#shortest lived wrestling match in history

[nejackdaw]

Just got emotional playing Zero Dawn bc. My cow he. I get to the gate and there's monsters, so obviously I want him to be safe because he's my baby. I deal with most of them but the huge one wanders close to him trying to find me and my cow KICKS ITS ASS. Like. VIOLENTLY. Knocks the bastard over twice in a row. I wanted to keep him safe...... I forgot he also wants to keep me safe. That's my son 😭💞

[fromtheringapron]

WCW Bash at the Beach 2000

Date: July 9, 2000.

Location: Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. 

Attendance: 6,572 

Commentary: Tony Schiavone, Mark Madden, and Scott Hudson.

Results:

1. WCW Cruiserweight Championship Match: Lieutenant Loco (champion) defeated Juventud Guerrera. 

2. WCW Hardcore Championship Match: Big Vito (champion) defeated Norman Smiley and Ralphus. 

3. Wedding Gown Match: Daffney (with Crowbar) defeated Miss Hancock (with David Flair). 

4. WCW Tag Team Championship Match: KroniK (Brian Adams and Bryan Clark) defeated The Perfect Event (Seas Stasiak and Chuck Palumbo) (champions) to win the titles. 

5. Chris Kanyon defeated Booker T. 

6. WCW United States Championship Match: Mike Awesome defeated Scott Steiner (champion) (with Midajah) via disqualification. 

7. Shane Douglas defeated Buff Bagwell. 

8. WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Hollywood Hogan defeated Jeff Jarrett (champion) to “win” the title. 

9. Goldberg defeated Kevin Nash. 

10. WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match: Booker T defeated Jeff Jarrett (champion) to win the title. 

My Review

Oh, man, where to begin with Bash at the Beach 2000? Certainly one of the more noteworthy shows of the Russo-penned, dying days of WCW, although obviously not for the right reasons. The company is just a complete mess at this point. They’re losing millions of dollars, title changes and storylines are impossible to keep up with, and worst of all, they’re trying way too hard to be edgy like the much more successful WWF. This is the same pay-per-view event where, a mere four years previous, WCW made the ultimate power move by turning Hulk Hogan heel and cemented themselves as the number-one promotion in America. Now they’re circling the drain and trying everything to paddle themselves upstream. A prime example how things can unravel in such a relatively short period of time.

The show is infamous for its worked shoot involving Vince Russo and Hulk Hogan, which becomes a legit shoot and drove the latter out of the company for good. It’s something I wouldn’t even bother explaining to a person who doesn’t watch wrestling and, to be honest, it’s a bit difficult for me to wrap my head around it too. In the shortest way I can sum it up, Russo cuts a worked promo on Hogan. It crosses the line when Russo goes off the script and personally insults Hogan, whose ego is famously more fragile than freshly laid eggs. Hogan gets pissed, leaves WCW, and files a lawsuit. Oh, yeah, and it’s all fucking embarrassing to watch. For all of Russo’s bonkers and distasteful storylines, his worked shoot stuff is by far his worst. Such a blatant, transparent attempt at generating Montreal-like controversy and it’s fooling absolutely no one. Just watching everyone else, from the wrestlers to the commentary team, play along with the bullshit is a huge amount of cringe.

When this show isn’t going completely off the rails, it’s dreadfully boring, which is kinda weird to say. It’s not like there isn’t a lot going on. In fact, there’s a ton going on here. Unfortunately, the majority of the storylines are twisted into oblivion to the point where it’s hard to care about any of them. I’m already struggling to remember a Scott Steiner heel turn on this show that happens for, um, reasons?!? WWF storylines could get hella twisty around this time, but they didn’t lose sight of developing characters you could invest yourself in. WCW has all the twists, but they forget the characters. They’re also ensconced in the New Blood vs. Millionaires Club storyline, which is booked ass backwards. Pitting rookies against veterans isn’t a bad idea at all, but we’re really supposed to buy the Nash’s and Hogan’s of the world as the babyfaces despite their egos and ridiculous amount of creative control being what drove the company’s decline in the first place.

