The Hoosier Dome(Indianapolis, IN)
April 22nd, 1996Judgement Night hits the airwaves LIVE on USA Network for the next 2 hours with a hard introductory opening shot of Sunny wearing nothing but a long Indiana Pacers Reggie Miller basketball jersey barely covering her nether regions of her body with a totally sold out crowd of over 60,000 going NUTS in the Hoosier Dome! We are just 24 hours removed from the incredible Best Of The Best IV: Chi-Town Wrestlewar '96 pay per view last night, but TONIGHT we will see the blockbuster heavyweight showdown between the returning Immortal One, Hulk Hogan taking on the unstoppable undefeated force Ahmed Johnson one on one! For one of these men they will stand victorious, can Ahmed prove that he's ready to run with the legends, or is Hulkamania still alive? For both of these men TONIGHT is JUDGEMENT NIGHT!
THIS... IS.... JUDGEMENT NIGHT! Sunny's intro fades into a hard hitting highlight music video set to
Tupac's All Eyez On Me showcasing various still image photographs of last night's epic pay per view spectacular Best Of The Best IV: Chi-Town Wrestlewar(available on replay tomorrow night, check your local PPV provider). The clips of Razor and Diesel making their debuts last night to help Shawn Michaels defeat Randy Savage to retain the Undisputed World Title segue into Taz choking out the baddest man from the NFL; Greg Lloyd in their 3 round hybrid rules battle. Shane Douglas' win over Marc Mero in their heated leather strap match cuts into the replay of his vicious chair shot to the head of Ric Flair that cost him and Dan Severn their match against Ken Shamrock & Steve Austin. The video shows photos of the epic face to face showdown between Bret Hart and Nobuhiko Takada with their respective title belts draped over their shoulders(Bret's self proclaimed "Real" World title the new WWF style belt, and Takada's Neo Hybrid Universal World Title). The photos of Kimona returning the Road Warriors back in black with their demolition of Public Enemy seque into shots of rising star rookie Kevin Jackson(Olympic Gold medalist wrestler) pinning Koji Kanemoto to win his one on one PPV debut....
The music video segues back into a sweeping live shot of the insane crowd here at the Hoosier Dome with pyro exploding over the ring and entrance stage as Jim Ross and Joey Styles welcome the tv audience to the broadcast from their ringside booth(alongside the Spanish commentary booth featuring Hugo Savinovich and Carlos Carrera). The intro is quickly interrupted by the entrance of "The Macho Man" Randy Savage and Paul E. Dangerously coming out to
Just Another Victim by Helmet/House Of Pain...
The crowd boo's as Savage and Paul E. make their way down the seemingly mile long elevated catwalk entrance ramp that carves through the seated crowd to the apron of the ring. Both men are INTENSE as they take the ring with Savage standing in the exact same spot where he beat Ric Flair to win the WWF Championship four years ago at Wrestlemania VIII. Savage looks around with bitterness all over him as he stands empty handed, after coming up empty last night in a loss to Shawn Michaels in what could have been perhaps his last shot at getting the belt back that he was screwed out of back at the final ever WCW event last December(Starrcade 95).
Paul E. stands by Savage's side as he takes a microphone and cuts a promo about how the Dangerous Alliance is officially dead and gone. Savage's face grows more and more red with every word as he boils over, saying that there is no more Dangerous Alliance, as of right now there is only 1 Dangerous man, The Macho Man. Savage proclaims that Austin, Douglas, and Shamrock all failed him last night and as far as he's concerned from here on out they can all kiss his ass!
The boo's intensify as Paul E. takes the mic and proclaims that tonight is a new beginning for the Macho Man, that they are not finished coming after the Undisputed World Title, they are not finished with Shawn Michaels and the "Kliq", and they are not finished in Paul E.'s quest to cripple this promotion. All of a sudden the promo is interrupted and the entire Hoosier Dome goes CRAZY when
Sting's entrance music hits to bring him out!....
The Hoosier Dome loses it at Sting makes his way down the long ramp through the ropes and face to face with Randy Savage!
In The Ring:
"The Macho Man" Randy Savage(W/Paul E. Dangerously) & StingBoth Savage and Sting eye each other face to face in a moment of sheer intensity as over 60,000 in the Hoosier Dome go nuts around them. Paul E. Dangerously looks on at Sting with fury in his eyes as he stands safely behind Savage! Sting finally lifts his mic to his face to tell Savage and Paul E. that they are right about one thing, nothing is over, nothing is finished. Sting tells Savage that he still has unfinished business after what they did to him in the War Games on Shockwave on April 13th! The Stinger calls out Randy Savage to face him one on one to settle up, THIS SATURDAY NIGHT ON SHOCKWAVE!
Savage responds bringing up the fact that he once considered Sting a true friend and a brother but that time is long gone after everything he's been through since he lost that belt at Starrcade 95, Sting has done nothing but get in his way and screw him over to keep him from getting it back. Savage tells Sting he knows he was always jealous to see him with that belt, that was why he dumped him over the top rope and eliminated him from the 30 Man Champions Rumble back in January, and that is why they were never really friends to begin with, the truth is that NOW he's HATES STING'S GUTS! Security scrambles into the ring just as Savage SMACKS STING IN THE FACE!
