THE MOSS COVERED THREE HANDLED FAMILY CREDENZA
ARTICLE #43
JUNE 17, 2002
King of the Ring: The Good, Bad & Ugly
6/13/93: Bret Hart vs Bam Bam Bigelow
Bret was favoring his leg before the match began. Bigelow missed a corner splash and Bret landed some punches. Bigelow scored with punches of his own. Bigelow missed a clothesline and went for a press slam but Bret fell on top of him for a near fall. Bret went after Bigelow�s left arm and applied an armbar. Bigelow raked Bret�s eyes and tackled him. Bigelow press slammed Bret clear out of the ring. Bigelow landed a couple headbutts on Bret and whipped him hard into the corner. Bigelow gave Bret a flying headbutt for a near fall. Bigelow kicked Bret and landed a couple punches to his back. Bigelow back suplexed Bret for a near fall. Bret landed a kick and a couple punches but Bigelow held his ground and whipped Bret hard into the corner again. Bigelow punched Bret and gave him a diving headbutt off the ropes for a near fall. Bigelow caught Bret and applied a bearhug. Bret escaped and applied a headlock but Bigelow immediately countered with a back suplex for a near fall. Bigelow threw Bret out of the ring. Bigelow attempted to whip Bret into the barricade but Bret reversed the whip and Bigelow crashed into the barricade. Bret attacked Bigelow and rammed him into the barricade. Bret jumped off the barricade with an elbow to Bigelow�s back. Bret jumped off the apron but Bigelow caught him and rammed him hard into the ringpost, squashing him against the post in the process. Bigelow slammed Bret in the aisle. Luna came out and hit Bret with a weak chairshot, then ran to the back. Bigelow deposited Bret back in the ring and slammed him. Bigelow then hit a top rope headbutt and pinned Bret at 9:25. However, a second ref came out and told the ref about Luna�s interference, then ordered the match to continue. Bigelow attacked Bret�s back with headbutts. Bret landed a punch but Bigelow headbutted him in response and whipped him hard into the corner. Bigelow gave Bret another headbutt and stomped him. Bigelow caught Bret off the ropes with a bearhug. Bret escaped but Bigelow landed another headbutt. Bigelow then applied a standing backbreaker on Bret. Bret escaped and fought back with a back suplex on Bigelow. Bigelow recovered but missed a senton. Bret landed a punch but Bigelow raked his eyes. Bigelow whipped Bret hard into the corner again and gave him a gut wrench into another standing backbreaker. Bret countered and applied a sleeper which Bigelow countered with a snapmare. Bret dropkicked Bigelow into the ropes and then dumped him over the top rope. Bret hit a tope on Bigelow and attacked him with a series of punches. Bret jumped off the second rope and clotheslined Bigelow for a near fall. Bret gave Bigelow a Russian legsweep and a bulldog off the second rope. Bret attempted to apply the sharpshooter but Bigelow kicked him away. Bret jumped right into a Bigelow bearhug but bit his head and escaped. Bret attempted a back suplex but Bigelow fell on top of him for a near fall. Bigelow whipped Bret into the corner but ran into a boot. Bret then gave Bigelow a victory roll and pinned him at 18:19 to win the first King of the Ring tournament to be shown on PPV. This was an interesting match to watch after not having seen it in at least 6 years. For one, it does not age well, at least in terms of memory. At the time, many rated it ****, and I would have concurred. However, this is one match that not only doesn�t age too well, but also comes across as overrated in hindsight. Much of Bigelow�s work was rather dull and/or simple, with only a few bumps and offensive flashes of his greatness. Bret worked fairly hard, but was already drained from a very good match against Razor Ramon (at least I remember it as being very good) and an excellent match vs Mr. Perfect. On its own, this was simply �good� for its time, but what makes it very good was that it was one of those matches that could be better appreciated by watching the previous tournament matches that night. The match was dramatic for the most part and fans were really into it, especially towards the finish, which made the match good. Overall, this ranks in the �good� category of KOTR PPV finals. ***
