Match of the Day - Shane McMahon: which way did he go? Answer: Down part 1

Shane McMahon vs. Steve Blackman - Hardcore Championship match WWF Summerslam (2000)

This Hardcore Wednesday match has the claim to fame as that match were Shane McMahon, being the spot junky that he is, gets caned off the titantron via "The Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman and his lethal kendo stick (it's really a singapore cane but whatever). A year later we saw the same drop at Backlash (McMahon vs. Big Show) but this time it was Shane-O-Mac jumping off the titantron rather than falling. The latter gets remembered a bit more while this match is really only remembered as that one match were Shane McMahon had the Hardcore title and the 24/7 rule was suspended so these two "marvelous athletes" could actually have a real (hardcore) match.

The contrast or Steve Blackman's use of weapons with his martial arts background and Shane McMahon's never-stay-down underdog attitude is also very fun to watch.

Match of the Day - WWF goes UFC... kinda

Owen Hart vs. Steve Blackman - WWF Sunday Night Heat (1999)

In an attempt to sort of get fans interested in more mixed martial arts type wrestling such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship where stars like Ken Shamrock and Don Severn were from, a little cage was constructed to contain athletes in a match known as the "Lion's Den".

The original concept for the Lion's Den was that the only way to win was via submission. This would later change as rules for cage matches always seem to in pro wrestling, and the opportunity to win by pin-fall was later excepted - along with weapons.

Dan Severn, serving as ref for this match, is in a neck brace for this match as Owen Hart "dropped him on his head" with the same tombstone piledriver that legitimately broke Stone Cold Steve Austin's neck a year and a half prier. It is later revealed that  Severn was not hurt and actually jumps into the den and beats up on "The Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman - not Owen.

All in all, this is just what I would expect WWF to look like if Vince ever introduced a UFC-side of the company.

Speaking of Vince, Mr. McMahon himself actually fought (I guess that's what you would call it) in one of the other Lion's Den matches against the man who has been in pretty much every Lion's Den match except this one mentioned above, Ken Shamrock.