Live from the Mecca, this is the greatest card in the history of the WWF’s King of the Ring! According to the voiceover guy, that is. Our commentators are Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and… well, Owen Hart’s music is playing and he’s in a suit so I guess he’ll be the replacement heel commentator tonight.
KOTR Semi-final Match: “Stone Cold” Steve Austin vs. “The Wildman” Marc Mero
After a bit of circling, they locked up. Austin got Mero in a side headlock takeover, but Mero countered with a headscissors. Austin kicked out and they circled and locked up again. Austin got the side headlock and turned it into a hammerlock, but Mero reversed into one of his own. Austin reversed it again and took Mero down with a drop toehold. He rode up into a reverse chinlock. Mero fought out and bounced off the ropes but was met by a reverse elbow by Austin. Austin gave Mero some right hands, but Mero applied a side headlock. Austin whipped him into the ropes and was met with a shoulderblock that sent him down. Mero bounced off the ropes and Austin dropped down but was caught by a flying headscissors on the rebound. Austin rolled out of the ring and Mero went for a somersault plancha, but Austin moved out of the way. Mero put on the brakes and waited for Austin to roll back in. They locked up again, with Austin getting an armwringer. Mero reversed into his own armwringer and got the side headlock. He whipped Mero into the ropes and hiptossed him. Mero kicked him in the face as he moved in and hit an armdrag, which he turned into an armbar. He went for the armwringer again and then back to the side headlock. Austin whipped him into the ropes but was sent down by a shoulderblock. Mero bounced off the ropes and Austin dropped down, hitting the Thesz Press as Mero came back. Austin went to work, stomping and dropping forearms at a rapid rate. He whipped Mero into the ropes but it was reversed and Mero executed a baaaaaack bodydrop. Austin rolled out of the ring and asked for a time-out. He soon rolled back in and asked for a handshake. Mero didn’t take it but accepted an invitation for a test of strength. After a few moments, Austin kicked his midsection, sending Mero to his knees. Mero fought up and broke free. He bounced off the ropes, but Austin dropped down, throwing him to the outside on the rebound. Austin went after him, pulling up the mat on the outside. He lifted Mero and dropped him on it. When they got back in the ring, Austin hit a vertical suplex and dropped a forearm. He pulled Mero under the bottom rope and elbowed his throat. He took him to the other side of the ring and did the same thing. Mero tried to fight back, but Austin raked him across the top rope. He whipped him into the opposite corner and then back to the original corner. He followed with a snapmare and dropped the elbow from the second rope for a two count. Austin hit a backbreaker for another two count. He applied a Boston Crab. Mero tried to get to the ropes, but Austin dragged him to the center. After about a minute, Mero started to power out. Austin tried to turn him over again, but Mero shifted his weight and flipped Austin. He got an inside cradle for a two count. They both got up and Austin whipped Mero into the ropes and hit a reverse elbow. He stomped Mero’s midsection and reapplied the Boston Crab. Mero powered out again by flipping Austin into a pinning predicament. Austin countered with a sunset flip, but Mero countered into another pin attempt for a two count. He whipped Mero into the corner front first, and tried for a back suplex. Mero escaped and threw his legs up to catch Austin’s arms, rolling him up for a two count. Austin started to bleed from the mouth as one of Mero’s feet kicked him in the face. Austin got up and dropped Mero with a right hand. He whipped him into the ropes but it was reversed and Mero applied a sleeper. However, Austin immediately countered with a jawbreaker. He whipped Mero into the corner, but Mero vaulted off the second rope and his back struck Austin. The screen split and we saw a still shot of Ahmed trying to suplex Vader. As inspiring as the image was, it quickly disappeared and we were back to the match. Austin irish whipped Mero and went for a reverse elbow, but Mero ducked and hit a dropkick. He hit him with right hands and took him to the corner for a ten-punch. He whipped Austin into the ropes and hit another back bodydrop. He went up top and hit a double axehandle for a two count. He whipped Austin into the corner and charged. Austin got his boot up and tried to throw Mero out of the ring. However, Mero reversed and Austin was tossed out. Mero bounced off the ropes and hit his somersault plancha. He threw Austin in, but Stone Cold tried to escape by rolling out again. Mero hit a tope. They got back in and Mero hit a missile dropkick for a two count. He set Austin up on the top rope and hit a hurricanrana for another two count. The got up and Austin kicked him in the stomach. He seemingly went for a powerbomb, but dropped Mero across the top rope. He covered and got a two count. He pulled Mero up and hit the Stone Cold Stunner to get the three count at 16:50.
