to let anything get in the way.the Injuries that I sustained in the attack were much more serious that I knew, but I didn’t care. My doctors and my family thought that it would be best that I no longer compete in the WWF, but I didn't want to hear it. I let my ego take over and I tried to get back into the ring. But this proved to be a big mistake. I collapsed on live TV, and all I remember is being escorted to the hospital.”

Michaels paused for a few seconds to compose his thoughts and then he continued, “I have to apologize to my friends, my family and my doctors, but Shawn Michaels is throwing his name into the list of names that will compete at the Royal RUmble. The hopes and dreams of a 12-year-old boy to become world champion are still beating inside the heart of a 30-year–old man, and I know that I couldn’t live with myself if I threw it all away. Regardless of who’s wearing the WWF belt, you will be facing the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania. And, you will be giving your title to the man who will carry the WWF on his shoulders into the next millennium!”

With this, Shawn Michaels let his intentions be known. The Heartbreak Kid wants the WWF title more than anything else in the world. He’s tired of living in the shadow of Diesel, Bret Hart, Razor Ramon and the Undertaker. Michaels has earned the respect and admiration of his peers for his wrestling prowess, but he wants more. He wants to wear the gold that has adorned the waist of the others. 

Shawn Michaels can’t stop now. He’s climbed the ladder practically to the top, but he still has one more rung to climb. If he gives up now, he will never attain that immortality that he so desperately craves. Actually Shawn Michaels is as close as he’s ever going to get to the top. The only question that remains is whether Shawn Michaels will achieve his goal or if he will die trying.

[Interviews with Michaels make everyone happy–including Vince McMahon.]

[machobusta]

D’Lo Brown makes his entrance for a Title vs. Title match against WWF Intercontinental Champion, Jeff Jarrett. Raw is War August 2, 1999

[fromtheringapron]

WWF Royal Rumble 1999

Date: January 24, 1999.

Location: The Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, California.

Attendance: 14,816.

Commentary: Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler. Shane McMahon joined commentary for match 4. 

Results:

1. Big Boss Man defeated Road Dogg. 

2. WWF Intercontinental Championship Match: Ken Shamrock (champion) defeated Billy Gunn. 

3. WWF European Championship Match: X-Pac (champion) defeated Gangrel. 

4. Strap Match for the WWF Women’s Championship: Sable (champion) defeated Luna Vachon (with Shane McMahon).

5. I Quit Match for the WWF Championship: The Rock defeated Mankind (champion) to win the title. 

6. Royal Rumble Match: Vince McMahon won the match by lastly eliminating Steve Austin. Other participants included (in order of appearance): Golga, Droz, Edge, Gillberg, Steve Blackman, Dan Severn, Tiger Ali Singh, The Blue Meanie, Mabel, Road Dogg, Gangrel, Kurrgan, Al Snow, Goldust, The Godfather, Kane, Ken Shamrock, Billy Gunn, Test, Big Boss Man, Triple H, Val Venis, X-Pac, Mark Henry, Jeff Jarrett, D’Lo Brown, Owen Hart, and Chyna. 

Analysis

The 1999 edition of the Royal Rumble may be one of the most memorable in the history of the event. Let me clarify, mind you, that memorable doesn’t necessarily mean great, as this show is far from it. But few capture the spirit of the Attitude Era quite like this one, for better or worse. The WWF is reaching enormous heights in popularity thanks to its brand of crash TV. The fans in the arenas are submerging under a tidal wave of crass, neon signage. The matches are constantly booked with run-ins and outside interference. Storylines move have more twists and turns than a Mario Kart course. When the product isn’t serious and gritty, it’s campy and oversexed. Everything has the vague feeling of a nu-metal concert. Sure, the era’s success carried on into the early 2000s, but you can’t deny the time period in which this show takes place is smack dab in the middle of the Attitude Era vortex.