Sting and Savage are pulled apart by security as Savage screams into the mic accepting Sting's challenge, and it's set! The main event will go down THIS Saturday Night at 6:05 pm on TBS The Superstation, it will be Sting one on one vs "The Macho Man" in the biggest grudge match of 1996! SAVAGE VS STING! THE WAR TO SETTLE THE SCORE! In the END, There can be only ONE!
Singles Match:
Vader(W/Jim Cornette)
vsAlex WrightAfter the commercial break we get Alex Wright already in the ring as JR and Joey Styles heavily plug the upcoming main event showdown later tonight with the return of Hulk Hogan taking on Ahmed Johnson one on one right here on the USA Network LIVE. Vader makes his entrance with Jim Cornette joining the commentary booth for what turns out to be a hugely lopsided massacre in the ring. Cornette on commentary takes a shot at the Dangerous Alliance and how they fell apart last night at the PPV, that Camp Cornette has always been the superior wrestling organization.
Vader takes his time to annihilate Alex Wright, tossing him around, fish hooking his face, grinding him into the ropes and turnbuckles, smashing him with splashes. Cornette on commentary brags about how Vader ended the career of Sabu and ran him out of Best Of The Best back at the Tokyo Dome in March at Best Of The Best III on pay per view(available now on VHS home video). Vader finally puts Alex Wright away after a vicious choke slam, power bomb, then a Vader Bomb out of the corner for the pinfall at 3:40. Vader and Cornette celebrate the victory after the match as the crowd boo's them. Vader screams in the camera in celebration "WHERE'S SABU!? WHERE'S HE AT!?"
In The Ring:
Shane Douglas(W/Sable)After the match we get
Deep Purple's Perfect Strangers bringing out Shane Douglas with Sable by his side to a chorus of boo's from the Hoosier Dome. Douglas smiles as he holds the ropes open for Sable, gloating over his victory over Marc Mero last night in their heated and violent Leather Strap Match. Douglas takes the mic and gets heavily censored with beeps as he disses Paul E. Dangerously making it clear that he wasn't fired by his bull*#it "Alliance" he QUIT!
Douglas continues to get the censors going with the beeps as he downs Steve Austin, Ken Shamrock, Paul E., and Randy Savage saying that he was the one true talent and brains of the whole group. Douglas gets even more fired up as he talks about the return of Diesel and Razor reuniting with the Kliq last night, how it made his stomach turn. The crowd cheers grow at the very mention of The Kliq...
Shane Douglas waits for the the boo's to die out before continuing burning anyone and everyone, making fun of the return of Hulk Hogan, the return of Dustin Rhodes Goldust and his fat ass piece of s#*t daddy. Douglas then brags about his record in Best Of The Best how it speaks for itself, he's 8-1 with the most wins of anybody in Best Of The Best. Shane makes it clear that he avenged his only loss so far in 1996 when he pinned the 5 foot tall midget Rey Mysterio Jr. flat back in Japan. Shane Douglas brags about being the best there is, he's got Sable, he's no longer tied to a bunch of losers with Paul E. Dangerously in fact he's negotiated to bring in his own new manager, somebody he's been working with to perfect his new finisher. The crowd comes alive with boo's and cheers as a man begins walking out of the back to the ring and it's none other than.....
OH MY GOD! Shane Douglas has brought back none other than Rick Rude as his NEW manager! Jim Ross brings up how he had noticed Douglas using Rude's old finisher the Rude Awakening weeks ago. Rude takes the ring and tells the Hoosier Dome to keep the noise down! What you're looking at with Shane Douglas under his guidance and leadership, with Sable by his side, this is the real ultimate force in this sport today! Rude also promises that everyone here in this dome tonight and everyone watching on live television will see the final piece that he's brought here to Best Of The Best....
Rude reveals that Shane Douglas made the chairshot heard round the world last night on a former associate of his Ric Flair. Rude has the replay of the vicious chair shot shown on the jumbo-tron in the Hoosier Dome and on the TV broadcast with the loud clang on impact leading to Flair falling back into the ring to get pinned by Steve Austin.
After the footage plays all of a sudden the Hoosier Dome goes BALLISTIC when
the Four Horsemen entrance music hits! Ric Flair, Chris Benoit, Arn Anderson, and NWA Heavyweight Champion Dan "The Beast" Severn make their way out to the entrance ramp right in front of the apron before a team of security guards step between them to keep them from entering the ring!....
Ric Flair calls out Rick Rude and Shane Douglas saying that it goes way farther beyond the chair shot last night, it goes back to all of the disrespect he's heard come out of Shane Douglas' mouth, saying that Douglas is pure garbage! Flair tells Shane Douglas how dare he run down some of the all time legends in this sport the way he has for the last 5 years, saying that he's nowhere near the level of some of the great ones he's battled all over the world every night, the Bruiser Brody, Magnum TA, Dusty Rhodes, Ricky Steamboat, the original Horsemen Tully and Ole, those were real men, real great ones, Douglas is nothing but a piece of trash!
Shane cracks back at Ric Flair telling him to look around, look at the Horsemen now and how far they've fallen, Arn Anderson is injured and knocked out of the World Tag League he can't even wrestle! Ric Flair is a fu#*ing joke compared to what he was in his prime, and if he want's to talk about trash take a look at the belt that Dan Severn is wearing around his waist, the same belt he threw down on the ground two years ago! Douglas passionately screams at Ric Flair and Arn Anderson that it was always his dream to become a Horsemen(Shane holds up the four fingers looking at them), but they passed him up for a low life piece of shi@ Paul Roma that's not even in this sport anymore!