Tragically lost amidst all of this stuff is the rise of Booker T, one of the bright spots of late WCW. It’s great watching him over the course of his WCW run, transforming from an anonymous half of a tag team to the super charismatic dude we know him as today. I guess that’s what makes it so unsavory that all of the embarrassing Hogan nonsense really puts a damper on his coronation here. Everyone involved tries hard to make it a special moment, and his match with Jarrett is quite good, but it all feels a little off. Thanks to the booking, the match is announced out of nowhere, right after the audience is essentially screwed out of the main event title match they paid to see in Hogan vs. Jarrett. They could’ve had something a lot more special on their hands if they invested more time Booker’s chase of the title, but then such a thing would be asking a lot from WCW at this stage.

Nonetheless, Booker’s victory is touted by the commentary team as the culmination of hard work and perseverance. That’s the truth, but it’s also a sad truth: there were a ton of hard-working people in WCW until the bitter end. For all the corporate hands involved in the company who largely didn’t care for wrestling, there were a bunch of people from the roster to the backstage employees who gave a damn and tried to put on the best show they could. When the company finally went belly up, most of these hard-working folks had little to show for it. Due to all of Russo’s machinations, it’s easy to paint late WCW as a soulless, barren wasteland of ineptitude and low morale, but there was a heart beating somewhere in there that was determined to keep the ship afloat.

My Random Notes 

Adding onto the depression, the buyrate for Bash at the Beach 1998 just two years earlier was a 1.5, the second highest in WCW history, and the buyrate for this show was a paltry 0.22, which still somehow makes it one of the most bought WCW pay-per-views of the year 2000.

Misfits in Action and The Filthy Animals have been feuding for months, apparently over which stable is more embarrassing. I’m gonna go with MIA. They’re so representative of Russo’s sense of humor. HAHA THERE’S A GUY NAMED PRIVATE STASH. YOU KNOW LIKE THE WEED HAHAHA *stabs self in the eye with a screwdriver*

This show reminds me of Mark Madden’s existence and now I’m depressed. It’s already one thing to borrow Jerry Lawler’s whole obnoxious perv schtick, but a whole other fucking thing to somehow be even less likable than Lawler in that role.

My favorite part of the show is definitely the Graveyard Match, which is the sort of late WCW content I can appreciate. Vampiro jumping off a tree! Fights in a pond! This is my kind of shit. How far was that graveyard from the arena, by the way? And how are we supposed to believe Vampiro found his way back? This is pre-Uber times and I’m curious.

God, the poster for this show is frickin’ ugly. Why is there an action figure of Randy Anderson just hanging out there?

I could say many things about the Wedding Gown match, but I’ll leave it at feeling bad for the people who put all the effort into that wedding cake just to have it destroyed. No justice for the people who bake goods for wrestling segments.

One of this show’s most unforgivable qualities is the lack of the amazing Bash at the Beach entrance set, sandbox and all. I’m not sure what lead to the finer things in WCW’s presentation disappearing but at this point you could watch Bash at the Beach and Halloween Havoc and aesthetically feel like you’re watching the same show.

I did a half-assed attempt at researching the current whereabouts of Ralphus. Still haven’t got a clear answer yet. My search led me to r/squaredscircle and I read a range of answers from people saying he died to some random person saying “He lives in Orlando with a heart condition and diabetes. He’s my uncle.” Take that info for what it’s worth.

[blackkudos]

Leon Spinks

Leon Spinks (born July 11, 1953) is an American former boxer who was the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. Spinks had an overall record of 26 wins, 17 losses and three draws as a professional, with 14 of those wins by knockout. In only his eighth professional bout, Spinks won the undisputed world heavyweight championship when he beat Muhammad Ali on February 15, 1978, in what was considered one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. However, he was stripped of the WBC title for fighting Ali in an unapproved rematch seven months later, which he lost by a 15-round unanimous decision. Besides being heavyweight champion and his characteristic gap-toothed grin (due to losing two and later all four of his front teeth), Spinks gained notoriety for the disaster which befell his career following the loss to Ali.

