From The Vault: Shawn Michaels
"The Beginning" - AWA Tag Team Titles: Midnight Rockers vs. Playboy Buddy Rose & Prettyboy Doug Summers
(9/2/1986)
Shawn notes beforehand that this was his (and Marty's) first brush with success in wrestling, and that these two teams feuded pretty well non-stop for two years. He also notes that Buddy Rose was the one that pretty much spearheaded the rivalry between the two teams. This is pretty famous, as this was a total bloodbath, which was pretty rare at this time. Shawn was the first to bleed, and a nice bladejob at that. The heels worked over the wound with punching and kicking. Marty doesn't see any action for the first ten or so minutes, and the crowd went nuts when he was tagged in. Summers and Jannetty bleed, and very well, I might add. The three bleeders also sell the effects of the blood loss very well, as a lot of staggering happens and blind punches being thrown. Buddy Rose doesn't blade, which kinda disappointed me. Shawn manages to work in the Sweet Chin Music here. Jannetty gets dropped ribs-first on a chair, and he sold it very convincingly. God, Buddy Rose is fat. Match ends in a DQ, as the ref gets shoved down by the heels. Very disappointing ending, but pretty good brawl otherwise, and the blood flowed like water. ***1/4
"Ladder Match" - Intercontinental Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon
From: Wrestlemania X (3/20/94)
The angle here is that Razor wins the IC title after a battle royal and a subsequent match with Rick Martel. Shawn, who was Òsuspended" (in reality, it was a contract dispute), returns with a bogus IC title belt, and considers himself the undisputed Intercontinental champion. Then the match was made. Without a doubt, one of the greatest and most influential matches of all time, and it still stands up fairly well today. This wasn't filled with flashy spots like the TLC matches, but it was about two men using the ladder to lay a beating on each other. This wasn't actually the first ladder match in WWF/E history, as Shawn and Bret Hart had the first one, as more of a testing grounds for this type of match. Shawn bumps like mad here, and Razor keeps up very well with him. Some of the more memorable spots include the highlight reel standard that is the big splash off the ladder, Shawn just tossing the ladder at Razor as he was getting up (Ouch.), Shawn getting Irish-whipped face-first into the ladder positioned on the turnbuckle and falling right to the floor, Shawn taking the ladder right to the jaw and flying over the top rope, Shawn riding the ladder down onto Razor's ribs, Shawn getting suplexed off the ladder, and Shawn taking a hotshot after falling off the ladder. These were totally state-of-the-art bumps back then. The ending was also pretty cool, as Shawn's foot was tied in the ropes, only for Razor to take the titles, and fall off the ladder in the process. Just a brilliant match, and this review doesn't do it one bit of justice. This MADE Shawn's career, and made Hall into a bigger star. No hesitation here: *****
"Iron Man" - WWF Championship: Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart
From: Wrestlemania XII (3/31/96)
Shawn makes no mention of his backstage tension with Bret in his little commentary segment before the match. Don't blame him, considering he was the asshole in that situation. The buildup wasn't too good here, as Bret looked like a weak champion going in, while Shawn looked very strong. That could be why the buyrate was pretty disappointing for this show. Shawn has an awesome entrance here, riding down a cable from the top of the rafters. Hebner goes through the rules of the match before the bell rings, giving it a nice touch. Crowd was in Shawn's corner for the most part. There's some pretty good wrestling sequences to start, including a couple of resthold spots turned into something meaningful, with Shawn reversing the side headlock into pinning attempts. Shawn works the arm for the better part of thirty minutes, while Bret worked the head and neck. Shawn does some UFC-style submission, and I'm proud of Vince for not shouting ÒRING THE FUCKING BELL!" over and over. A few too many chinlocks from Bret, but it is solid psychology and pacing. The part that really got on my nerves was Bret selling none of Shawn's onslaught of the arm. I know it wasn't because of incompetence, because Bret sold injuries for long periods of time before that. Another thing that I didn't care for was the lack of falls in the match. There were a lot of times where a decision could have been rendered, like even a countout or a DQ, but that never happened because neither wanted to do the job first. Bret's poor selling, and lack of