Photos and footage courtesy: WWE
The 2015 Elimination Chamber had a surprising history. Though it was taken out of the pay-per-view calendar, the event returned to the main schedule with only two weeks notice. As a toast to the release of Elimination Chamber on DVD in the United Kingdom, we celebrate the unlikely, the unique, and the unsung special shows that were also irregular additions.
Elimination Chamber is out 27 July from WWEDVD.co.uk
The Wrestling Classic
What would this list be without the first WWE pay-per-view, the Wrestling Classic? The event was the first of its kind, advertising the main focus as a 16 man tournament, much like the King of the Ring events we know today. Despite it being the first of its kind, The Wrestling Classic set the bar high for pay-per-views to come. Whether it was the hilarious abrupt ending to the Dynamite Kid and Nikolai Volkoff match, where the Soviet grappler was drop kicked in the middle of singing the Russian national anthem and subsequently pinned, or the technical mastery shown in the Ricky Steamboat and Davey Boy Smith match, The Wrestling Classic had plenty of classic spots.
Ricky Steamboat versus Davey Boy Smith was a shining example. A series of whirlwind arm locks and irish whip counters, the match started with a frantic series of countered arm lock attempts, ending with a ferocious hip toss from the future British Bulldog. Through and through, the match-up was a concept match showcasing both technical prowess and raw power. Davey Boy displayed his tremendous power with a brutal overhead belly to belly pin, countered into an impressive bridge reversal into a back-slide attempt by Steamboat. Shocking examples of strength abounded in the match, with multiple military press style slams from Davey Boy, and a surprising stalling suplex from Steamboat. Despite the match ending with an early disqualification, caused by Davey Boy injuring himself against the ropes after what looked like a running drop kick attempt, this match is as entertaining now as it was thirty years ago.
The Wrestling Classic was an exciting explosive event, one truly timeless and serves as an example of everything great about pro wrestling. The fast pace of the matches added to the intense competitive atmosphere. Whether it was Putski’s displays of over-powering force against the Macho Man, or Iron Sheik’s under-handed tactics at work against the Junkyard Dog, every match was a unique sampler of what the medium has to offer.
This Tuesday in Texas
This Tuesday in Texas was a strange experiment. A controversial offering to the already stirred pot of the post-Survivor Series climate, taking place six days after the infamous event, where Hulk Hogan was defeated by the Undertaker by a tombstone piledriver on a chair, and the Macho Man was attacked by Jake the Snake’s python. Still spurned forth by the desire to make Tuesday a pay-per-view night, the event featured many wrestlers at the top of the roster, including an Intercontinental title defense from Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart against the hillbilly heel Skinner, a grudge match between Macho Man Randy Savage and Jake the Snake, as well as a return match for Hogan, in an attempt for retribution at his title loss. This Tuesday in Texas focused on the rivalry between stars, focusing on the conflicts between superstars in order to build anticipation for the matches to come.
Bret Hart vs Skinner, the opening match for the pay-per-view, was a exemplary example of the event’s methodical pacing. Hart ran a clinic of classic wrestling moves, including a punch reversal into an atomic drop into an inverted atomic drop combination. Arm lock counters and deliberate takedowns mounted the tension, which climaxed with Skinner connecting with a reverse DDT, and going for the cover, only receiving a two count for his trouble. Exasperated, Skinner ascended the second rope, before being countered by a Hart boot. Hart’s second wind full into effect, the Hitman took down his target and took back his Intercontinental championship with the patented Sharpshooter submission.
The event reached a crescendo in the main event, where two wrestling icons waged war for the WWE championship. After a vicious onslaught by Undertaker and Paul Bearer, which culminated into a see-saw exchange of blows, each man reached deep into their bag of tricks. A vicious series of events turned into a Hogan second wind, as Hogan clotheslined the Undertaker over the ropes, and ran to the outside, chair in hand to thwart the interference attempt by Ric Flair, temporarily stopped by Jack Tunney. Hogan continued to reign blows upon the Undertaker, unable to knock him down. The real confusion came from a seemingly heelish victory by Hogan, who stole the urn from Bearer as Undertaker attempted to run him into it, with the assistance of Paul Bearer, and sprayed it into the Undertaker’s eyes to score a victory by a schoolboy roll up. It was a finish that was a bit out of character for the charismatic hero Hulk Hogan, which added a bit of intrigue to the event as a whole.
