Repost - WWF Wrestlemania 12

The Furious Flashbacks – Wrestlemania 12

In 1996 the WWF was running really short on big name stars. For WM12 they brought back the Ultimate Warrior (way after he could go) for example. So to counter their lack of talent they put their 2 best wrestlers in the main event in an Iron Man match – one hour. One hour of Bret Hart against Shawn Michaels. You can stop drooling now. On the undercard we had Undertaker against Diesel for the only time in history, Warrior and Roddy Piper against Goldust (again Piper brought back because the WWF had no stars).

This PPV will be graded according to the Furious Grading Scale. FGS grades are as follows -

A One of the greatest matches anywhere, ever.
A- Damn near perfect
B+ Excellent
B Very Good
B- Good
C+ Average
C Mediocre
C- Bad
D Terrible
F Hulk Hogan
U or Ungraded = Hacksaw Jim Duggan v Ultimate Warrior v Goldberg in a submissions only Ironman match. My worst nightmare.

WWF tag titles – The Godwinns (c) v The Body Donnas w/Sunny

This is on the free for all. That’s how important the tag titles were in 1996. Both teams suck. The Godwinns bring a goat to the ring and the Donnas bring a crack whore. Hank demonstrates some early power by press slamming both Donnas. Phinneas gets a bit upset and throws one of his “fits”. They execute a nice move where Hank slingshots Skip over the top ropes and he lands on Zip who’s on the floor. Skip fails to slam Hank (blown spot anyone?) With Hank down Skip slams Zip straight into a leg drop on him. Excellent. The Donnas then execute a rocket launcher but Skip misses with the headbutt. I forgot how good the Donnas were. Shame about the gimmick. Phinneas goes for a slop drop but Sunny jumps on the apron and shows Phinneas her ass (is there anyone out there who hasn’t seen Sunny’s ass) so he gets rolled up like a chump. The Donnas win it and the belts at 5.23. Match rating – C. Short but the Donnas did some entertaining stuff.

The WWF puts on a Nacho Man v Huckster match to spoof former stars Macho Man Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan. They fast forward Hogan’s entrance because he’s so slow. King falls asleep during the match. Gene Okerlund and Ted Turner help Huckster to remove his shirt. The match ends as draw. They didn’t put this on in front of the live Wrestlemania audience.

On the free for all they do some awesome video packages of Shawn Michaels with Jose Lothario and Bret Hart training with Stu Hart. Bret talks about how he thought Savage was really good and one day he was better than Savage. He talks about Shawn being the man who will take his place but he’s not ready to go yet.

Into the event itself we’re in Anaheim, California for Wrestlemania 12. Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are on commentary. They hype all the matches apart from the opener.

Vader/British Bulldog/Owen Hart v Yoko Zuna/Ahmed Johnson/Jake Roberts

The heel team is managed by James Cornette. If the faces win Yoko gets 5 minutes with Jimmy. Vader and Yoko start out to big heat. Yoko dumps him over the ropes and the faces have cleared the ring. Ahmed does a Yoko assisted pescado onto Vader. Owen tags in but Yoko ignores his offence. Owen and Bulldog double team Yoko and Vader tags back in. Vader hammers Yoko in the corner. Yoko comes back with a Rock Bottom and tags out to Ahmed while Bulldog tags in. Ahmed with a big powerslam but Vader blindsides Ahmed. Ahmed goes for the Pearl River Plunge but Owen snipers him with a drop kick off the ropes. Owen rules. Inziguri on Ahmed. Jake tags in, hits a short arm clothesline and calls for the DDT but Owen grabs the ropes and blocks it. Vader tags in and hits an avalanche on Jake. Owen tags in with an elbow from the top which gets a 2 count. Owen goes to a bizarre submission hold (kind of a stretch of the arms with the leg over the shoulder). Bulldog tags in with the running powerslam but Jake kicks out. Yoko and Vader are back in and Yoko pummels Vader in the corner. Samoan drop on Bulldog. Jake comes in and hits the DDT on Owen. Vader blindsides him and hits the Vaderbomb. 13.09 and it’s all over. Match rating – C+. Some decent spots but too much Vader and Yoko.

