Before the match Michael Cole is backstage with Mankind, he asks if Mankind will forfeit the WWF Tag Team Championships because his partner Kane won't be here tonight. He says maybe he should forcing company man Cole to say the people want their money's worth. Mankind says he'll get his ass kicked all around Madison Square Garden, maybe he'll go play in traffic just so the people get their moneys' worth. Better yet why doesn't Cole be his partner! He runs into Vince McMahon who puts over Madison Square Garden and puts the No Holds Barred, falls count anywhere stipulation as Mankind's match. Mankind says he has no weapons so Vince hands him some. Mankind ends with “how much wood could a wood chuck chuck if a wood chuck could chuck would before we see a video package for our next match. This is full Nation of Domination Owen. Dan Severn has been training Owen for this match (did he not see the tape from last month?) and both of these guys have got beef with Ken Shamrock. Shamrock and Owen have been interfering in each others' matches and it's all lead up to this fight.
Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler are on commentary for this match.
The cage is set up in a theatre in the arena and the audio is terrible.
Owen walks down to the cage first with Severn who gives him some final words of
encouragement before he enters. The match is named after Shamrock's training
gym for his UFC fights, and Owen has had Shamrock's number breaking his ankle
and beating him in the Dungeon match last month. JR mentions that Steve
Blackman should be seconding Shamrock out but their relationship has been
strained recently to put it lightly. Ken Shamrock makes sure the match is
chained shut before we begin.
Ken Shamrock sends Owen straight into the cage, Owen reaches for a standing front facelock but Shamrock takes him down with a fireman's carry into an arm bar. Owen is able to separate himself from Shamrock, transitioning to a leg bar, but he can't get it. Shamrock allows Owen to his feet, but Owen tackles him into the cage and slams him on the mat for some ground and pound.
That doesn't last long as Shamrock uses his size advantage to roll Owen over and hit some rights of his own. Standing right hands by Shamrock and he back suplexes Owen down. Owen misses a wild right and gets caught in a sleeper as JR mentions the referee for the contest in on a walkway at the top of the cage, not a lot of room in there. Owen Hart elbows out and kicks Shamrock low, but it's legal in this match. Owen strikes at Shamrock and sends him into the cage, but Shamrock comes roaring back with a vicious clothesline! Shamrock hits Owen with knee strikes before ripping his shirt off and clotheslining him down again. Shamrock chokes Owen with his own shirt and snapmares him down. We see that Owen is bleeding from the mouth as Shamrock brings him back to his feet for more knees to the face. Shamrock leaps off the cage and knocks Owen down again before sending him into the cage. Owen staggers into an overhead takedown, but Shamrock misses a charge and Owen sends him into the wall. It looked like Shamrock hit the support beam there, not the mesh. Owen kicks at Shamrock against the cage and sends him into the support beam again. Ken Shamrock is out on his feet, Owen knocks him to the mat with an enziguri. Ken Shamrock gets sent into the wall and Owen lifts him for a Hot Shot across the other side. Owen hits a backbreaker before going back to the ground and pound.
They haven't specified the rules for this match but I'm presuming it's knockout or submission. Owen tries to apply a sharpshooter but Shamrock powers him away. Owen hits a drop kick as they get back to their feet, and they exchange right hands. Owen goes low and hits Shamrock with a European uppercut. Shamrock powerbombs his way out of a hurricanrana and hits Owen with some exhausted right hands, knocking him down with a clothesline. Shamrock using the cage again for a beautiful spinning back elbow! Owen Hart catches him with a powerslam the third time, following up with an overhead belly to belly suplex. Owen locks in the sharpshooter! Shamrock crawls to the cage, he starts climbing it! Shamrock climbs the cage to break the sharpshooter! Shamrock hits some right hands to a shocked Owen, but is sent into the cage and tries to bring him over for a takedown but Shamrock counters to a DDT! Owen is knocked down with right hands but gets back up. Shamrock hits a roundhouse to Owen's jaw before a clothesline brings him back down. Shamrock sends Owen into the cage and lifts him overhead but Owen drops behind Shamrock. Owen applies the standing choke hold to Shamrock! Shamrock kicking his legs out, and he's able to walk up the cage!
Ken Shamrock up and over Owen and he locks in
the Fujiwara arm bar! Shamrock transitions to the Ankle lock and Owen looks
over at Severn. Severn takes a walk and Owen has to tap. Shamrock holds on to
the ankle after the bell just to prove he's a badass.
This match was less restricting
than the Dungeon match but still had its limitations. They had to work hard to
bring some excitement with the match taking place in such a confined space, and
Shamrock's cage attacks helped that. Owen looked (kayfabe) uncomfortable in the
new environment but with his training, he was able to hold his own. The whole
match was built around that standing choke hold and Shamrock was able to
reverse it using the cage and make Owen tap out to get his revenge and complete
the story. WORK RATE: 1.75/5 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT: 2.25/5 OVERALL: 4/10
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