This Tuesday in Texas was a strange concoction of heated rivalries and methodically paced matches. With the controversial match events coming from an antagonistic reception of the previous Survivor Series, This Tuesday in Texas was a stand-out offering.
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No Holds Barred, The Match / The Movie
No Holds Barred was a unique billing. Both a showing of Hulk Hogan’s movie of the same name in its entirety, as well as an additional match starring the hero and villain of the movie, December 27, 1989 proved to be a day of interesting experimentation with cross-platform media. One of the most unique specials in sports entertainment, the match element of No Holds Barred featured the Hulkster teaming with the ”number one Hulkamanic” Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake, to combat the movie’s villain, Zeus, and Hulks long-time frienemy, Macho King Randy Savage.
The cage match was a supercard, highlighting the classic stars in a main event for the ages. Ring rattling strikes shook the hall, as the wrestling match became less of a contest and more of a heroic brawl. Beefcake and Hogan united forces as they piled on blows and sent king and god reeling. In a display of desperation, the Macho King ascended to the top of the cage, received a chain from Queen Sherry, then plummeted to earth with a metal-enhanced double axe handle, only to be interrupted with a Beefcake body blow. Seizing the opportunity, Beefcake began climbing the blue barred walls, reaching the arena floor and pulling out a beaten Macho King to continue the assault. Left to face his nemesis alone, Hogan refused Beefcake’s help, choosing to take on the Olympic brute himself, knocking Zeus to the canvas and delivering a series of Herculean leg drops, felling Zeus with a three count in the middle of the ring.
No Holds Barred was an iconic event and a zeitgeist of the late 80s and early 90s era of wrestling, a classic milestone in pro wrestling’s development. With its unique attempt to unite movie and a wrestling main event, No Holds Barred is historical for its courageous attempt to unify two contrasting mediums into one package for the fans.
WWF Capital Carnage 1998
What happens when you take an eccentric bunch of Attitude Era personalities, place them in a ring with sworn enemies, and let the sparks fly? You get an odd assortment of matches that offer bizarre twists and strange conclusions. A pay-per-view that only aired in the United Kingdom, Capital Carnage occurred after Survivor Series, serving as a springboard to the next In Your House event. Despite it being a regional event, unexpected gems glimmered in this pay-per-view, and are worth mentioning for the sheer uniqueness of the presentation.
Al Snow versus Gangrel was a frantic scramble that revealed brutal moments. Snow and the undead grappler tore into each other with a vampiric bloodlust, as they exchanged leaping strikes and brain-scrambling blows, including a vicious DDT from Gangrel. Like hungry sharks in a tank with steak, the crowd was whipped into a frenzy from the match’s fevered pace, as the two feral fighters unleashed punishment upon each other. Despite the contest ending with Broodling Edge interfering in the competition causing Al Snow’s defeat, the kinetic pacing and crashing collisions make this a strong start to the carnage to follow.
The main event kicked the crowd into a frenzy, a fatal four-way starring a mega-card of Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Mankind and Kane. Despite the obvious attempt at rigging the match by the Corporation, naming Gerald Briscoe as the ref and Pat Patterson as the time-keeper, the contest was an equal-opportunity exercise in unforgiving punishment. This match was a clash of personalities, with the air of being larger than life big fight feel, and the electricity was omnipresent in the arena. The match was bedlam, strikes and bodies flying everywhere, though a moment of collaboration served as the eye of the storm, as the Brothers of Destruction teamed up against Austin, as Mankind joined in, spurned forth by animosity by a man he once considered a friend. When attempting to receive a sign of camaraderie from Undertaker and Kane in their mutual assault on Austin, Mankind was shoved aside, as the free-for-all chaos resumed. Finisher after finisher was attempted on all the wrestlers, Austin receiving a Mandible Claw and chokeslams, before he unleashed a series of snap-neck Stunners, including one to Kane that would win him the match.