And now, “On the Wagon” with Jake Roberts. Dok interviews Jake, who says that he knows he stands virtually no chance against Vader but he’s going to give it a shot anyway. That’s about it. Until next time, this has been “On the Wagon.”
King of the Ring Semi-final Match: Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. The Man They Call Vader
They started by locking up, and Vader shoved Jake away and flexed. They locked up again, and Vader went around for a go-behind into a modified sleeper and then to an armwringer. He put his weight on Jake, sending him down to the mat and getting on his shoulder for a Fujiwara armbar. He let him up and whipped him into the ropes, running directly into him. He picked Jake up and the same thing off the other side of the ring. He followed with a big splash, which got a two count. He whipped Jake into the corner and charged, but Jake got his boot up. Jake followed with several jabs, but Vader whipped him into the ropes, putting his head down. Jake gave him a kneelift and signaled for the DDT. He tried for it, but Vader rammed him into the corner, and followed up with some stiff shots that dropped Jake to the mat. Vader picked him up and hit him with several forearms and then tried for a short-arm clothesline. Jake ducked and hit Vader with several rights and then gave him a short-arm clothesline of his own. Vader didn’t go down, so Jake bounced off the ropes but Vader ran right into him again. He whipped Jake into the corner and went for an avalanche. Jake moved and hit the DDT as Vader turned around. Vader shoved the ref over on his way down and the bell rang at 3:29. The ref apparently DQed Vader for shoving him. Vader went crazy and took his anger out on Jake, who was standing in the corner. He gave him two avalanches, and followed with the Vader Bomb. Jake lay in the ring holding his ribs as Vader calmed down.
As the Godwinns make their entrance, our Designated Reporter (Dok Hendrix) interviews Sunny and the Smokin’ Gunns. Sunny promptly forgets her lines and just ends up repeating everything she said before. In a hope to salvage this, Dok turns to Billy Gunn, but that also proves to be a mistake since Billy can’t seem to string together a sentence either. McMahon cuts in and says that they’re stalling. Poor Bart didn’t even get to try.
WWF Tag Team Title Match: The Smokin’ Gunns vs. The Godwinns
Before the match could start, Billy grabbed the microphone. He insulted Phineas, who wnet after him. Billy got out of dodge and Bart attacked Phineas from behind as the bell rang. He slammed him to the mat and dropped a knee before tagging Billy. Billy came in with several right hands and slapped Phineas. He whipped him into the ropes and put his head down. Phineas kicked him in the face and dropped him with a right hand, following with a flurry of rights. Bart ran in and got a right hand of his own. Henry came in, and the Gunns rolled out of the ring. When things finally settled, Henry and Bart were the legal men. Bart kicked him in the midsection, whipped him into the corner, and charged. Henry got his boot up and clotheslined Bart, getting a two count. He applied an armwringer and tagged Phineas. Phineas hit Bart in the ribs and reapplied the armwringer. He tagged Henry, who went to the top rope and dropped the fist on Bart’s ribs. He applied another armwringer and took Bart to the mat with an armbar. Bart got to his feet and whipped Henry into the ropes. He missed a clothesline, but Billy kneed Henry in the back on the opposite side. Billy was tagged in, and he stomped Henry. He gave him a snapmare and a kneedrop for a two count. He tagged Bart and held Henry for a double axehandle to the