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WWF Shotgun Saturday Night: February 22, 1997

LIVE from the depths of Shawn Michaels’ ass-crack (hey, I found his smile!) – it’s Shotgun Saturday Night! Of course, we’re not actually live, because we scrapped this show’s format weeks ago. But … it’s Saturday night! Taped on some other night!

VINCE MCMAHON and JAMES E CORNETTE welcome us to Some Unclear Location in front of … well, a fairly big crowd all told.


THE BRITISH BULLDOG (1-2-0) vs. CRUSH (3-2-0) (with Clarence Mason)

Someone appears to have doodled a penis on Crush’s forehead.


Cornette takes offense to the crowd chanting “Jailbird” since the folks in attendance look like “they’ve spent a few nights slummin’ with the warden”. Yes – but were they tattooed with phallic scribbling? That’s the real key to knowing if you’ve truly been on the inside. PG-13A WELL DRESSED MAN, and D’LO BROWN head down to ringside to support Crush, which is a double cross of Clarence Mason’s clients – and before we can find out what happens, we take a commercial break.

OWEN HART and his Slammy have come down to even the odds, and in fact play peacemaker, shaking the hands of his good friend Clarence. Crush doesn’t need the help anyway, as a belly to belly suplex sets up the dreaded nerve hold of eternal damnation. A big boot only gets 2 – shocking considering the eternal damnation of that nerve hold he just felt. A backbreaker gets 2, but only because Crush took about 8 years to go for the pinfall after hitting the move. Gotta keep on top of your man – prison should have taught you that! The black power fist sets up an elbowdrop, but it misses and Bulldog hits a neckbreaker. A standing vertical suplex (6 seconds!) dizzies Crush, and Bulldog dumps him before throwing a cheap shot at a Nation member on the apron! Back to Crush, Bulldog suplexes him back in, but SAVIO VEGA hooks his leg, tripping him up, and Crush falls on top for the pin at 8:22. *1/2

Bulldog freaks out, and calls Clarence Mason back to the ring. “Whose side are you on? And whose side are YOU on?” – glaring at Owen on that second one. Bulldog fires Mason no fewer than 8 consecutive times, to really get his point across. Owen completely disagrees, but stays loyal to family.

TL HOPPER (0-1-0) vs. GOLDUST (2-4-0)

Marlena’s absent of course, still tending to injuries from the unnamed Amazon woman who shook her like a martini on Monday night. Hopper looks exceptionally confused by the concept of Goldust, and Cornette helps us out by pointing out “they don’t have things like Goldust down in Tennessee”. Of course, mind games aren’t expected to work here because “Hopper doesn’t even have the game pieces”. Cornette’s so on fire tonight he’d ignite Jake Roberts’ breath if he got too close. Goldust wins with the Curtain Call at 4:39. DUD

After recapping the entire saga of Monday Night’s attempt to run the title match between Bret and Sid, SYCHO SID hits the live arena to share what’s on his mind with KEVIN KELLY. Dear god yes, Kevin, please don’t miss a beat here! I need to know how he feels about all the hottest topics of 1997. Does he agree with Princess Diana’s stance to ban land mines? What do we make of the rise of Microsoft as the world’s most valuable company? Does he enjoy Savage Garden? Is Tony Blair truly the best the UK can do? Does the prosecution have a tighter case for OJ’s civil trial? Was he really at McDonalds with Kato at the time of the murders? Is the golfing world ready to accept Tiger Woods? Did he consider taking a bit part in the summer hit “The Full Monty”? Come on Kevin, don’t let me down. Unfortunately, Kevin Kelly is still Kevin Kelly, and he does the second best thing – just let Sid ramble about whatever he feels like. He circles the ring while screaming words that vaguely tie in “Undertaker” “Sid” and “I’m The Man”. Whatever the case, Sid doesn’t seem remotely concerned about his upcoming series with Taker – an unlikely candidate to ever shit his pants in the presence of the phenom.

THE HEADBANGERS (3-1-1) vs. THE GODWINNS (1-3-1) (with Hillbilly Jim and Cletus T Judd)

Jesus Christ, can we PLEASE stop running out this combination on every second edition of this show? When the main eventers aren’t in the house, this roster is *terrible*. Thankfully, we aren’t subjected to this, when two homosexual cowboys, allegedly “BARRY WINDHAM” and “JUSTIN HAWK BRADSHAW”, run in at 1:26. They beat the piss out of the swine farmers, and Vince calls for a commercial break.

THE HEADBANGERS (3-1-2) vs. THE NEW BLACKJACKS

Brokeback Mountain got themselves booked in place of the Godwinns, who’ve … simply vaporized, apparently? There were 4 of them, they just openly agreed to leave? Why aren’t more fans storming the ring during every Godwinn appearance then? We’d be rid of them in no time! Bradshaw is billed as the son of Blackjack Lanza, because apparently the truth (he’s his nephew) would simply kill his credibility. As stupid as Bradshawk looks, Windham looks positively ridiculous with the jet black hair and wispy moustache. I’m all for changing up your look; in fact, Bradshaw underwent one of the finest transformations of all time when he became JBL, but trading out your trademark blonde mop for a handful of shoe polish and a 70’s prison pussy probably isn’t the smartest of career moves. THE GODWINNS return to break this up at 2:17.


Paul Heyman’s phone call from RAW is replayed. Will ECW actually show up on RAW in the Manhattan Center? That’s the big question between now and then – and we’ll be headed over there after an exciting episode of Superstars, so hold on to your socks boys and girls, it’s gonna be a big one.

Comments

  1. Still feels weird to consider that Barry Windham was employed by the major companies for all of the 90s, he got so little use after 93 that it was just out of sight, out of mind. I didn't watch Shotgun so he was easy to miss.

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  2. Yeah, when he came back to WCW in 98-99 I thought he had been gone for years.

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  3. >Does the prosecution have a tighter case for OJ’s civil trial?


    Prosecutions aren't involved in civil trials. I think you mean plaintiffs.

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  4. "they don’t have things like Goldust down in Tennessee"

    They don't have flamboyant movie buffs? Well, that's common knowledge, I thought!

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  5. The Stalker - hunting gimmick
    New Blackjack

    Those ran in 1996-1998. Windham was off and on but was considered over the hill even then. He seemingly had a farewell comeback in Dusty's TCW for a few years before it closed down.

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  6. Slamboree 94 should've been his last appearance. Not a great but a decent match against Flair. Everything after that.... Not good.

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  7. I only got to see "I don't give a shit" Windham, was blown away when I finally saw his late 80s/early 90s stuff

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  8. Great wrestler, but he didn't really "want it". If he'd given 1/8th of one shit in the mid-90s......picture a motivated Windham fighting the nWo.......

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  9. The Flair/Benoit/Anderson Horseman with Windham instead of McMichael.

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  10. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH. At a minimum, the match quality would've gone way up. Can anyone name a good one-on-one Mongo match?

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  11. There are none on record. I checked historyofwwe.com

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  12. '70's Prison pussy' - yes, yes....1000 times yes!

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  13. I'm glad I finished my drink because '70's Prison pussy' has spit take written all over it.

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  14. Am I the only guy out there who thought "The Widowmaker" was super badass and wished he stuck around?!

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  15. I thought "The Stalker" was a better gimmick. It's working for Cuerno in Lucha Underground.

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  16. I think Rachel Riley doodled on Crush's forehead while he was sleeping https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peLXmKePK-Q

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  17. I loved Windham but he was such an NWA act. Something never clicked with him in WWF.

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  18. Wasn't this the first SSN that they filmed in the arena ala Superstars?

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