This is my continued look into the most profitable era in wrestling history for an extensive breakdown of what I am doing click here.
RAW:
We open this week with a quick recap of the shenanigans to end last week. This segment is topped off with a naked Goldust using the Intercontinental belt to cover his naughty bits. He lets Ahmed Johnson know if he wants the belt to come and get it. 3.5 stars Goldust is easily one of the best characters on TV. He makes every angle, every interview and every match so much better.
Cut to Vince and the King to confirm that we will indeed get to see the intercontinental title match between Ahmed Johnson and Goldust at the King of the Ring. We head to the ring to see Spark Plug Bob Holly vs Stone Cold Steve Austin. Three minutes of talking about Ahmed Johnson vs Goldust and British Bulldog vs Shawn Michaels before we finally start talking about the match that is on our screen. Austin is in complete control of this match and the crowd is booing him. Austin seems to love it as he is smiling every chance he gets. Came back from commercial and heard Bob Holly had some offense. Holly starts to mount a comeback and brings the fight to Austin who out of nowhere slaps the million dollar dream on him for the win. Good showing by Austin but not a great match 2 stars.
Recap of last weeks interference by Lawler and the announcement that it'll be Warrior vs the King at King of the Ring. Jerry shows us a cover he has drawn for King Comics that shows Lawler pummeling the Warrior. We go to the ring for Barry Horowitz vs Mankind where Barry Horowitz is just completely over matched. Cool spot halfway through the beat down where Mankind hung Horowitz in the tree of wow and hit him with some weird elbow drop/ headbutt move. They move out to ringside where mankind starts pulling his own hair out. Vince screams that there is a chill and the Undertaker must be here as we head to commercial. Back from commercial with Horowitz mounting a little offense which quickly becomes a Mandible Claw for the win. JR heads to the ring to interview Mankind. Mankind pulls out more hair while calling out the Undertaker. He talks about his missing ear and missing teeth and that he has lost his mind. He ends the interview with a high pitched squeal. This was definitely a squash match used to make Mankind look deranged, unstable and unbeatable and it accomplished all three. He is such a creepy character with some of the creepiest music in wrestling history and he elevates every thing he is involved in. Barry Horowitz bumped like crazy and made Mankind look even more dangerous. The match was 2 stars at best but the overall presentation and character work definitely elevate this to 3.5 stars.
We then head to some rare live footage of the last pay per view, In Your House: Beware of Dog. After the highlights we come back to a naked Goldust and another recap of the Ahmed Johnson revival from last week. This leads to a Goldust interview where he discusses movie quotes, saving Ahmed's life and how chocolate feels in his mouth while eating a Crunch bar. After this there is no question in my mind that Goldust is the best character on TV. he's entertaining and so over the top that I can't look away and hang on every word. I was annoyed when I saw the footage from last week but Goldust delivered an amazing promo that knocked this entire segment out of the park. Solid 5 stars
We head back to the ring for a match between the Godwinns vs Techno Team 2000 with Sunny on commentary. Before the match starts we cut to a clip of the Bodydonnas that announced they are searching for a new manager. A ho hum match that is drawn out even more because of Sunny's grandstanding and the King's perversion. Thankfully this match went to commercial so I could get a break from it all. Henry it's the SlopDrop for the win. 1 Star
Cut to a phone interview from Clarence Mason where he is accusing Gorilla Monson for his injuries. 0 Stars
Back to the ring for a first round King of the Ring match up with Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs Jake the Snake Roberts. Hunter is very smooth and is doing an amazing job playing the heel. Vince brings up that Razor Ramon and Diesel have left the WWF and they are portraying themselves as invaders when in fact they are under contract with a rival corporation. And yet another commercial break. Decent match that is interrupted by another commercial after an extended time talking about the Warrior vs the King. Shortly after we return Jake Roberts hits the DDT for the pin. Roberts teases shoving the snake down HHH's pants as we end the show. Two commercial breaks and the announcers talking about everything but what was happening in the ring really drug down what was a sub par match to begin with. HHH is very smooth and very talented but Jake Roberts is not only showing his age but is also showing that he can't stand toe to toe with the younger talent. The wrong guy won this match and advances in the King of the Ring tournament. 1 Star
For the second week in a row the WWE's presentation is littered with commercial breaks, unnecessary comedy and unfortunately this week also included some horrible skits and matches. The two best characters on TV saved this show by delivering the way they were supposed too. Goldust and Mankind continue to pave the way in the WWF. I can't in all honesty recommend this show but if anything you need to watch the Goldust and Mankind segments. As a whole presentation I honestly can't go higher than 2 stars.
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