Arn Anderson takes the mic from Flair and fires back at Shane Douglas, pointing his finger at him as he declares that Douglas was never worthy of being a Horsemen, that the NWA World Title belt always meant more to this sport than any loud mouth foul mouth punk kid trying to make a name for himself. There is a disturbance in the crowd, a man making his way through the audience in the background as Arn tells Shane Douglas to always remember this, what goes around comes back around!
Just as the words come out of his mouth it's MARC MERO jumping the steel guard rail and ambushing Shane Douglas from behind like a desperate mad man! Mero knocks Douglas down before attempting to grab Sable by her arm in a desperate plee to get her back, only for Rick Rude to kick him in the groin from behind! Mero collapses to his knees and gets smacked in the face and spit on by Sable! Shane Douglas attacks Marc Mero and puts the boots to him as security holds the Four Horsemen back out of the ring from going after Douglas! Rude continues to put the boots to Mero as Douglas taunts and threatens the Horsemen as they are being held back by security!
World Tag League Match:
Owen Hart & The British Bulldog(W/ Jim Cornette)(6-2-1)
vs
The Pit Bulls(2-7)Jim Cornette returns out to more boo's with Owen and Bulldog, this time lurking the ringside area in this highly critical World Tag League match. Owen and Bulldog isolate Pitbull 1 and work him over for the entire first 5 minutes, concentrating on his neck with holds and attacks. Pitbull 1 finds an opening and drops both Owen and Bulldog but Cornette distracts the ref from seeing his tag to Pitbull 2, who comes in dominating both men. After dumping both Owen and Bulldog out of the ring with press slams that get the Hoosier Dome fired up the ref restores order and forces him back to the apron since he missed the tag! The crowd boo's as Owen and Bulldog resume tagging in and out keeping Pitbull 1 downed with rest holds targeting his neck.
The British Bulldog takes over the match and dominates Pitbull 1 as he taunts Pitbull 2 flexing his muscles at him the whole time! Joey Styles and Jim Ross continue to plug the upcoming
Best Of The Best V: A Matter Of Respect pay per view spectacular set for May 12th at the Miami Arena in Miami Florida! We will see the conclusion of the 1996 World Tag League season with the final four tournament, both the Tiger and Dragon Division titles will be on the line with the winning teams to face off later that same night to crown the first ever Undisputed World Tag Team Champion!
Finally Pitbull 1 manages to counter Bulldog as he's taunting Pitbull 2 flexing and sets the crowd off as he makes the hot tag! Pitbull 2 comes in hot and destroys Bulldog and Owen, shocking the world after pinning Bulldog with his own RUNNING POWERSLAM, 1... 2... 3!...
THE PITBULLS WIN! What an upset! The Pitbulls have taken down the 1st place team of Owen and Bulldog with the power of Pitbull 2! What an incredible force! Cornette and Owen pull Bulldog back as he tries to go after the Pitbulls after the match as they celebrate to the Hoosier Dome crowd! The Pitbulls have delivered a major blow to Owen & Bulldog's grip on 1st place of the Tiger Division giving them their 3rd loss, what a great effort from a team that has really no chance qualify for the final four at A Matter Of Respect, they have nothing to wrestle for but their own pride for the final 2 weeks of the season!
On-Location:
The Control Center W/Mike TenayAfter the bout we get a shot of Mike Tenay at the Control Center back in Universal Studios Orlando with hype for the upcoming pay per view event set for Miami Arena in Miami Florida on May 12th 1996, it will be
Best Of The Best V: A Matter Of Respect!....
Tenay plugs the matches that we know are set, the debut of the female fighting force, kickboxing legend Kathy Long has signed to face a yet to be named opponent in hybrid rules competition!
Also not yet officially sanctioned or signed but Bret Hart and Nobuhiko Takada are also set to face off in a match that will legitimize either Bret's self proclaimed "Real" World Championship or Nobuhiko Takada's highly controversial Neo Hybrid Universal World Championship, the belt that was cast in a new mold from materials from the IWGP, Triple Crown, and Lou Thesz's original World Championship belts(which was revealed earlier this year to contain materials from the spear of destiny).
Also set for the pay per view in Miami on May 12th we will crown the first ever Undisputed World Tag Team Champions as we will see the final four of the World Tag League square off in a one night tournament to crown the Champs! Tenay covers the current standings for week 9...
When analyzing the current standings for week 10 it becomes clear in the Dragon Division that it's all about the Steiner Brothers and Eliminators. All eyes will be on the Gund Arena in Cleveland Ohio next Monday night on Judgement Night LIVE right here on the USA Network for perhaps the most anticipated rematch in BOTB history so far, it will be the Steiner Brothers vs The Eliminators head to head with 1st place in the Dragon Division on the line! Both teams have to wrestle this week, the Eliminators are set to face off against The Thrillseekers later tonight(The Thrillseekers upset the Steiner Brothers at BOTB III in the Tokyo Dome in Japan to give them their lone loss ever in BOTB). The Steiner Brothers are set to face the Hardcore Guns on Worldwide this Saturday Night(check your local listings). As we seen earlier tonight with the Pit Bulls upset over 1st place Owen/Bulldog anything can happen in these last 3 weeks of the 1996 World Tag League season!