Hollywood Backlot Brawl – Goldust v Roddy Piper

Goldust turns up in a gold car which Piper beats the crap out of with a baseball bat. Goldust gets out of the car and Piper chokes him with the bat. Trash can to the head. Goldie gets introduced to a dumpster head first. Piper turns on a hose and soaks Goldust. Piper smacks Goldie in the head with a couple of stiff right hands. How stiff? He’s opened up his own hand. Goldust hits a low blow and gets into the car. Goldust runs Piper over in the car. Sweet. Apparently it was Piper although everyone claims it’s a stunt double it does look like Piper. Piper gets into his car and gives chase. The rest of the show is interspersed with shots from the chase that are actually shots from the OJ Simpson pursuit in the bronco. Match time – 4.25. But it’s not over yet so I’ll add that time onto the bit later on where it finishes.

Stonecold Steve Austin w/Ted DiBiase v ‘Latin Sensation’ Savio Vega

Austin has just grown his beard and looks like ‘classic’ Austin. Vega hits a couple of big ass chops in the early going and a sidewalk slam for a 2 count. Austin rams Vega shoulder first into the ringpost to get back into it. We get Piper on a cell phone “If he thinks this is over he’s 10 different kinds of wrong”. Back in the ring Vega hits a clothesline but hurts his own arm in the process so Austin goes into an armbar of sorts. Hammerlock and Austin slams Vega right on his arm. Vega gets a 2 count from a crossbody. Lou Thesz press from Austin with right hands and the referee starts counting. Oops. Vega hooks Austin’s arms with his legs and scores a 2 count. Austin reverses into a roll up for another 2 count which Vega flips out of into another 2 count. They fight over a backslide but Vega sells his injured arm again. I didn’t realise Vega was so able in ring skills. Austin gets caught running in with a heel kick. Vega goes for a splash but Austin gets his knees up. Small package gets another 2 for Vega. Austin actually comes off the top rope but Vega gets his foot up and Austin eats foot. Austin is taking massive back bumps in this match. Bigger than I remember him ever taking. Vega hits another big ass chop which gets the first “fugettaboutit” from Vince. Vega misses a spinning heel kick on Austin and he knocks the ref out. DiBiase distracts Vega and Austin nails him with the Million Dollar belt. Austin slaps on the Million Dollar Dream to make it look like he had it on all the time. DiBiase wakes the ref up and Austin wins by submission at 10.07. Match rating – B. Good stuff from Austin but I was more impressed with the way Vega sold the arm injury.

Diesel is interviewed by Mr Perfect “I’ll take cool of this” – Diesel. Mic skills? What mic skills?

Triple H v Ultimate Warrior

Trips is accompanied by Sable before her whole Mero escapade and their feud which began just after this. Trips is unfortunately jobber fodder in this one. King tells us Warrior weighs in at 400lbs and has shaved his head which isn’t exactly true. Trips starts out quick catches Warrior unaware. He hits the pedigree after 20 seconds or so and Warrior completely no sells Triple H’s finisher. Some crappy Warrior offence which is aided slightly by some exaggerated Triple H selling. Gorilla press drop and splash from Warrior and it’s over at 1.40. Match rating – F. Warrior sucks. Warrior is possibly the most over rated wrestler in the entire history of the business.

Backstage we’re introduced to the Wildman Marc Mero and Pettengill pronounces his name wrong. Mero is excited. He gets into a shoving match with Trips and they’re fighting. Mero would feud with Trips for a while afterwards.

