The Cornette Call: A Pro Wrestling Timeline

[Megafighter3]

WrestleMania XIII

18000 in the Rosemont Horizon for the WWF's biggest event of the year, headlined by Bret "The Hitman" Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin. Nine matches on the card.

1. Dark: Fatu d. Savio Vega.
2. The Headbangers d. The Can-Am Express d. The New Blackjacks (Windham/Bradshaw) d. The Godwinns (w/Hillbilly Jim) in a Four-Way Elimination Match. The match will determine the #1 Contenders for the tag titles, the Godwinns get sent out first by the Headbangers, then the New Blackjacks fall to the Can-Am Express. The Headbangers finish off the Can-Am Express with a Stage Dive to Furnas.
3. Chris Candido (w/Sunny) d. Goldust (w/Marlena) And Candido gets the big babyface win at WrestleMania. The two put on a good match, ending with a Blonde Bomber to Dustin.
4. Ahmed Johnson d. Crush. It's big-on-big here in the undercard as Ahmed beats Crush with the Pearl River Plunge.
5. Vader (w/Paul Bearer) d. Mankind. Vader and Mankind weren't gonna get along forever, Mankind becoming a tweener of sorts as he's still the deranged lunatic he usually is, but now he's going up against Vader. Mankind takes all of the punishment that comes with this match and more, Vader putting him away after two Vader Bombs because Mick's insane and kicks out of the first.
6. WWF European: The British Bulldog d. Owen Hart. We have the tournament finals here because it's a much bigger stage for this belt, with Davey Boy beating Owen as he did in OTL to become the inaugural champion.
7. The Undertaker d. Kane (w/Paul Bearer) in a Casket Match. And we have a big match to lead in to the title matches. After months of torment from his younger brother (who was racking up an impressive series of wins on television in dominating fashion) Undertaker decides that he doesn't just want to beat Kane, he wants to bury him and so we get a Casket Match. The two go at it as they do, brawling, hitting power moves on each other and no-selling all of it until Undertaker finally Chokeslams Kane into the casket and locks it shut. Undertaker wins and Kane is gone until October.
8. WWF Tag: The Legion of Doom d. The Smoking Gunns. The returning veteran team of the LOD put an end to the reign of the Smoking Gunns, hitting the Doomsday Device on Bart in a quick, dominating match. Oh~ What a rush~
9. WWF IC: Rocky Maivia (w/2 Cold Scorpio) d. Ron Simmons (w/D'Lo Brown and Clarence Mason) in a Chicago Street Fight. We give Rocky a small chance to show he's not soft, meeting Simmons in a Street FIght to prove he can be tough. Scorpio and D'Lo provide some aerial spots to add to the fun as Rocky finishes off Ron with the Shoulderbreaker, keeping his title and the boos that come with his reign.
10. WWF World: Bret Hart d. Steve Austin in a Submission Match (Guest Ref: Ken Shamrock) And we have the match that should've been the main event in OTL, Hart vs. Austin. You know the match well; the blood, the double turn, Austin refuses to give and instead passes out from the pain. It's all here and the crowd is wild for every second of it. Bret Hart keeps the title, but many would argue the real winner was Stone Cold, who made himself a star that night with his performance.

 

[Skollar]

WWF Tag: The Legion of Doom d. The Smoking Gunns. The returning veteran team of the LOD put an end to the reign of the Smoking Gunns, hitting the Doomsday Device on Bart in a quick, dominating match. Oh~ What a rush~

Hmm, so LoD isn't returning in Chicago to help with the Nation in this TL? LoD is easily my favorite tag team, so hopefully in this TL Hawk will have an easier time of it. Is Ellering returning as well?

 

[Megafighter3]

Hmm, so LoD isn't returning in Chicago to help with the Nation in this TL? LoD is easily my favorite tag team, so hopefully in this TL Hawk will have an easier time of it. Is Ellering returning as well?

The Nation currently has three members: Simmons, Henry and D'Lo (and Henry might be injured at the moment) since I'm mainly focusing on the Black Power era of the NoD. Their current feuds are built around recruitment, which does mean Ahmed Johnson is in their sights, but they're currently feuding with Rocky and Scorpio until Rocky goes down with injury.

Hawk probably will still have his struggles with alcoholism, they just won't be used as storyline fodder. And we will see Precious Paul return and stick with the LoD.

 

[Megafighter3]

WWF Spring Cleaning

So, there's some names currently on the potential chopping block, based on having the lowest PPV success rate on the way to WrestleMania.

