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Shawn Michaels: The Best HITS from Heartbreak Kid

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This is a pretty historical review for me as this is the first tape review that was ever posted to a site. The site in question was called SmarkTalk.com, which has now become The Church of No MA’AM. I stayed there for a few months (doing mostly Confidential recaps and the occasional tape review, the latter of which I’ll probably repost here when I get really lazy again) before getting the gig here at TSM.

 

Before we begin, three things:

 

- Thank you to everyone who sent me feedback on my Why Has it Come to This? rant a week ago. It was mostly positive, which I was a little disappointed at since I wanted people to write in giving me a different opinion.

 

- Speaking of feedback, the “temporary” e-mail address I set up is now my permanent one. All e-mails should now go to [email protected]

 

- Don’t forget to read the next OaOast PPV: School’s Out, next Sunday, May 25th. I guarantee it will be 1000x better than Judgement Day. I’m really enjoying writing segments and things for it since I can flex my creative writing muscles, muscles I really didn’t think I had.

 

Shawn Michaels: The Best HITS from the Heartbreak Kid

 

This tape was released in 1996 and it chronicles the “post concussion syndrome” angle with Owen Hart and his road to the #1 contendership to the WWF title, which leads to the Iron Man match with Bret Hart at WrestleMania 12 and his first title reign. It opens with a montage of HBK clips with him giving an early “Showstopper, main eventer” ego-stroke interview. Dok Hendrix is the host.

 

From Summerslam 1995: Shawn Michaels © v. Razor Ramon (Ladder match for the IC title)

 

This was Round 2 in the Michaels/Ramon ladder war. Vince realized that the PPV sucked enough, so he threw this one in there. The match is joined in progress early on with Ramon being knocked off the ladder and Michaels clipping him with it. Shawn climbs and Razor yanks down his tights, giving the ladies in the crowd a chance to scream as if Jeff Hardy ran in the ring. Shawn is knocked off, wrenching his knee on the ladder. Razor, of course, smells blood so he pounces on it, stomping, slamming and essentially abusing the knee with the ladder and drawing some mixed reaction from the crowd (the men love it, the women hate it). Razor sets the ladder in the corner but gets shoved into it when Shawn blocks a figure four. Razor drops Michaels on the ladder again and he falls outside. Razor continues working on the knee, wrapping it around the post a few times. Razor with an Indian deathlock back in the ring. Razor goes for the belt, but Shawn drags himself to the top and delivers a double axehandle to knock him off. Razor tries again, but is back suplexed off. Shawn sets the ladder in the corner and whips Razor into it a few times. Flying forearm puts him down. Shawn climbs the ladder and hits a moonsault. He misses the splash he hit in the first match, showing that Razor learned from the first match, and there’s a double KO spot. Razor and Shawn climb the ladder and exchange punches. They both fall off, Shawn crotches himself on the top rope and Razor falls outside. Shawn charges with the ladder but Razor ducks and Michaels falls outside. Razor finds another ladder under the ring and slides it in. Razor’s Edge on Michaels as he tries to climb. Both men get their own ladder and climb. Shawn hits a quasi-superkick to knock Razor off his ladder, but misses the belt. Razor tries another Edge, but Shawn backdrops him out. Shawn seems to blow the finish the first time, grabbing the belt but slipping off the ladder, but he recovers and retrieves the belt to retain. Great match though, but not as good as the first one. Shawn and Razor kiss and make up after the match. 8/10

 

Shawn Michaels v. Yokozuna (w/ James E. Cornette)

 

This one was from a RAW in January, 1996. Shawn goofs around to start by pointing at Yoko (crowd boos), and pointing at himself (crowd cheers). Lockup to start and Yoko shoves him down. Shawn ducks a clothesline and slides under Yoko, jiggling his ass and punching him to the outside. Shawn mimics the sumo stance and Cornette summons Owen as Shawn greets the fans at ringside. Clipped to Shawn going to the top and hitting a double axehandle, going up again, and hitting a moonsault for 2. Yoko whips Shawn into the corner and he does a Flair Flip (Shawn, not Yoko) to the outside, where Owen lays the boots on and drives him back first to the post. Shawn staggers around; selling the head injury and Owen gets a few shots in. Back in, Yoko slaps on a nerve hold. Clipped again to Shawn missing a splash off the top and they trade punches. Shawn hits two flying forearms to knock Yoko down. Shawn goes for the flying elbow but Yoko catches him and drives him into the corner. Cornette jumps on the apron as Yoko holds Shawn for Owen. As you may have guessed, Owen hits Yoko instead and Shawn hits some Sweet Chin Music for the pin.

 

It wasn’t a bad match, considering how out of shape Yoko was at this point. 5/10

 

Shawn Michaels v. Tatanka (w/Ted Dibiase)

 

This is from an episode of Superstars before his match with Yokozuna on RAW, which I just covered above. It would make more sense to switch the order of the matches, but what do I know? This match sucks anyway because, well, Tatanka the Evil Native American sucked. It’s also clipped to hell, so we’ll pick it up near the end with Shawn chasing Dibiase around and into the ring, where Tatanka attacks. Dibiase holds Shawn but he gets out of the way of a charging Injun who turns into the Sweet Chin Music for the 3.

 

It’s Superstars, who the hell cares? 1/10

 

Dok recaps the whole concussion angle, starting with the attack in Syracuse, the forfeiture of the IC title, his collapse in a match with Owen on RAW, and his comeback to the Royal Rumble in 1996. Notice I say he recaps it, we don’t see a single clip about any of this except some of the Royal Rumble (where there’s some guy in black tights called “The Ringmaster, wonder what happened to him?). This leads to the last match on the tape.

 

From In Your House in February, 1996: Shawn Michaels v. Owen Hart (w/ Jim Cornette) (#1 Contender match)

 

Winner meets Bret Hart at WrestleMania 12. Shawn dances on top of the set, swings down, rushes the ring, knocks Owen to the outside, and finishes his entrance. Shoving match to start and Owen gets a headlock. Shawn slides out of the ring and greets the fans at ringside. Clipped (WHY!?) to Shawn suplexing Owen to the outside. Shawn jumps after him, but is powerslammed to the floor. Back in, a missile dropkick from Owen gets 2. Shawn blocks a slam and rolls Owen up for 2. Shawn with a Flair flip (probably can’t do that anymore) and Owen delivers a VISCIOUS clothesline. Owen says “he’s done” and locks on the Sharpshooter. RING THE FUCKING BELL!!!....ahem…sorry. Shawn reaches the ropes. Owen stomps and gives him the ‘ol SNOTBLOW OF AGONY. Shawn rolls him up for 2. Enziguri hits and Shawn sells it like he’s been declared clinically dead for 5 minutes. Owen throws him in, but only gets 2. Shawn comes back with an inverted atomic drop and a few flying forearms. He hits Cornette (who jumped on the apron) and misses the superkick, but ducks another enziguri and hits some Sweet Chin Music for the #1 contendership.

 

Sweet match, I weep at the thought that Owen could be having ***** exhibitions with Angle and Benoit right now. 9/10

 

Dok closes with some glowing words about Shawn, and we fade out.

 

The Verdict: Pretty good tape. I was a big fan of Shawn at this time, since he was totally fun to watch and had good matches with anyone. I’d recommend it.

 

Final Score: 7/10 (Not an average)

 

Now that summer’s coming, I should have more free time to write more, so you’ll be hearing from me more often. Hey, maybe I’ll actually finish that Smackdown Six comp I’ve had for about 2 months!

 

Send feedback to my NEW address

Go to my archives to read work from when I WASN'T a lazy ass.

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