VADER VS. AHMED JOHNSON

Vader is the first one to enter the ring, he is accompanied by Jim Cornette. Owen Hart joins Vince McMahon and Jerry "The King" Lawler on commentary and talk immediately turns to the legitimacy of his arm injury.. We see the SEGA Saturn Slam of the Week recaps the Shawn Michaels and British Bulldog double-pin again before Ahmed Johnson makes his way to the ring. Vince McMahon tells us to go get that Pay-Per-View box for tomorrow night as we see Beware of the Dog Part 2, which should be Beware of the Dog: Completion by rights.

 

 

VADER VS. AHMED JOHNSON

King of the Ring 1996 First Round

WWF Raw (27^th May 1996)

©World Wrestling Entertainment

 They lock up, but neither man can make the other budge so they break. Owen says that Shawn Michaels cheated and Bulldog should have won the match. They lock up again and this time Vader shoves Ahmed Johnson back. Ahmed Johnson gets in Vader’s face, Vader spits at him so Ahmed Johnson lays into him with right hands, backing Vader into the corner. Vader slumps down and Johnson continues with right hands. He stomps at Vader a few times, spinning each time and after the third he falls on his arse. It looked good but you need someone with more balance for that. Vader gets to his feet in the corner, Ahmed with more right hands, then he chokes Vader, King counts at the speed he expects the referee to as Vader releases the hold with a poke to the eye. He pokes Johnson in the eye again. Vader switches places with Johnson and hits him with left and rights, Ahmed Johnson is sent into the corner but he explodes out with a clothesline. Ahmed Johnson hits the ropes and takes himself and Vader over the top rope with a running crossbody. The fans love everything Ahmed Johnson is doing here, it’s crazy the reaction he got. Ahmed Johnson sends Vader back into the ring, Jim Cornette hits Johnson over the back with the tennis racket, drawing his attention before running for his life backstage. We go to the commercial as Ahmed Johnson follows.

 

  When we return we see the running crossbody again, then get a wide shot of live action as Ahmed Johnson hits a back elbow on Vader and hits the ropes, Vader cuts him off with a knee to the midsection. Vader whips Ahmed Johnson across the ring and knocks him down with a shoulder tackle, he climbs to the middle rope and uses his 400lb frame to knock Johnson down, covering for a nearfall. Owen Hart critiques him for not hooking the leg and we get a split-screen showing Owen on half the screen for no real reason as Ahmed Johnson and Vader exchange right hands. Ahmed Johnson hits a clothesline to knock Vader down and we’re focused on the ring again. Ahmed Johnson collapses in exhaustion as Owen admits he’s impressed, but it still hasn’t got the win. Vader takes it to Ahmed Johnson with rights in the corner, he gets a body shot in before running the length of the ring to hit the ropes and squash Ahmed Johnson with an avalanche. Just as I say I haven’t seen it before we get 2 in succession!

 

  Vader knocks Ahmed Johnson down with a clothesline. Vader works a chinlock, in a sentence I didn’t think I’d have to type, but you can tell he’s communicating something. Lawler stupidly brings more attention to it telling Vader to bite Ahmed Johnson’s ear (although it has been known) Ahmed Johnson is able to block Vader’s attempts at a suplex, instead hitting his own, but it takes so much out of him he can’t capitalise. Vader is able to slam Ahmed Johnson near the corner and teases the Vader Bomb, but instead goes to the top rope for the Vadersault, but Ahmed Johnson is able to roll into the corner.Jim Conette is noticed back at ringside and I’m pretty sure Vince called Ahmed “Andre” as he makes his comeback, he sends Vader across the ring and knocks him down with a clothesline, he does it again because it keeps working like a 12-year-old on a Tekken game, then switches it up, sending Vader off the ropes into a scoop slam. Jim Cornette jumps onto the apron, but Ahmed Johnson brings him over the top rope into the ring and backs him into a corner Ahmed Johnson sends Cornette into Vader, who barely notices his manager hit his shoulder and eat shit on the canvas. Vader runs into a spunebuster and Ahmed Johnson covers but the referee is tending to Jim Cornette, Owen Hart leaves the announce table and climbs to the top rope. He drops onto Ahmed Johnson, hitting him with the casket and bails from the ring. Vader rolls over and covers to move on in the King of the Ring.

WINNER: VADER

This was just a standard big guys hitting each other, which can work well, this match just didn’t do it for me though. The match felt repetitive even with it’s short duration. That being said the crowd were behind Ahmed Johnson in this match and Vader needed the help of Camp Cornette to go through in the tournament. [**] 3/10.