back. Bart dropped the knee on Henry’s back and rolled him over for a two count. He tagged Billy, who was whipped into the ropes by Henry. Henry put his head down and Billy gave him the FameAsser, back when it was just the Rocker Dropper. He got a two count. Bart was tagged in, and he gave Henry a backbreaker, followed by dropping both fists onto Henry’s back and taunting him. He tagged Billy, who dropped a double axehandle on Henry’s back. Henry tried an inside cradle, but only got a two count. Billy dropped another double axhandle and rammed Henry face first into the top turnbuckle. He whipped him into the opposite corner and went for a splash. However, Henry moved and Billy hit the post. As the ref got tied up with Phineas, the Gunns faked a tag. Bart gave Henry a backbreaker and an elbow drop. He went to the top rope but missed a guillotine legdrop. He tagged Billy, but Henry finally tagged Phineas, who went after both Gunns with right hands. A brawl soon erupted, with the Godwinns taking control. They tried to whip the Gunns into each other, but they both reversed. The Godwinns did a dosey-do and clotheslined both Gunns. The ref tried to get Henry out of the ring, which gave Bart the opportunity to take off his boot and nail Phineas in the back of the head with it. Billy covered for the cheap pin at 10:10. The Gunns and Sunny ran off with the belts.
Dok Hendrix stands by with The British Bulldog, Jim Cornette and Diana Smith in the Camp Cornette dressing room. As they’re talking, Mr. Perfect (the special guest ref for the main event, don’t you know) walks in and starts unloading his bags. When Dok questions the possible meaning of this, the Bulldog gets the line of the night: “You think Mr. Perfect’s going to go over in the dressing room… the same dressing room as Shawn Michaels? He might get his wallet stolen!” As ridiculous as the line was, it was actually funny in context.
The Ultimate Warrior vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler
I never got why they decided to feud the Warrior with Lawler. Lawler came out first and went up to the podium where the coronation would later take place. In a not-so-subtle manner, he swiped the scepter. He proceeded down the aisle, insulting fans as he went. “It’s women like you that turn men into… well, people like Goldust!” The Warrior came out with his usual theatrics, and Lawler ambushed him as he was on the apron, ramming him in the back with the scepter. He followed the Warrior to the floor and choked him with the scepter. He choked him some more and laid in some rights before ramming him into the steps. He took off the Warrior’s coat and choked him with that too. They got into the ring, where Lawler pulled some of the tape from his hand and choked the Warrior some more. He backed him into the corner, where Warrior got a boot into Lawler’s midsection before the King continued his demonstration of chokeholds. He called for the piledriver and delivered it. The Warrior no sold it by getting up and dancing around. Lawler tried to punch him in the back, but the Warrior bounced off the ropes and gave Lawler three clotheslines. When Lawler got up, he finished with a flying shoulderblock and leaned on him for the three count at 3:51.
We go back to the “Interactive Area” (a table with a computer on it) where Sunny is chatting with the fans on AOL. The chyron identifies her as Mankind. All I have to say is that Foley never looked so good!
Dok is with WWF President Gorilla Monsoon while Jake gets his ribs taped up in the background. Monsoon says that since Jake wants to compete so bad, he’s going to let him go ahead with the KOTR finals, but if he has to stop the match, he will.