falls aside, this was pure gold. Both guys paced themselves fairly nicely, and the last half hour of the match was exciting stuff. Shawn gets in some pretty crazy bumps, like his trademark backdrop over the ropes, taken with GUSTO this time. He also took the Triple H over-the-corner bump and landed on Jose (HA-HA!). Bret spend a lot of time working on the back for the last half, which was great psychology because of the injury angle a year before, and it sets up the Sharpshooter. Michaels dominates for the last few minutes, even busting out a gutwrench sitout powerbomb. One high-risk move too many nearly costs Shawn, as he is put into the sharpshooter with about 45 seconds left. That was a very exciting sequence watching live back then, as I thought that would have been it. The time limit expires, but Magilla Gorilla orders the match to continue. Michaels hasn't recovered from the Sharpshooter, and is doing a great selljob here. Bret continues working on the back, until Shawn gets a last-ditch Sweet Chin Music, but Shawn is too beat up to capitalize, and Bret gets up almost at the same time as Shawn does. One more SCM, and Shawn's the champ. The celebration is just awesome, and makes the match that much more special. The lack of selling and falls deducts some, but the rest of the match more than makes up for those two aspects. I still found Rock vs. HHH to be the better Ironman match, for it had the things lacking in this one. ****1/2
"No Holds Barred" - WWF Championship: Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel
From: In Your House Ð Good Friends, Better Enemies (4/28/96)
This was Nash's goodbye match, as he left for WCW soon after. This was the match that really got Shawn over as a champion, and was a stark contrast to his Ironman match the PPV prior. In the alternate commentary, Nash and Shawn cite this as a change in direction for the company, as more violent main events found their way into the Federation. I didn't care much for the presentation of the alternate commentary here, mainly because the match itself is shown in a little box about a quarter of the screen long, and the commentators are being shown in a little box in the lower right-hand corner. Onto the match, as they don't take too long to get into the no holds barred mentality. Shawn grabs Hugo's boot and hits Diesel with it, a spot used later in Shawn's match with Triple H at Summerslam. Diesel comes back and kills Shawn, and Shawn sells it very well. Man, Diesel's putting in some MAJOR effort here, as even his sideslam looks lethal. In another wild spot, Diesel takes off his wrist tape and chokes out HEBNER, and steals his belt. He whips Shawn like a bitch, and hangs him from the ropes with the belt tied around his neck, then chairs him twice soon afterwards. In the alternate commentary, Shawn and Nash note that the chairshot was the first one in about a year because the WWF/E was supposed to compete with friggin' Disney back then. Shawn dodges the third shot and Diesel hits the ropes with the chair, hitting him in the face. Diesel comes back with a low blow, and, in another awesome, trend-setting spot, powerbombs Shawn through the announce table. Vince screams ÒJUST LET IT BE OVER!" to add to the drama. Shawn pulls himself up from the wreckage and unleashes a fire extinguisher in Diesel's face. Shawn makes his comeback, but Sweet Chin Music is blocked, and Diesel lariats him down. In a moment that truly makes the match fucking awesome, Diesel yanks Mad Dog Vachon out of the audience and takes his artificial leg. Holy shit, what a bastard. If Mad Dog wasn't retired, I could see him and Zach Gowen form a tag team. Together, they can actually do a whole dropkick. Back to the match. Shawn knocks the prosthetic leg, blasts Diesel with it, and SCM finishes for three. Another great celebration afterwards. A terrific brawl, and Nash's best match ever. ****1/2
"Mind Games" - WWF Championship: Shawn Michaels vs. Mankind
From: In Your House Ð Mind Games (9/22/96)
