The Undertaker vs. Sycho Sid

The Winner: The Undertaker

Background Noise

Courtesy of @WyzaNow on twitter

The main feud heading into WrestleMania 13 was between The Undertaker and Sycho Sid, with the two battling over the WWF Championship. At In Your House 13, Bret Hart last eliminated The Undertaker in a Four Corners Elimination match to win the vacant WWF Championship. Hart's reign, however, lasted only one day as he lost the title the next night on Raw to Sycho Sid after interference by Steve Austin. Due to being the runner-up to the title at Final Four, Undertaker was made the number one contender and was booked to challenge Sycho Sid for the title at WrestleMania. However, on the March 17 edition of Raw, Sid defended the title against Hart in a steel cage match, with the winner defending his title at WrestleMania. During the match, both Undertaker and Austin interfered. Undertaker came out to help Sid because he wanted to wrestle Sid for the title while Austin helped Hart because he wanted to make his scheduled no disqualification submission match with Hart a title match. Sid won the match and retained his title and as a result, Sid vs. Undertaker remained the main event of WrestleMania.

This match was the first time that Paul Bearer did not accompany The Undertaker to the ring at WrestleMania, turning on him approximately 7 months earlier. Shawn Michaels was on commentary for this. I do not remember watching this match, in fact I have never seen the match. But I do remember my mom telling me the result of the match at like 3 in the morning after the show. I don’t know why.

The Bell

Bret Hart, for some reason comes out to the ring, grabs a microphone and shouts at Shawn Michaels, then Undertaker, then Sid. Sid punches, then powerbombs Bret. I thought Sid was the villain in this match and was pretty sure that Bret was a hero at this point, yet the crowd cheers at this. The mat is dirty. I assume it is Steve Austin’s blood as he did bleed quite a bit earlier in the night. Sid is using a bearhug which would weaken the back and make it more difficult for Undertaker to hit a tombstone. He drops him ribs first on the guard rail. Puts him in the camel clutch.

This reminds me, apparently Sid shit his pants either before or during this match. That may be what is on the canvas. It does look like a rusty color. Sid got a near fall and after The Undertaker kicked out, Sid kept going back to the pin, under the belief that each kickout would wear out Taker more. Shawn Michaels does add a lot on commentary to this match. Giving his expertise as the best way to beat Sid (take out his legs). Undertaker does something I have noticed that he does in most of these WrestleMania matches, he tries for a running elbow drop and misses.

Sid does a great deal of attacks from the ropes, which given how his career would end a few years later (broken leg after a bad landing from the ropes) is kind of ominous. Undertaker even had to resort to go up top to try and fell the very large Sid. Sid reverses a tombstone piledriver on The Undertaker into one of his own. After The Undertaker kicked out, Sid tosses him out of the ring. During a brawl outside, Bret Hart runs in and hits Sid in the back with a chair in front of the referee. Undertaker takes advantage of this, tossing Sid, spine first into the ring post. He then hits a chokeslam, only gets a two count. Sid had an opening for a powerbomb but Bret Hart runs in AGAIN and this allows The Undertaker to hit a tombstone and get the win.

The Final Verdict

Bret Hart was obnoxious in this match. He came out 3 times and played too much into the finish. He could have cost The Undertaker his Streak just as it was picking up steam. The chair shot was right in front of the referee. I don’t know why it wouldn’t have been a disqualification but glad it wasn’t. I liked the story of Sid getting seemingly desperate later in the match, continually going up the ropes.
The match wasn’t as good as the Diesel match the year before but still a pretty good one. It would have made logical sense for Sid to win, he was the champion and albeit, not a long term one, if any match early in the streak were to have made sense for a loss, it would have been this one.

Rocky Maivia vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley

 

BACKGROUND NOISE

This match took place on February 13, 1997. A rare Thursday edition of Monday Night RAW. I do not recall this match but do remember this RAW very well. It was on this show that Shawn Michaels forfieted the WWF Title due to his “smile being gone”.

Rocky was challenging for the WWF Intercontinental Championship here.  Hunter Hearst Helmsley had been the champion for 74 days at this point. A title reign that actually was more established than Maivia’s WWF career at this point. An interesting fact about this match, Helmsley was scheduled to defend the title just 3 days later against Ahmed Johnson at a PPV. Rock’s position at that event was not announced.

Helmsley was the heel in this match and Maivia thus was the babyface

THE BELL 

Rocky was at this point still a commodity with in the company, the first 3rd generation Superstar. The story early in this match was simply that as much of a blue chipper as he was, Rocky was still outmatched. He went for a headlock early and was downed after a moment. This gave Helmsley a chance to posture. Helmsley was using his experience and arrogance to get into the youngster’s head.

As the match progresses, Rocky finds his niche and the move that can throw Helmsley off of his tracks, a dropkick. A dropkick that while seemingly missing twice at this point, does send Helmsley to the outside of the ring twice.

What happens next is something I don’t necessarily understand. Maivia places a dazed Helmsley up against the ring post and goes for a clothesline. A move that would, if connected, sandwich Hunter’s head between Rocky’s arm and the post. That I get, but what I don’t get is the fact it was done by the babyface. In the Andre The Giant/Hulk Hogan match at WrestleMania 3, the spot makes sense. Andre tried for a headbutt but Hogan gets out of the way. Andre was the villian in that match. It doesn’t seem like the “right” thing to do here. Its kind of a dick move. Luckily Helmsley gets out of the way and Rocky’s arm gets hurt.

When the match gets back in the ring, Hunter goes full force over the arm. After a few minutes he starts a simplistic beat down. Chops and a neck breaker, asserting his dominance. Every time Maivia starts firing back, he is set back down. He demonstrates a counter to a sleeper hold by running Maivia face first into the corner. Something that Rocky could have used just seconds earlier because Helmsley had him in the same position.

The match takes a brief turn in Rocky’s favor when he starts firing up and is even able to hit a crossbody from the top rope. It is reversed and we go back to Hunter’s dominance. He even hits a neckbreaker that commentator Vince McMahon indicates he believes to signal the end (in fairness, this was a commentary trademark of his). After a piledriver doesn’t get it done, Helmsley begins to show frustration. He keeps going for bigger and bigger moves. After a superplex does not work, he signals it is time for The Pedigree, which he cannot hit because Rocky cannot remain standing. After a third attempt, Rocky grabs a small package (NOT A PENIS JOKE) and gets a surprise three count. 

Winner of the Match: Rocky Maivia

Final Verdict

While it is historically significant in the career of The Rock, it actually isn’t much of a match.  Rocky didn’t do a lot in the match other than manage to not lose. The actual loser of this match however was not Helmsley, it was Ahmed Johnson. The man who was supposed to face Helmsley at the PPV three days later. That match was dropped and replaced with a rematch of this encounter. Ahmed Johnson instead battled nobody. He was off the show.

Rating: **