The Undertaker vs. Mankind
Mankind came out first and waited in the ring. The lights went out for Undertaker’s entrance, but only Paul Bearer came out. When he got to the steps, he raised the urn and brought the lights back on. The Undertaker was already on the top rope, and delivered a flying clothesline to Mankind. He backed him into the corner and hit him with a flurry of right hands, much to the crowd’s delight. He kicked him in the midsection but received an eye rake. He whipped Undertaker into the corner, but Undertaker came out and grabbed Mankind by the throat, hauling him back into the same corner to keep hitting him. He rammed Mankind’s face into the top turnbuckle, prompting Mankind to try and escape by climbing the corner. Undertaker pulled him down and threw him out of the ring. When Mankind came back in, Undertaker applied a claw to the face and tried to get the mask off. Mankind tried to escape by going to the apron but Undertaker hauled him in over the top rope and rammed him face first into the turnbuckle again. Undertaker got the wristlock and went up top, walking the top rope and delivering a clothesline. He choked Mankind in the corner and irish whipped him into the opposite corner. He charged, but Mankind got an elbow up, and followed with a scoop slam. Undertaker sat up, but Mankind ran back and clotheslined him. He laid in some punches and kicks. Undertaker tried to fight back, but Mankind cornered him and choked him with his boot. He charged and hit a running knee to Undertaker’s face. He got out of the ring and laid the Undertaker across the apron, elbowing the throat. He pulled him all the way out and hit the elbow drop from the apron. Mankind got back in, and Undertaker followed. He fought back with kicks and punches. Mankind went for a kick, but Undertaker caught his foot and swung him around only to be met with a clothesline. Mankind threw Undertaker out of the ring again and followed. He propped Undertaker up against the steps and got two chairs, throwing one into the ring. He charged Undertaker with the other, but Undertaker got a boot up and smashed it into the chair and Mankind’s face. Mankind dropped the chair on the floor and Undertaker whipped him into the apron. On the rebound, he backdropped Mankind onto the chair. He threw him back in, and hit him in the back with the other chair while the ref was busy with Bearer. He whipped Mankind into the ropes and hit a big boot. He went for the Tombstone, but Mankind escaped and countered with a swinging neckbreaker. He followed with a legdrop and then checked to make sure the Undertaker was out. He went for the Mandible Claw, but Undertaker’s arms shot up and grabbed Mankind’s wrist. They got to their feet and Mankind kicked the Undertaker twice and then bounced off the ropes to kick him in the head. Undertaker went down, but sat up. Mankind applied a nerve hold to the shoulder and neck. Undertaker tried to fight his way out, but Mankind stopped him with several rights and reapplied the hold. The Undertaker faded, but eventually came back to fight his way out with right hands. He clotheslined Mankind out of the ring, but Mankind grabbed the Undertaker’s foot and pulled him out under the bottom rope. He set him up on the steps again after several right hands, got some distance, and charged, hitting a running knee. He slammed him on the floor and got on the apron. He tried for his elbow drop again, but Undertaker picked up the chair from earlier and slammed it into Mankind’s upper body. He threw Mankind back in and stomped him. He then picked him up and threw him face first to the canvas, following with three headbutts. He whipped him into the ropes, but Mankind reversed. He missed a clothesline, but Undertaker hit a flying clothesline. He whipped him into the ropes again and put his head down. Mankind executed a piledriver and got a two count. Frustrated, Mankind rammed his own head into the turnbuckles and started pulling out his hair. As Paul Bearer got on the apron, Mankind grabbed the urn. He lifted it to hit the Undertaker, but Bearer snatched it away. Undertaker sat up, but Mankind was ready and applied the Mandible Claw. Undertaker tried to fight it, but when they got near the ropes, Bearer swung the urn at Mankind, who moved. Undertaker was hit with the urn, and Mankind was able to take the Mandible Claw to the mat. The ref called for the bell and Mankind got the submission victory at 18:20. Owen Hart speculated whether that was an accident by Paul or not. Mankind got one of the chairs and stalked Bearer down the aisle, followed by the Undertaker, who was having trouble walking.
Dok interviews Mr. Perfect, who gets the second best line of the night- “Dok: This reeks of collusion! Perfect: You don’t even know how to spell collusion!” At this point, Shawn Michaels cuts in and goes into worried face mode. He tells Perfect that he worked way too long for him to blow this. After he leaves, Perfect still insists he’s going to call it right down the middle, daddy!
WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Ahmed Johnson vs. Goldust
Ahmed charged, well… jogged his way to the ring. He got a running start and immediately took Goldust down with a clothesline. He laid in some right hands, getting more mat than Goldust’s head. He whipped him into the ropes and took him down with another clothesline. Goldust rolled out of the ring, but that didn’t stop Ahmed from continuing the attack with an extremely fucked up plancha. After some more right hands, he threw Goldust back in the ring and the pace slowed down, due to Johnson already being blown up. He whipped Goldust into the corner, and Goldust rolled out of the ring again. Goldust pulled Ahmed out, but Ahmed punched Goldust and whipped him into the steps. He then picked up the steps and threw them at Goldust, who moved and avoided it. They got back in the ring, where Ahmed whipped Goldust into the corner twice. He charged on the last one, but Goldust moved and Ahmed missed whatever he was trying to do, and ended up outside the ring. Goldust went out and smacked him twice, then whipped him into the other set of steps. He picked up the steps himself and dropped them on Ahmed’s back. He threw him back in the ring and whipped him into the ropes, meeting him with a flying clothesline for a two count. He slammed him and applied a modified (read: bad looking) camel clutch. When Ahmed didn’t immediately submit to the crappy hold, Goldust let up and then jumped down on Ahmed’s back, reapplying the hold. Ahmed fought out and whipped Goldust into the corner. He charged with a clothesline, but Goldust moved and hit Ahmed in the back with a right hand. After feeling up Ahmed’s back, Goldust hit him with some double axehandles and snapmared him. He applied a reverse chinlock. Ahmed faded and the ref did the hand-drop thing. Ahmed managed to revive, fight out, and whip Goldust into the ropes. He put his head down and Goldust countered with a sunset flip attempt. Ahmed didn’t go down and gave Goldust a right hand. Somehow, Goldust took back control and got a two count. He hit a piledriver for another two, and laid in some more rights. Goldust put on a better-looking camel clutch, and Ahmed started to fade again. He came back, whipped Goldust into the corner and finally hit that clothesline. When he tried to whip him into the opposite corner, Goldust reversed, and Ahmed crashed into the turnbuckles front first. Goldust forearmed him in the back and raked the eyes. Ahmed fought back with rights, and whipped Goldust into the ropes AGAIN. He missed a dropkick when Goldust held onto the ropes. Goldust made a quick cover and got a two count. He whipped Ahmed into the ropes and applied a sleeper hold. Eventually, Ahmed was reduced to unconsciousness, so Goldust felt obligated to forget about the match entirely and gave Ahmed “mouth-to-mouth.” Unfortunately, this revived Ahmed, who grabbed him by the throat. Ahmed got up and shoved Goldust into the corner, punishing him with a flurry of fists. He whipped him into the ropes and hit a spinebuster. He then hit the Pearl River Plunge at 15:34, and we had a new Intercontinental Champion.
Ad for In Your House: International Incident. This time, soon-to-be “superfan” Adam is abducted by aliens, who would rather watch In Your House with him than subject him to excruciating pain and torture. Voiceover Guy comes up with the brilliant tagline, “It’s out of this world!”
Brian Pillman makes his way down to ringside on crutches, making sure to insult each and every fan he sees along the way. Dok must be on a coffee break, because Jim Ross gets to interview him. “All right Vince, thanks very much. Brian Pill—“ “How’s my extended family doing, Jimmy?” “Fine.” “I forgot to tell ya… I don’t even give a damn about my own family. And I think even less of this sewer of human waste that sits before me! It’s easy to see why Jeffrey Dahmer tried to consume this whole state from head to toe, ha ha ha…” “It’s not really funny… I’m sure the fans are excited about the day when you’ll be able to step in the ring. Tell me, how do you think you’ll measure up to this kind of competition?” “Listen you stupid son of a bitch, I’ll get… ha, ha, ha. What I want to know is: how does it feel, to be one of the members of a wretched refuse? Sitting paralyzed with fear of Brian F’N Pillman does, says whatever he wants. We’ll find out real soon if any of your so-called WWF Superstars has the guts to stop me. Yeah, take a good look. I’m the brightest star ever to step foot on God’s green Earth! While you crown a King of the Ring, the leader of the new revolution ascends to his throne. I’m gonna rape, pillage and plunder this entire federation! Ha ha ha… ha ha ha ha!” Either Pillman was a really good actor or he really was a little bit crazy.