And you really can’t acknowledge this time period without mentioning Vince Russo, the man responsible for turning the WWF into a barrage of Jerry Springer theatrics and all the bad taste that comes along with it. Under Russo’s watch, every member of the roster is given a storyline It’s wonderful to learn that, say, Steve Blackman and Dan Severn are feuding or that the J.O.B. Squad and The Brood are feuding. It should be noted, however, that this doesn’t mean every member of the roster is given a good storyline because it’s still Russo at the end of day and there’s going to be content that’s varying degrees of problematic. Still, giving everyone something to do is a great idea and certainly one of the hallmarks of the Attitude Era that WWE should implement today.

On the other hand, one thing is they should not implement today is basically try to stuff an entire episode of Raw into the Royal Rumble match, which is what happens here. As I explained in my ranking of the Rumbles, the match isn’t boring. There’s just so much going on that there isn’t really a lull but, amidst all of that, the actual Rumble feels like the least important thing. Sure, there’s all the intrigue of Austin vs. McMahon at its zenith, but it’s a story so big that it can’t help but overshadow considerable portions of the match. Plus, it leaves the winner options pretty limited. Either Austin wins for the third year in a row, a logical choice but wouldn’t fly in an era that would deliver swerves just to avoid the predictability, or McMahon wins, which everyone would know to be a ruse the instant it happens. Literally anyone else winning would seem out-of-the-blue.

The Royal Rumble undercard, no matter how good it may be, always feels like something to pass the time until we get to the main attraction. This show isn’t an exception to the rule, but it does feature one of the most legitimately brutal contests of its era: the I Quit match between The Rock and Mankind. We, 20 years later, know so much more about the dangers of unprotected chair spots but the late ‘90s was a much different time where wrestlers were upping the ante on risky high spots just to pop a crowd or a TV rating, much to the detriment of their own health. It’s weird how there’s a spot where Mankind gets thrown into an electrical circuit board and people kinda forget about that now. The real spot of the match is Mick Foley is shedding years off his career, and possibly life, by taking a series of legit, unplanned chair shots to the head. It’s hard to watch now, but it’s the rare occasion where an undercard Rumble match may be more remembered than the Rumble itself.

As a whole, Royal Rumble 1999 isn’t the most satisfying Attitude Era show, but it does gives you a good taste of an extremely popular time in wrestling history. Just don’t try to consume the whole thing all at once. For every good idea in the era, there’s a bunch that don’t work, and like Mick Foley on that January night, the WWF doesn’t seem to know when to call it quits.

My Random Notes

Of course, this show’s coverage on the documentary Beyond the Mat is a huge reason why it’s so memorable. Does it get any more real than watching Mick Foley take all those chair shots as his children look on in terror?

This show immediately got me thinking about the WWF Attitude game I had for the Game Boy Color, which I rage quit several times because I never knew how to pin an opponent or get up off the mat.

I had the privilege of watching this show live on pay-per-view and I was so pissed that Mr. McMahon won the Rumble that I swore off wrestling, which only lasted like two seconds because it didn’t stop me from watching WrestleMania XV. Whoops!

Ugh. I also wanted Gangrel to win the European championship so badly and he got so close on that botched pinfall. I was such a mark for him. Heck, I’m still a mark for him.

Oh, and looking back now, I wish Luna Vachon was women’s champ at some point. It’s actually next-level sad that storyline never came full-circle.

Kudos to the dudes in the front row bopping along to the Oddities and The Brood entrance theme. I bet they were delightful at, I’m assuming, the several Korn concerts they attended back in the day.

Imagine being so pathetic that you actually find the time to make a sign that merely says “Sable is Old!” and then wave said sign just so it can be seen in front of a live pay-per-view audience. Some fan was that pathetic on this particular January evening. I mean, wow.

I can’t just not mention the amazing Mr. McMahon training montages leading up to this show. I still quote the whole “I HATE AUSTIN!” thing pretty often.  

Terri Runnels accompanies D’Lo Brown to the ring by, um, performing an interpretive dance?!?