Undertaker v Diesel

This is the only time the 2 best big men in the business (not my words) faced each other. The mics pick up Diesel talking “I’m the shits I’m telling ya”. The “shit” maybe. Diesel could actually move about quite well back in 1996 and his selling didn’t completely suck but that’s probably not enough to save this. It’s a brawl and Taker introduces Diesel to the ringpost. Taker looks for an early tombstone which Diesel gets out of. Taker hits a crossbody for a 2 count. Top rope walk of doom and Diesel doesn’t go over. Diesel gets sent spine first into the ringpost and Taker narrowily misses with a chair shot. Diesel puts Taker spine first into the post as a receipt. Diesel goes into the ring and taunts only to be met with a chorus of boos. Back inside Diesel hits the big boot. Sidewalk slam from Diesel and he only has one more move to do. Double big boot and both men are down. Diesel goes for the bearhug. It ends up as a side headlock which Taker suplexes Diesel out of. Taker comes off the ropes with a flying clothesline. Taker sets for a back body drop but Diesel powerbombs him. Diesel show boats and leans on the ropes instead of pinning. Another Jack Knife powerbomb and Diesel smiles at the crowd and mocks Paul Bearer but he really should have pinned there. Diesel goes to pin and Taker grabs him by the throat. Diesel breaks the choke and side suplexes him. Hey, Nash doesn’t know that move! I’ll have to call him a 4 move wonder. Flying clothesline from Taker. Sloppy looking chokeslam. Tombstone piledriver. 1-2-3. Match time – 16.49. Match rating – C+. Sluggish but not appalling there was enough interesting stuff going on to get the rating up.

Goldust v Roddy Piper continued

Out back Goldust and Piper have arrived back at the Pond. I start the timer as Piper gets back into the building. Diesel walks past the camera in the back looking pissed off. Goldust begs off and Piper runs him down into the ring. Goldie actually starts working the leg in a match that thus far has been devoid of any such thing. Goldie hits a low blow and this is about as over as Goldust got. Goldie rips off Piper’s shirt and chokes him with it. Goldie wraps Piper’s knee around the ringpost. Piper crotches Goldust on the ropes but Goldust kisses Piper. What? Oh now you pissed him off. Piper goes downstairs with a testicular claw and a knee to the crotch. Goldust has his suit stripped off to reveal womens underwear including stocking and suspenders. Another low blow and Goldust is done at 6.48 + 4.25 = 10.73 Match rating – D. Really bad. Any match where working the genitals is considered psychology cannot be good.

WWF title – Bret Hart (c) v Shawn Michaels w/Jose “Supersoc” Lothario (Iron Man match)

“One man’s sunset is another man’s dawn” – Bret Hart. Awesome promo. Shawn is up in the rafters before the match and he slides into the ring on a rope and pulley. Cool. Well I say the ring he touches down in the Clique. Bret isn’t as over as Shawn but he didn’t get such a cool entrance. He does get some pyro though. Shawn is applauding Bret before the match. You got to be kidding me. Earl Hebner gives out the referee instructions in the same style that they do at boxing world title matches. Nice touch. They should have signed UFC referee John McCarthy to do it though. Bret gives his shades to his son Blade Hart.

They start off with some lovely wrestling. Shawn with a waist lock takeover which Bret reverses into his own waistlock and Shawn fights his way out. Bret goes to a headlock but Shawn gets out of it. Shawn with an arm ringer which Bret reverses into a headlock and takes Shawn over but Shawn can’t get out like he did the last time because Bret’s learned. Bret gets a 2 off the headlock. Shawn rolls through with the headlock and picks up a 2 count also. Shawn fights out and hits an arm drag but Bret goes back to the headlock. Shawn goes for the headscissors and gets out so Bret goes back to the headlock. Shawn goes the headscissors again and Bret leans forward to avoid it. Awesome. They fight over a wristlock but Shawn wins it with a leg trip. Bret goes straight into a front face lock. Back into the headlock and Shawn gets another count from the roll through but this time only gets a 1 count. Shawn with a pair of armdrags and he goes to an arm lock. Shawn starts dropping knees into the arm. Bret tries to arm drag out of the arm lock but Shawn holds on. Drop toe hold from Bret and he rides Shawn but Shawn comes out sideways and straight into the hammerlock. Shawn stretches Bret the exact same way that Stu Hart had been in the packages they’d been running as preparation for this event. They go into the corner and Bret takes the first cheap shot to heat but then Shawn comes back with his own shots. Bret gets caught in tjhe corner and headscissored through the ropes to the floor at the 10 minute mark.