Austin’s music hits and he makes his entrance, encountering Pillman in the aisle. Pillman shouts some words of encouragement, but Stone Cold simply stares at him for a moment and keeps walking.
King of the Ring Finals: Jake “The Snake” Roberts vs. “Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Austin attacked immediately, going for the ribs. He stomped Jake and dropped two double axehandles on his side. He dropped an elbow from the second rope on Jake twice, and then dropped a forearm from the ground. As he kicked him in the ribs, Jake got to his knees, prompting Austin to taunt and slap him. Jake fought back with a couple of kicks, but Austin drove him into the corner with his shoulder and started ripping off the tape on Jake’s ribs. Gorilla Monsoon came down to the ring, presumably to call the match off. The ref stopped Austin and backed him into the corner while Monsoon checked on Jake. Jake said he wanted to continue and launched a desperate attack on Austin. Monsoon left the ring, as Jake went for the DDT. However, Austin rammed him into the corner, followed by several shoulderblocks. Jake went down and Austin dropped the elbow. He pulled him up and hit the Stone Cold Stunner. Jake slumped over and Austin covered him for the pin at 4:38. He immediately proceeded up the aisle and to the King of the Ring coronation with Dok Hendrix.
“All right, ladies and gentlemen, the fourth prestigous King of the Ring, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, an incredible victory...” “The first thing I want done is to get that piece of crap out of my ring. Don't just get him out of the ring, get him out of the WWF, because I proved, son, without a shadow of a doubt, that you ain't got what it takes anymore. You sit there and you thump your Bible, and you say your prayers, and didn't get you anywhere. Talk about your Psalms, talk about John 3:16... Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!” “C'mon, that's not necessary...” “All he's gotta do is go buy him a cheap bottle of Thunderbird, and try to get back some of that courage he had in his prime. As King of the Ring, I'm serving notice to every one of the WWF superstars, I don't give a damn what they are, they're all on the list, that's Stone Cold's list, and I'm fixing to start running through all of them! And as far as this championship match goes, son, I don't give a damn if it's Davey Boy Smith or Shawn Michaels... Steve Austin's time has come. And when I get the shot, you're looking at the next WWF Champion, and that's the bottom line, because Stone Cold said so!”
WWF World Title Match: “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels vs. “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith- Special Guest Referee Mr. Perfect
Mr. Perfect came out first, and Owen slipped by calling him Curt Hennig. The Bulldog came out next, with his wife Diana and James E. Cornette. After some posing, he took offense to a group of fans at ringside and got in their faces. Then Shawn’s music hit and the place went ballistic. Shawn came out with Jose Lothario and the usual pyro. When the music ended, Gorilla Monsoon came down with Earl Hebner and conferred with Howard Finkel. Finkel announced that Mr. Perfect’s officiating would be done outside the ring while Earl Hebner would be the official inside the ring. Apparently this was Monsoon’s revenge for Clarence Mason and Cornette blackmailing him into letting them choose a special ref, but the announcers mentioned none of this. Finally, the match started. The Bulldog grabbed the Union Jack and waved it for the crowd, which prompted Shawn to start a “U-S-A!” chant. They locked up and went into the ropes and Shawn was thrown off by the Bulldog, who flexed his muscles and did a standing somersault. They locked up again, and Shawn was once again pushed off. Shawn applied a wristlock, but the Bulldog rolled and reversed it. Shawn reversed it again and hit a side headlock takeover. The Bulldog countered with a headscissors and Michaels kicked out, hit another side headlock takeover. Bulldog again countered with the headscissors and Shawn kicked out. He hit a third side headlock takeover, but this time resisted the scissors by applying more