Living up to the name, Capital Carnage was a series of unrelenting smash-mouth matches that was a zeitgeist of the Attitude era. The event was in your face action with dubious characters and rough-neck wrestling, wrapped up in the villainous booking of Vince McMahon. Despite being a United Kingdom only event, Capital Carnage had some classic moments that would be appreciated by any shore.
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In Your House 8: Beware of Dog 2
In Your House 8 became the first two part pay-per-view event due to strange circumstances. Due to a freak electrical storm that occurred after the second match of the original taping, the rest of the matches became, quite literally, dark matches. Unable to continue the performance due to technical difficulties, the event ended up having to be rescheduled. The second version of the pay-per-view, entitled Beware of Dog 2, took place in a different arena. To compensate for the act of God, the first two matches that were filmed in the first take were shown again at the beginning of Beware of Dog 2.
What was also odd was that the second filming had a significant decrease in the amount of matches that occurred. Beware of Dog 2 ended on a casket match between Goldust and the Undertaker, rather than Beware of Dog 1, which featured the match between Shawn Michaels and the British Bulldog for the then WWF title, ending on a draw due to a double pin complication, causing Shawn Michaels to retain his championship. The most unusual aspect of the events being, that aside from this discrepancy, the majority of the schedule remained unchanged.
In the second showing of Beware of Dog, Goldust defeated the Undertaker with the help from Mankind, who was revealed to be in the casket, as Undertaker dragged the unconscious Goldust across the ring, a victim of a tombstone piledriver. Mankind rose from the coffin and delivered a Mandible Claw to the unsuspecting dead man, as he pushed him into the casket to win the match for Goldust, who retained the Intercontinental championship as a result.
The pay-per-view ended on a chilling note. As Mankind sat on top of the casket, smoke billowed out from the inside. As Mankind fled to the back stage, the casket was opened and revealed that the Undertaker was no longer inside. As the lights darkened, the Undertaker’s theme softly played, ending the event in darkness.
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WWF One Night Only
WWF One Night Only was a pay-per-view that took place in Birmingham, England. – Depicting the British Bulldog as the main focal point of the event and celebrating his accomplishments, One Night Only was painted as a pay-per-view celebrating the heroic defense of the legend’s title in his home country. One Night Only was a stand-out spectacle of personalities and an in-depth character profile of the British Bulldog, a fascinating cross-section of the man behind the union jack tights. Bulldog’s personal background came to the fore-front, as he talked about his sister battling cancer, on the importance of pro wrestling in his life, and how important his match with Shawn Michaels was, perhaps even the most important moment of his career. It was a poignant piece of journalism, one that illustrated the Bulldog’s humanity and the passion that fuels professional wrestling. This vignette accentuated the over-all presentation, as it gave a real human element to the show.
The matches were filled with classic examples of Attitude era, with a plethora of iconic wrestlers. The matches fed off the energy of the very receptive crowd, vocal in their opinions of the match participants. Mick Foley, wrestling under his Dude Love persona, set the pace for the pay-per-view with Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Mick Foley fed into the crowd, as he danced and incited the cheers of the crowd, as Triple H and Chyna elicited the classic heel and manager trope, as they cheated their way to victory. The match served as a fantastic opener, and wet the crowd’s appetite.
The first main event, a rematch from Summerslam of that year, was the Undertaker against Bret “Hitman” Hart for the WWF title. One of the more controversial showings of the night, the crowd was unable to decide who they supported. A mixed rush of applause and jeers followed both men as they entered the ring. The match itself was a mix of methodical pacing and sudden high impact moves, such as an explosive DDT from Bret Hart as a reversal to an Undertaker back body drop and a savage irish whip received by Hart to an exposed turnbuckle, which tested the resilience of both men. Despite the middle of the match momentum favoring the Undertaker, the match was a back and forth affair, until the Undertaker, frustrated with Hitman’s ability to escape the patented Tombstone Piledriver, smothered Hart with blows until the referee was forced to disqualify the dead man.
