Kiel Center, St. Louis, Missouri; October 5, 1997
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry “The King” Lawler & Jim Ross
Championship’s role call: WWF Champion: Bret “Hitman” Hart… Intercontinental Champion: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin… European Champion Shawn Michaels… Tag Team Champions: The Headbangers
Brian Pillman was unfortunately found dead in his hotel room prior to the pay-per-view going on the air. Vince McMahon announces details are “sketchy” but should have a full report, possibly tomorrow and is notably nervous throughout the broadcast.
Shawn Michaels kept using D-Generation X to help him overwhelm the Undertaker so tonight the debut of Hell in a Cell so no one can get in and no one can get out! Just noticed the theme of the PPV would eventually become Steve Blackman’s babyface music.
Legion of Doom vs. Nation of Domination two-on-three handicap match: The Rock, Kama Mustafa and D’Lo Brown are repping the Nation tonight; Ken Shamrock was supposed to be the third man, but he was injured during the IC Title tournament by Faarooq. Road Warrior Hawk announces they are going it alone. D’Lo and Hawk start off and Brown eats a hiptoss; he goads Hawk into chasing him around the ring and gets the jump on him when he enters. Hawk comes back with a boot and a clothesline. Rocky tags in as does Animal; the Rock retreats to the floor and complains to the referee about the “Rocky sucks” chants. Rock finally reenters and tosses Animal into the buckle; he comes back with a shoulderblock and a dropkick as Rocky retreats to the floor again. The Rock misses a clothesline and Animal works the arm over; Hawk returns and Rocky makes a tag to Kama. They go through a whip sequence for a double KO but they both no-sell and pop up quickly; Hawk nails an enziguri and applies a reverse chinlock. Animal returns and hits a nice powerslam drawing Rocky illegally into the ring where he spikes a DDT; Kama follows up with a heel-hook kick. Kama tosses him to the floor allowing the Nation to maul Animal on the floor; Brown returns and hits a running clothesline in the corner, he tries again but Animal recovers and clotheslines him. Tag is cut off and D’Lo drops a leg; the tag is to Maivia and snapmares into a chinlock. Rocky stays on top with a knee to the gut and stomps the crap out of Animal in the corner. Rock draws Hawk into the ring so he can punch Animal square in the balls while the referee is dealing with Hawk; Kama misses a charge and Animal makes the tag… but Maivia has the referee distracted so the tag is disallowed. The Nation holds Animal so D’Lo drops an (unnamed) Lo Down (frogsplash) onto him but he kicks out yet again so Kama tosses him into the steel steps on the floor. Animal clotheslines Rocky and makes the tag to Hawk who dismantles the entire Nation and hits a powerslam on Rocky and a neckbreaker to D’Lo. Animal returns and clotheslines both Kama and Brown to the floor and set up the Doomsday Device to Rocky but Faarooq runs down and distracts them; in the mêlée Kama kicks the back of Hawk’s right into the (unnamed) Rock Bottom for three. 4/10 The Nation were the ones going somewhere despite the WWF’s insistence that the LOD were still good; they may have been over but their matches were becoming quite formulaic.
Vince McMahon announces that Brian Pillman was found dead and offers his condolences to the Pillman family. The Pillman versus Dude Love match will not take place so the following mini match was scheduled as a replacement.
Max Mini & Nova vs. Tarantula & Mosaic: Tarantula and Mosaic come out to Max Moon’s old entrance music; this is a mini lucha match so tags need to be made, just going to the corner will suffice. Tarantula backdrops Nova right into Mosaic; Nova tries a springboard crossbody but Tarantula moves out of the way. The heels miscommunicate and Nova gets a nearfall. Tarantula misses a charge and Nova keeps sending the two heels together when they try a double team. They all battle on the floor until the referee hastens them all back into the ring; Mosaic misses another charge and Max unleashes his vast array of complex arm drags and backdrops him; Nova comes out of nowhere with a splash off the top. Max drops a mini-canrana on Tarantula for two. The heels team up on Mini with a double boot; Nova comes in and Mosaic clips him from behind. Tarantula comes off the top with a big splash for two (Max interrupted the count). The heels keep double teaming, yet Nova just stands there and watches. Onto the floor where Tarantula press-slams Mini onto the announce table right in front of Jerry Lawler who laughs in his face. Max limps around the ring so as per lucha rules, Nova is allowed back into the ring. Nova and Mosaic run a series of lucha arm drag moves and a springboard dropkick. Max springboards into the ring and gets booted in the face. Max comes back and hits a top-rope splash and a bizarre arm drag move into a crucifix cradle for three. 2/10 That was totally disjointed from the start; I guess the “thrown together at the last minute” thing is the excuse.