If this was the only good match on the DVD, it would be worth it to just get this. This was the best match I've seen Foley in, and I've seen his great ones with Triple H. This was just full of brutal spots and brilliant psychology on the parts of both guys. Mick has a cool entrance, where he arrives via a casket, which druids wheel to ringside. Match starts off with some token brawling, but we get to the sick stuff when Mankind had the concrete exposed. Shawn jumps off the apron and drives the back of Mankind's head onto the concrete. Looked nasty as hell, though not as brutal as his Nestea Plunge. After dodging a SCM, Mankind goes out and takes the urn for comfort. Pretty funny stuff. Later, Mankind, I think, was out of position for a rebound crossbody, so Shawn just steps off the turnbuckle and punches away, looking legit miffed. At least he didn't throw a blatant temper tantrum like he did when Vader was out of position for an elbow at Summerslam the previous month. It's worth seeking out that match, not only because it's good, but it's worth it to see that little display of dignity by the champ. The first real bit of psychology happens when Shawn suplexes Mankind on the floor, and Mankind's knee hits the steps. OUCH! Shawn just goes after it like a madman, using the figure four, a half crab, and Perfect's kneebreaker. In one of the cleverest and most original bits I've seen, Mankind takes a pen from Paul and proceeds to stab himself in the knee to get the feeling back. Mankind then works on Shawn's head and neck, another great show of psychology, as the announcers remind us of Shawn's concussion problems. It's also good for lowering resistance to the Claw. Later on, Mick and Shawn fight for a suplex on the apron, and both end up on the apron. Mankind charges, and eats post. That was another pretty cool spot. Another awesome spot sees Mankind do his trademark Òhead caught in the ropes" spot, and he manages to get the Claw on Shawn IN THAT POSITION. Coolness. Shawn, after experiencing the Mandible Claw and wanting no more of it, goes and attack's Mankind's Mandible Claw hand. This is some of the best psychology I've seen in a match. Later, Shawn takes his trademark Òbackdrop over the ropes and hope not to kill myself" bump, and takes a swinging neckbreaker on the concrete, re-establishing Mankind's assault on the head. He works on it viciously with a legdrop, double-arm DDT, and a pulling piledriver. He even pulls out that rolling cradle he used to turn back the awesome and career-threatening challenge of Duane Gill at Survivor Series 1998. Shawn makes his comeback, but gets crotches, and, in the best spot of the match, Makind suplexes Shawn through the announce table to the outside. Another original, creative spot. In yet ANOTHER SWANK~ spot, Mankind goes up to the top rope with chair in hand, but Shawn jumps off a chair already set up and kicks the chair back in Mick's face. That would have been a great ending, but Vader comes down and draws the DQ. Well, with the way both guys were going apeshit on each other, a DQ would have been expected. Mick was actually supposed to win, but it was vetoed, and the belt went to Shawn's friend, Sid, at Survivor Series. I honestly cannot praise this match enough. Anyone who labels Mick Foley as nothing more than a Òglorified stuntman" should watch this match and learn the fine art of shutting up. *****
"Hell in a Cell" - Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker
From: In Your House Ð Badd Blood (10/5/97)
Yep, kiddies. It's the first ever Hell in a Cell match, and it wasted no time in establishing it's awesomeness. The story here is that Shawn did everything in his power to piss Taker off, all stemming from Shawn costing Taker the WWF Title at Summerslam. The match at Ground Zero went to a no-decision, so this structure was created to keep DX out of the match, and to keep Shawn from escaping. This match is probably one of the more excellent bits of storytelling that I have seen. The match starts off with Shawn trying to avoid Taker, who is practically chomping at the bit to get him some of Shawn. Undertaker finally gets Shawn, and lays in a total ass-whipping, while Shawn just bumps like no friggin' tomorrow. One great bump saw Shawn try to climb the cage to escape Taker, but Taker just yanks him down. Nice. The front row gets into the spirit of things by chanting ÒMake Him Bleed!". Taker tries a powerbomb, but Shawn grabs a bit of cage and pounds Taker's head. Taker retaliates by ramming the back of Shawn's head into the mesh, and just lets him drop. Taker then rams Shawn into the cage, then into the post, wash, rinse, repeat, and the crowd is loving it. Shawn gets the advantage for a bit, but Undertaker keeps coming for more. To add to the story, Shawn's increasing desperation sees him using whatever he could find to keep the advantage, including using the stairs as a weapon. Shawn piledrives Taker on the steel steps in a great spot. He then rolls back into the ring to avoid Taker's wrath. Shawn finds a chair and hits Taker with it to try to keep the advantage, as Taker's perseverance freaks Shawn the hell out. Taker comes back and knocks Shawn out of the ring, and Shawn hits the cameraman (who was a local wrestler in reality) on the way down. This gives Shawn an idea, as he beats the crap out of the cameraman, allowing the EMT to open the cage to help