Shawn with a fireman carry takeover and he works the armlock again. Bret throws Shawn over the ropes but Shawn skins the cat back in and goes straight back to an armbar. This time a version of the Fujiwara armbar. Bret with a headbutt to the abdominal area and follows up with a leg drop. Bret with a reverse chinlock. Shawn jawbreakers his way out. Shawn hits a leg drop as a receipt for the Bret one. Fujiwara armbar from Shawn. Bret manages to turn himself over and powers up. Bret hits a spinebuster and he goes for the sharpshooter but Shawn makes the ropes. Bret dumps Shawn over the ropes with a clothesline to huge heat. Shawn posts Bret on the floor. Shawn goes for a superkick but accidentally nails the timekeeper in the face. Back inside Bret goes to the reverse chinlock again. Shawn armdrags out and follows in with a clothesline. Bret with his own hooking clothesline as a receipt and back to the chinlock. Shawn goes for a roll up but misses so he hits a drop kick and an armdrag and holds on for the armlock. We’re now at the 20 minute mark with Shawn dropping knees into the arm and stretching it out into his own armbar.

Bret stands up out of the hold and goes to step on Shawn’s face but Shawn sends him back down. Bret rolls out of it and straight into the headlock. Wicked. Shawn reverses straight into the hammerlock. Awesome mat wrestling. Bret stands up and backs Shawn into the corner and hits a pair of stiff elbows. Bret is stiffing Shawn badly at this point. Shawn throws Bret shoulder first into the ringpost and wraps his arm around the post. Shawn connects with a measured shoulderbreaker. Double axe handle from the top onto the shoulder. Hammerlock into a slam from Shawn. Shawn then rams him shoulder first into the top turnbuckle. I just caught Shawn spitting on Bret. The feud has begun. Bret strikes Shawn in the face to break out of an armlock and Shawn fires back with a jumping armbreaker. Armbar from Shawn. Shawn has been working the body part excellently. Bret turns the leverage over and stamps on Shawn’s face. Shawn levels a few elbows in the corner as a receipt for the earlier elbows. Another version of an armlock from Shawn. Bret fights out and hot shots Shawn onto the second rope. This match is getting really stiff. Bret gives Shawn a slingshot into the ringpost. Shawn kicks out at 2 and a half. Bret goes to ram Shawn’s head into the turnbuckle but Shawn reverses. Shawn goes for it again and Bret reverses sending Shawn’s head into the ringpost again. Inverted atomic drop and a clothesline for a 2 count. Bulldog from Bret. Bret goes up top and drives the knee into the back of a standing Shawn’s head at the 30 minute mark. Ivan Koloff’s finishing move incidentally.

Michaels hits a powerslam for a 2 count. Bret hits an awesome piledriver for another 2 count and the crowd boos. See, there are Bret fans. Bret goes to the ropes again and Shawn rocket launches him off. Shawn with a roll up and right hands (ala Lou Thesz). Backbreaker from Shawn (he’s stealing Bret’s moves). Bret bails to avoid Shawn’s superkick and gets a shit load of heat. Shawn hits a plancha to the floor. A huge plancha. Shawn goes for a crosbody from the top and Bret rolls through for a 2 count. They fight over a backslide but Shawn pops over and rolls up for a 2 count. Shawn hits a perfectplex for another 2 count. Shawn goes to the sleeper. Bret breaks out in the corner but Shawn goes back to it. Bret goes for the same escape but Shawn moves and Bret drives himself back of head first into the turnbuckles. Awesome receipt. Shawn whips Bret into the buckles and follows up but Bret back drops him over the top to the floor. Holy shit. Bret slams Shawn back first into the ring post. Bret is now working the back with headbutts and and irish whip into the corner. Elbow from the second turnbuckle into the back. Backbreaker from Bret. Knee to the back at the 40 minute mark.