Over in the Tiger Division the Pit Bulls upset over Owen & Bulldog really makes things interesting these final 3 weeks. This Saturday Night on Shockwave we already learned we will see the epic showdown between Randy Savage vs Sting but we will also see the critical showdown between Harlem Heat vs Dean Malenko & Chris Benoit. The winner of this match will be just a half match behind Owen & Bulldog in the race for 1st place while the loser will see their chances of qualifying for the Final Four tournament in Miami on May 12th virtually elimiated. Last night we also seen the return of Hawk and Animal to their black Road Warriors attire with their new valet Kimona, showcasing a much more ruthless attitude in their dismantling of Public Enemy. We could see the Road Warriors return to their dominant form after struggling so far in the 96 season since they debuted as the LOD(in blue).
The 1996 World Tag League season has stolen the show so far in Best Of The Best this year, producing some of the best in-ring action week in and week out, truly establishing the future of the tag team titles and the division as a force going forward in Best Of The Best. It all culminates on May 12th on pay per view live from Miami Arena in Miami Florida for
Best Of The Best V: A Matter Of Respect! Call your cable or satellite provider and order this pay per view event!
Singles Match:
Psicosis vs Juventud Guerrera IIJuventud Guerrera makes his way out to the Hoosier Dome to
his entrance music that sounds an awful lot like Vega's music from Street Fighter 2, but it's just slightly changed to avoid copyright infringement from Capcom. During his walkout Joey Styles hypes Juventud Guerrera as truly one of the most impressive newcomers we have seen in Best Of The Best since he made his debut with a shocking upset over Psicosis back on Shockwave in Oklahoma City on March 30th. Juvy was defeated by Eddie Guerrero in his second bout back on Shockwave on April 6th, but it was a thrilling battle where Juventud earned Eddie's respect after Juvy stopped a blindside attack from Psicosis after the match.
Psicosis makes his way out to
Ill Triello by Ennio Morriconne with an elaborate red, green, and white light show in the Hoosier Dome. Ring announcer Joel Gertner goes fluidly back and forth between Spanish and English during the intros for both men as Charles Robinson the ref keeps them apart!
It's an all out Lucha Libre battle fo the ages in the Hoosier Dome as Juvy and Psicosis steal the show! Juvy stays one move ahead of Psicosis and punishes him, embarrassing him with counters for every move he tries to make. Juvy sets the massive sold out Hoosier Dome crowd off with a beautiful over the top rope AIR JUVY PLANCHA! The two fight ringside for a moment with Psicosis only advantage being his dirty cheating tactics, using the ring post and steel railing as weapons. Juvy gets knocked over into the railing and a chair bashed over his back before Juvy pulls the railing closer to the ring and ascends the turnbuckles to the top! The entire Hoosier Dome stands and goes APE S#IT as Psicosis flies off over the railing to hit Juvy with a corkscrew moonsault PLANCHA! Joey Styles shrieks on commentary OH MY GAAAAAWD!
Psicosis fights Juvy back to the ring but can't put him away, only managing to get a razor close 2 count! Psicosis pushes referee Charles Robinson back in protest of the slow count and he's on the verge of snapping and attacking him until Juvy rolls him up from behind for a close 2 count! Juvy retakes the momentum with high flying lucha counters on Psicosis proving to be the faster, sharper, stronger luchadore with the crowd fully behind him! Charles Robinson gets caught up in the high speed action and gets knocked to his feet! He seems to be ok but as he's trying to get up Psicosis crushes up a poison powder tablet and tosses the powder directly into Juvy's EYES! He's BLINDED!
Juvy rolls around wiping and clutching his eyes as Psicosis takes the chance to recover and catch his breath! Juvy tris to fight blind but Psicosis pulls the ref in front of him to shield himself! Juvy grabs and senses that its referee Charles Robinson and pulls his punch just short! Psicosis shoves the ref to the canvas and attacks Juvy! Juvy fights blind with the spirit of a warrior, countering Psicosis by running and leaping off of Charles Robinson's back as he's on all fours, springing off the ropes and flying back to hit Psicosis with a rana! Juvy rolls through and hooks the leg with a rollup out of the Rana but Psicosis kicks out at 2.9999!
Juvy winces and rolls around overwhelmed by the burning and stinging of the poison powder thrown into his eyes by Psicosis as Psicosis pulls himself up to his feet recovering. Psicosis batters Juvy with chops and strikes before dropping him with a piledriver and a flying Guillotine Legdrop before hooking the leg and putting him away with the pinfall....
1....
2....
3!
Unbelievable! The crowd goes quiet with a mix of boo's as Psicosis has his hand raised, avenging his only loss to Juvy that he suffered last month. All of a sudden Psicosis' celebration is cut short as another ref comes out to frantically talk with Charles Robinson, pantomiming the action of Psicosis throwing powder into Juvy's eyes, pantomiming Juvy being blinded. Charles Robinson scrambles out to the timekeepers table and goes over something with ring announcer Joel Gertner before the news is broken that this decision has been.... REVERSED!... The winner of this match, by DISQUALIFICATION....
JUVENTUD GUERRERA!....
The ref tries to raise Juvy's hand in victory but he still can't see! Psicosis out of anger goes after Charles Robinson and throws him to the canvas before putting the boots to him! Psicosis goes to piledrive Robinson into oblivion but Juvy stops him and makes the save! Robinson escapes to safety as Psicosis destroys Juvy, spiking him with yet another piledriver followed by 2 more flying Guillotine Legdrops until finally more refs scramble out to stop him from going for a 3rd! Juvy is seriously hurt!