him. Fucking brilliant stuff. That spot would be lifted by Jericho and Triple H in their Hell in a Cell match. Shawn hits his usual (flying forearm, elbow), and hits the Sweet Chin Music. In one of the few times where Taker's no-selling really added to the match, Taker sits up, and Shawn heads out the door. Now the story is that Shawn threw everything he had at Taker, including his finisher, but Taker shrugs it off, thus prompting Shawn to exeunt, stage left. They fight on the outside, and Shawn gets catapulted into the cage, finally drawing blood. This was a pretty neat blade, not only because Shawn bled buckets from it, but because he did it in MID AIR, and it didn't look totally obvious unless you go in slow motion. Now that Taker drew blood, he wants Shawn to bleed even more, so he rams Shawn into the cage, until Shawn kicks Taker in the sack, and tries to climb up the cage in an attempt to avoid Taker. Taker climbs the cell, and they brawl up there. Shawn again tries to escape Taker by climbing down the cage, but Taker sends him careening down through the announce table. Taker then tosses him onto the French table, then onto the Polish table, then the Swedish table, the Russian table, the Gaelic table, the Portuguese table, then the Arabic table, then the Klingon table, then, finally, onto whatever's left of the Spanish table. And Shawn thought Syracuse was tough. Back into the ring, where Taker chokeslams Shawn off the top rope, then BLASTS Shawn with a chair, thus giving Shawn a taste of his own medicine. Taker signals for the Tombstone, but Kane makes his WWF/E debut. With Vince shouting the famous ÒTHAT'S GOTTA BE KANE!" line, Kane makes an impact by ripping the door off its hinges. He then Tombstones Taker, leaving Shawn to get the three. I actually liked this ending, because, with the way Taker pounded the absolute shit out of Shawn throughout the whole match, only something like what happened at the end would be a feasible way for Shawn to get the win. Awesome match, with a tremendous story and off-the-charts bumping from Shawn. Only the Triple H vs. Cactus Jack HIAC beats this one, and it was damn near dead heat. *****
"The Comeback" - Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H
From: Summerslam 2002 (8/28/02)
Probably couldn't have picked a better match to end this with myself. This is the return of HHH's clean-shaven look, and Shawn's sporting jeans and cowboy boots. Certainly better than that crap he wore in the first Elimination Chamber. Some brawling to start, with Shawn even pulling out a plancha, which turned out better that the tope he tried on RAW beforehand. HHH comes back with some backbreakers, establishing the psychology of the match. Well, with Shawn's established back problems, would he do anything else? HHH works over the back for a good period of time, while Shawn is drawing great sympathy heat. A chair comes into play when HHH blasts Shawn's back with it, and DDTs him on it. HHH takes off Shawn's belt (Geez, wait until you get to the hotel, guysÉ) and WHIPS HIM LIKE A GUBBERMINT MULE! HHH then gets the sledgehammer, but Shawn resists. HHH works on the back some more with the chair by hanging him upside down and hitting him in the ass. HHH then sets up the chair and sideslams him on it. Ouch. Shawn makes a comeback by superkicking the chair back into HHH's face, to a huge pop, as HHH does a primo bladejob. Shawn does the forearm and the kip-up spot, popping the crowd BIGTIME. Shawn unloads on Triple H with the chair, and whips him on the outside. As I noted earlier in the rant, Shawn steals Hugo's boot and clocks HHH with it, in sort of a mini-tribute to the match with Diesel. Shawn finds a ladder and basically beats the shit out of HHH with it. They go at it in the ring, where Shawn gets the upper hand by dumping HHH, and HHH, surprisingly, doesn't injure himself, as his legs landed on the ladder. In an awesome markout spot, Shawn splashes HHH through a table. Shawn then sets up the ladder in the ring. After saying ÒI love each and every one of you" to the crowd, he dives off the ladder with an elbow. Another markout moment. Superkick is blocked, but the Pedigree is reversed by Shawn into a rollup for three. Terrific brawl, with lots of markout moments, good psychology, and great crowd heat. Without a doubt, this was Triple H's best match since his injury (if only by default), and his last great one. One of the best matches of 2002. ****1/2
Extras
"The Beginning":
Bloodbath - Basically, it's Greg Gagne being interviewed after the tag title match. He notes that Marty's ribs were broken. Him and the announcer would proclaim the match as the most brutal thing they've seen in wrestling.