You know what? Kane’s character development throughout 1999 is amazing to watch. They did such a good job of making him a more relatable, human character.  Easily one of the best parts of the Rumble is when he wrecks shit and receives a major pop for it. For someone whose character is so prone to jokes and truly execrable storylines, it’s great to remember all the times when he’s been, excuse the pun, fire.

On Chyna entering the Rumble: This seems like a fairly minor step forward now in the time of the all-women’s Royal Rumble but for as much as Chyna is thrown in the discussion of trailblazers in the Women’s Revolution, she’s still pretty much on her own level. Sure, there’s all the talk of her as the first woman to do this and that, and rightly so, but nobody has quite thrown up a middle finger to the whole concept of gender quite like Chyna did. No wonder she’s a queer icon.

[daleisgreat]

Scott Hall: Living on a Razor’s Edge

After pondering over ideas and looking over my notes the last couple of days, I concluded I had no idea how to go about my entry for today’s blog that is for WWE’s 2016 BluRay release of Scott Hall: Living on a Razor’s Edge (trailer). I am presuming most people reading this probably are well aware of some of Scott Hall’s personal struggles throughout the years. WWE’s documentary on his life and career attempts to cover it all within 81 minutes. If you have not seen it yet, nor have that time to spare then before reading on I encourage you to at least check out ESPN’s much more condensed 18 minute mini-doc they did of Hall on a 2011 edition of E:60. That E:60 piece was where Hall first publicly revealed he inadvertently shot and killed a man during his job as a bouncer when he attempted to grab a gun away from a person who pulled a gun on him. Living on a Razor’s Edge opens with Hall revisiting the scene where it happened and him getting instantly emotional over the memories. Hall’s mother and brother are interviewed throughout and both mentioned how that day forever changed him. It is the first of many dark tales from Hall’s personal life that he reflects on.

From that hook of an opening scene the feature then transitions to Hall’s childhood where he reminisces growing up as a military kid and always being on the move. Hall recalls idolizing Dusty Rhodes in the Florida territory is what convinced him to go into wrestling. I saw Hall interviewed in a few other nWo and Kliq retrospectives released by WWE over the years, but in those I believe he never touches on his early days in the business debuting in the Kansas territory as part of the American Starship tag team and to more success as a tag team champ with Curt Henning in the AWA. Seeing that vintage footage accompanied with Hall elucidating about how Dusty got him his first pair of wrestling boots and how he refused to be AWA champ because he realized the promotion was a sinking ship he wanted to abandon were fun new anecdotes from Hall I never heard before. Seeing Hall talk about his meager success as the Diamond Studd in WCW was another interesting early facet of his career. DDP, Kevin Nash, Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon were all interviewed here about their early memories of Hall and provide extra quotes on why this made Hall more determined to land a job in WWE. Hearing Hall and Vince remember the days of coming up with the Razor Ramon character and brainstorming the ideas of the iconic vignettes introducing Razor to the WWE in 1992 are more noteworthy highlights from the interviews here.

Hall goes into detail of his early WWE years with some key angles such as the first televised WWE ladder match at Wrestlemania 10 and when 1-2-3 Kid got the shocking upset in ’93 that is still an iconic memory of RAW all these years later (it even made WWE’s official list of Top 25 RAW Moments for RAW’s 25th anniversary earlier this year). One early highlight from the Razor run was when Hall discusses appearing on Jerry Springer for a surprise visit to children with AIDS where Hall spontaneously gives his Intercontinental Title to the kids because it felt like the right thing to do and hearing Hall and Springer interviewed here remember that moment along with the footage is pretty powerful stuff. From here the doc then jumps to the controversial time when Hall and Nash left WWE in 1996. Both of them and McMahon break down how it all came to pass, and hearing them all give their side of the story is still fascinating to this day. I say that because I still recall being a huge WWF kid at that time and getting crushed upon hearing both guys were leaving the company to go to the ‘competition.’ Yes, Hall makes sure to address the introduction of the fake Razor and Diesel later on in 1996 too. A part of me wishes WWE would have done a separate deep dive on Hall’s four year run as Razor Ramon. There were so many memorable feuds they did not address in the doc. I would have loved to hear Hall recall feuding with Jeff Jarrett, Diesel and Goldust for the Intercontinental title. Also from watching the bonus matches it brought back memories of how Hall was a master of ring psychology and he perfected the gradual build of a match where there were several times where fans were quiet at the beginning to becoming a hot crowd by the match’s final moments. HBK and Nash both have some interesting quotes about Hall’s wrestling IQ and how they helped him during those old early-to-mid90s years.

