Written by: Bob Colling
WWF World Champion Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart vs. Psycho Sid – WWF RAW Dark Match February 3rd, 1997
Hart and Michaels punch each other until Sid comes over and rams them into each other. Sid works over both men with strikes and sends Michaels into the corner causing the champion to flip over the ropes to the floor. Sid focuses on Hart while knocking Michaels off the apron. Hart fights back with a few right hands but Sid stops that and knocks Michaels back to the floor. Sid slingshots Michaels back into the ring. Sid misses a running big boot in the corner and Michaels goes for the super kick but Sid blocks it and choke slams Michaels! Sid goes to the top but gets stopped by Hart. Hart slams Sid to the canvas and drops Michaels with a right hand. Shawn sends Hart chest first into the corner and super kicks Sid off the apron to the floor. Shawn rams Hart face first into the corner and soon hits a dropkick to maintain control of the match. Shawn drops both Sid and Hart with right hands and doesn’t seem to care about the boos. Hart avoids a dropkick and goes for the Sharpshooter but Sid walks in and clubs Bret over the back.
Sid sends Michaels into the corner where Michaels does another flip and face plants on the floor. Sid follows and drops Michaels throat first across the guard railing. Sid works over Hart with more strikes for a two count. Sid clotheslines Michaels off the apron causing Michaels to flip on the apron before crashing to the floor. Sid has Hart set for the power bomb and hits it! Sid has the cover but Michaels makes the save. Sid rams Michaels into the corner face first and press slams Michaels. Sid yanks Michaels out of the corner and drops him to the canvas. Hart enters hammering away on Sid. Hart pummels Michaels with right hands. Hart clotheslines Sid over the top and atomic drops Michaels followed by a clothesline. Hart backdrops Michael and delivers a side Russian leg sweep. Hart connects with a back breaker for a two count. Hart drops a forearm a few times before going to the middle rope but Michaels got his feet up. Michaels kicks Sid on the floor but gets backdropped by Hart over the top to the floor. Hart comes off the ropes to clothesline Sid. Hart puts the Sharpshooter on Sid! Steve Austin comes running out and attacks Bret Hart! Austin drops Hart across the top rope. Austin gets knocked down by the special referee. Hart tries for the Sharpshooter on Sid, but Michaels comes off the top with a cross body and pins Hart to retain the title. (***. I enjoyed the match. It was kind of funny to see Hart job to Michaels in Canada when his demise in the WWF was because he didn’t or couldn’t lose in Canada.)
The Rock, Faarooq, D’Lo Brown & Kama vs. Chainsaw Charlie, Cactus Jack, Steve Austin, & The Undertaker – WWF RAW Dark Match, December 27th, 1997
Cactus Jack and D’Lo Brown start the match with Jack hitting a leg drop and hip toss. Charlie gets tagged in and Brown gets met with a double clothesline. Charlie drops Brown with a neck breaker. Rock tags in and works over Charlie with stomps in the corner. Charlie jabs Rock several times dropping him to the canvas. Austin gets tagged in and Rock bails to the floor to avoid Stone Cold. Brown gets tagged back into the match and Austin controls him with a wrist lock followed by strikes. Austin wants Rock to tag in, but that’s not happening. Brown gets a few strikes in and Rock tags in to maintain the advantage on Austin. They trade right hands until Austin hit a shoulder block and Thez Press. Austin tries for the Stunner but Rock rolls to the floor. Cactus nails Rock with a strike on the floor and Brown gets sent into the railing. Charlie tags in and works over Rock some more. Faarooq tags in and punches Charlie over the top to the floor. Charlie plants Faarooq with a DDT and Jack tags back in. Kama stops Cactus with a knee lift from the apron and flips into the ring from the momentum.
Kama legally enters and stomps on Cactus but misses a splash in the corner. Kama goes back to work on Cactus with strikes in the corner. Brown tags back in and stomps Cactus in the corner. Brown connects with a leg drop but Cactus kicks out. Brown misses a forearm drop but maintains control working over Cactus with strikes. Brown leg drops Cactus on the groin. Faarooq enters and jumps down onto Jack’s back a few times. Of course, Cactus turns over and Faarooq gets kneed in the nuts. Taker gets the hot tag and cleans house. Taker choke slams Faarooq but the match has lost control and everyone is brawling. Austin gets tagged in as Rock doesn’t know it. Austin hits the Stunner on Rock and wins the match. (*1/2. Such a basic match and the story being Rock avoiding Austin only to eat the Stunner eventually anyway. This felt a little sluggish and didn’t have much organization on the Nation side.)