6/16/94: Owen Hart vs Razor Ramon
Owen grabbed a headlock but Razor whipped him into the ropes and tackled him. They traded armringers and Owen applied a headlock. Razor escaped and Owen slapped him. Razor missed a clothesline but caught Owen and slammed him. Razor elbowsmashed Owen for a near fall. Owen slapped Razor again and landed a couple punches. Owen missed a dropkick and Razor catapulted him into the corner for a near fall. Razor took Owen down with a headlock but Owen countered with a headscissors. Razor escaped and landed on Owen but Owen bridged up. Razor countered a backslide attempt with a backslide of his own for a near fall. Razor took Owen down with a headlock. Razor tackled Owen but Owen fought back with a spin kick. Owen headbutted Razor, gave him a European uppercut and applied an abdominal stretch while using the ropes for leverage. Razor escaped the hold with a hiptoss but Owen poked his eyes. Owen attempted a hiptoss but Razor blocked it and chokeslammed Owen for a near fall. Razor gave Owen a fallaway slam for a near fall. Owen countered a suplex attempt and gave Razor a Russian legsweep. Owen went to the top rope but Razor hit him and crotched him there. Razor gave Owen a back superplex and attempted a Razor�s edge but Owen backdropped him over the top rope to the floor. Jim Neidhart came out and clotheslined Razor and rammed him into the ringpost. Owen then hit a top rope elbow and pinned Razor at 6:36 to win the tournament. In terms of action content, this was better than Bret-Bigelow. However, it was much shorter, in fact too short, and not nearly as dramatic. Actually, the finish was really cheap because it came so soon after Neidhart�s interference. A good solid match on its own, and fine for 6 minutes, but as a tournament final its value was less than its rating, placing it among the �bad� in tournament finals. **
6/25/95: Mabel (w/Mo) vs Savio Vega (w/Razor Ramon)
The crowd response for Vega was soooooo underwhelming. Mabel overpowered Vega early as expected. Mabel missed a corner splash and Vega landed a series of punches and chops in the corner. Mabel whipped Vega into the corner but missed a clothesline and Vega gave him more punches and kicks. Mabel raked Vega�s eyes and slammed him but missed an elbowsmash. Vega clotheslined Mabel over the top rope in one of the few decent moments in the match. Mabel dragged Vega out of the ring but Vega rammed his head into the ring steps. Mabel fought back and threw Vega into the steps. Mabel choked Vega in the ropes and whipped him into the corner. Mabel applied a bearhug for a lengthy period of time. Mabel whipped Vega into the corner and reapplied the bearhug just as some fans were waking up from their power naps. Vega clapped Mabel�s ears to escape but Mabel punched him. Mabel clotheslined Vega for a near fall and applied a breathtaking chinlock. Vega escaped a minute later but Mabel repeatedly squashed Vega in the corner. Mabel missed a corner splash and Vega rolled him up for a near fall as a loud �ECW� chant began. Vega spin kicked Mabel for a near fall. Mabel fought back with a powerslam of sorts for a near fall. Mabel big splashed Vega and pinned him at 8:35 to win the tournament. Was this someone�s joke? Mabel as King of the Ring!? I�ll bet that just about everyone who watched this hated it, as fans live were either chanting �boring� or �ECW� at various moments, while heat during the match was almost nonexistent. Mabel turned in such a lazy, unprofessional effort. Definitely the low point of the King of the Ring series, and the ugliest final of them all. �1/2*
6/23/96: Steve Austin vs Jake Roberts
Austin attacked Jake before the bell and quickly attacked his injured ribs. Austin hit a second rope elbow onto the ribs. Austin kicked Jake in the ribs and taunted him. Jake tried to fight back but Austin continued to dominate him by attacking his ribs. Austin ripped the tape off Jake�s ribs and commissioner Gorilla Monsoon came in to check on Jake�s condition. Jake refused to stop the fight and fought back against Austin. Jake went for a DDT but Austin backed him into the corner and kept attacking his ribs. Austin then gave Jake the stunner and pinned him at 4:38 to win the tournament. Of course this match itself wasn�t worth a damn, except that it�s the match (and especially the subsequent speech) where �Austin 3:16� was born, launching Austin into superstardom. The second worst KOTR tournament final in the PPV�s history. *
