Match of the Day - Rock 'n' Sock Connection are in grave danger!

The Rock & Mankind (c) vs. The Undertaker & The Big Show - WWF Smackdown! (1999)

In yet another interesting tag team confrontation, the ever-popular, Rock 'n' Sock Connection of The Rock and Mankind took on the ever-evil team of pony-tail era Big Show and The Undertaker in the very first tag team "Buried Alive" match. That's right! A tag team member buried alive match.

The first and only tag team Buried Alive match in WWF/E was unlike other specialty tag team matches like a tag team cage match or a tag team tables match in that only one man from either team needed to be buried AKA thrown in a rectangular hole and "completely" covered by dirt. This is contrary to the cage and table matches where both team members must escape the cage (usually, if they don't want to go for a dumb pinfall or something like that) or both team members must be put through a table for the win.

The result of the match comes out to be a shocking turn of events as super heel, Triple H hits The Big Show in the "back of the head", as Michael Cole puts it, with his signature sledgehammer but then buries Mankind by himself for the team of The Big Show and The Undertaker to win the match and Mankind and Rock's tag team titles. An Ambulance immediately appears at the dirt mound to pick up Mankind, but as Triple H goes to help the EMT's by opening the Ambulance doors for them - a real jerk, let the EMT's do their job - out pops the Texas Rattlesnake, Stone Cold Steve Austin! Austin then throws HHH in the back of the Ambulance and drives it out to the parking lot where Austin would then "commandeer" a semi and rams it into the Ambulance with HHH still inside...

Yeah, I know... all that on Smackdown!

This was back when SD! was essentially the blue version of Raw on Thursday nights.

Overall reaction: First, the bump that Mankind takes after being thrown from the stage to the grave looks super painful. Mick Foley was and forever will be known as the guy who could take the most punishment to his body and get right back up, but I honestly do not think that that poor man had to take so many falls to live up to the reputation he made for himself after Hell in the Cell #2. I mean we got it, Mick was unbreakable, but was repeatedly having him fall or thrown off of something really worth it at this point? Some may disagree. I however feel that Mick proved himself a worthy competitor even without the the scientific wrestling ability at this time in his career and didn't always need to be getting handcuffed and hit with a dozen chair shots or, in this case, taking a super hard bump for no reason. Yeah, no reason; the bump wasn't even necessary as the show was going to end with Triple H getting killed by Austin via vehicular manslaughter anyway.

Secondly, this is The Undertaker's first and only Buried Alive match where he is not buried alive. Undertaker, the only person who has wrestled in every one of this type of match in WWF/E (currently), was 1-1 coming into this match but thanks to HHH and only HHH, who wasn't even in this match to began with, buries Mankind for Taker's second win (believe it or not) and the only time Taker escaped un-buried.

Thirdly, no Buried Alive match has ever been won cleanly. What I mean by this is that almost every match out of the five Buried Alive matches that have taken place, an individual/individuals has interfered and buries the loser completely. In the first Buried Alive (officially won by The Undertaker but often forgotten), The Executioner played by masked Terry Gordy comes out to save Mankind from the grave and buries The Undertaker all the way to the top with the help of the heels (including HHH no less); in the second Buried Alive match, Taker vs. Austin, Austin gets help from Taker's baby brother, the Big Red Machine, Kane; in this Buried Alive match, Triple H buries Mankind (who was already buried in the first BA match) all by himself; in the 2003 Buried Alive match between Taker and Mr. McMahon, Kane (now unmasked kane) once again interferes and buries Undertaker whole with the crane digger; and in the last Buried Alive match at Bragging Rights 2010, Kane buries Undertaker for the third time with the crane thanks to the interference by NEXUS.

Just thought I'd spread a little history today, I guess.

Song of the Day - Scissor remix

Liars - Scissor (remix by Pink Dollaz, Lance Whitaker & Transformation Surprise) from Sisterworld (Delux) (2010)

Today's track is a rap remix of the song "Scissor" from Liars 2010 release, Sisterworld. I don't listen to too much Liars but when I do, I enjoy 'em. I do remember spinning "Scissor" quite a lot in 2010 as well.

Liars also released a new album in 2012 called 'WIXIW'. It was aiight.

Last.fm

Match of the Day - "The Original Screwjob"

Wendi Richter (c) vs. The Spider - WWF Madison Square Garden (1985)

In what was scheduled to be a regular title defense by the Women's champ at the time, Wendi Richter against The Spider Lady at MSG turned out to be the very first (recorded at least) "Screwjob" in WWF history. As the story goes, Wendi Richter was unhappy about her pay at the time in the company and Vince McMahon, being the true villain he is I guess, decided he would just screw Richter out of her title that she had just won back from Leilani Kai at the first Wrestlemania in March of that year. You know, because that's easier than just paying a female the same as the boys.

The screwing was done by dressing the former champion of 28 years, Fabulous Moolah up as The masked Spider Lady (usually played by Glenn Dean according to Richter in her shoot interview in 2005) and having her win after a fast count by the referee that was "not in the script". Despite the blatant  kick out, the bell is rung and The Spider is announced the winner.