Be Ready - It's a Shawn promo from the AWA. Pretty typical, unremarkable promo, The sunglasses looked cool, though.
Barbershop - YES! I love this segment. The Rockers were experiencing dissention, and went on the Barber Shop to sort it out. Shawn denies any friction, and shows glimmers of his emerging egotism, but Marty, displaying the mic skills of a dried grapefruit, tries to set things straight between them. They hug, then Shawn superkicks Jannetty down. Then, to really tear the Rockers apart, Shawn takes Marty and puts him THROUGH THE PLATE GLASS WINDOW. Classic, classic stuff.
"Ladder Match":
There Are No Rules - An interview done with Shawn on Superstars. A very good promo done using the ladder as symbolism for his climb to the top.
Two Champions - It's the buildup video package for the match. Great buildup for the match.
"Iron Man":
Piper's Announcement - A face to face interview between Shawn and Bret on RAW. They spend most of the time blowing smoke up each other's asses, until Roddy Piper comes out and declares that the match will be an Iron Man match. Interestingly enough, Piper notes that they will hate each other after this. Oh, how right you were.
Training Video - A compilation of both guys' training videos, with a couple of small promo spots filled in. Great for building the hype for the match.
Iron Man TV Spot - A promotional spot for the match. Nothing totally remarkable here.
Match of the Year - The award ceremony from the 1997 Slammys. Other nominees were: Shawn vs. Mankind (my pick), Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin (Survivor Series), Mankind vs. Undertaker (Boiler Room Brawl), and Austin vs. Savio Vega (Caribbean Strap match). Shawn goes up and kisses Bret's ass, then Bret says that when Shawn Òfinds his smile", they should have a rematch. WhoopsÉ
Before They Were Superstars - Taken from Confidential and Before They Were Superstars Vol. 2, this was basically an account of what Shawn was like in his early years. He was quiet and shy, and a very nice boy. WHAT HAPPENED?!?! He played football, just like nearly every other WWE star. His parents discouraged his watching wrestling as a child, but let him watch it anyways. Him and a friend used to do suplexes and slams into a friggin' swimming pool, and worked a 35-minute match for a talent show. What a yardtard. He got his start when he met up with Jose Lothario. Shawn gets some pretty funny accounts of his first several years in wrestling, including their first WWF stint. Not a bad segment, all-in-all.
Tell Me A Lie - This was a tribute video made for Shawn after the ENZUIGIRI OF DOOM angle with Owen Hart. What brought about the original concussion was Shawn getting drunk off his ass and pissing off some Marines. He sustained a concussion, which the WWF/E turned into a sympathy angle. Shawn comes back Òtoo soon", and after said enzuigiri, Shawn crumpled to the mat, holding his head. Shawn suffered post-concussion syndrome after that. Pretty mush, yet effective, stuff with the video. The angle didn't draw well, but it did help get Shawn some real sympathy heat when he came back at the 1996 Rumble. The video was well put together, and the song, while soppy, went well with it.