1. The Godwinns.
2. Marc Mero.
3. Leif Cassidy

Should I keep them? Axe them?

 

[DAv]

I'd say keep them. The '97 roster wasn't that deep and you can always use the, when short of ideas for others. Mero was a handy talent, but had a rash of bad luck OTL.

 

[Voice of The Empire]

Axe.

Mero brings nothing to the table but sable and even that is questionable.

The godwins arent anything but enhancement, losing them trims fat off the roster and frees up space to bring in someone who could do good work when the company needs it.

Send al to ECW in exchange for someone. He needs head

 

[Son of Sphinks]

Keep Mero, but get him to clean up hos act. He was a talented hand. Same with “Lief”, but send him to ECW or OVW to retool his character.

 

[Ventriloquist]

Keep Mero, but get him to clean up hos act. He was a talented hand. Same with “Lief”, but send him to ECW or OVW to retool his character.

This tbh. Al Snow went to ECW IOTL at this point anyway, and I know Marc Mero was boring but I'm sure he could've done some more good work in the Fed. Idk what else the Godwinns could've done besides jobbing on Superstars tho.

 

[GrayJ12]

Do you plan on covering ECW in-depth sometime in the timeline?

 

[Megafighter3]

Do you plan on covering ECW in-depth sometime in the timeline?

Probably not, I'm sure there's some times I should've with the cross-promotion, but it's mostly going to be about the same IOTL besides getting a bit more cash from the time Paul Levesque was there. At best, they'll keep doors open for another few months.

 

[Megafighter3]

Spring Stampede 1997

The Tupelo Coliseum in Tupelo, Mississippi is filled to capacity with a total of 10,000 for a nine match card, headlined by another huge match in the Heartbreak Kid, Shawn Michaels facing the Nature Boy, Ric Flair.

1. Harlem Heat (w/Sister Sherri) d. The Public Enemy. Harlem Heat meets up with the Public Enemy to kick things off. Big Apple Blast to Rocco Rock.
2. WCW Cruiserweight: Rey Misterio Jr. d. Ultimo Dragon. Same match as OTL, but now with a title.
3. WCW Women's: Akira Hokuto d. Madusa.
4. WCW TV: Triple H (w/Sean Waltman) d. Steven Regal. Hall no-showed, so Trips is gonna work double duty with this and the tag title match. The two put on a good performance, Waltman running interference. Superkick into a Pedigree ends it for Regal.
5. Diamond Dallas Page (w/Kimberly) d. Randy Savage (w/Elizabeth) in a No DQ Match.
6. Lex Luger d. Scott Steiner d. The Giant d. Jeff Jarrett in a Four Corners Match. Luger wins a shot at the World title by putting Rick in the Torture Rack, getting him to submit.
7. WCW Tag: The Outsiders (Triple H/Sean Waltman) d. Chris Benoit/Dean Malenko. Benoit and Malenko team up to try and reclaim the tag titles, but the Outsiders are crafty and Benoit falls to the Pedigree.
8. WCW US: Kevin Nash d. Rick Steiner. Same match as OTL, but for the United States title instead of the tag belts.
9. WCW World: Shawn Michaels d. Ric Flair (w/Arn Anderson) And we have a big match to follow up Bret/Austin, since Bischoff doesn't want the Outsiders resting on their laurels. Michaels is a backstage headache, but when it comes time to lace up, especially against Flair, he brings his A game. Both men do, tearing the house down before Shawn ends it with Sweet Chin Music.

 

[Megafighter3]

April 7, 1997

WWF releases Mark Canterbury and Dennis Knight, best known as the Godwinns, from their contract.

April 14, 1997

The WWF and ECW come to an agreement, trading Leif Cassidy for Lance Storm after Storm's performance at ECW's Barely Legal.

 

[Megafighter3]

In Your House 14: Revenge of the 'Taker

7000 in the Rochester Community War Memorial in Rochester, New York for the follow-up to WrestleMania. Eight matches on the card.