Prior to turning professional, Spinks won a bronze medal at the inaugural 1974 World Amateur Boxing Championships in Havana. Two years later, he capped off his amateur career by winning a gold medal in the light heavyweight division at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, alongside his brother Michael Spinks, who won the gold at middleweight. Leon defeated Cuban great Sixto Soria in an entertaining slugfest where Spinks was rocked several times by the much more polished fighter but landed a crushing overhand right that put Soria face down on the canvas. His Olympic teammates included Sugar Ray Leonard, Leo Randolph and Howard Davis Jr. Spinks also served on active duty in the United States Marine Corps from 1973 to 1976.

Professional career

Spinks debuted professionally on January 15, 1977 in Las Vegas, Nevada, beating Bob Smith by knockout in five rounds. His next fight was in Liverpool, England, where he beat Peter Freeman by a first round knockout. Later, he saw an improvement in opposition quality, when he fought Pedro Agosto of Puerto Rico and knocked him out in round one. He then fought Scott LeDoux to a draw and defeated Italian champion Alfio Righetti by a decision.

First Ali match

Now a lower ranked contender, he made history on February 15, 1978, by beating Muhammad Ali on a 15-round split decision in Las Vegas. Spinks won the world heavyweight title in his eighth professional fight, the shortest time in history. The aging Ali had expected an easy fight, but he was out-boxed by Spinks, who did not tire throughout the bout. It was one of the few occasions when Ali left the ring with a bruised and puffy face.

Spinks' victory over Ali was the peak of his career. He was the only man to take a title from Muhammad Ali in the ring, as Ali's other losses were non-title contests or bouts where Ali was the challenger. Spinks' gap-toothed grin was featured on the cover of the February 19, 1978 issue of Sports Illustrated.

However, Spinks was stripped of his world title by the WBC for refusing to defend it against Ken Norton, instead agreeing to a return bout against Ali to defend his WBA crown. The title, stripped from Spinks, was then awarded to Norton.

The Ali rematch

His second match with Ali, at the Louisiana Superdome on September 15, 1978, went badly for Spinks. A now in-shape Ali—with better, sharper tactics—rarely lost control, winning back his title by a unanimous fifteen-round decision. Ali regained the title, becoming the first three-time heavyweight champion.

Career development

Spinks's next fight, his only one in 1979, was at Monte Carlo, where he was knocked out in the first round by future WBA world heavyweight champion Gerrie Coetzee. In the following fight, Spinks defeated former world title challenger and European title holder Alfredo Evangelista by a knockout in round 5. He fought to a draw in with Eddie López, and beat the WBC's top-ranked challenger, Bernardo Mercado, by a knockout in round nine.

The Holmes title fight

His strong performance against Mercado earned Spinks a title match against Larry Holmes. In Spinks' only fight in 1981, and what would be his last chance opportunity at the heavyweight title, he had a clear loss by a TKO in the third round at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on June 12.

Changes weight division

It was Spinks' last heavyweight bout for years, as he began boxing in the cruiserweight division. He beat contender Ivy Brown by a decision in ten rounds, and a gained a decision against former and future title challenger Jesse Burnett in twelve rounds.

When his brother Michael Spinks defeated Larry Holmes in a controversial upset for the IBF heavyweight championship in 1985, they became the only brothers to have held world heavyweight championships. They kept the distinction until the Klitschko brothers became champions two decades later.

In the 1980s Leon Spinks competed in several boxer vs. wrestler matches in New Japan Pro Wrestling, including losing by submission to Antonio Inoki. In 1986 Spinks earned his last championship opportunity, fighting Dwight Muhammad Qawi for the WBA cruiserweight championship. Qawi had been defeated by Michael Spinks three years earlier for his WBC light heavyweight championship. However, Leon Spinks lost by TKO in the sixth round. During the fight, Qawi taunted Spinks as he beat him mercilessly in a corner.