In The Ring:
Kevin SullivanWe return to the live shot of the Hoosier Dome crowd with the fans ringside stoked and hyped to the gills for Hulk Hogan's return here tonight vs Ahmed Johnson. The Hulk lookalike superfan is show seated ringside flexing his flabby arms in his red and yellow Hulk costume as fans around him go nuts! All of a sudden the creepy sounds of Kevin Sullivan's ambient walk out music brings him out to the ring by himself....
Kevin Sullivan makes his way into the ring and looks directly into the camera cutting a promo that the huge Hoosier Dome crowd stays mostly silent for. Sullivan rambles on about Raven and Cactus Jack before pleading for Cactus to reunite with him and Abdullah The Butcher as a family. Kevin Sullivan talks about the human soul and how valuable it is in this reality that we exist in, before proclaiming that he wants Cactus Jack's soul. Sullivan brings up Cactus Jack's history with him as a former friend and former tag team partner before mentioning his real name, Mick Foley. That's right... Mick Foley.... Mrs. Foley's little baby boy....
All of a sudden Cactus Jack comes wandering out down the huge entrance ramp to the ring with a perplexed look in an awkward showdown with Kevin Sullivan. Finally Cactus cautiously enters the ring and stands face to face with Sullivan as the former Taskmaster tells him how he knows all about his past, his real past, the pain in his soul, the scars that cover his body from his death matches in Japan, his missing ear, the burn scars from his fall through the flaming tables when him and Terry Funk were pushed off the ladder, the scars that he keeps covered up with the tape that covers his face....
Kevin Sullivan tells Cactus Jack that Raven doesn't care about him or his scars or his imperfections, Raven doesn't know like he does the pain he felt watching Mikey Whipreck get put in a wheel chair for the rest of his life at the hands of Steve Austin. Cactus hangs his head in sorrow unable to look up at Kevin Sullivan as all of a sudden Raven comes walking out to the entrance ramp, stopping halfway to the ring only to stand and watch....
Sullivan reaches out and pets Cactus' hair back away to reveal his mutilated ear, telling him that he knows that his physical pain is a manifestation of his mental pain, that he wants him to give that pain to him, to kneel before him. Cactus starts to kneel only to surprise Sullivan with a sudden attack! Cactus jams his two middle fingers into Kevin Sullivan's mouth down his gullet, gagging and choking him until he collapses to the canvas and begins to vomit in convulsions! Raven watches on as Cactus leaves Sullivan convulsing and covered in his own vomit before staggering out and walking out with Raven. Sullivan struggles up into a seated position wiping his face and clutching his throat as Cactus turns and looks back at him for a moment with sympathy in his eyes before following Raven to the back...
World Tag League Match:
The Eliminators(7-1-1)
vs
The Thrillseekers(5-4)The Thrillseekers make their way out for the next match after the break with Chris Jericho and Lance Storm focused in on what has to be the most critical match for them so far in Best Of The Best. This team started off the 1996 WTL season 0-3 before going on a big win streak that seen them upset the Steiner Brothers in Japan(the Steiners only loss in BOTB). Tonight this match is a must win for Storm and Jericho for them to have a chance to quailfy for the Final Four to crown the inaugural Undisputed World Tag Champs on May 12th on pay per view in Miami. A loss here eliminates them from contention!
The Eliminators come out to
Demanufacture by Fear Factory with both JR and Joey Styles wondering if they are looking past tonight's matchup to next week's revenge bout against the Steiner Brothers set for Judgement Night here live on USA next Monday Night. It was the Steiners that gave the Eliminators their only loss here in BOTB in the WTL match last month. Both the Steiners and Eliminators are on a true collision course next week to decide who will go into Miami as 1st place team in the Dragon Division.
Lance Storm and Chris Jericho dominate early on with a sense of urgency with their entire season on the line! The two work over Saturn and then Kronus for an extended stretch before Kronus hits a backflip cartwheel double back elbow counter that downs both Thrillseekers, setting up the hot tag to bring Saturn back in with a vengeance! Saturn dominates Storm and hurts Jericho's left shoulder with a Papa Shango style shoulderbreaker! Storm gets knocked out of the ring and Jericho fights back, fighting through the pain in his shoulder to down Saturn and dropkick Kronus off the apron into the steel railing. Jericho goes for a German suplex with a bridge for the pin on Saturn only to lose his grip due to his injured shoulder, giving Saturn an opening to roll him up with a la magistral rollup for the 1, 2, 3! The Eliminators WIN! Saturn pins Chris Jericho at 8:28!
Lance Storm is furious as he watches Saturn and Kronus celebrate the win, moving their WTL record to 8-1-1 on the eve of their highly anticipated showdown with the Steiners set for Judgement Night here on USA Network next Monday night LIVE! Jericho clutches his injured shoulder with a noticeable tension between him and Lance Storm as they make their exit, while the Eliminators strike their trademark pose together celebrating the win! The Thrillseekers drop to 5-5 with this loss and have let this opportunity slip through their fingers here tonight, what a crushing loss for them...
In The Ring:
Eric Bischoff(Best Of The Best CEO)After another round of commercials on USA Network we get the entrance of Best Of The Best CEO Eric Bischoff making his way out to the ring without any type of music or anything. Bischoff takes the ring and immediately addresses the events that took place last night with Bret "The Hitman" Hart setting up a match against Nobuhiko Takada in an attempt to legitimize his "Real" World Championship title belt. Bischoff breaks the news that Best Of The Best does not sanction Bret's title belt, nor do they recognize him as any type of Champion.