pressure. Bulldog pulled the hair to gain more leverage and then rolled up Shawn for a two count. Shawn pushed himself back into a leverage position, but the Bulldog rolled him up for another two count. The Bulldog got to his feet and tried a back suplex, but Shawn dropped back down with the side headlock takeover for a two count. Bulldog got to his feet again and whipped Shawn into the ropes. He hit a shoulderblock, which sent Shawn back into the ropes and hit another shoulderblock which did the same. The third time, the Bulldog tried to throw Shawn out of the ring. However, Michaels skinned the cat and caught Bulldog in a headscissors, pulling him out of the ring. Shawn pulled himself back in and faked a pescado, landing on the apron. He hit a hurricanrana on the floor and laid into the Bulldog with right hands. Cornette got too close and Shawn tapped him on the shoulder. Cornette tried to hit Michaels with his racket, but Shawn kicked him in the stomach and grabbed the racket, slamming it into his posterior. They went back into the ring, where they locked up again. This time the Bulldog hit the side headlock takeover for a two count. Shawn tried getting to his feet and powering out but the Bulldog pulled his hair and brought him back into the side headlock. Shawn tried to whip him into the ropes, but the Bulldog held on to the headlock. He succeeded the second time, but was met with a shoulderblock that sent him to his back. Bulldog bounced off the ropes and Shawn dropped down, then leapfrogged him, and then tried for another. However, the Bulldog stopped and lifted Michaels into a military press. Shawn escaped into a waistlock, and Bulldog ran to the ropes, throwing Shawn off. Shawn rolled backward and swept the Bulldog’s leg to get a two count. He followed up with two armdrags and an armbar. He maneuvered the Bulldog’s arm backward to expose the elbow and kneed it twice. He then reapplied the armbar and turned it into a modified cross armbreaker. The Bulldog maneuvered Shawn into a pinning predicament and grabbed the second rope for leverage, but Mr. Perfect broke his grip and the Bulldog fell back into the cross armbreaker. Bulldog made it to his feet again and kicked Shawn, forcing him to release the hold and then hit two forearms. He rammed Shawn’s face into the top turnbuckle and whipped him into the opposite corner. Shawn “went to the well” but the Bulldog didn’t fall for it. Bulldog missed a clothesline and Shawn took him down into the armbar. He turned it into a hammerlock, and hooked the other arm to turn the Bulldog over into a pinning predicament, getting a two count. He went back into the hammerlock and dropped the knee on the arm. The Bulldog reversed the hammerlock, and Shawn got to his feet. Shawn headlocked him with his free arm and flipped over backwards to escape. He bounced off the ropes, but was met with a hiptoss by the Bulldog. Shawn kicked him in the face as he came in to follow up and got to his feet. Shawn whipped him into the ropes and tried a hiptoss, which didn’t budge the Bulldog. He hit him in the midsection and hooked the Bulldog’s head with his leg, flipping backwards. Bulldog tried a clothesline that missed, and Shawn applied a sleeper. The Bulldog immediately rammed Shawn’s back into the corner. He whipped him into the opposite corner twice, snapmared him, and applied a reverse chinlock. Shawn fought out and bounced off the ropes, hitting an armbar DDT. Shawn went to the top rope and hit a double axehandle for a two count. He tried for an Irish whip, but it was reversed. The Bulldog put his head down and Shawn hit a knee lift. He tried for another Irish whip, but Bulldog reversed again, catching Shawn in a military press. The Bulldog backed up and dropped Shawn over the top rope. Bulldog went out to join him and gave him a vertical suplex on the floor. Mr. Perfect was obviously hesitating with his counting, stopping to warn Jose Lothario, who wasn’t even near the two competitors. The Bulldog military pressed Shawn back into the ring and got a two count. He applied another reverse chinlock. Shawn fought out and backed the Bulldog into the corner with several shoulderblocks. He whipped the Bulldog into the opposite corner, but