1. Dark: Fatu d. Savio Vega
2. ECW Tag: The Eliminators d. The Can-Am Express in an ECW Rules Match. We bring the ECW guys back to PPV after a spell of TV only matches, with the Eliminators defending their titles. Total Elimination~
3. Jesse James d. Billy Gunn (w/Bart Gunn) We haven't gone with the Rockabilly gimmick, because goddamn why would you? And Jesse begins the slow transition to the Road Dogg. He puts away Billy with the Pumphandle Slam. Tensions are building with Bart and Billy.
4. Lance Storm d. 2 Cold Scorpio. Lance makes his WWF debut with a victory against Scorpio. Just showcase his skills to the crowd. Wins it with the Canadian Maple Leaf.
5. WWF European: The British Bulldog d. Chris Candido (w/Sunny) Candido makes a spirited attempt at the new title, but falls to the Running Powerslam. Chris and Davey shake hands afterward.
6. Undertaker d. Mankind (w/Paul Bearer) Same match as OTL just without the title.
7. WWF Tag: The Legion of Doom d. The Headbangers. Doomsday Device to Mosh. The LoD are back to dominate the tag division.
8. WWF IC: Owen Hart d. Rocky Maivia. And we put Rocky on the shelf here, Owen breaking his leg in the Sharpshooter. He gets stretchered out. Owen starts making the shift back to heel.
9. WWF World: Steve Austin d. Bret Hart (DQ) We have their OTL match, but this time it's for the title. Either Austin proved himself worthy of the match or he finally used the title shot he earned at KOTR to get this match. Either way, Davey comes in and clocks him with the European title, the DQ is called and Austin gets a three-to-one beat down, Bret taunting him that he'll never get the title.

Edit: As it turns out, Mero was out until October on injury, so I'm moving Jesse James vs. Billy Gunn to the main show.

 

[Megafighter3]

In Your House 15: A Cold Day in Hell

10,000 in the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia. Nine matches on the card.

1. Dark: Billy Gunn (w/Bart Gunn) d. Jesse James.
2. ECW Tag: The Eliminators d. PG-13 in an ECW Rules Match. Another victory for the ECW Tag Champs in a WWF. Total Elimination~
3. Lance Storm d. Goldust. Storm continues his debut run with a victory against Goldust, putting on a good showing and putting him away with the Canadian Maple Leaf.
4. Ahmed Johnson (w/2 Cold Scorpio) d. Ron Simmons (w/D'Lo Brown and Clarence Mason) Ahmed gets his revenge against Simmons. Scorpio helps neutralize the interference from D'Lo, doing a big dive onto him and Mason to wipe them all out. Pearl River Plunge to get the win.
5. WWF European: British Bulldog d. Rob Van Dam in an ECW Rules Match. We get our first match by an ECW wrestler for a WWF title as Van Dam meets the British Bulldog in a title exhibition. He puts on his best effort here, but Bulldog wins it. Van Dam still looks good for the Richmond crowd.
6. Ken Shamrock d. Vader in an Anything Goes Match. Same match as OTL, though the rules are adjusted. Match can be won by pinfall, knockout or submission without stoppage for excessive blood. Shamrock wins it with the Ankle Lock, kicking off his run.
7. Steve Austin d. Mankind. Austin and Mankind brawl for a good ten minutes, Austin hitting the Stunner.
8. WWF Tag: The Legion of Doom d. The Can-Am Express. Furnas and LaFon put on a quality match, but they get put away by the veterans. Doomsday Device to Furnas.
9. WWF IC: Owen Hart d. Chris Candido (w/Sunny) Owen puts Candido away in the Sharpshooter. Just have these two go at it. No major storyline, but it does help cement Owen's heel turn by having him beat on a babyface.
10. WWF World: Bret Hart d. The Undertaker. And we have our main event, Undertaker actually comes close to taking it from Bret, but then the Hart Foundation runs in. Pillman clocks the ref over the head with his cane, Owen hits the Enzuigiri, Bulldog hits the Running Powerslam, Neidhart hoists him up for the Hart Attack and then Bret puts the unconscious 'Taker in the SHarpshooter while the ref gets woken up and calls for the bell. The Hart Foundation have kept it in the family.

 

[Megafighter3]

Wrestling Observer Awards for 1996

Belated listing of the Observer Awards. Not much really changed in the awards.