WWE has already done a couple nWo biographies so I was curious to how they would cover his career in WCW on Hall’s solo documentary. I like how they went about it as they had Nash, Hall and Waltman all interviewed and they give the abbreviated version of their nWo heydays reigning supreme over the Monday night rating wars. Hall touches on a couple of things he introduced to his solo-act in WCW such as the pre-match ‘survey’ and how Rocky II was the impetus for ‘Hey, Yo.’ Hall and Eric Bishoff both recount the art-imitates-life storyline where WCW brought Hall’s behind-the-scenes drinking problems as a on-screen WCW storyline and hearing Bishoff regret that booking decision is another poignant scene in this feature. Hall essentially admits to those dark days carrying over to his return to the WWE in 2002 and why it did not last that long. There is no mention of Hall’s handful of brief TNA/Impact stints, which is probably for the best. Growing up as a wrestling fan and keeping up with Hall’s struggles over the years made the final chapters of the doc especially powerful. There is a montage of the many arrests and controversies that Hall made news in from 2002-2012. Nash has some key details of Hall at his lowest moments and how he stuck by his side that stuck with me. Triple H, Michaels, and Bishoff also all chime in here about these hard years for Hall. Footage is shown of the 2011 independent wrestling show were Hall appeared heavily intoxicated and hearing Nash, Hunter and Hall all comment on it being a new low for Hall brought back many sad memories. This all was happening during the 2000s when a rapid number of early adult-to-middle aged wrestler deaths were transpiring and I recall wondering countless times during those years how in the heck Scott Hall was still alive.

Thankfully, there is redemption for Hall and it is tastefully covered here where Jake Roberts and DDP are interviewed about taking Scott Hall into DDP’s rehabilitation house and helped Hall kick his addictions. Hearing them and Hall reflect on this was a much needed and gratifying feel-good moment that culminates with Hall being interviewed again at that club where the shooting went down where he owns the guilt he carried all those years in the defining moment of this feature. The doc then winds down with how Hall got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and now helps coaches at the WWE Performance Center and how he helped got his son Cody started in the business too. Living on a Razor’s Edge is easily one of the best of documentaries WWE has made. There are many gaps they could have filled in on his in-ring career but it feels wrong to ask for that given what Hall has went through and recovered from in his personal life. Since this is a home video release, WWE gave it their usual jam-packed assortment of bonus features with eight minutes of deleted scenes, the entirety of the several introductory Razor Ramon introductory vignettes and 27 matches, five of which that are exclusive to the BluRay.

Deletes scenes highlights have Nash detesting the mask he used for his ‘Oz’ character in WCW, Hall’s memories of wrestling his buddy, Justin Credible on a ECW PPV in 2000 and Michaels recounting Hall giving Nash some great in-ring advice he promptly followed. I have only seen a handful of Hall’s pre-WWF matches before this BluRay so seeing several matches from those days and how fast he evolved in the ring was a treat. I did not know Hall already had the Razor’s Edge perfected as the Diamond Death Drop in WCW. Since that is not addressed in the doc, I will link you to this clip instead where Hall reveals its origins. Other standout matches in the extras include the aforementioned stunning upset at the hands of the 1-2-3 Kid, his ’93 WWE Title match against Bret Hart, a ’93 Coliseum Video bout against Michaels I have long forgotten, his first IC title win over Rick Martel and his still-iconic ladder match against HBK at Wrestlemania X. From 1993 through most of 1995 I fell out of wrestling for a bit due to being on the losing end of sibling wars for control of the television and the only wrestling I had access to during that time was a videotape of SummerSlam ’94 one of my dad’s coworkers taped for me. Razor vs. Diesel on that show was one of my favorite matches for many years (along with the Owen/Bret cage match!), so to see that included in this compilation earns bonus points from me!

