Carrying on from my
last review, Marc Mero and Farooq are on the Superstar
Hotline. Mr Perfect picks Farooq to win tomorrow night’s
vacant Intercontinental Championship tournament final. Vince McMahon reminds us
that Ahmed Johnson had to relinquish the championship due to injury.
“The Loose Cannon” Brian Pillman comes out to the ring, and Bret Hart had some words for him recently in an interview, calling Brian
and Owen Hart both liars. We cut back to Pillman in the ring on the
microphone. He says the Landmarks, Statues, and state-of-the-art facilities we
see are 1% of the city. The Founding Fathers would be rolling over in their
graves at this sewer. He uses the crowd and the camera cuts to a close-up of
some of them. That's pretty funny to me because I'm not from Philly. This
brings out Owen Hart for an interview. Pillman asks if Owen and Bret will ever
reconcile. Owen says things were going great and Bret was realising Owen was
the best Hart, and that he's getting older. Then he called Owen and Brian
liars, which is uncalled for. He says Bret should be here tonight but he's
scared. Not of Pillman, a little bit of Owen... But his main fear is The King
of the Ring in 1996, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. This brings out the
man himself as Vince McMahon mentions that Austin has challenged Bret on
several occasions when he couldn't answer. He's currently on the injured list,
with some family members wanting him to retire.
Pillman asks his former Hollywood Blondes partner for his thoughts on the matter. Austin runs Bret down more
calling him chickenshit and challenging him to a match if and when he comes
back. Pillman says Philadelphia sucks as Vince McMahon apologizes for some of
the language in that segment. We cut to Mark Henry at various
Philadelphia landmarks (not the ECW Arena, sadly) before cutting back to the
building. British Bulldog and Owen Hart enter (couldn't Owen have
stayed out?) without their manager, Jim Cornette. We cut to
Cornette being tended to in the back before the WWF Tag Team Champions enter,
accompanied by Sunny. Billy Gunn seems distracted by Sunny during their
entrance. JR says Sunny loves Tag Team Champions and I'm not sure if that's an
innuendo but I'm taking it as one. A giant poster of Sunny drops as The Smoking
Gunns get in the ring and Owen and Bulldog seem to have vandalised it! Billy
Gunn takes that extra second to comfort Sunny before she leaves the ring, for
once not wanting a camera near her.
Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Mr. Perfect are on commentary for
this match.
Bart Gunn slams Owen down to the mat but misses a jumping
elbow drop. Owen Hart quickly grabs Bart's arm and tags out to Bulldog. Bulldog
goes from an arm wrench to a hammerlock, but it's immediately countered by
Gunn, who himself transitions to a side headlock. British Bulldog sends Bart
off the ropes and surprisingly to me Bart knocks Bulldog down with a shoulder
tackle (jump over – leapfrog spot) Bart sends Bulldog off the ropes as he lands
on his feet, Bulldog avoids the Kitchen Sink rolling Bart up for a nearfall. British Bulldog hits a standing dropkick, and brings Bart Gunn over with an arm
drag, keeping hold of the arm whilst he tags out of the match. Owen Hart picks
up speed before bringing Bart Gunn down with a chop block. Owen begins to
target Bart's leg with a kick and trying to hyperextend his knee on the mat. Owen
brings Gunn into the corner, draping his leg over the middle rope for more
kicks. Billy complains to the referee, and we get a replay of Bulldog's
dropkick and arm drag as the man himself is brought back into the match.
Owen and Bulldog double-team with a wishbone before Bulldog leaps
onto Bart's leg with an elbow drop. Owen Hart gets another quick tag, and Bart
can't get out of the challengers' corner. Owen sweeps the leg and starts
twisting Bart's ankle. Owen drops all of his weight onto Bart's leg and starts
ripping at his calf, driving the pressure all throughout Bart's leg. Owen
applies an Indian Deathlock, but Bart is near the ropes in Owen's corner. Owen
breaks the hold at 3, going straight into a boston crab. Bart grabs the rope
again, but all of this is added pressure on Bart, even in the seconds he has
hold of the rope. Owen tags back out to Bulldog who brings Bart to his feet,
dropping him again with a delayed vertical suplex. Bulldog shows he's not just
about power, popping the crowd before he hits a standing leg drop. British
Bulldog covers, but Billy breaks up the count after 2. This drags the referee's
attention away, bringing in Owen. There's a phantom tag in Camp Cornette, and
Vince says you'd have to be Andre the Giant to actually make the tag. Owen
stays on Bart with a spinning toe hold, Owen tries to reapply it, but Bart
rolls him up, 1, 2, no!
Owen is quick to his feet and drops Bart with an enziguri, I
think that's the closest Bart's been to his partner so far this match. Owen
covers but Billy Gunn saves the championships again. This time Bulldog and Owen
do make the tag. Bart Gunn reverses an irish whip, and Billy distracts Bulldog
from the apron. Bart knocks Bulldog down with a clothesline from behind. Billy
Gunn drags Bulldog out of the ring and kicks the crap out of him whilst Owen is
keeping the referee from helping his partner. Billy Gunn sends Bulldog into the
ring steps before throwing him back in the ring and making the tag. The Smoking
Gunns make a quick tag, Bart holds Bulldog for a kick to the ribs before
tagging again and sending Bulldog into the turnbuckle. The way he did it showed
some awesome strength too. Billy uses his partner to get some height for a
jumping right hand on Bulldog in the corner. Billy Gunn wastes time whilst
Sunny talks trash to Bulldog from ringside. Billy tags out again (95% of this
match has been Bart) Bart picks Bulldog up for a sidewalk slam, tagging again
to Billy, Billy Gunn hits a leg drop from the top rope!
Clarence Mason is on the apron, and Owen dives from the top to
break up the cover. Bulldog slowly turns over to cover Billy Gunn but can't get
the three. Billy stomps at Bulldog before tagging out to Bart. Bart hits a pair
of falling knee drops and slams Bulldog to the mat for more. Billy Gunn is
winding up the crowd but turns around for the tag. He gets an open shot in at
Bulldog and fish hooks at his face on the mat. Owen tries to help his partner
but is cut off by the referee, who makes Billy break the illegal move. Billy
Gunn starts wrenching back at Bulldog in a chinlock but decides a punch to the
head is quicker and more effective. Bart Gunn gets the tag and he tries to put
Bulldog away with a running powerslam, Bulldog slips out the back sending Bart
into his corner. Billy shoves his partner (wouldn't that be a tag in some
cases?) putting him in position for Bulldog to hit the running Powerslam the
way it should be, Billy realises his mistake and enters the ring, walking into
a spinning leg lariat from Owen, leaving Bart to take the cover as Sunny
screams over losing her championships.
WINNERS: BRITISH BULLDOG & OWEN HART (NEW WWF TAG
TEAM CHAMPIONS)
There were some nice sequences in this match. It was really the “Bart Gunn Show” as he was the one in the match most of the time. Billy Gunn looked like an idiot at the end but got to show off a few athletic moves during the match whilst Owen and Bulldog wrestled around them. The Smoking Gunns looked like they had it when they isolated Bulldog on their side of the ring but the challengers (and Clarence Mason) were able to come out on top. – WORKRATE: 4.25/5 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT 2.5/5 OVERALL 6.75/10
After the match Sunny breaks off her association with the (now) former
Tag Team Champions, leaving Billy Gunn to chase her up the aisle like a lost
puppy. We then cut to an interview with Paul Bearer and Mankind. Bearer says
it's Shawn Michaels' own fault that he has to face Mankind for the WWF
Championship. Mankind just wants Shawn Michaels to feel the pain Mankind has
felt his whole life.
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