Spinks boxed for another eight years with mixed results. In 1994 he lost a bout by KO to John Carlo, the first time a former heavyweight champion had lost to a boxer making his pro debut (promoter Charles Farrell later admitted to falsifying Carlo's record in order to get the fight sanctioned by the District of Columbia). Spinks retired at age 42, after losing an 8 round decision to Fred Houpe in 1995, who was coming off a seventeen-year hiatus.

Professional boxing record

Amateur career

1974, 1975, and 1976 National AAU light heavyweight champion

Defeated future champion Michael Dokes for first AAU title in 1974

Olympic results

Defeated Abellatif Fatihi (Morocco) KO 1

Defeated Anatoly Klimanov (Soviet Union) 5-0

Defeated Ottomar Sachse (East Germany) 5-0

Defeated Janusz Gortat (Poland) 5-0

Defeated Sixto Soria (Cuba) RSC 3

After boxing

During the 1990s, Spinks worked for Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling, winning its world title in 1992 making him the only man to hold titles in both boxing and wrestling. In the late 1990s, Spinks was a headliner on year-round, touring autograph shows.

In 2009 Spinks was featured as part of the 2009 documentary Facing Ali, in which notable former opponents of Ali speak about how fighting Ali changed their lives.

As of 2012, Spinks lives in Columbus, Nebraska. He told a reporter his life is "comfortable", and that he keeps a low profile.

"I love helping the kids," he says. He loves being a hero to them and he also still loves working a room.

Personal life

His son, Cory Spinks, held the undisputed welterweight title and was the International Boxing Federation Junior Middleweight champion in 2006–2008.

In 1990, his son, Leon Calvin, was shot to death in East St. Louis as he was driving home from his girlfriend's house. Leon Calvin, 19, was a light heavyweight boxer who had turned pro the month before his murder.

http://wikipedia.thetimetube.com/?q=Leon+Spinks&lang=en

[bapakharyoso]

Ron Elkman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

The Rock could still make occasional appearances for WWE , but Hollywood's action superstar has hung up his wrestling boots for good. 

Appearing on  Live with Kelly and Ryan , Rock announced he had " quietly retired from wrestling" because he accomplished everything he wanted to in the squared circle. 

Assuming The Rock doesn't have another match, his final bout was one for the history books. The future WWE Hall of Famer beat Erick Rowan in six seconds at WrestleMania 32, making it the shortest match in the event's storied history. 

The Great One could be

...

[junker-town]

THE TOP WHATEVER, ranking only the teams that must be ranked

It’s the 2018 return of The Top Whatever, college football’s weekly ranking of only the teams that must be ranked.

The Top Whatever exists for one reason: So I can rank teams however the hell I want to rank them.

This is because rankings are generally silly, especially amid Week 1. There is little actual evidence to say whether anyone is good. The stats will be half-lies. Everyone is rusty, and some teams are still figuring out which players they need to start to be successful. (Some good teams, even.)

The formula for ranking teams after Week 1 looks like this for most people:

70 percent credit carried over from last season

20 percent performance in Week 1

10 percent petty personal grudges about teams or coaches they do not like

The most respectable part of that formula is the petty, because at least that’s consistent. My formula is much simpler:

40 percent petty personal grudges

30 percent strength of wins

20 percent how good I think they could be potentially

10 percent arbitrary judgment about whether a team was fun to watch

The formula may change at any moment. There will be no clarifications or explanations going forward. If this seems silly, then consider that you’re the one who thinks this is science or even a good idea. I never said it was a good idea. I said it’d be fun.

1. UCF. Champs stay champs by defeating bitter rivals UConn 56-17. HAIL.

2. North Texas. Beat SMU 46-23, which is just fine. A lot of important teams did just fine in Week 1, because most teams schedule lightly, but only one team in FBS offered fans a postgame wrestling match free with purchase of a ticket. Was it a classy affair, you ask?

HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN WAS THERE. Asked and answered, next please.

I’ve seen it all. Hacksaw Jim Duggan wresting at North Texas. pic.twitter.com/qm8cbDjADw

— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) September 2, 2018

No other football team in America gives its fans a win in football, the chance to see a real wrasslin’ match on the same field on the same night, and can also claim Stone Cold Steve Austin as a former player.

For one week and one week alone, the Mean Green are among the chair-swingin’, beer-slamming kings of the sport. Hit us over the head with a folding chair if you disagree, but please swing hard, because the last thing I would want to do is live through the horrible experience of someone hitting me in the head with an actual folding chair.

3. Alabama. 51-14 over Louisville, a good team that will do good things later this season. There are good players — new starting QB Jawon Pass looked pretty great at times — and a good coach.

There is also a good chance this will be forgotten completely because this happened against Alabama, a team that sometimes makes FBS opponents look like FCS cupcakes. Some teams struggle when they play two QBs on offense. Some two-QB teams blow out pretty good competition by 37 points.

Some teams give Nick Saban a thin excuse to be weirdly hostile to a reporter on national television, but Saban really doesn’t need an excuse to do that anyway. Don’t give Alabama credit for that. They did enough other actually good things on Saturday to keep their account full for a few weeks.

4. Cody Thompson, Toledo. Author of the most efficient football play in the history of football plays, imo.

One of the shortest punt return TDs in the history of football. #SCtop10

A post shared by SportsCenter (@sportscenter) on Sep 1, 2018 at 8:21pm PDT

Run that every time, never lose a game. See, football is easy.

5. Auburn. 21-16 over Washington in a game that really was like a lot of Week 1: the same two teams from last year, playing a game this year with almost no changes in appearance. Washington still looked like a really well-coached team being torn to pieces at the line of scrimmage by larger defensive linemen.

Auburn looked a lot like last year’s team, too — the version without running back Kerryon Johnson in the lineup. Auburn without a consistent running back played low-scoring games and scrapped along on defense and field goals. That might be what Auburn is for a minute until they figure out the red zone offense, and that was good enough to beat Washington anyway, so yeah. No complaints about plug-ugly-but-effective, is what I’m saying, Auburn. You could get plug-ugly and ineffective, but then you’d be Michigan.

6. TACTICAL REF. Computer show me “swole-ass nerd.”

AND I SHALL CALL HIM: TACTICAL REF pic.twitter.com/2jOSICHz40

— BUM CHILLUPS (@edsbs) September 2, 2018

King of swole-ass nerds, I salute you, and the “accountant who can brawl” look you rock so hard.

7. Notre Dame. Made Michigan look a very exact king of plug-ugly in a hammering, 24-17 win. The Irish looked efficient. They had barely 300 yards of offense, but made it count. They let Michigan have about the same amount, but let it go nowhere and got timely pressures and turnovers when needed most.

They’re actually not that categorically different than Michigan, except for the whole “We could actually run the ball” thing. This is basically going to be the reason Notre Dame can win any other game it plays this year, and why a three-loss Michigan will probably go to the Outback or Citrus Bowl and still end up beating Florida.

I don’t write the rules, I just read them, and that’s what is going to happen. Go Gators.

8. West Virginia. 40-14 flex over Tennessee. A rebuilding Tennessee, but whatever, the Mountaineers aren’t the ones to blame for Tennessee showing up for with a PARDON OUR MESS sign taped to each helmet.

By October, Will Grier is going to have full season of QB-type numbers, because he just threw for 429 yards and five TDs against an SEC defense*.

* Which one? Well, that’s a very good question, gotta go—

9. Ohio State. 77-31 over Oregon State, and let’s just remember that Oregon State went 1-11 last year, is very bad at football right now, and in a soccer relegation-type situation would have been sent down a level years ago at this point. This makes Oregon State the Blackpool of the Pac-12, which is actually insanely cool. Congratulations, Oregon State.