6/9/97: Hunter Hearst Helmsley (w/Chyna) vs Mankind
HHH grabbed a headlock but Mankind escaped. HHH applied another headlock but Mankind countered with a wristlock. Mankind elbowed HHH and stomped him. Mankind rammed HHH into the corner and raked his face. Mankind bit HHH on the head and teased a mandible claw but HHH bailed out of the ring. HHH raked Mankind�s eyes and gave him some punches and kicks against the ropes, eventually knocking him out of the ring. Mankind dragged HHH out of the ring by his leg and gave HHH some punches at ringside. Mankind rammed HHH into the barricade. Mankind punched HHH on the apron and gave him more punches in the corner but HHH lifted him and dropped him head first on the top turnbuckle. HHH repeatedly kicked Mankind in the corner. HHH whipped Mankind into the opposite corner and gave him a swinging neckbreaker. HHH choked Mankind in the ropes and continued to attack his neck. Mankind won an exchange of blows but HHH clotheslined him. HHH attacked Mankind with punches in the corner and Chyna also punched Mankind. Mankind fought back with a low mule kick to HHH and gave him a series of punches. Mankind charged but HHH moved and Mankind got his neck caught in the middle and top ropes. HHH gave Mankind a baseball slide kick and rammed him into the ring steps. Back in the ring HHH punched Mankind and gave him a couple kneedrops to the head. HHH continued to work on Mankind�s weakened neck and choked him in the ropes. Mankind fought back with a stun gun on HHH for a near fall. Mankind gave HHH another stun gun for a near fall. Mankind went for a third but seemed to collapse underneath HHH�s weight. Mankind recovered and gave HHH a series of punches in the corner, then gave him a running knee to the head. Mankind whipped HHH into the corner, and HHH took a flip bump ending with him trapped upside down in the corner. Mankind then gave HHH a flying forearm of sorts in the corner. Mankind threw HHH out of the ring. Mankind missed a baseball slide kick and HHH punched him but Mankind then backdropped HHH on the floor near the aisle. Mankind then gave HHH his trademark elbowsmash off the apron to the floor. Back in the ring Mankind gave HHH a double arm DDT and went for the pin but Chyna distracted the ref and Mankind only gained a near fall. HHH kicked Mankind and went for a pedigree but Mankind backdropped him. HHH held on and attempted a sunset flip but Mankind gave him a mandible claw for a pop. Chyna dragged Mankind out of the ring to break the hold. HHH gave Mankind a neckbreaker against the top rope and Mankind fell to the floor. HHH went to the top rope but Mankind caught him with a mandible claw. HHH escaped with a punch but Mankind gave him an atomic drop. Mankind clotheslined HHH for a near fall and then gave him the trademark cactus clothesline where both men crashed to the floor. Mankind jumped backwards off the apron but HHH moved and Mankind took a modified version of his Nestea plunge head first into the barricade. HHH whipped Mankind into the ring steps. He then gave Mankind a pedigree through the American announcers� table. Chyna broke a steel scepter over Mankind�s back as HHH had the ref distracted. HHH then gave Mankind a jumping knee and Mankind took another mini-Nestea plunge off the apron into a cameraman. HHH then gained a near fall back in the ring. HHH gave Mankind a pedigree and pinned him at 19:25 to win the tournament. This was not great, but turned into a very good match, especially during the last 6 or so minutes when Mankind began with his array of bumps. HHH was solid in his work and carryable, but was also too methodical and bland as a worker to carry much star value yet. Mankind carried him and the match by taking so many great bumps and accounted for most of the match�s intensity. ***1/4
6/28/98: Ken Shamrock vs Rock