Bischoff is boo'd by the Hoosier Dome crowd until all of a sudden Bret Hart's entrance music drops to bring him out! Bret comes out with his WWF style Championship belt draped over his shoulder, his trademark sunglasses on....
Bret gives his glasses away to one of the kids ringside in the audience before entering the ring to confront Eric Bischoff. Bret tells him about how this Dome is sacred ground to him, this was where he spilled his blood right here in this spot when he beat Roddy Piper for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Bret tells Bischoff he lost that belt to The British Bulldog in Wembley later that Summer but he lost that belt fair and square with honor and respect. Bret holds up his glistening WWF style Championship belt to Eric as he tells him that he won this belt from Diesel at Survivor Series last November and he never lost this belt! As far as he's concerned he's the real true World Champion of pro wrestling. Bret looks Eric dead in his eyes in a tense moment before addressing his loss in Japan to Shawn Michaels in the Iron Man Match after the controversial Overtime finish(after interference from Paul E. Dangerously's Dangerous Alliance, which targeted both men).
Bret tells Eric that he doesn't have to sanction this Championship title belt, but he knows it, Shawn Michaels knows it, and all of his fans in Canada and the USA knows it, that Bret is the REAL true World Champion of Professional Wrestling, the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be!
Eric Bischoff gets icy and cold with a sudden demeanor shift as he tells Bret that he's the one pulling the strings here ever since this company hired him to run this promotion. Eric boasts about his success in WCW last year when suddenly the cameras pick up several Japanese men making their way through different sections of the crowd towards the ring! Jim Ross freaks on commentary as he and Joey Styles recognize the men as various members of the Kings Of Kings organization!....
Bischoff continues going off on Bret un-effected as The Hitman begins to notice the Kings Of Kings wrestlers jumping the guard railing and enclosing the ring surrounding him! It's Nobuhiko Takada, Akira Maeda, Hiromitsu Kanehara, Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Minoru Suzuki, Koji Kitao, Kazushi Sakuraba, Yoji Anjo, and Kiyoshi Tamura! Bischoff continues going off on Bret with a smug diatribe about how he's come under a lot of scrutiny from the Championship Council, from the fans, that it's all unfair criticism and nobody appreciates him for being the pioneer in this industry that he is. Jim Ross freaks on commentary WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!? as the Kings Of Kings rush into the ring and attack Bret Hart! Eric Bischoff watches on as Bret is jumped by all 9 men in a vicious beating!
The crowd boo's relentlessly as Eric Bischoff unites with Nobuhiko Takada and Akira Maeda while the other 7 men beat Bret down! This is unbelievable! Eric Bischoff has just revealed himself to be working WITH the Kings Of Kings! Bret is held up limp with blood revealed to be running down his forehead and dripping nasty red blotches all over the ring canvas in a disturbing scene! JR on commentary pleads for somebody to stop this! The Hitman's lifeless body is held up to his knees with his face covered in blood as Eric Bischoff watches on celebrating! Minoru Suzuki takes Bret's WWF Championship belt and rubs it across his crimson soaked face, smearing his blood across the belt before dropping it to the canvas and spitting on it! Bret is left laying in his own blood as Eric retreats with the Kings Of Kings avoiding trash and drinks thrown at them!
Falls Count Anywhere Match:
Dustin Rhodes vs Jeff JarrettAfter another commercial break we return with Jim Ross and Joey Styles still stunned over what just happened, with Best Of The Best CEO Eric Bischoff just revealing that he is the man pulling the strings behind the most powerful wrestling organization in the world, the Kings Of Kings, the combined forces of UWFI and Rings that have wrecked the sport of wrestling in Japan and have now made their presence felt here in North America with a vicious beating of Bret Hart. JR notes that Eric Bischoff sure has a lot of explaining to do...
Jeff Jarrett makes his entrance to a chorus of boo's from the Hoosier Dome as the commentators show the replay Jarrett's win over the legendary Dusty Rhodes last week in Minneapolis on Judgement Night after Rhodes passed out after refusing to submit to Jarrett's Figure Four. After winning the match Jarrett refused to give up the Figure Four until Dustin Rhodes ran out making his Best Of The Best debut to make the save and reunite with his estranged father. It was truly one of the best and most heartfelt moments in Best Of The Best in 1996 since the rocky relationship between the father and son has been well documented, since we hadn't seen Dustin since his time portraying the controversial Goldust character in the WWF late last year.
Dustin Rhodes brings the Hoosier Dome crowd to their feet when he makes his way out to
Tracy Lawrence's Time Marches On, he's decked out in a Colts Jim Harbaugh jersey with blue jeans and cowboy boots with a fire in his eyes we haven't seen in years. Dustin races to the ring and takes the fight right to Jeff Jarrett and it's on! The brawl goes in and out of the ring, all around the ringside area, in the crowd through the seats with drinks and steel chairs flying! The brawl heads towards the merchandise booth and through the concession stand, then back into the foyer area of the Hoosier Dome with fans running around jumping in and out of the shot going nuts!