WWF Tag Team Championship Headbangers vs. The Godwinns (w/Uncle Cletus): Sunny is the special guest ring announcer; Uncle Cletus is Tony Anthony who was once known as TL Hopper, the wrestling plumber, during the New Generation. Phineas Godwinn is not pleased with Sunny’s presence considering their history. The Bangers attack at the bell and dropkick them to the floor; the announcers imply inbreeding with the Godwinns, I wonder what Hillbilly Jim thinks of that (or all hillbillies for that matter). Mosh and Phineas have a spitting contest, can’t be much worse than Matt Hardy and MVP having a beer drinking contest at a PPV. Phineas finally nails Mosh and winds up taking a corner hurracanrana to the floor. Thrasher nails Phineas with something off the apron, but the camera misses it and Vince McMahon is no help describing it. Mosh hits a springboard splash and works Phineas over; the replay shows Thrasher hitting some kind of awkward senton that looked like it was supposed to be a Frankensteiner but I do not think Phineas knew how to sell it. Sorry, Vince for insulting that particular explanation of a move because I have no idea what it was either. Thrasher tags in and they hit a double team flapjack, I think, because Phineas sold it as if it were a double backdrop and almost snaps his neck on the landing. Wow, is this match starting off shitty. Hank Godwinn finally tags in but charges into a drop-toe hold; Henry finally takes over and begins to dominate. Jerry Lawler, from Memphis, implies Vince is bigoted towards the South; Vince retorts with his birthplace of Pinehurst, North Carolina, which may be the only time I’ve heard him say that on WWF television. Hank gets a short knee in but takes a dropkick enraging the Godwinns on the floor. Phineas tags in and they trade armbars; the Bangers bust out the old Badd Company AWA Special. They keep the cool double team maneuvers coming hitting a second-rope gourdbuster-your-partner onto the opponent move for a nearfall. The Bangers stand around and mosh pit taunt until Henry clobbers Thrasher from behind; Henry tags in as the commentators are spending a lot more time discussing Thrasher’s recently pierced tongue than this disjointed match. The Godwinns take over on offense and crotch Thrasher on the top rope and then clothesline him to the floor. Their offense consists of tossing Thrasher to the floor where Uncle Cletus and the illegal Godwinn gets clotheslines and boots in. Lawler is so bored he unleashes Jeff Foxworthy’s entire comedy set replacing “redneck” with “Godwinn”. Thrasher sneaks in a sunset flip but Hank had the referee distracted; Lawler makes a good point that he could have kicked out anytime he wanted but elected to rest until the referee started counting. Henry hits a wheelbarrow slam and Mosh breaks up the three count; they collide head-to-head but Phineas cuts off the tag. Thrasher hits a back suplex on Phineas and Mosh finally gets the tag; he cleans house and knocks Cletus and Hank off the apron. The Bangers hit a powerbomb-your-partner double team move but Henry recovers and breaks up the pin. The match breaks down and Phineas counters the Stage Dive into a powerbomb (in theory) as it looked awful; Phineas is not having a good match here. Unfortunately, that was the finish so it gets three and the Godwinns win the tag titles. Post-match, the Godwinns decimate the Headbangers and Slop Drop them; they angrily leave under threat of having the titles stripped. 1.5/10 This match was missing a lot; it was disorganized and totally sloppy to the point where someone almost got paralyzed. The Godwinns would lose the titles rather quickly to the Legion of Doom and eventually become Jeff Jarrett’s personal security force known as Southern Justice.
We get a video package of Steve Austin Stunning everyone in the WWF, heels, babyfaces, announcers, referees and finally Vince McMahon. This is what got him so monumentally over in the first place. We get clips from Raw where Vince gives him options of wrestling or being fired. Back in the arena Owen Hart (in his Owen 3:16 shirt) and demands the WWF officials keep Austin away from his upcoming IC title match. Austin is to be stripped of the title tonight due to his neck injury.