HHH and Chyna came out to do color commentary. Rock landed some punches and they had a criss cross. Shamrock missed a clothesline but caught Rock with a roundhouse kick and Rock bailed out of the ring. Rock rammed Shamrock into two different corners and gave him a couple punches. Shamrock reversed a whip into the corner and clotheslined Rock twice. Rock landed a punch and rammed Shamrock into the corner. They did a criss cross and Shamrock tossed Rock over the top rope to the floor. Rock confronted HHH at ringside and HHH spat water in his face. Shamrock attacked Rock at ringside and rammed him into the barricade. Shamrock rammed Rock into the Spanish announcers� table and into the English announcers� table as well. Rock fought back as the action returned to the ring. Rock attempted a suplex but Shamrock countered with a suplex of his own for a near fall. Shamrock landed a punch but Rock then threw him out of the ring and Shamrock got his wrist caught in the middle and top ropes. Rock attempted to whip Shamrock into the barricade but Shamrock reversed the whip and sent Rock into it. Rock immediately responded with a clothesline on Shamrock and dumped him face first on the barricade. Rock punched Shamrock and gave him a swinging neckbreaker for a near fall. Shamrock fought back with a series of punches but Rock responded with a kick and a DDT for a near fall. Rock applied a chinlock on Shamrock. Shamrock escaped but ran into an elbow and Rock gained a near fall. Rock slammed Shamrock and gave him a people�s elbow for a near fall. Rock applied a chinlock again. Shamrock fought back with some punches but Rock then gave him a float over DDT for a near fall. Rock missed a clothesline and Shamrock back suplexed him. Rock missed a clothesline and ran into an elbow from Shamrock. Shamrock dropkicked Rock and powerslammed him for a near fall. Rock missed a clothesline and Shamrock gave him a cradle suplex for a near fall. Rock fought back and rammed Shamrock into the corner. Rock whipped Shamrock into the corner but ran into an elbow. Rock recovered and caught Shamrock with a powerslam for a near fall. Rock raked Shamrock�s eyes but Shamrock countered a float over DDT with a northern lights suplex for a heated near fall. Shamrock landed several strikes but Rock fought back with a short clothesline for a near fall. Shamrock blocked a whip from Rock and gave him a short clothesline for a near fall. Rock caught Shamrock with a stun gun for a near fall. Shamrock caught Rock off-guard and applied an ankle lock for the submission win at 14:10. This was a surprisingly good match and one of the few matches in tournament history to reach its full potential. Rock had not yet emerged as a solid worker on his own but had surprisingly good chemistry with Shamrock, who was very good but was no Kurt Angle in the ring. The near falls down the stretch and offense weren�t exceptional, but both men gave the best they could and fans realized it because they really got into the near falls. It was almost like a Japanese crowd in terms of how they reacted to the final 4 minutes of the match, and they helped raise the match a level. The HHH-Mankind match was more spectacular and probably my pick for the best KOTR final, but this was a more fundamentally solid match and overall just as good. It�s too bad Shamrock never realized his potential in the WWF, because he was almost like a precursor to Kurt Angle as far as being a natural in the ring so quickly. ***1/4
6/25/00: Kurt Angle vs Rikishi
Angle went after Rikishi in the aisle but Rikishi got the better of him with a series of punches. Rikishi landed more punches but Angle raked his eyes. Rikishi blocked a slam and slammed Angle. Rikishi whipped Angle into the corner and clotheslined him. Rikishi then did the same to Angle in the opposite corner. Rikishi went for a stinkface but Angle gave him a low blow. Angle clotheslined Rikishi and stomped him. Angle gave Rikishi a series of punches in the corner and choked him in the ropes. Angle stomped Rikishi in the corner and whipped him into the ring steps. Angle stomped Rikishi as he began to sell his injured arm. Back in the ring Angle gave Rikishi more punches and gave him a corner splash. Angle landed an elbow, Rikishi fought back with punches of his own, but Angle raked Rikishi�s eyes. Angle gave Rikishi more punches