Bret stomps Shawn’s back. Then he does his ‘working the knee rope move’ as a banzai drop into the spine. Shawn takes a Flair corner bump so Bret sidesuperplexes him for a 2 count (stiff as hell I might add). Bret with a camel clutch. Sunset flip gets Shawn a 2 count. Bret goes straight back to the back. Shawn comes off the ropes and eats fist. Side Russian legsweep for a 2 count. Shawn takes a huge Flair bump to the floor and he catches Supersoc on the way down. Sweet. Bret’s laughing and he whips Shawn into Jose on the outside and also the steel steps. Bret jaws with Jose and goes back inside. Belly to belly suplex scores another 2 for Bret. A fist fight breaks out and we have some stiff looking punches. Bret goes for a suplex but Shawn does his roll up off the ropes that was blocked earlier in the match for a 2 count. Bret kicks out so hard Shawn goes out to the floor. Bret follows up with a suicide dive through the ropes (tope I believe it’s called). Bret goes to suplex Shawn back in but Shawn floats over into a waistlock. Reversal of the waistlock from Bret and a German suplex for a 2 count. Perfect bridge. More stiff punches. Bret kicks Shawn in the face. Now you know why they hate each other. Bret goes back to the camel clutch at 50 minutes.

Shawn fights his way out after 2 minutes in it and a double clothesline puts both men down. Bret with a superplex from all the way up the top. Shawn fights his way out of a sharpshooter attempt. Single leg Boston crab from Bret. Shawn makes the ropes but Bret is very slow breaking the hold. Backbreaker again from Bret. Bret gets caught coming off the ropes and Shawn kicked him right in the face. Drop kick from Shawn – right in the face. Bret takes a big front turnbuckle. Shawn with the flying forearm and Shawn nips up. Woah. Flying back elbow from Shawn. Scoop slam. Double axe handle gets a 2 count. Suplex. Shawn is getting heat now. Top rope elbow drop for another 2 count. Gutwrench tigerbomb from Shawn. Moonsault press for a 2 count. Shawn hits a hurracurana off the ropes for a 2 count. Scoop slam with a minute to go. Shawn comes off the top looking for a double feet first drop kick and Bret catches him – SHARPSHOOTER! The sharpshooter is applied with seconds to go. Shawn holds on for 30 seconds while the crowd goes absolutely nuts. Bret keeps the belt. Or does he? Gorilla Monsoon comes in and tells the crowd there has to be a winner and we have sudden death overtime.

Bret asks “Why” on his way back to ring. Bret throws the title down – symbolism rules. Bret goes straight back to Shawn’s back. He drives knees into the spine. Huge back drop from Bret. There’s the backbreaker again. Out of nowhere Shawn hits a superkick and Bret is dazed. Shawn scores Sweet Chin Music and it’s over at 63.58. Match rating – A. If I had a higher score I would probably give it. There are those who are critical of the first 30 minutes of headlocks and armlocks but there is so much subtlety in those first 30 that the second more explosive 30 are made even more sensational. Awesome, awesome match.

Best matches –
3. Undertaker v Diesel. I think this is a demonstration as to how poor the undercard was.
2. Steve Austin v Savio Vega. Some great psychology from, to my surprise, Savio.
1. Shawn Michaels v Bret Hart. Probably the best WWF title match of all time. It made Shawn Michaels a legend. What else can I say?

Overall PPV rating –
C+. The poor nature of the undercard really brought the overall PPV rating down but I honestly believe there may never be a better World Wrestling Federation title match than the one that Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart put on in Anaheim in 1996.