Jim Ross is in the ring with Sunny to pay tribute to the legendary St. Louis performers. Gene Kiniski is introduced with a video package; next comes Jack Brisco followed by Dory Funk, Jr. and Harley Race. Terry Funk, Lou Thesz, and legendary St. Louis promoter Sam Muchnick are honored as well.
Dok Hendrix talks to Faarooq about winning the IC title tonight; he says he is going to kick Owen Hart’s ass all around the ring.
Vince McMahon turns back to Brian Pillman who may or may not have died as a result of a drug overdose… which (Vince says) is a problem in all sports and in entertainment.
Vacant: WWF Intercontinental Championship Owen Hart vs. Faarooq: Steve Austin’s neck injury forced him to relinquish the IC title and a tournament was made to crown a new champion; this is the finals. Both competitors are heels so Austin comes down to “present” the title to the winner and wake up the crowd. Lots of Brian Pillman heavy hearts involved here; Hart Foundation member Owen and of course former Hollywood Blonde tag partner Austin. WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter is at ringside to prevent any Austin interference. Stone Cold rings the bell with a monkey wrench, riling up Vince McMahon; he then steals his headset and makes fun of everyone. They lock up and Austin keeps stealing headsets from the commentators and being a general pain in the ass at ringside. Faarooq nails Owen with a shoulderblock; Hart tries a side headlock but Faarooq tosses him off. He maintains the advantage until Owen hits a spinning wheel kick and works over the knee dropping a leg on it. Austin knocks Jim Ross’ headset off his head and meanders to the Spanish announcers and plays with their headsets as well. Gee, I wonder where all of the focus on this match is? Actually, Austin is pretty funny pretending to know what Tito Santana is talking about in Spanish. Meanwhile in the ring… wait Austin is messing with the French announce team, now. Not missing much in the ring, as Owen and Faarooq aren’t idiots and know what is going on outside of the ring and where the focus is. Owen tries a figure-four leglock but Faarooq fires him into the ringpost. Faarooq hammers away on Hart and whips him cross-corner and drops a backbreaker; Owen falls back on a slam but Faarooq maintains his advantage. He misses a second-rope legdrop as the commentators blatantly blame Commissioner Slaughter (who demanded Austin as ringside for this match) for all of the Austin disruption during the match. Owen goes for the Sharpshooter but Faarooq powers free and hits a powerslam. Jim Neidhart runs down to the ring as Owen takes a spinebuster; Faarooq chokes Owen in the ropes and misses a splash. Neidhart distracts the referee (and Sgt. Slaughter) allowing Austin to clobber Faarooq with the IC belt giving Owen Hart the pinfall and the title. 3/10 The entire match was predicated on Austin’s presence otherwise it was totally boring. BTW, Austin helped Owen win the title because he wanted total revenge for his neck injury specifically defeating Owen for the belt.
Disciples of Apocalypse vs. Los Boricuas: This is another bonus match; the Boricuas are looking more like Puerto Rican gangsters here than the old tank top and red pants they used to employ. This is an eight man tag match involving all members of the Boricuas (Savio Vega, Jesus Castillo, Jose Estrada, Jr. and Miguel Pérez) and the DOA (Crush, Chainz, 8-Ball and Skull). The DOA could have gotten over here but after Crush leaves (in partial protest to the eventual Montreal Screwjob) they just kind of fell apart. Jose and Skull start off and the DOA dominates as he and 8-Ball double boot Jose. Miguel comes in and 8-Ball kicks his ass as well with a running clothesline and powerslam. Crush enters and gets caught in a side headlock as Savio comes in. Crush catches Vega with a big boot and hits a nice belly-to-belly suplex; Chainz comes in and boots Savio some more. Savio rakes his face and tags in Jesus but he gets quickly press-slammed. The Boricuas finally get Chainz in their corner and work him over. The rest of the DOA try to come to his aide but the teeny tiny referee holds them at bay. Jesus hits a high knee as the Boricuas work over Chainz. Los Boricuas hit a rapid-fire series of running clotheslines in the corner topped off by Savio’s spinning wheel kick. Crush interrupts the count so Jose applies a rope-assisted headlock, Savio distracts the rest of the DOA allowing a triple team mugging, and then Vega comes in and reapplies a chinlock. Chainz hits a desperate crossbody for two. Jim Ross ponders who the strongest faction in the WWF is and reminding me how many factions there actually were towards the end of 1997… let’s see we have DOA and the Boricuas but also there is also the Nation of Domination, the Hart Foundation, the Truth Commission, D-Generation X… that’s quite a lot. Savio spins another spinning wheel kick; Jesus hits a missile dropkick and gets a nearfall. Miguel comes in to apply a hairy chinlock. An interesting spot then occurs; Miguel tries to goad the DOA into the ring but they’re not buying it this time, he brings Jose and Jesus in but the referee catches them before they can lay a hand to Chainz, so Miguel holds them off and tags in Savio too legally double team. Savio chips Chainz in the corner but he no-sells it; Vega misses a Stinger splash (with silly oversell) and Crush tags in and everyone runs in for a huge brawl. Crush gets a bug boot but the referee is trying to restore order; Jesus uses the distraction to plant him with a DDT… it only gets two. I actually bought that as the conclusion. Crush surprises him with a 360º backbreaker (with an assist from Chainz on the apron) and gets the pinfall. 2.5/10 That was total clusterfuck with a long heat sequence.
Bret Hart and the British Bulldog say they are better than any two American wrestlers in the WWF; the Bulldog promises the Canadian flag will fly tonight. Vader and the Patriot offer a retort; Patriot says he will do anything to win. Vader calls Bret’s tagline a bunch of “bullshit” drawing the ire of Vince McMahon at the announce booth.
Vader & The Patriot vs. Bret “Hitman” Hart & British Bulldog flag match: Bret is the WWF Champion here; the rules are slightly different as you can win via pinfall, submission or flag capture. The flags are on a fifteen foot pole in the respective corners. The Hart Foundation beat up Vader and the Patriot the prior week on Raw so they are severely weakened. Only Vince McMahon can say someone is “waiving a flag with authority” and get away with it. Everyone brawls on the floor before the match begins; Patriot tosses the Bulldog into the steps while Vader attacks Bret with his own Canadian flag. Bret and Davey Boy fire back and each nail their respective opponents with flagpoles. Vader and the Patriot recover and the Patriot chokes out the Bulldog with Old Glory. The bell finally rings and Bret and the Bulldog discuss strategy on the floor; why Vader or the Patriot doesn’t go for the American flag here is beyond me. The Patriot gets the idea and goes for the flag but the Bulldog runs in and takes over. The Patriot gets a suplex and goes for the flag again but Bret cuts him off. The Patriot hiptosses Davey Boy and then lunge backdrops him; Vader tags in and pummels Davey and drops him with a standing body splash. Bret receives a tag and tries to outpunch Vader which does not go well for Hart. Vader misses an avalanche and the Bulldog clotheslines him from the apron; Bret hits a Russian leg sweep. Bret goes for the flag but Vader low blows him; Hart tries a sunset flip but Vader sits on him for a nearfall. Patriot and the Bulldog obtain tags and the Patriot hits a dropkick for two. He catches Bulldog on the corner and works him over there; he goes for the American flag but Bret interrupts. Hart stands on Patriot’s throat and instructs the Bulldog to go for the flag but Vader breaks it up with an inverted powerslam. Patriot posts his shoulder and Bret applies the ringpost figure-four; Vader avalanches the Bulldog from behind and then gets Bret to release the Patriot. Hart gets a tag and works over the Patriot slamming him and dropping an elbow; the Sharpshooter is applied but the Patriot reverses it so the Bulldog breaks it up. Vader takes out Davey Boy in the corner and Bret hops up on his back; the Patriot smartly climbs up the pile to try for the flag but Bret flicks him off the top. Hart goes back to abusing the Patriot and tags in the Bulldog and they team up for a decapitation move. The Patriot fights and makes the tag to Vader; he squashes the Bulldog and then back suplexes him. Vader hits a splash for a nearfall; he climbs for the flag and the Patriot takes out the Bulldog so Bret interrupts the climb. Davey Boy slows the match down more with a chinlock. Bret returns and kicks away and hits a back suplex. Hart ties up Vader into the Sharpshooter but Vader grabs the ropes. Bret won’t let go so the Patriot comes in and punches Vader free. Vader attempts the Sharpshooter to Bret but the Bulldog interrupts with a clothesline. Patriot comes in sans tag and hits a running shoulder tackle and applies a figure-four leglock. This match is suffering from lack of fire, and