• Wrestler of the Year: Kenta Kobashi (AJPW)
• Most Outstanding Wrestler: Rey Misterio Jr. (ECW/WCW)
• Feud of the Year: The Outsiders vs. World Championship Wrestling (WCW)
• Tag Team of the Year: Mitsuharu Misawa/Jun Akiyama (AJPW)
• Most Improved: Diamond Dallas Page (WCW)
• Best on Interviews: Stone Cold Steve Austin (WWF)
• Most Charismatic: Shawn Michaels (WWF/WCW)
• Best Technical Wrestler: Dean Malenko (WCW/NJPW)
• Best Brawler: Cactus Jack/Mankind/Mick Foley (WWF)
• Best Flying Wrestler: Rey Misterio Jr. (ECW/WCW)
• Most Overrated: Hulk Hogan (WCW)
• Most Underrated: Leif Cassidy (WWF)
• Promotion of the Year: New Japan Pro Wrestling
• Best Weekly TV Show: Hardcore TV (ECW)
• Pro Wrestling Match of the Year: Mitsuharu Misawa/Jun Akiyama vs. Steve Williams/Johnny Ace (AJPW)
• Rookie of the Year: The Giant (WCW)
• Best Television Announcer: Joey Styles (ECW)
• Worst Television Announcer: Steve McMichael (WCW)
• Best Major Wrestling Show: Super J-Cup: 2nd Stage (WAR)
• Worst Major Wrestling Show: Uncensored (WCW)
• Best Wrestling Maneuver: Ultimo Dragon's Running Liger Bomb (WCW/WAR)
• Most Disgusting Promotional Tactic: Crucifying the Sandman (ECW)
• Worst Television Show: Warriors of Wrestling (AWF)
• Worst Match of the Year: Hulk Hogan/Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair/Arn Anderson/Meng/The Barbarian/Lex Luger/Kevin Sullivan/Z-Gangsta/The Ultimate Solution in a Tower of Doom Match (WCW Uncensored)
• Worst Feud of the Year: Big Bubba vs. John Tenta (WCW)
• Worst Promotion of the Year: American Wrestling Federation
• Best Booker: Paul Heyman (ECW)
• Promoter of the Year: Riki Choshu (NJPW)
• Best Gimmick: The Outsiders (WCW)
• Worst Gimmick: The Real Double J (WWF)
• Best Babyface: Bret Hart (WWF)
• Best Heel: Shawn Michaels (WWF/WCW)
• Manager of the Year: Jim Cornette (WWF/SMW)
• Best Color Commentator: Jerry Lawler (WWF)
• Readers' Favorite Wrestler: Ric Flair (WCW)
• Readers' Least Favorite Wrestler: Hulk Hogan (WCW)
• Worst Wrestler: Loch Ness (WCW)
• Worst Tag Team: The Godwinns (WWF)
• Worst Manager: Sonny Onoo (WCW)
• Worst of Interviews: Ahmed Johnson (WWF)
• Most Embarrassing Wrestler: Hulk Hogan (WCW)

 

[Megafighter3]

Slamboree 1997

9600 in the Independence Arena in Charlotte for a nine match card.

1. Dark: Yuji Nagata d. Pat Tanaka
2. Dark: Glacier d. Mortis (w/James Vandenberg)
3. The Public Enemy d. Reggie White/Kevin Greene. A quick match as the PE take out the football guys.
4. WCW Women's: Akira Hokuto d. Luna Vachon. These two go for ten minutes, Hokuto defending with the Dangerous Queen Bomb to Vachon.
5. WCW Cruiserweight: Rey Misterio Jr. d. Yuji Yasuraoka. Same match as OTL, but with Rey defending his Cruiserweight title.
6. WCW TV: Triple H (w/Sean Waltman) d. Ultimo Dragon (w/Sonny Onoo) Trips meets Ultimo Dragon in a fifteen minute match. Waltman runs interference, costing Ultimo the title. Pedigree and it's over.
7. Dean Malenko d. Jeff Jarrett. Same match as OTL.
8. Chris Benoit d. Steven Regal. Benoit turns on the Horsemen, spurred on by mistreatment from Regal. We give these two fifteen minutes to work their stuff, Benoit winning with the Crippler Crossface.
9. WCW Tag: The Outsiders (Scott Hall/Sean Waltman) d. The Steiner Brothers d. Harlem Heat. It's a triple threat tag team matchup and it looks like the Outsiders are at a disadvantage thanks to Waltman's damage from Ultimo, but during the match, Triple H comes in a gives Booker the Pedigree to Booker. Hall quickly pins Booker to keep.
10. WCW US: Kevin Nash d. Ric Flair/Roddy Piper. We get a unique match, a handicap match where if the team wins, the winner of the fall gets the title. The two do manage to keep it together, but Ric Flair takes the fall after Michaels hits a Superkick on Piper at the Outside. Jacknife to Flair.
11. WCW World: Shawn Michaels d. Lex Luger. And we get a clean win by Michaels with a Sweet Chin Music. Sting once again rappels down, clobbering Michaels with a baseball bat. The rest of the Outsiders go in for the save and all get taken out with the bat. Sting grabs his fallen friend Lex and helps him up as they go into the rafters.

