World Wrestling Federation presents Shotgun Saturday Night
Date: 7/12/1997
From: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Matches:
1.) Kama Mustafa defeated Dale Hutchinson
2.) Legion Of Doom defeated Ken Johnson & Steve Rivers
3.) Ken Shamrock defeated Salvatore Sincere
4.) WWF Intercontinental Champion Owen Hart defeated Flash Funk in a non-title match
Angle Developments/Notes:
1.) Kama showed some extra aggression in his match with Hutchinson. Hutchinson has a noticeable bruise quickly forming on his lower back due to the aggression. Kama wins the match following a sit out brain buster. After the match, the Nation attacks Hutchinson with a belt. (NR. I thought Kama looked great here and the aggression translated very well. I was not expecting a sit out brainbuster/front suplex for the finisher, but I liked it.)
2.) LOD dominate their enhancement match, as expected. LOD win the match following the Doomsday Device on Rivers.
3.) Vince McMahon calls out Brian Pillman for an interview in the ring. The crowd gives Pillman a warm reception. McMahon promotes SummerSlam on August 3rd. Pillman tells McMahon they are the Hart Dynasty. McMahon hypes up the Bulldog vs. Shamrock match. Pillman hasn’t seen any proof of Shamrock being the Most Dangerous Man. McMahon mentions the Owen vs. Austin title match. Pillman tells Austin to leave his can of whoop ass at home, because at the conclusion of SummerSlam Austin will be kissing Owen’s ass. McMahon mentions if Bret isn’t victorious at SummerSlam he’ll never compete on American soil. Pillman says Taker has been exposed as a murderous punk. Pillman thinks Bret is the perfect man to take care of Taker and bring home the gold to Canadian soil for the fifth time. McMahon also brings up Pillman’s match with Goldust. Pillman has a promise regarding his match with Goldust. Pillman promises he’s going to embarrass Goldust far beyond his drag queen status. Pillman will wear a dress on RAW the next night if he doesn’t win. He’ll wear Marlena’s dress for the occasion. Pillman promises the dress isn’t the only thing he’ll get into!
4.) Salvatore Sincere cuts a brief promo saying that he loves the fans from the bottom of his heart, sincerely.
5.) Earlier this week, Ken Shamrock doesn’t like seeing the slapping and spitting. Shamrock will play the same games that other people are playing in the WWF.
6.) Shamrock takes Sincere down to the match, but Sincere quickly reaches the ropes. Shamrock delivers a fireman carry and keeps arm control with an arm bar, but Sincere doesn’t submit and reaches the ropes. Shamrock arm drags Sincere and maintains arm control. Sincere reaches the ropes again to break the hold. Sincere shows some frustration. Sincere knee lifts Shamrock followed by overhand strikes to the back. Sincere eye rakes Shamrock followed by strikes. Shamrock counters a hip toss with a rollup for a two count. Sincere works over Shamrock hitting a fisherman suplex for a two count. Shamrock continues with a series of kicks to the chest of Sincere. Shamrock backdrops Sincere coming off the ropes. Shamrock hits a belly to belly suplex and locks in the ankle lock to force a quick submission. (*1/2. Once this got going and allowed Shamrock to show his ability it became a decent enhancement match. Shamrock being a legit fighter makes his strikes and kicks a lot more devastating and believable.)
7.) Owen backs Funk into a corner, but cleanly backs off. Owen controls Funk with a headlock. Funk nails Owen with a dropkick and an arm drag. Funk keeps an arm bar on Owen, but Owen counters with a wrist lock. Funk counters and takes Owen down to the mat. Owen controls Funk with an arm bar. Funk arm drags Owen to the mat and keeps arm control. Funk shoulder blocks Owen, but Owen drop toe holds Funk and keeps headlock control. Funk counters to leg drop Owen over the knee. Owen counters with a crucifix for a two count. Funk puts a modified surfboard on Owen, but doesn’t get a submission. Funk shoulder rams Owen in the corner. Funk heads to the middle rope missing a splash as Owen got his knees up. Owen knee lifts Funk coming off the ropes. Owen stomps Funk on the lower midsection. Owen drives Funk down with a backbreaker. Owen knee drops Funk on the lower back. Owen delivers a gut wrench suplex for a two count and puts a sleeper on Funk as the show goes to commercial.
Funk hits a crossbody for a two count, but Owen clotheslines Funk followed by a leg drop for a two count. Owen delivers a neckbreaker and hits a middle rope forearm smash for a two count. Owen misses a splash in the corner over the middle rope. Funk strikes Owen several times. Funk nails Owen with a spinning kick for a two count. Owen nearly wins with a rollup out of the corner. Owen hits a bridging German suplex for a near fall. Funk ducks a kick, but Owen nails Funk with a spinning heel kick for a two count. Funk splashes Owen in the corner followed by a slam. Funk hits a top rope moonsault for a two count. Owen sidesteps a dropkick and locks in the Sharpshooter to force the submission for the win. (**1/2. A solid TV match and the crowd obviously caring more about this because it’s Owen. Funk had some fine offense, but Owen stood out here and it was an enjoyable bout.)
Final Thoughts:
The crowd was fantastic and the show overall was pretty good. Kama stood out very well with his aggression and they picked the right talents to showcase to maximize the crowd interest. WWF seems to be rolling quite a bit better than they had been earlier in the year.
Thanks for reading.