with Brian Pillman’s death hanging over their heads, it is understandable. Bret said in his book, Hitman: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling which is available for purchase, clicking here, that he was quite disappointed with Vader’s bring more concerned with the actual match than with the Pillman situation. The Bulldog legally tags and breaks up the hold, takes out Vader, and applies the delayed vertical suplex. The Patriot hits a powerslam and gets two so he heads for the flag but the Bulldog hangs him in the ropes. Bret returns and stomps in the corner; Bret drops a nice vertical suplex and drops legs. Hart goes for the flag but Vader cuts him off; Davey Boy wipes out the Patriot. He and Vader get legal tags and Vader goes for the moonsault but the Bulldog moves and Vader lands on his feet… impressive, most impressive. Vader pulverizes the Bulldog in the corner and goes for the flag, Bret cuts him off as the Patriot chokes in the other corner; Vader clotheslines Davey to the floor. Vader follows him to the floor where Bret nails him with the ring bell; Bret then hilariously places the bell gently back onto the timekeeper’s table. The Bulldog takes out the Patriot. Back in the ring, Bret tags in and works over Vader; with elbows and legdrops. Bret Hart scores with a DDT for a nearfall; Vader recovers and levels them both with a double clothesline and tags in the Patriot. He handles both Hart Foundation members and hits the Uncle Slam on Bret but the Bulldog interrupts the three count. As if this match wasn’t disjointed enough an idiot fan tries to get into the ring but the referee and the Bulldog kicks him out. Vader scores with a Vader Bomb on Hart. Vader and the Bulldog brawl on the floor while Bret reverses an O’Connor roll with a handful of tights for the three. Post-match, the battle ensues and Bret and Davey Boy escape with the victory. No flags were waived (despite it being a flag match) and the ending may have been messed up as a result of the fan interference. 3/10 This match suffered from Pillman’s death hanging over the heads of some of the competitors which (understandably so) really were not that into it. It was boing and lacked focus which is unfortunate considering if they were all on the same page it could have been an outstanding match. The fan who tried to get involved hurt the ending as well, just a bad match and bad situation all around.
Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels (w/Triple H, Chyna & Rick Rude) Hell in a Cell: Here is the debut of the structure known as the blow off for any blood feud. This match is available on a number of WWE DVDs Tombstone: The History of the Undertaker (available to purchase by clicking here) and the WWE’s Hell in a Cell DVD (available to purchase by clicking here). D-Generation X leaves the ring as the cell begins to lower. The door is locked by referee Earl Hebner at Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter’s request as Shawn begins to panic; he then ejects Hunter, Chyna and Rude from ringside. Taker slowly stalks HBK around the ring as the bell rings; Shawn tries to run the ropes but gets a big boot in the face. The Undertaker methodically takes Shawn apart tossing him into the turnbuckles as HBK flails all around the ring. Michaels tries to fight back, punching in the corner, Taker reverses a cross-corner whip and Shawn sails upside down in the corner. He strikes Shawn with trapped shoulderblocks and drops the Ropewalk Forearm. Undertaker slams Shawn and drops a big leg for a two count; a high angle backdrop sees Shawn bang his feet on the roof of the cell nearly causing him to land on his head. Taker misses a lariat but Michaels cannot capitalize because Taker immediately nails him and sends him over the top to the floor, nearly in to the cell. On the floor, Taker choke lifts Shawn into the cell, nearly taking out a cameraman in the cell, Shawn uses the distraction to attempt to climb the cage to get away but Taker catches him and flings him off the cell by his tights. Jim Ross gets a shot in on pro wrestling haters, saying that Shawn “knows how to fall”. Taker whips Shawn into the cell and clobbers him with a clothesline on the rebound, he repeats the spot for emphasis; Taker sets up for a powerbomb on the floor, Shawn grabs the cage to secure himself but the Undertaker shrugs it off and powerbomb-rams Michaels into the cage a few times. Shawn is dead; no one sells dead quite like Shawn (bad choice of words, I know, considering the Brian Pillman situation, perhaps too apt). Taker punches the shit out of HBK on the floor; he then posts