Hall’s nWo highlights here contain a bunch of matches that have hokey finishes or disappointing run-ins and the only WCW matches included here that stood out are the Outsiders first tag titles win over Harlem Heat and Hall having an awesome match against Sting for the WCW World Title at Uncensored ’98. Hall’s match against Austin at Wrestlemania X-8 holds up better than I recalled, and it features Hall taking the best Stone Cold Stunner ever. Of the five BluRay exclusive matches I give high nods to check out his SummerSlam ’93 match against Ted Dibiase and a ladder match I completely forgot about that saw Hall square off against Bam Bam Bigelow from a 1999 episode of Nitro. As you can tell by now I am giving Scott Hall: Living on a Razor’s Edge the highest of recommendations. Aside from one of the best documentaries WWE Home Video has produced, it has a ton of bonus matches that proves how Hall was one of the best workers of the ‘90s. Hall’s personal story is one that is a must-see that shows the highest highs and the lowest lows one can achieve, and to see Hall escape from that dark tunnel is a heartwarming tale well worth the viewing for any wrestling fan. Past Wrestling Blogs Best of WCW Clash of Champions Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 2 Best of WCW Monday Nitro Volume 3 Biggest Knuckleheads Bobby The Brain Heenan Daniel Bryan: Just Say Yes Yes Yes DDP: Positively Living Dusty Rhodes WWE Network Specials ECW Unreleased: Vol 1 ECW Unreleased: Vol 2 ECW Unreleased: Vol 3 Eric Bishoff: Wrestlings Most Controversial Figure For All Mankind Goldberg: The Ultimate Collection Impact Wresting Presents: Best of Hulk Hogan Its Good to Be the King: The Jerry Lawler Story The Kliq Rules Ladies and Gentlemen My Name is Paul Heyman Legends of Mid South Wrestling Macho Man: The Randy Savage Story Memphis Heat NXT Greatest Matches Vol 1 OMG Vol 2: Top 50 Incidents in WCW History OMG Vol 3: Top 50 Incidents in ECW History Owen: Hart of Gold RoH Supercard of Honor 2010-Present ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery Sting: Into the Light Straight Outta Dudley-ville: Legacy of the Dudley Boyz Straight to the Top: Money in the Bank Anthology Superstar Collection: Zach Ryder TNA Lockdown 2005-2016 Top 50 Superstars of All Time Tough Enough: Million Dollar Season True Giants Ultimate Fan Pack: Roman Reigns Ultimate Warrior: Always Believe War Games: WCWs Most Notorious Matches Warrior Week on WWE Network Wrestlemania 3: Championship Edition Wrestlemania 28-Present The Wrestler (2008) Wrestling Road Diaries Too Wrestling Road Diaries Three: Funny Equals Money Wrestlings Greatest Factions WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2015 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials Second Half 2016 WWE Network Original Specials First Half 2017

[90s00wcwwwf]

WWF In your house: Fully loaded.

July 26, 1998. Selland arena. Fresno, California.

Val Venis defeats Jeff Jarrett

D'Lo Brown defeats X-Pac

Farooq & Scorpio defeat Bradshaw & Terry Funk

Mark Henry defeats Vader

The Disciples of Apocalipse (Skull & 8-Ball) defeat LOD 2000 (Hawk & Animal)

DUNGEON MATCH

Owen Hart defeats Ken Shamrock

(Special referee: Dan Severn)

WWF INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP 2 OUT OF 3 FALLS MATCH

The Rock (c) vs. Triple H ends in a Draw (1-1) via Time Limit; Rock retains the title

Sable defeats Jacqueline via DQ

BIKINI CONTEST

(Master of ceremonies: Jerry Lawler)

WWF WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

The Undertaker & Stone Cold Steve Austin defeat Kane & Mankind (c) to win the titles

Full ppv link: