I'm eagerly awaiting this one, and the reasons are obvious. The midget match is cut out, and that's good. I don't want to watch that trash. The prematch section is gone forever. It'll be integrated into the regular review of the match.

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From the Kiel Center in St. Louis, this is Badd Blood 1997. And the hosts are Vince, JR, and the King. No, not me.

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We start this pay-per-view with a handicap match. It's The Nation of Domination which consists of Kama Mustafa, Rocky Miavia and D'Lo Brown vs. The Legion of Doom, Animal and Hawk.

Blow-by-blow: We learn before the match that Ken Shamrock was supposed to be on the good guy side, but he had some "internal injuries" occur during a bout with Faarooq. That's a good thing, IMO. Hawk and D'Lo start, and D'Lo does a shoulderblock that inflicts no damage to Hawk. Hawk with a hipblock and dropkick, and then a big boot and clothesline leads Rocky to decide that he wants a piece of Hawk. However, the crowd begins to chant "Rocky Sucks," so he bails out of the ring and covers his ears. Rocky puts Animal into the buckle, and Animal comes out with a flying shoulderblock. Hawk tags in, and hits Rocky with a double axhandle from the 2nd rope. Kama comes in, and misses a charge to the buckle. Hawk with an enziguri, and Animal comes in with a powerslam. Rocky with a DDT as he interferes, and Kama with a karate kick to Animal. Animal gets tosses out, and the rest of NOD attack. D'Lo tags in, and prevents Animal from getting to his corner. D'Lo with a snapmare and two legdrops that get a 2 count, after that, he tags Rocky in. Rocky applies a chinlock, and you can just tell that the guy is a natural heel. Big things to come for him....and Rocky stomps a mudhole in Animal. Rocky punches him in the nuts with the referee distracted, and that gets a 2 count. Kama tags in and misses a charge, and Hawk gets a false hot tag. He can't come in, and on his way out of the ring, D'Lo comes in with the Lo'Down. Rocky covers and gets two. Animal with a clothesline now, and there's the tag to Hawk. Hawk with a powerslam to Rocky and a neckbreaker to D'Lo, and they dump Kama out of the ring. Animal and Hawk both with clotheslines, and they lift Rocky up for the Doomsday Device. Faarooq comes out as a distraction, and Rocky gives Hawk the ROCK BOTTOM for the pinfall at 12:19.

Match Analysis: I didn't think it was very good, and for two reasons. First, the heels were really green, or in the case of Kama, just not very good. Secondly, LOD were so far deteriorated that it was hard for them to have a decent match with anyone. *1/2.

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The next match is for the World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Titles. The challengers, accompanied by Uncle Cletus, are the Godwinns. The champions are the Headbangers, Mosh and Thrasher.

Blow-by-blow: Sunny's the guest ring announcer, and the tag titles are FAR from what they would become less than a year later. Some of you may know Uncle Cletus as Dirty White Boy from SMW, or T.L. Hopper. The Godwinns get beat up by the Headbangers, so they leave the ring, and once they come back in, it happens again. Mosh rana's Phineas out to the floor, and Thrasher comes off the apron with one of the ugliest rana's you'll ever see on Henry. Mosh with a springboard body press to the outside, and the Headbangers do a tag team maneuver that nearly breaks the neck of Phineas. The cover gets two, and Thrasher and Henry tag in. A Thrasher rollup gets a 1 count, and he follows that with a dropkick. Henry bails, so both teams switch, as the Headbangers double team Phineas with that hop over the other move that the World's Greatest Tag Team does or used to do, I don't know if they're still a team. This match is really poor, so I'll get to the end. Mosh finally gets the hot tag and gives Phineas a BUTT-bump. The Headbangers then hit Cletus, and slam Phineas. However, Mosh comes off the top in a Bombs Away attempt, and gets powerbombed by Phineas. It gets a 3 count at 12:17. Cletus kept Thrasher from breaking up the pinfall, so the win wasn't clean. After the match, the Godwinns beat up the Headbangers. Tim White says that if they don't leave, they'll lose their newly won titles. So they leave.

Match Analysis: Unbelievably poor match. The crowd was dead, and the less said, the better. 1/2*.

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Now we have a video package that shows how out of control Stone Cold Steve Austin is, and afterward, Owen says he's going to be getting the Intercontinental Title back tonight.

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A legends ceremony follows, and the men brought out are Gene Kiniski, Jack Brisco, Dory Funk Jr., Harley Race, Terry Funk, Sam Muchnick, and Lou Thesz. Pretty good lineup of guys, if I say so myself.

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Michael Hayes (fuck that Dok Hendrix crap) is with the Nation of Domination, and Faarooq says Owen is going to get his ass kicked. Strong words. Better be able to back them up. Vince has a few words to say about Brian Pillman's death, and he doesn't say much. Seems like he knew the cause wouldn't be so good for Brian's family to know.

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And now, we have the final match of the Intercontinental Championship tournament. It's Faarooq vs. Owen Hart.