Both men get busted open bleeding from their foreheads as the brawl goes through the bathroom back to the open Dome area to the elevated catwalk entrance ramp that stretches on for seemingly a mile from the entrance stage to the ring apron! Dustin and Jarrett both take it back to the ring where they both go down to a double clothesline! Dusty Rhodes comes out and makes the long walk to the ring to cheer his son on and the crowd goes nuts!
Dustin recovers and begins pulling the top turnbuckle padding off to set Jarrett up to go face first into the exposed steel! Jarrett reverses the whip and sends Dustin back first into the steel, causing him to collapse on impact clutching his back! Dusty tries to shout words of encouragement to his son while he's down as Jarrett climbs out of the ring and begins scrambling to pull something out from under the ring..... an acoustic GUITAR!....
Double J waits for Dustin to recover to his knees before winding up to finish him off with the guitar but Dusty rolls into the ring to stop him at the last second! Dusty takes the guitar and BASHES IT OVER JARRETT'S HEAD! Dust and debri flies everywhere as Jarrett collapses down knocked out! Dustin drags himself over to make the cover.... 1.... 2.... 3! IT'S OVER! Dustin Rhodes has defeated Jeff Jarrett with the help of his father Dusty with a pin at 13:44! Jarrett rolls out of the ring completely out of it as Dustin Rhodes celebrates the huge victory with his father! What a moment!
In The Ring:
The Kliq(Shawn Michaels, Diesel, Razor Ramon, The 123 Kid, & Hunter Hearst Helmsley)
The Hoosier Dome crowd doesn't know how to respond when
Tupac & Snoop Dogg's 2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted hits the PA system, only for a frenzy to erupt when the entire Kliq comes walking out to the ring to the music! Diesel and Razor walk out first with Undisputed World Heavyweight Champion Shawn Michaels, 123 Kid, and Hunter Hearst Helmsley following them en route to the ring! The Kliq is HERE!
All 5 men take their time making it to the ring as they work the crowd ringside in a big celebration of Michaels' victory last night on pay per view over Randy Savage to defend his title! Michaels, Diesel, Razor, Kid, and Helmsley all take the ring and cut a promo that gets the crowd in the Hoosier Dome going nuts for them. Razor cuts a promo first getting the crowd going with his "HEY YO!" before stating that everybody in Best Of The Best should be careful if you speak of the devil, he's going to appear. Diesel takes the mic and shouts that the Kliq is in the HOUSE! The crowd eats it up! The big man talks about how he and Razor had to backup Shawn Michaels last night, the Kliq are bad boys for life, they ride together they die together.
Michaels ends the promo talking about the target on his back, everybody is joining up to come after him, the Dangerous Alliance, the Four Horsemen, now he's got his boys here to watch his back, its not just these 4 guys standing by his side in this ring but all the 60,000 in the crowd and everybody at home watching on TV, whoever wants to step up and take a shot at the Undisputed World Title will have to be ready to face this entire KLIQ! All 5 men salute and celebrate with each other before celebrating with the ringside fans as we cut away to commercials!....
Singles Match:
Hulk Hogan vs Ahmed Johnson
After the final commercial break we get ring announcer Michael Buffer getting the sold out Hoosier Dome to their feet with his LETS GET READY TO RUMBAAAAAAAL introduction setting off an explosion of pyro from all four corners while fireworks go off over the ring! It's TIME! Ahmed Johnson makes his entrance first as Buffer does his intro during the long walk to the ring, standing 6' 2", weighing 305 pounds, from Pearl River Mississippi, ranked #1 in Best Of The Best with an undefeated 7-0 record! Ahmed takes the ring and the Hoosier Dome crowd swells in anticipation before blowing the roof off when Hulk Hogan's entrance music hits the speakers! The former WCW and WWF World Champion and all time legend of the sport makes his way out to the ring completely JACKED as the crowd goes nuts for him!
Referee Randy Anderson steps in between Hulk and Ahmed as they stare each other down face to face with flash bulbs going off all around the Hoosier Dome! This is the biggest match perhaps ever in the history of televised wrestling folks, it does not get any bigger than this! HERE WE GO!....
All of a sudden the opening intro of the match is interrupted when the voice of Rick Rude crashes everything! Rude leads out Shane Douglas with Sable to the ring as he interrupts Michael Buffer to inform everyone that this whole match is a sham, and he's here to point out that Shane Douglas has the most wins in Best Of The Best and should be the rightful #1 Contender not Ahmed Johnson! Ahmed and Hulk look on PISSED as Rick Rude leads Shane Douglas and Sable to the ring! What the hell is THIS!?.....
Rick Rude insults both Ahmed Johnson and Hulk Hogan before challenging both men to make this match a TRIPLE THREAT MATCH! Rude challenges both Ahmed and Hulk to face Shane Douglas RIGHT HERE AND NOW! Both men look back and forth at each other before accepting the challenge, simultaneously urging the referee to ring the bell! Shane Douglas is JACKED with intensity as Rude retreats out of the ring with Sable to stalk the floor! This is happening! This match is now a TRIANGLE MATCH!.....
Triangle Match:
Ahmed Johnson vs Hulk Hogan vs Shane Douglas(W/Rick Rude & Sable)The Hoosier Dome goes crazy for the impromptu change to a 3 way and it's all out pandemonium at the bell as all 3 men have a stand off to start the match! Shane Douglas takes the first shot with a kick to Hogan but it does nothing to him! Ahmed storms after Douglas and works together with Hogan to whip him into the ropes and hit him with a double team back body drop that sends him flying through the air! The crowd is white hot as Hogan and Ahmed work together to flop Shane Douglas all around the ring kicking his ass before sending him outside to the floor!