WWF Intercontinental Champion The Rock vs. Ken Shamrock – WWF House Show March 13th, 1998
Rock attacks Shamrock from behind and delivers several shots in the corner. Shamrock comes out of the corner with clotheslines and nearly pins Rock with a rollup. Rock bails to the floor after an arm bar submission attempt. Shamrock ducks a clothesline and drops Rock with a kick to the chest. Shamrock follows up with a dropkick but D’Lo causes a distraction so that Rock can clothesline Ken to the floor. Ken is dropped across the guard railing chest first thanks to D’Lo and Mark Henry. Rock acts like he doesn’t know or like what happened, but he takes advantage anyway. Rock goes for the cover but Shamrock kicks out at two. Rock scoop slams Shamrock and goes for the People’s Elbow, which he hits! Rock has the cover but Shamrock easily kicks out at two. Rock controls Shamrock with a chin lock. Shamrock comes off the ropes to hit a cross body for a near fall. Shamrock almost wins with a fisherman suplex but a right hand stops his momentum quickly.
On the floor, Shamrock sends Rock into the railing but Rock sends Shamrock into the ring steps. Rock works over Shamrock with strikes in the corner. Shamrock stops Rock with a swinging neck breaker and a running knee lift. Rock comes back with a float over DDT. Ken gets a second wind and pummels Rock. Shamrock hits a heel kick and a power slam for a two count. Shamrock hits a standing hurricanrana but ends up hitting the referee with a clothesline. Rock drops Shamrock with a back suplex. D’Lo Brown whacks Shamrock with a steel chair while a new referee was out of position. Rock slowly makes the cover but the original referee prevents the pin being made! Rock argues with both referees. Shamrock takes Rock down and locks in the ankle lock! Rock is forced to tap out! Shamrock cleans out the Nation with clotheslines. Shamrock drops Mark Henry with a belly to belly suplex! Shamrock apparently won the match due to disqualification yet the referee allowed the submission. (**. They worked a good match but the fake title switch is always awful stuff. I mean, why allow the submission spot?) After the match, Shamrock is told he didn’t win the belt but he doesn’t care and walks off with it anyway.
Cactus Jack vs. Billy Gunn – WWF House Show March 22nd, 1998
This is a street fight. Cactus and Billy start the match on the floor trading strikes. Cactus rams Billy face first into the guard railing. Cactus hit Billy with a broom a few times. Billy takes Cactus down with a suplex on the floor. Cactus slams Billy face first onto the ring steps. Cactus hits Billy with a trash can and pummels Billy in the corner with right hands. Cactus hits a running knee strike in the corner. Cactus sets a table up in the corner and goes to Billy only to be met with a low blow. Billy hammers away on Cactus in the corner. Billy tries to put Cactus through the table but instead Cactus hip tosses Billy through the table for a near fall. Cactus low blows Billy with an object, I believe it’s a chain. Cactus puts the mandible claw on Billy but he falls to the floor to break the hold. Billy sends Cactus into the ring steps but is met with a clothesline moments later. Billy uses a chair shot to ring steps to cause Cactus to hit the steps face first. Billy drops Cactus throat first across the guard railing. Billy has the broom and breaks it over Jack’s back. Cactus takes Billy down to the canvas with right hands. Billy hits Cactus with a trash can lid several times. Billy spikes Cactus with a piledriver. Billy goes to the floor and grabs a steel chair. Billy goes to the middle rope but is met with a chair to the face! Cactus works over Billy with right hands and a clothesline which almost gets a three count. Billy plants Cactus with the Fame-Asser! Cactus plants Billy with a double arm DDT onto the chair to win the match. (**. Harmless hardcore fun that you’d expect from the era.)