P.S. Ohio State is still disgustingly talented at every position on the field, this ranking means nothing, and I never answer my emails so don’t bother writing one.

[placetobenation]

*** Scott & JT’s Vintage Vault Refresh reviews are a chronological look back at WWE PPV and TV history that began with a review of WrestleMania I. The PICs have revisited these events and refreshed all of their fun facts that provide insight into the match, competitors and state of the company as well as their overviews of the match action and opinions and thoughts on the outcomes. In addition, Jeff Jarvis assists in compiling historical information and the Fun Facts in each of the reviews. Also, be sure to leave feedback on the reviews at our Facebook page. Enjoy! ***

Monday Night Raw #110

May 8, 1995 (Taped April 24, 1995) Civic Auditorium Omaha, NE Announcers: Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

1) Jeff Jarrett defeats Doink the Clown in a non-title match via submission with the figure four at 6:55

Fun Fact: On the May 7 episode of WWF Action Zone (recorded on 4/26), Bob Holly pinned Jeff Jarrett in an Intercontinental title match. Unfortunately for Holly, Jarrett’s foot was on the ropes. The decision was overturned and the title vacated. The next week on the show, Jarrett defeated Holly in a rematch for the vacant title. Holly’s title win was never recognized by the WWF.

Fun Fact II: Double J and Doink had issues last year, including Jeff Jarrett trying to kidnap sidekick Dink during the KotR qualifiers. Tonight, Doink gets a shot that Jarrett’s IC title.

Scott: Didn’t this feud end about a year ago? No one cares about Doink anymore, and care about Dink even less. Jarrett is set to face Razor Ramon Sunday as part of a handicap match and the Bad Guy is out of commission after what happened last week. So Jarrett, who re-won his IC Title on Action Zone after those issues with Bob Holly, takes on this stupid clown who should have left the promotion after that mess with the midgets at Survivor Series. At least when Doink fought actual decent wrestlers he brought something to the ring instead of the parlor tricks and fart noises we get when he wrestles jobbers. The match went back and forth with Lawler doing his cheap midget jokes on Dink. Doink may have actually won the match but the Roadie chop blocked Doink and Jarrett slaps on the Figure Four for the victory. Jarrett is slowly moving up the ranks as one of the top heels in the company, even with the goofy gimmick and light up hat. Grade: **

JT: We are back for another big edition of Monday Night Raw, coming at you via videotape from Omaha. Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler have the call and it does seem like the King may have permanently taken the color job after stretches of guests in the roles since Bobby Heenan and Randy Savage each walked away. As we edge every so closer to the first In Your House PPV we have lots to cover, including Bret Hart deciding to wrestle both Hakushi and the King this Sunday night. And the King is gloating over his subterfuge and vows to end this rivalry once and for all in Syracuse. We open up with a non-title match as Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett battles old nemesis Doink the Clown. Doink has really been on the outer edges of the cheese platter since 1994 ended but he is still hanging around causing mischief it seems. And with Doink we also get Dink of course. Jarrett had been mired in some controversy as of late as it seemed he lost his IC strap to Bob Holly a week ago but ended up regaining it yesterday after it was declared vacant. Lawler immediately starts mocking Dink and telling stories of his past attacks on the clowns, and we even get footage from a year ago when he and Double J pied Dink. Vince informs us that this is non-title because Jarrett wasn’t technically champ when the match was signed. Doink starts hot and even gets a shot in on Roadie as he works the arm of Jarrett. Lawler says Roadie will prove he is an accomplished wrestler in the handicap match on Sunday as Doink maintains control of the bout. Jarrett trips up Doink but whiffs on an elbow drop and goes back to the arm. Jarrett catches Doink with a back elbow and Roadie tries to get involved but Doink foils him again and then gets a roll up on the champ for a near fall. Jarrett was able to battle back and spike Doink’s face to the mat and then drop him with a back elbow. Lawler kept mocking Dink as Doink had a brief comeback before missing an elbow drop. Jarrett stomped away and blocked another comeback attempt, controlling the clown with strikes and a chinlock right through a commercial break. Jarrett starts to work the leg as Lawler and Vince pepper in some current events talk in regard to Bob Backlund’s big special announcement later tonight. Double J hooked in a sleeper but Doink hung on and eventually broke free and landed a DDT. The fired up clown followed with a powerslam for two and looked to win the match with the stump puller. However, with the referee tied up with Dink, Roadie hopped in the ring and clobbered Doink from behind. Jarrett pounced up and hooked the figure four for the win. This was a fine TV match with Jarrett dominating the action and Doink making a couple of nice comeback attempts. The finish was good too as we continue to push the fact that Roadie is a big piece of Jarrett’s success, all leading to his in ring debut in less than a week. That all said, it’s time for the clowns to just go away for good. Grade: *1/2