Shawn into the ringpost and cell over and over, pillar to post, literally. HBK kicks a cameraman away in frustration but Taker grabs him and tries to javelin him into the cell, Shawn slips free and sends him into the cell, but Taker rebounds and mows him down with a lariat. Into the steps goes Shawn, and then Taker bionic elbows him in the face. Shawn goes back into the steel but avoids a charge and Taker runs into the cell; Shawn desperately mount punches his face. Shawn reenters the ring and collapses; Taker meets him on the apron and hangs Shawn off the top rope. Undertaker tries to reenter the ring again but Michaels knocks him off into the cell; HBK follows up with a topé. He climbs the cage to drop an elbow and then runs off the apron with a diving clothesline onto the Undertaker; Michaels dismantles the steps and slams them onto Taker’s back a few times. Shawn PILEDRIVES the Undertaker onto the steel steps and follows up with a ringpost assisted stomp. He cautiously comes off the top rope (so as not to kill himself on the cell, close quarters) with a double axe handle. Taker finally gets back into the ring and Shawn retreats and acquires a steel chair, mirroring the genesis of the feud, and lays Taker out with it in the back a few times but it only gets a nearfall. Michaels ties him in the ropes and pounds away; referee Hebner scolds him and backs him up, no DQ though, so Shawn pushes him aside and heads back over for more punishment but Taker has recovered some of his wits and boots the incoming Michaels in the face. Taker backdrops Shawn over the top onto a cameraman, Michaels is pissed, so he kicks the crap out of the cameraman. The commentators sell the concern for the (rather muscular) cameraman; HBK hits a flying forearm and drops a top-rope elbow. Commissioner Slaughter returns to ringside and they unlock cell to get medical help for the motionless cameraman; meanwhile, in the ring Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music but the Undertaker no-sells it and sits up. Shawn gets freaked out and forces himself out the unlocked door, Taker gives chase and slingshots him into the cell, busting him open; Taker adds to it, javelining HBK back into the cage a few times. HBK kicks Taker in the balls to get some breathing room and climbs to the top of the cell so Taker follows him up. They fight on the top of the cell, Shawn tries to piledrive him atop the cell, but he gets backdropped. Taker cheese-grates Shawn’s face in the chain links causing blood to drip down onto the camera lens below; he then press-slams Michaels onto the cage. Shawn tries to escape down the other side of the cell but Taker catches him and sends him falling off the side of the cage through the announce table. A spot which now looks tame thanks to Mankind. Taker follows him down and press-slams HBK onto the remains of the table; Taker drags Michaels back into the cell and the door is locked again. He chokeslams Shawn off the top-rope; Taker heads to the floor for a little poetic justice with a chair, he absolutely KILLS Shawn with a chairshot to the head. The Undertaker gives the throat-cut taunt but the lights go out as eerie organ music plays as Paul Bearer debuts Taker’s “little” brother Kane. Undertaker stands in awe as Kane rips the locked door off of the cell and kills referee Hebner tossing him into the cell. Kane climbs into the ring and stares his brother down he lights the ringposts on fire, Tombstones the Undertaker and leaves. Paul Bearer tosses some water onto the referee to revive him; Shawn crawls out of a pool of his own blood and drapes his arm across the Undertaker as Hebner drags himself back into the ring for a weary three count. Post-match, Helmsley, Chyna and Rude return and drag Shawn’s bloody carcass out of the ring. 9/10 1997 was a great year for wrestling matches whereas this would have been a MOTY in most other years but with two matches better it winds up second or third depending where you place it. The debut of Kane is a major storyline as he is the only wrestler brought is specifically for the Undertaker to feud with and survived past the initial storyline to have a decent WWF career. The Hell in a Cell concept was new but Shawn and Taker went far beyond the call of duty to make this entertaining; great match.
OVERALL 4.5/10 The entire PPV sucked until the main event. It is obviously due to Brian Pillman’s untimely death and the shock it had on the performers; cannot fault anyone for that. The Hell in a Cell and subsequent debut of Kane make the pay-per-view more well-known but Pillman’s passing casts a big shadow over it.