The WWF European Championship match involved the British Bulldog defending his title against an irate Shawn Michaels. Despite the fact that both men entered the ring alone, the match would feature additional members of locker room, as Rick Rude rushed to Michaels’ aid, and unleashed a series of strikes against Davey Boy Smith while in the ref’s blind spot. As Michaels takes control of the match, Bulldog continued to fight against the odds and stood his ground against the Heartbreak Kid, even after the inclusion of Hunter and Rude at ring side, a Sweet Chin Music, a pedigree, and a figure four leg lock to target his damaged knees, after Michaels threw away his brace. Bulldog showed his endurance, as he refused to tap out, and passed out from the pain. The rest of the Hart Foundation finally show up after Shawn refused to release the submission hold, a curious response, when one considers the flagrent interference from Degeneration X in this contest.
One Night Only was one of the most controversial airings for sports entertainment. On the one hand, the event featured a heart-felt dialogue for a man enamored with wrestling and a passion to make his countrymen and family proud. On the other, you have a very villainous Michaels and Degeneration X, who essentially stole the title from the British Bulldog, who received little help from the men to which he swore allegiance. Despite of the bitter-sweet note of Michaels completing a grand slam, in which a wrestler wins all of the titles within the WWE, by winning the European championship, the Bulldog’s promise to win the match for his ill sister was broken and violated by Michaels’ bad boy stable.
WWE Beast in the East
A impromptu celebration of Brock Lesner’s return to the squared circle, Beast in the East was a display of unusual concept matches. The event, featured in the legendary Sumo Hall in Tokyo, displayed electic cards, such as Chris Jericho versus Neville, Brock Lesnar versus Kofi Kingston, and Finn Balor versus Kevin Owens for the NXT title. A showcase of Eastern versus Western wrestling styles, the matches were classic displays of frenetic high-impact wrestling and hard hitting counters, testing the resiliency of the wrestlers.
The show started off strong, with a startling appearance of Chris Jericho, who laced up his boots for one more time to face the high flying superstar Adrian Neville. The match was a majestic display of aerial maneuvers, with high-altitude drop kicks and devastating mid-air counters, including a surprising turn of events that culminated into an unexpected upset, as Jericho reversed the gravity-scorning Red Arrow attempt from Neville into a double knee to the midsection, grounding the Man That Gravity Forgot with a painful-looking Liontamer.
True to the event’s moniker, the Brock vs Kofi Kingston match-up displayed and solidified the Beast’s standing as one of the most threatening figures in sports entertainment. Less of a match and more of a demonstration of how to perform a proper German Suplex, Brock tossed Kofi about the ring Bwith the ease of a sheet of loose-leaf paper in a hurricane. After a cringe-worthy series of suplexes, Brock hoisted Kofi’s limp body over his shoulders, unleashing a whirlwind F5, earning the three count. Appearing unsatisfied with the match, Brock established his dominance over the unfortunate member of the New Day, as he continued to hammer on Kingston long after the bell rang, which provoked the remaining members of his team. The New Day rushed to save their ally, only to run into a series of thunderous F5’s, leaving all the prophets of positivity destroyed in the middle of the ring.
The real crown jewel was the title match between Finn Balor and Kevin Owens, which was an explosive clash of impactful slams and nasty strikes. The match roared to a start with a Balor drop kick combination, which smashed Owens against the turnbuckle, laid out and ripe for the Coup de Grais. Owens nimbly escaped the ring as Balor ascended to the top rope, and was met with a Balor suicide dive to the outside of the ring. Inspired by the lords of strong style, Balor unleashed a series of vicious drop kicks on the champion, including a horrifying running shotgun drop kick to a half-dazed seated Owens on the outside.
Owens was in top form as well, as he put his innovative offense to work, with hybrid moves like crucifix-style air raid sirens, a package piledriver turned into a gutwrench suplex, a hurricanrana reversal into a flipping Samoan drop, and a stomach-churning sleeper suplex. Truth be told, this match alone was worth the price of admission, having all the makings of a pay-per-view main event, stealing the show many times over. As one of the most unique offerings from WWE this year, Beast from the East is a potential modern classic, an example that will stand the test of time for years to come.