*** We check out a vignette for the soon-to-be-arriving workout gurus, The Bodydonnas, Skip and Sunny. Bam Bam Bigelow then narrates us through his tumultuous 1995. ***

*** Vince McMahon heads to the ring to chat with Psycho Sid and Ted DiBiase, who reveals that he has been in cahoots with Sid for quite a while now. He tells us that he suggested to Shawn Michaels that he needed a bodyguard and that he should hire Sid for the role. The shortest distance to the WWF Title was through Diesel’s little buddy and they went right through him to get the title shot. Sid is the crown jewel of the reorganized Corporation and he has now put Michaels and Razor Ramon on the shelf. This Sunday night, Sid will step in the ring and stop Diesel in his tracks to finally deliver the WWF Title to DiBiase, something he has been desiring since the very beginning. DiBiase says it is too bad Diesel can’t enter the contest to win the house so he has somewhere to stay after he loses. Sid talks about the greatest lion of all time and says he is the super predator and the master of the WWF. At In Your House, Diesel will be driven through the mat and Sid will be the ruler of the world. ***

2) Hakushi defeats Gary Scott with a springboard splash at 2:50

Scott: Moreso than the WWF Title match Sunday, this match between Bret Hart and Hakushi is the one that is going to be a tactical war. Two exceptional in-ring workers that will carry this quick sprint PPV on Sunday. It’s a great dichotomy against the big power match to end the show for the World Title. Bret doing double duty as he’s also wrestling Jerry Lawler. Obviously the WWF had to pull an audible with Shawn Michaels on the shelf for a few more weeks. Hakushi wins easily and has a date with the Hitman. Grade: 1/2*

JT: We head back to the ring where Hakushi, flanked by Shinja, heads out to face Gary Scott. The White Angel has the biggest match of his WWF career upcoming on Sunday as he battles Bret Hart to hopefully end an issue that has been raging since December. Vince says Hakushi and Shinja were in Calgary this weekend and Jim Ross has the details why on the hotline, so check that out. He also tells us that Hart vs. Hakushi will open the show on Sunday. King mocks Bret for dedicating the match to his mother Helen and makes a few jokes at her and Stu’s expense. Hakushi makes quick work of Scott and is now prepped to take on the Hitman. Grade: DUD

*** Todd Pettengill is on the scene with our final In Your House report as the first ever IYH comes to us live Sunday night on Mother’s Day for just $14.95! Here is the full card:

Diesel vs. Psycho Sid – WWF Heavyweight Title Bret Hart vs. Hakushi Bret Hart vs. Jerry Lawler Razor Ramon vs. Jeff Jarrett & Roadie Yokozuna & Owen Hart vs. Smoking Gunns – WWF Tag Team Titles Adam Bomb vs. Mabel – King of the Ring Qualifying Match

There you have it! That is the full card coming into your house from Syracuse, NY this Sunday. Oh, and be sure to enter the big contest to win the vacation home in Orlando, FL as well! Entries are due by Friday. Call your cable company right now! ***