 

[Unknown]

Hope Austin doesn't suffer a neck injury ITTL; that shortened his wrestling career...

 

[Megafighter3]

King of the Ring 1997

Quarterfinals

Ahmed Johnson d. Chris Candido

Ken Shamrock d. Crush

Jerry Lawler d. Goldust

Mankind d. Savio Vega

10000 in the Providence Civic Center in Rhode Island to see the Semifinals and Finals of the KOTR tournament and in a special main event, ECW World Champion Terry Funk faces off against WWF World Champion Bret Hart. Ten matches on the card.

1. The New Age Outlaws d. The Headbangers. And we have the debut of the Outlaws. Road Dogg Jesse James! Badd Ass Billy Gunn! They come in punk out the Headbangers and promise the O-L-D that their days are numbered.
2. KOTR Semi-Final: Ken Shamrock d. Ahmed Johnson. Shamrock is running hot after his match against Vader. He locks Johnson in the Ankle Lock, forcing him to tap. The World's Most Dangerous Man!
3. KOTR Semi-Final Mankind d. Jerry Lawler. Same match as OTL.
4. Lance Storm d. Bart Gunn. Storm continues his run with a win against Bart, putting him away in the Canadian Maple Leaf.
5. WWF European: British Bulldog d. Chris Candido (w/Sunny) Bulldog continues his run as European champion by beating the spirited competitor Chris Candido, Candido tries but gets overpowered here. Running Powerslam.
6. Steve Austin vs. Undertaker (No Contest) Austin and Undertake both meet to try and claim a #1 contendership for Bret's title, but the two end up putting each other out. Austin hits the Stunner but Undertaker holds on, gets the tombstone before falling over, unable to pin. Neither man answers the count of 10, so we go to a no contest.
7. KOTR Final: Ken Shamrock d. Mankind. Shamrock tears through Mankind with his superior mat skills and brutal offense, just going stiff on Foley before locking him into the Ankle Lock. Ken Shamrock, in his debut year, becomes the King of the Ring! He's in his ZONE~!
8. WWF Tag: The Legion of Doom d. Crush/Sycho Sid. The LoD go up against a pair of monsters, which makes for a tougher fight, but they power through, hit the Doomsday Device on Crush to keep their titles.
9. WWF IC: Owen Hart d. Goldust (w/Marlena) Goldust starts a move toward face, trying to reclaim the IC title only to fall to the Enzuigiri.
10. WWF World: Bret Hart (w/Pillman and Neidhart) d. Terry Funk (w/Paul Heyman) in an ECW Rules Match. The Funker brings all sorts of plunder for this match, but soon comes the numbers game as Neidhart, Davey Boy and Owen roll in, Pillman staying outside to take the cane to Heyman while the Harts rough up Funk in the ring. Enzuigiri, Running Powerslam, Hart Attack and Sharpshooter combo once again, Funk rendered unconscious as the ref calls for the bell. You can't stop the Hart Foundation from ruling the roost.

 

[Megafighter3]

The Great American Bash 1997

10000 from The MARK of the Quad Cities (goddamn this is an awkward venue name) in Moline, Illinois. Nine matches on the card.