but Rikishi fought back and whipped Angle into opposite corners. Rikishi clotheslined Angle and gave him a Samoan drop. Rikishi gave Angle a diamond cutter of sorts for a near fall. Rikishi hit a corner splash and gave Angle a stinkface. Angle caught Rikishi and gave him an Angle slam for a near fall. Angle landed several punches and attempted a sunset flip but Rikishi countered with a butt splash for a near fall. Angle caught Rikishi on the top rope with a punch and crotched him. Angle landed several punches and went for a belly to belly superplex but Rikishi countered with headbutts, but Angle held on and belly to belly superplexed him. Angle then pinned Rikishi to win the tournament at 5:56. This was a pretty flat match with a sudden finish that came off somewhat weak. Actually this was the icing on the cake of what turned out to be a very disappointing and poorly-booked tournament in terms of not capitalizing on the potential for great matches that existed. Actually, this was no better than an average TV sprint you might expect from these two, which really cheapened the tournament�s value. Fans did get into the few near falls, which made the match seem a tad better than it actually was. A forgettable final to arguably the most disappointing tournament in KOTR history. *3/4
6/24/01: Kurt Angle vs Edge
Angle told Edge he should forfeit the match, and Edge punched him in response. Edge landed some punches and gave Angle a flapjack slam with Angle nearly landing on his head. Edge stomped Angle and landed more punches in the corner. Angle fought back with some punches of his own and repeatedly kicked Edge in the corner. Edge landed some punches, missed a clothesline but scored with a spin kick. Edge punched Angle but telegraphed a backdrop and Angle kicked him. Angle missed a clothesline but caught Edge and gave him a belly to belly suplex over the top rope. Angle stomped Edge and whipped him into the ring steps. Angle rammed Edge into the barricade and repeatedly stomped his ribs. Back in the ring Angle back suplexed Edge for a near fall. Angle suplexed Edge for a near fall and applied a chinlock. Edge escaped but Angle gave him some kneelifts. Angle placed Edge on the top rope but Edge gave him a couple elbows, floated over Angle and rolled him up for a near fall. Edge landed a punch but Angle gave him an overhead belly to belly suplex for a near fall. Angle snapmared Edge and applied a chinlock. Edge fought back with some punches but Angle caught him running the ropes and threw him over the top rope to the floor. Angle landed a couple punches and dropped Edge gut first onto the barricade. Edge caught Angle on the top rope with a dropkick. Edge landed a couple punches and hit a top rope huracanrana for a near fall. Angle won an exchange of blows with Edge but Edge fought back with a couple clotheslines and a backdrop. Angle whipped Edge into the corner but missed a dropkick. Edge catapulted Angle into the corner and gained a near fall. Angle attempted an Angle slam but Edge countered. Edge attempted a DDT but Angle countered and took him down by the legs. Angle attempted to apply an ankle lock but Edge countered with a rollup for a near fall. Angle missed a clothesline and Edge gave him an inverted X-factor. Edge went for a pin but Christian ran out and distracted the ref. Angle rolled up a distracted Edge for a near fall. Angle whipped Edge into the corner but ran into a boot. Angle ducked and Edge accidentally clotheslined the ref. Angle attacked Edge from behind and applied an ankle lock. Shane McMahon ran in and speared Angle, then left through the crowd. Edge gave Angle an impaler DDT and pinned him at 10:21 to win the tournament. Aside from the couple chinlocks, this was a genuinely very good match with both men looking as strong as their usual selves. Angle had emerged as a top worker and showed that form in moderation here. Unfortunately, the result had very little impact, as this tournament was treated with not much importance. This was actually the 4th match of a 7 match show. Still, this was one of the bright spots in the list of KOTR tournament finals. ***
Next Issue: The 1994 Flair-Hogan Trilogy
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