3) Bart Gunn defeats Owen Hart with a roll up at 6:15

Scott: With the Tag Team Titles on the line Sunday in Syracuse, one half of each team will face off here to get us all ready. Nice mix up of the heels’ high flyer against the faces’ power guy. We get more crap Duckman liners, as I continue to miss the great USA Movie previews. Again, they went the way of Randy Savage. This has been a pretty good match, as Bart Gunn is pretty spry for the bigger guy on the Smoking Gunns. For a third show in Omaha and taped, I will say we’ve only had one squash and two solid matches with top flight superstars. We’ve had more vignettes and taped pieces on this episode as well. This match goes back and forth and in fact Bart has dictated the tempo and it has gone at a pretty good pace. Both teammates disrupt top rope moves and then both competitors are down late in the match. Bart Gunn wins with a roll up out of nowhere, but as a prelude that probably means Owen & Yoko will retain the Tag Titles, but we’ll see. Grade: **

JT: We head to the ring for our final match of the evening as Owen Hart will battle Bart Gunn in a quasi-preview of Sunday’s Tag Team Title bout. As both competitors make their way to the ring, Vince and Jerry talk about tonight’s episode of Duckman and also remind us that Bob Backlund’s major announcement is still to come. Billy is out with Bart but there is no sign of Yokozuna as Owen is joined by just Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji. We get some mat work from both men early, trading holds until Bart leverages Owen to the floor. Bart controls the action, grabbing a near fall and working the arm as Vince wonders where Yoko is, pondering if the Headshrinkers wore him out this past weekend. Bart really torques the arm and then lands a sidewalk slam but a trip by Fuji turned the tide and let Owen take over the match. Things spilled outside where Owen rammed Bart into the post and then choked away at him back in the ring. Owen kept the pressure on and survived a desperation sunset flip near fall from Gunn before delivering and enziguri heading into break. After commercial, Owen was fully in control but Bart battled back and tried for a superplex. However, Cornette got involved and blocked the move, causing Bart to crash to the mat. A moment later, Billy evened things up by shoving Owen down as well. Bart took advantage and grabbed a roll up to sneak out the big win. This was a solid little TV match that chugged right along and actually had some nice chemistry. I also liked how everyone outside got involved to help tease the tag bout as well. The Gunns suddenly have some key momentum heading into Sunday night as they look to take back their gold. Grade: *1/2

*** We head back to this past Saturday’s WWF Mania as Todd Pettengill and Stephanie Wiand took us on a tour of the Orlando, FL vacation home that is up for grabs at In Your House. Jerry Lawler then reveals that he will have his mother at ringside on Sunday night and that after he defeats Bret Hart, his mother will challenge Helen to a match as well. ***

Final Analysis

Scott: Our Go Home Raw for the first IYH was a solid effort with some important TV and not a lot of lousy fluff. Only one squash and the other matches were solid enough to keep me entertained. I have to say, I love Sid as he’s one of my favorite guys of all time but this Diesel/Sid title match is concerning me. Diesel is good with these smaller technical guys like Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. Diesel can work the power game effectively. But can he work against a guy who not only is pretty much the same size as him, but isn’t the most technically sound either? I’m crossing my fingers it isn’t a shit show. I’m looking forward to Hart/Hakushi as that’s a style the WWF hasn’t had in quite a long time. This Raw even had the tour of the house they’ll be giving away too! I’m looking forward to this new concept show Sunday, and this Raw did a pretty good hard sell out the door. Final Grade: B

JT: This was a springily feisty go home episode of Raw. It was tightly wound and paced well and wasn’t stuffed with the filler we have become accustomed to of late. The two anchor matches were fine enough fodder for TV and were both kept short and we only had one squash match as well. The Sid & DiBiase interview was great and really added some extra heat and intrigue into Sunday’s WWF Title Match, a bout that has actually been well built and hyped. If they can deliver on it will be a different story. I thought everything was focused well here and they did a rock solid job of promoting and hard selling IYH. We never did get that Bob Backlund announcement though. Anyway, see you next week with the fallout from In Your House! Final Grade: B-