1. Dark: Hugh Morrus d. Meng.
2. The Steiner Brothers d. Harlem Heat (w/Sister Sherri) The Steiners win a shot at the tag titles for later down the line.
3. Ultimo Dragon d. Psychosis. Ultimo wins the match as OTL, but without Sonny Onoo.
4. WCW Women's: Akira Hokuto d. Madusa in a Title vs. Career Match. Same match as OTL.
5. Wrath (w/James Vandenberg) d. Kevin Greene/Steve McMichael. We bring Wrath to PPV as he destroys the football guys. Meltdown to Mongo.
6. WCW TV: Triple H d. Glacier. Instead of describing how much of a squash this match is, I want to share an observation I had about Glacier, which is that "Glacier" might be the worst name for a guy whose entire gimmick is built around martial arts. I know it's based on Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat, but come on! A glacier is a giant hunk of slow-moving ice, drifting along the ocean. It sounds more like where THE YETAY~ was gonna be billed from, not the Sub-Zero of WCW!
7. Randy Savage d. Diamond Dallas Page in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. The main event of the show now becomes the last big non-title match as Savage wins with the elbow, getting another shot at Michaels after half a year away from the belt.
8. WCW Tag: The Outsiders (Hall/Waltman) d. Ric Flair/Roddy Piper. Flair takes the fall here because I still doubt Piper can take the Outsider's Edge. He gets Superkicked, but that's about it. The Outsiders keep the tag and television belts tonight.
9. WCW US: Kevin Nash d. Konnan. And Big Daddy Cool keeps the US belt, hitting the Jacknife on Konnan.
10. WCW World: Shawn Michaels d. Chris Benoit. And we have something of a surprise competitor for the World Title. Benoit gets built up as a legitimate competitor, though in kayfabe Shawn disregards him until he becomes #1 contender (beating out Flair for the title shot on Nitro) and then we get this four-star matchup. The two give their all because Shawn's just that good and Benoit isn't half-assing. There's some legit heat given that Benoit is a Dungeon graduate, so Shawn goes stiff which is probably the worst thing you can do with Chris Benoit, who gives receipts. We get the ref bump and the Outsiders run-in, but Benoit manages to surprise them by having some fight in him. Waltman charges and gets a German right out of the ring. Triple H goes in, gets a German. Hall and Nash eventually manhandle Benoit, hitting the Edge, hitting a Jacknife. Michaels drops the elbow and then tunes up the band as Waltman and Trips wake the ref. Sweet Chin Music ends it as Michaels retains once again but has to be helped out as he took a hell of a beating.

 

[eldandythedoubter]

The Great American Bash 1997

10000 from The MARK of the Quad Cities (goddamn this is an awkward venue name) in Moline, Illinois. Nine matches on the card.

1. Dark: Hugh Morrus d. Meng.
2. The Steiner Brothers d. Harlem Heat (w/Sister Sherri) The Steiners win a shot at the tag titles for later down the line.
3. Ultimo Dragon d. Psychosis. Ultimo wins the match as OTL, but without Sonny Onoo.
4. WCW Women's: Akira Hokuto d. Madusa in a Title vs. Career Match. Same match as OTL.
5. Wrath (w/James Vandenberg) d. Kevin Greene/Steve McMichael. We bring Wrath to PPV as he destroys the football guys. Meltdown to Mongo.
6. WCW TV: Triple H d. Glacier. Instead of describing how much of a squash this match is, I want to share an observation I had about Glacier, which is that "Glacier" might be the worst name for a guy whose entire gimmick is built around martial arts. I know it's based on Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat, but come on! A glacier is a giant hunk of slow-moving ice, drifting along the ocean. It sounds more like where THE YETAY~ was gonna be billed from, not the Sub-Zero of WCW!
7. Randy Savage d. Diamond Dallas Page in a Falls Count Anywhere Match. The main event of the show now becomes the last big non-title match as Savage wins with the elbow, getting another shot at Michaels after half a year away from the belt.
8. WCW Tag: The Outsiders (Hall/Waltman) d. Ric Flair/Roddy Piper. Flair takes the fall here because I still doubt Piper can take the Outsider's Edge. He gets Superkicked, but that's about it. The Outsiders keep the tag and television belts tonight.
9. WCW US: Kevin Nash d. Konnan. And Big Daddy Cool keeps the US belt, hitting the Jacknife on Konnan.
10. WCW World: Shawn Michaels d. Chris Benoit. And we have something of a surprise competitor for the World Title. Benoit gets built up as a legitimate competitor, though in kayfabe Shawn disregards him until he becomes #1 contender (beating out Flair for the title shot on Nitro) and then we get this four-star matchup. The two give their all because Shawn's just that good and Benoit isn't half-assing. There's some legit heat given that Benoit is a Dungeon graduate, so Shawn goes stiff which is probably the worst thing you can do with Chris Benoit, who gives receipts. We get the ref bump and the Outsiders run-in, but Benoit manages to surprise them by having some fight in him. Waltman charges and gets a German right out of the ring. Triple H goes in, gets a German. Hall and Nash eventually manhandle Benoit, hitting the Edge, hitting a Jacknife. Michaels drops the elbow and then tunes up the band as Waltman and Trips wake the ref. Sweet Chin Music ends it as Michaels retains once again but has to be helped out as he took a hell of a beating.

Did the venue have DJ's for the show?