Wendi Richter was so genially upset by the decision of the match that she continued to wrestle with The Spider Lady, removing her mask to reveal Fabulous Moolah and then proceeded to hit Moolah with the belt  until she (Richter) walked out of the arena "wrestling gear and all". Richter would never return to the WWF or speak to Vince McMahon until she was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010. I don't think she ever spoke to or reconciled with Fabulous Moolah again as Moolah passed on in November of 2007.

To cover up this incident, Fabulous Moolah told Mean Gene Okerlund in an interview on WWF TV that Wendi Richter was dodging her out of a title shot so she disguised herself as The Spider to get back what was rightfully hers.

Similar incidents where superstars have come back under masks to wrestle for one reason or another like Moolah include: The Miz as The Calgary Kid to defeat the returning Eugene in a contract on a pole match after he was fire for some reason due to John Cena on Raw one time... another incident would be  when Edge & Christian brought back Los Conquistadores in their feud with The Hardy Boyz where Edge & Christian lost a championship match to The Hardyz and could no longer wrestle for titles again as long as The Hardyz were champs. So, E&C dressed up as Los Conquistadores and defeated The Hardyz at No Mercy for the titles. One of the doubles that played Los Conquistadores during scenes with E&C was played by Christopher Daniels who also dressed under a mask to return to action after being fired in TNA as Curryman.

The list just goes on and on - but the real story behind this match is definitely the undeserving screwjob that Wendi Richter received during her time in the WWF.

Song of the Day - Cycles of Gehenna

Aesop Rock - Cycles of Gehenna from Skelethon (2012)

This track comes straight from by 'best of 2012' list (part 1) that I'm working on and will be posting tomorrow evening (if all goes according to plan).

Last.fm

Match of the Day - Road Dogg gets his a-double-crooked-letter handed to him by Bradshaw

The new Age Outlaws (c) vs. The Acolytes - WWF Royal Rumble (2000)

Speaking of tag teams in 2000, here's two of the all time greatest tag teams, The New Age Outlaws and The Acolytes (soon to be starting their own protection agency as APA). With Road Dogg and Badd Ass Billy Gunn and their charismatic attitudes and The Acolytes with their brute strength, these two teams didn't need tables, ladders, and chairs to prove they were great. Dogg and Gunn did need the help of their friend X-Pac to win this match however.

This match is mostly memorable for the fact that Bradshaw, a competitor who didn't know his own strength, supposedly knocked out The Road Dogg not once but twice during this match. The New Age Outlaws would still retain the titles after the ref bump and interference by Pac, but just to watch Bradshaw and Faarooq manhandle James and Gunn like they were The Roadie and Rockabilly again, man, really made The Acolytes look tough.

Maybe I'm just bias because this was about the time I really started to get into the WWF but RR 2000 has to one of the most memorable Royal Rumbles in the history of Royal Rumbles. And that's tough for even me to say because I've seen every Royal Rumble until RR 2009.

This Royal Rumble as featured the debut of Tazz in WWF, The spot hungry Hardy Boyz taking on the wood hungry Dudley Boyz in the first-ever tag team tables match, the swimsuit contest where Mae Young flashes her "puppies", the forgettable Chris Jericho vs. Chyna feud moment when Hardcore Holly was also involved, The unforgettable return of Cactus Jack 2000 vs. Triple H in the street fight where Hunter gets a piece of plywood stuck in his leg, and the Royal Rumble match that The Rock wins and Taka Michinoku takes a hilariously painful looking bump.

Song of the Day - 2013

Jesse Gertz - 2013 from VIII (2010)

"Still no job and a car"

 

Happy 2013 everybody!

Last.fm (J. Gertz now goes by Glass Fingers... for now at least)

Match of the Day - TNA gives you more bang for your buck in 2010

The Motor City Machine Guys vs. Generation Me - TNA Final Resolution (2010)

From what it looks like here, TNA almost had a real X division and tag team division as they once did in the early days of NWA:TNA. Of course, they had to take a page out of WWF's tag team division circa 2000 with the TLC match to end a somewhat decent feud and display some sweet spots to get the job done.

2010 was TNA's biggest turning point (the literal sense of the word not the PPV) as Hulk Hogan took over along with Eric Bishoff who decided to get rid of the six-sided ring and kickstart the X division again. 2010 was also the year The Young Bucks were signed to a TNA contract and went by Generation Me or Gen. Me.

Shorting after upsetting The MCMG's to win their debut match, they would than again take on Shelley and Sabin in a match at Final Resolution. Along with the chance to capture the World Tag Team titles, The Young Bucks, now named Jeremy and Max Buck, also had the chance to show everyone that TNA had actually picked up a damn good tag team. A young team that resembled another brother group that once dominated the tag team division with aerial maneuvers and ladders, The Hardy Boys.

Oh yeah, did I mention that this was a "Full Metal Mayhem match" - TNA's version of the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs oh my! match but putting much more emphasis on things made of metal? Well it was...

Despite this match/feud actually being one of TNA's better moments at this time, Gen. Me didn't stick around for much too long after this match ended and their tag team days started to look numbered. These two talented brothers didn't want to put up with the terrible storylines they would have had to go through rather than just wrestling and keeping the good name (cough cough) of TNA's tag team division and X division alive.

Can't say I blame 'em.