Steve Austin vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley – WWF House Show March 22nd, 1998
HHH backs Austin into the corner but neither man can get an advantage. Austin breaks free and flips HHH off. They trade hammerlocks until Austin decks Hunter with a back elbow. Austin shoulder blocks HHH and flips him off again as Hunter rolled to the floor. HHH flips Austin off several times and that leads to Austin delivering a flurry of rights. HHH kicks Austin and rams him into the corner head first. They continue to trade right hands until Austin takes HHH down with a Thez Press and more right hands. Austin goes for the Stunner but HHH rolls to the floor. Austin follows to the floor and sends Hunter into the guard railing a few times. Austin controls Hunter in the ring with a wrist lock. Hunter fights back with right hands but is met with an atomic drop. Hunter stops Austin with a high knee lift. Hunter comes out of the corner with a clothesline to control Austin and drags him to the corner. Hunter wraps Austin’s leg around the ring post a couple of times. Hunter drops Austin with a running chop block. Hunter continues to work over the knee to maintain control of the contest.
Austin tries for a rollup but Hunter kicks out at two. Hunter maintains control of the match again working on Austin’s knee. Austin goes to the floor where Chyna decks him with a right hand. Hunter drives Austin down with a knee breaker and proceeds to put the figure four on Austin, but isn’t going to get a submission. Chyna chokes Austin over the bottom rope as he had turned the hold over. Austin uses his healthy leg to pummel HHH on the mat but a knee shot from Hunter stops his momentum. Chyna punches Austin from the floor and Hunter nearly wins following the cheap shot. Austin gets knocked off the middle rope and Hunter leaps off the top but is met with a shot to the gut. Austin clotheslines Hunter a few times. Austin jumps onto Hunter across the middle rope before stomping him in the corner. Hunter attempts the Pedigree, but Austin catapults Hunter into the corner and the referee goes down. Chyna enters the ring looking to hit Austin but fails. Austin hits a Stunner on Chyna and Hunter! Austin has the cover and gets the three count. (**1/2. Hunter’s extended offense on the knee wasn’t all that exciting or interesting. The crowd seemed rather dead for the action and the pop was just for two Stunners.)
Big Show vs. Triple H – WWF House Show June 26th, 1999
Show tosses HHH down a few times to start the match and showcase his strength advantage. The referee shoves HHH down after HHH got in his face. HHH decides to go for the test of strength, which is a mistake and Show controls the match. HHH ducks a clothesline and gets knocked down with a butt check. HHH hammers away on Show in the corner to stagger the big guy. Show tosses HHH into the corner and chops HHH dropping him face first to the canvas. Show rams HHH face first into the corner several times. HHH again rolls to the floor to regroup. Show follows HHH towards the backstage ares to bring him back to the ring. Show carries HHH over his shoulder and drops HHH on the floor. Chyna enters the ring and low blows Show from behind. HHH comes in and hits a face buster and gets the cheap advantage hammering away on Show with right hands and chokes Show on the apron. HHH distracts the referee and allows Chyna to choke Show some more. HHH hits a high knee lift and covers Show but only manages a near fall. HHH rams Show into the corner and delivers a few right hands. Show misses a splash in the corner and HHH goes to the top turnbuckle. HHH gets on the back of Show with a sleeper hold. Show drops to his knees and is fading quick. Show doesn’t let hit arm fall three times and powers up to his feet. Show slams HHH down to the canvas but struggles to stand up. HHH comes off the ropes but low blows Show to avoid a choke slam. Show drives HHH down with a side slam. HHH hammers away on Show in the corner. Show drops HHH with a few head butts. Show big boots HHH but misses an elbow drop. HHH goes to the top turnbuckle but is caught in midair and Show plants HHH with a choke slam! Show has the cover and wins the match. (*. It shouldn’t be a surprise that this wasn’t very good. It’s tough to get a good match out of Show.)
The Dudley Boys vs. Test & Albert – WWF Live Event October 25, 2000
This match is taking place on Wallstreet. Albert and D-Von start the match with Albert delivering right hands but runs into an elbow. Bubba gets tagged in and Albert gets taken over with a double suplex. Bubba drives Albert into the corner and D-Von comes back in to hammer on Albert. Test knees D-Von from the apron and Test hit a clothesline. Test tags in and gets a two count. D-Von punches Test but runs into a big boot! Test comes off the middle rope but is met with a boot to the face. Bubba comes in and jabs Test several times. Bubba hits an awkward looking spear for a two count. Albert splashes Test on accident in the corner. That leads to the What’s Up. Test stops D-Von from getting the table but he ends up eating a 3D to end the match. (*. Just a quick exhibition match.)