"No Holds Barred":
Diesel Interview - Diesel cuts a promo backstage, from Germany. He basically says that he didn't want the title, and that it was the worst year of his life (and for the company). Decent promo, though he did start mumbling a bit at times.
Big Daddy Cool - Another Diesel promo, basically saying how Shawn had changes, and that he was the cure. Say what you will about his ringwork, but Nash cuts some pretty entertaining promos when he wants to. Then they cut to Shawn giving a good promo about how people said that the Iron Man match wasn't his style, and that No Holds Barred wasn't his style. Good stuff.
Good Friends - A promo spot for television. I liked the slogan, by the way.
Better Enemies - A different promo spot for TV. Nothing special, but solid.
In Your House - A Diesel/Shawn buildup package. Great feud and build, and awesome match to boot.
"Mind Games":
Have A Nice Day - A pretty cool TV spot, where they play on Mankind's insanity, and make it look as if Mankind was the favorite going in.
Slam Jam Promo - Shawn and Jose cut a promo on Mankind and Paul Bearer. Shawn plays up the idea of him being as nuts as Mankind. Decent promo.
Mankind Promo - Funny stuff, as Mankind wonders if he'll be a sexy boy if he wins the title. Has to be seen, though it's hard to make out the rest of what he was saying, because he had a belt tied around his neck.
Brain Surgeon - Shawn basically claims that he doesn't have a mind for Mankind to play mind games with. Okay segment.
Pre-Match Interview - More emphasis on Shawn being as insane as Mankind, and that the mind games have no effect on him. Not bad.
"Hell in a Cell"
Hell In A Cell TV Spot - If I have to tell you what this is, you need help. Good stuff.
Building Hell - The cell is constructed.
Blaze of Glory - Shawn comes out and tells the world that he isn't afraid to die in the cell, and he would be going out in a blaze of glory, taking everyone down with him. Taker appears on the Titantron and threatens Shawn. Good hype segment.
Good News, Bad News - Pre-match promo. Good news was that Shawn's coveted (yeah, right) European title wasn't on the line. Bad news was that he would be locked in the cell with Undertaker.
Badd Blood - TV commercial. Another fairly good commercial.
"The Comeback"
Nothing Left - Awesome, awesome buildup video package that made me want to see that match even more. That match had the best hype I've seen in a good while.
Hammered - Wow. They're showing that Syracuse beating here?!? Gah, it's only HHH hitting Shawn with the sledgehammer, to HUGE heel heat. HHH grins as Shawn is loaded onto the stretcher.
Photo Gallery - Nice addition, but I didn't find it to be anything special.
Easter Eggs
Buddy Rose Blow Away Diet - Press Left when ÒBe Ready" is highlighted. Pretty nasty-looking skit, showing an EVEN FATTER Buddy Rose. This was so mid-Ô90s WWF.
HBK Theme Song Segment - Press Right when ÒBarbershop" is highlighted. It's a Confidental segment that features Shawn talking about his theme song.
Losing My Smile Speech - Press Left when ÒPhoto Gallery" was highlighted. Very infamous speech, where Shawn fakes a knee injury to avoid jobbing to Sid and Bret. It's another reason why Shawn was a total scumbag in the locker room. Here, he hogs 10-15 minutes to blather on about a fake injury (with shots of girls crying thrown in there) just to avoid doing his damn JOB. This also indirectly started the failed Rocky Maivia experiment. See, Shawn was supposed to drop the belt to Sid on the show that he did this speech, but that didn't happen. Thinking that having HHH defend his IC title against Aldo Montoya was crap now that their main event was gone, the bookers decided to axe that decision, and put Maivia in Montoya's place, and put him over HHH for the title. There ya go.
Verdict: If you do not have this, GET IT NOW! Every match on here was good (with six of them being awesome), and the extras are a good touch. This is a terrific look back at a great career in the WWE. The only gripe I'd have would be that I would have liked to have seen more classic DX moments in there, or his Wrestlemania match with Austin, but those are minor. Massively huge dinosaur-sized thumbs up here.
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