Blow-by-blow: Owen's wearing an Owen 3:16 shirt, and Stone Cold Steve Austin is supposed to present the Intercontinental Title to the winner of this match. Austin takes the broadcast headset away from Vince and says that the Owen 3:16 shirt is nothing but cheap heat. He said it like he really meant it, in shoot fashion. Who knows if it was. Faarooq with a shoulderblock and Owen follows it with a headlock, and then a leg lariat after being thrown into the ropes. Owen works on the left leg with assorted offense, namely a leg grapevine and kneedrop to the leg, as Austin makes his way to each commentary table and has some words for the respective announcers. The WWF built him up PERFECTLY. A Faarooq backbreaker gets two and Faarooq attempts a bodyslam, but Owen falls on him for 2. Faarooq with a falldown slam, but he misses a legdrop from the 2nd rope. Owen tries the SHARPSHOOTER but he can't get it, and Faarooq gets a powerslam for 2. Jim Neidhart comes out to support Owen, but Faarooq hits a spinebuster. Fortunately, that only gets a two count. And again, fortunately for Owen, Austin hits Faarooq with the Intercontinental Belt, and Owen pins Faarooq for the win at 7:15. Austin tosses the title to Owen and leaves.

Match Analysis: Austin was hilarious, but his presence at ringside took away from the match. The match already had enough going against it, both men were heels. *. In a different situation, I think these two could have put together a decent match.

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The next match is filler because of Pillman's death, but it's Los Boricuas vs. Disciples of Apocalypse. In truth, it's kinda hard to pay attention. Mostly because the Boricuas chinlock Chainz to death. There should never be a chinlock in an 8 man tag match. WHY THE FUCK are you resting? Just tag out or work the guy over with some moves. Anyway, Crush finishes with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker at 9:10. That's the first babyface victory of the night. The crowd likes them, even if they weren't supposed to be babyfaces. Who knows. The whole GANG WARZ thing was fuckin' stupid to begin with. DUD.

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This match is a FLAG MATCH, and it's The Patriot and Vader representing the United States vs. The British Bulldog and the WWF Champion Bret Hart, representing Canada. In this flag match, due to the injuries of all participants, the Flag Match can be won by pinfall or submission.

Blow-by-blow: Before the match, Vader calls the "Best there is, best there was and the best there ever will be" slogan BULLSHIT, Vince apologizes soon after, and now we have our match. The Patriot hits Bret with the American flag that he brought to the ring, and Vader hits Bret with the Canadian flag that Bret brought to the ring. Now the Hart Foundation returns the favor, and the American flag breaks as the Patriot is being hit with it. The babyfaces get in the ring as the heels regroup, and why aren't they going for the flag? Davey and the Patriot start, as the Patriot gets a suplex, hiptoss and an ugly backdrop. Vader comes in with a shoulderblock, and Bret tags in as well. A short-arm clothesline from Vader follows, and Bulldog clotheslines Vader from the ring apron. Bret with a russian leg sweep on Vader and he goes for the flag, but Vader hits him low. Down low. Vader sits on Bret after Bret tries a sunset flip, and that gets two. Bulldog and Patriot come in, and a Patriot dropkick gets 2. Patriot slams Davey and tries for the flag, but he can't get there. Following that, Bret applies the ringpost figure-4 on The Patriot. And it's perfectly legal too. Bret then slams Patriot, and headbutts him in the nuts. Bret gets the SHARPSHOOTER on Patriot, but Patriot reverses it. A Bulldog clothesline from behind ends that, but all men are in one corner and Patriot tries to climb over all them in order to get the flag. But he can't. Vader runs into an opponent for a 2 count, and then gets a back suplex on Davey. Vader with a splash for two, and Davey goes to the chinlock. Bret comes in with a back suplex and THE SHARPSHOOTER, but Patriot breaks it up. Vader goes for the SHARPSHOOTER but he can't get it, so he tags the Patriot in. The Patriot applies the figure-four, but Bret gets in a position to tag the Bulldog. Bulldog with a delayed vertical suplex for 2, and the Patriot gets a poweslam for two. Bret kicks Patriot in the back and gets a suplex, and then he goes for the flag. Vader stops him and tags in, slams Bret, and goes for a MOONSAULT. He misses the moonsault but lands on his feet, and Vader dumps Bret to the floor. Bret hits both the Patriot and Vader with the ring bell, and we go back in. Bret with an elbow from the 2nd rope and legdrop, and then a DDT for 2. Vader clotheslines both heels and Patriot comes in. He gets the UNCLE SLAM for a 2 count and a fan comes in the ring. Nobody goes Eddie Guerrero and punches him though, so Vader goes up for the VADER BOMB, and gets it. However, a bit of a scrum ensues, and Bret reverses a Patriot rollup for the pinfall at 21:16.

Match Analysis: It was kinda slow, and the Patriot just isn't very good. As with all the other matches so far, no heat. Kinda sad to say that when you have a 21,000+ crowd. Rating is **, and I'm being kind.

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Michael Hayes is with HBK, and he says that nobody, NOBODY can beat the SHOWSTOPPA.