it was reversed. Shawn went into the turnbuckles shoulder-first, and flipped up. He flipped back down and received a clothesline that sent him to his back. The Bulldog applied a Mexican surfboard, flexing his legs to apply more pressure. After a few moments, he leaned back to put Shawn’s shoulders on the mat. He got a two count. The Bulldog once again went back to the reverse chinlock. Shawn fought out again and bounced off the ropes only to be met by the Bulldog’s knee. He whipped Shawn into the ropes, hit a back bodydrop and then a legdrop for a two count. He reapplied the reverse chinlock, getting a two count when Shawn’s shoulders reached the mat. Shawn finally got back up and was whipped into the ropes. The Bulldog missed two clotheslines, but Shawn hit a high cross body for a two count. The Bulldog then AGAIN applied the reverse chinlock. Shawn fought out AGAIN, but the Bulldog headbutted him. He whipped him into the ropes, but Shawn hit a crucifix for a two count. Shawn blocked a kick and went for a powerslam, but Bulldog countered into a powerslam attempt of his own. He started to run, but Shawn slipped off his shoulders and sent him into the ropes. The Bulldog hit a clothesline and a piledriver. He went to the top rope and tried for a flying headbutt but slipped as he jumped, never even reaching Shawn. They both got up and Shawn whipped Bulldog into the corner. He went to the top rope, but Bulldog executed a dropkick to Michaels’s midsection, crotching him. The Bulldog hit a superplex from the top rope for a two count. He set Shawn up on the top rope and tried for a back superplex, but Shawn countered with a cross body and got a two count. They got up and started exchanging right hands. Bulldog applied a standing side headlock, and got whipped into the ropes. Michaels dropped down and then both men viciously collided, knocking them both silly. They finally got to their feet, and Bulldog missed a running clothesline. Shawn went for a hurricanrana, but Bulldog countered with a powerbomb for a two count. He whipped Shawn into the corner but it was reversed. The Bulldog tripped again and somersaulted into the turnbuckles. Shawn whipped him into the ropes, and the Bulldog reversed, but received a flying forearm from Michaels, who kipped up. Shawn slammed the Bulldog, taking the official out in the process. Michaels hit the elbow smash and signaled for the superkick. The Bulldog got to his feet and Shawn hit Sweet Chin Music. He covered, and both Hebner and Perfect, after some confusion and hesitation, started to make the count. Owen got up and pulled Perfect from the ring, but Hebner made the three count at 26:23. Someone screwed up on that one. As Shawn got up, Owen came in and attacked. Shawn managed to execute an atomic drop that sent Owen into the ropes. Owen ducked a superkick and missed the enziguri. Shawn put him in a figure four, and the Bulldog came over, only to be cradled by Shawn. He let them both up and laid some rights into them. The Bulldog whipped him into the ropes and dropped down, allowing Owen to hit the spinning heel kick. They teamed up on Shawn until Ahmed Johnson came out to make the save. Vader almost immediately ran in and took out Ahmed. As they set Shawn up for Vader to splash from the top rope, the Ultimate Warrior ran in and pushed Vader off. He took out Owen and the Bulldog with clotheslines, and the heels hightailed it. The three faces celebrated and posed in the ring until the copyright info came up.
This was actually a really good PPV in spite of the only good matches being the opener and the main event. Jake vs. Vader might have been real good if given more time. The first Undertaker vs. Mankind PPV match wasn’t anything great, but it was a nice little brawl. Owen was in rare form on commentary, being hilarious by trying to find justification for everything the heels did and at the same time trying to condemn everything the faces did. My only big problem was that the post-main event beatdown and save looked like it was straight from the 80s. I never did figure out why they decided to only have the last two rounds of the King of the Ring on the actual PPV for three years. Regardless, nice effort from just about everyone.