Douglas is consoled and coddled by Sable as Rude works to pull him up and revive him! The crowd continues going ape sh#t as Hogan and Ahmed square off finally one on one in the ring! It's an all out battle that rumbles the ring as Hogan and Ahmed trade punches before locking up in a test of strength! Ahmed overpowers Hogan down to his knees but the Hulkster feels the power and gets back up to stand his ground! Shane Douglas recovers into the ring and attacks both men, dropping Hogan with a charging knee strike to his back before putting the boots to Ahmed!
The crowd boo's as Shane Douglas goes back and forth putting the boots to both Hulk Hogan and Ahmed Johnson! Hogan rolls out to the floor and gets attacked by Rick Rude and Sable while the ref is distracted! Douglas goes for Ahmed with more boots before setting him up for his Belly To Belly Suplex, hooking the leg and getting a 2 count before Ahmed kicks out!
Rude rolls a hurt Hogan back into the ring for Shane to pull him up into a Belly to Belly Suplex but Hogan immediately pops up all Hulked the F#CK UP! The Hoosier Dome crowd loses it as Hogan no-sells Shane's punches and kicks before beating him down! Ahmed recovers and works with Hogan to beat Douglas around the ring some more before sending him back out to the elevated catwalk entrance ramp, setting up another one on one showdown between the immovable object vs the unstoppable force!
Douglas is revived by Rude and Sable again, this time with Rude pouring water of Douglas' head while Ahmed counters Hogan for a big slam back inside the ring! Ahmed pulls Hogan up into his Pearl River Plunge and goes for the win but Hogan amazingly kicks out at 2.99999! The entire crowd gasps! Shane Douglas fights his way back into the match going after Ahmed while Hulk is down, setting him up for a Rude Awakening attempt later on only for Hogan to make the save at the last second with a boot to his gut! Hogan quickly follows up with a spinning neckbreaker before hooking the leg to make a cover! The ref counts to 2 until Ahmed pulls Hogan off of Shane Douglas to save the match! Hogan pops up with a surprised intense look as he looks around at the crowd and at Ahmed!
Rick Rude drags Shane Douglas out of the ring to try to revive him while Hogan makes a surge in an all out attack on Ahmed Johnson! Hogan counters Ahmed's spinebuster attempt and drops him with a huge running clothesline! Hogan gets the crowd going before lifting Ahmed with a HUGE running big boot followed by his RUNNING LEG DROP! Hogan makes the cover but Ahmed KICKS OUT AT 2!!!
Hogan can't believe it! He almost had it! Ahmed BARELY kicked out! Shane Douglas recovers back into the ring and attacks Hogan, pulling him up and throwing him over the top rope, sending him careening off the apron and crashing into the floor! Shane Douglas takes advantage of a hurt Ahmed Johnson as Hogan rolls around out on the floor clutching his knee after the nasty spill. Ahmed fights back and manages to counter Shane Douglas and drive him into the canvas with a huge SPINEBUSTER! Both men are down and out! Hogan is still hurt trying to get up on the floor!
Sable makes her move to get up onto the apron and distract the referee as Rick Rude grabs a steel chair and tries to get into the ring! Hogan manages to grab Rude's chair and stop him! The two men struggle back and forth for possession of the chair out on the floor as Ahmed and Shane Douglas recover in the ring! Ahmed reverses a whip and accidentally sends Shane Douglas crashing into the referee, knocking him into the ropes with violent force that causes Sable to fall down to the floor! The ref is knocked out! Sable is hurt on the floor! Rude gives up the steel chair and shoves Hogan down to the floor before checking on Sable! Shane Douglas and Ahmed Johnson are down and out along with the ref in the ring!
Rick Rude leaves Sable down and begins motioning towards the entrance stage for something, somebody, when all of a sudden out comes.....
JR and Joey Styles freak on commentary along with the entire Hoosier Dome as SID makes his way out to the ring! SID IS HERE! Hogan looks up in disbelief! Sid goes right after Hogan and rips the chair out of his hands before smashing it over Hulks head! Sid beats Hogan over towards the spanish commentary table where he rips him up into a POWERBOMB
THROUGH THE TABLE!....
Hogan smashes through the table sending monitors and debri flying on impact in a massive crash! Sid climbs over the top rope into the ring where he pulls Ahmed Johnson up into a vicious POWERBOMB! Ahmed is out cold! Sid drags Shane Douglas over Ahmed's body before climbing back over the top rope to join Rude and Sable on the floor as the ref begins to recover! Hulk Hogan is down and out in the wreckage of the spanish commentary table as the ref finally rolls over to see Shane Douglas covering Ahmed Johnson for the pin!.... NO!...
1...
2....
3!!
Shane Douglas! NO! NOT LIKE THIS! Hulk Hogan has been DESTROYED! Sid is HERE! Shane Douglas with the help of Rick Rude, Sable, and Sid has defeated Hulk Hogan and Ahmed Johnson here tonight! Hogan is shown being worked on by medics as Ahmed is rolled out of the ring by Sid!
Shane Douglas has his arm raised with trash flying into the ring as he's propped up by Rick Rude and Sable with Sid lurking over him watching his back as the copyright text fades in to the bottom of the screen!....
©1996 Neo Zeed Corp.
vs 
vs 
vs 