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And now, we have the MAIN EVENT. It's the first EVER Hell in a Cell match, and it's for the #1 contenders spot and a WWF Title match at Survivor Series. And we all know what happened there. It's the European Champion, The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker. The match is not for the European Championship...

Blow-by-blow: The Cell is on its way down, and HHH, Rick Rude and Chyna make their way out of the ring. They aren't allowed in, see. Commissioner Slaughter checks under the ring, and it's all good. Taker enters and Shawn plays the 'scared as shit' role real well, as he runs away. Shawn gets to the ring, and Taker whips him hard into the buckle, and Shawn goes upside down. Shawn gets clotheslined for two, and Taker goes OLD SCHOOL. Taker with a slam and legdrop for 2, and a HUGE backdrop has Shawn's feet touching the roof of the Cell. Taker just THROWS Shawn out of the ring and to the floor, and the bump looked like it hurt. Shawn tries to climb the wall on the inside to get away from Taker, and gets pulled down to the ground by Taker. Taker tosses Shawn into the cage and clotheslines him....and then he does it again. Taker picks up HBK in powerbomb position, but Shawn traps him against the Cell and punches him. Taker follows with some rights and lefts to the body of Shawn, and he picks him up and rams him from Cell to post, Cell to post. Shawn tosses Taker into the Cell, but Taker no-sells it and clotheslines Shawn. Into the stairs Shawn goes, and Taker chokes him. Taker misses a charge toward the Cell though, and Shawn gets a bit of control. Shawn with a TOPE through the ropes, and he follows that up by climbing the inside wall of the Cell and giving Taker an elbow drop. Shawn with a flying clothesline off the ring apron, and he grabs the steel stairs and rams them into the back of Taker. Then, Shawn PILEDRIVES Taker on the steps, and Shawn jumps from the top rope onto Taker with a double axhandle. Shawn grabs a chair from under the ring (remember, that started their feud) and hits Taker twice in the back with it. The cover gets a 2 count, and Taker fights back with a backdrop that puts Shawn on the floor. Shawn punches Flash Funk a cameraman, and the announcers apologize to the family of the cameraman. Uh-huh. Shawn does his flying forearm and kip-up that he always does, and now there's help for the cameraman. So the Cell door opens. Shawn TUNES UP THE BAND, and Taker no-sells Sweet Chin Music. Shawn sees the door open, and he's gone. Shawn gets slingshot into the cage and blades, and Shawn gets his face rammed into the cage a couple of times. Shawn climbs up the Cell, and the crowd goes nuts. Taker backdrops him up there after a Shawn piledriver attempt, and Taker press slams him. Shawn climbs part way down, and Taker steps on his hand until he falls off, and through the Spanish Announce Table. Wow. Pre-KotR 98, that IS THE big WWF bump. Taker biel's Shawn onto the French table, and press slams him off it to the floor. HBK is bleeding everywhere, as Taker drags him back into the Cell, and into the ring. Taker chokeslams Shawn from the TOP ROPE into the ring, and gets a chair of his own. He hits Shawn in the head with it, and signals for the TOMBSTONE. But the lights go out. AND THAT'S GOTTA BE KANE. HE RIPS THE DOOR OFF THE HINGES, THROWS HEBNER INTO THE CELL WALL, his pyro goes off, he STARES DOWN UT, and TOMBSTONES HIM. Shawn drags his dead carcass over to Taker, and Hebner counts what has to be the slowest 3 count of all time at 29:54, so Shawn gets the Title Match at Survivor Series. Literally, Shawn came out of a pool of his own blood. DX comes to the ring and carries Shawn out of the ring, and backstage. Shawn didn't move the whole time, so I meant it when I said carried.

That's the end of the show!

Match Analysis: This is my favorite match. Shawn bumped like a madman for Taker, so it's no wonder he had all that back trouble a little bit down the road. The ending is flawed because of Kane having music, which he shouldn't have. It didn't make sense for Kane to have music or pyro. I don't care, though. It's a ***** match. At this point, it's near impossible for Shawn to have a bad match. Show me a bad Shawn PPV match from the end of 1992 to the end of his run in 1998. I doubt you can. I don't think he's the best worker of all time although he's definitely top 5, but I'm able to look past all the wrong things he did in the past. Politicking and stuff, mostly. All people wanting to wrestle should watch this match and take notes. And when I said that the ONO match was Taker's best, I meant it was his best straight wrestling match. This is obviously his best match.

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This show was a DOG. D-O-G. Terrible until the main event, and all the heels won, except for one tweener group. If not for the main event, it's one of the worst WWF PPV's of all time. IMO.

Rating: Decent. Only because of Hell in a Cel.l

Best Match: Hell in a Cell, Shawn Michaels vs. The Undertaker.

Worst Match: Disciples of Apocalypse vs. Los Boricuas.

Loudest Sound: Shawn Michaels, Undertaker, and Rocky Miavia. Rocky was hated...

No sound: Headbangers and the Godwinns.

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That's it, I might do a review tomorrow, and if I do, it'll be posted at night. I get a content update tonight, but the Kings are playing, so I'm not watching anything. Until then...