Great-ing Gimmicks of the Past: Cactus & Chainsaw — WWF, 1997-1998
History
As 1997 wound down, Mankind had found himself in a heated rivalry with the New Age Outlaws. Unfortunately, Mankind was alone while there were two Outlaws.
On December 29th, that was going to change.
As the second hour of Raw opened, the Road Dogg was set to take on Mankind. Instead, Dude Love showed up on the Titantron. He then changed into Mankind, who spoke before changing again — into Cactus Jack. Cactus came out armed with a barbed wire baseball bat and brawled with the Outlaws. Finally Cactus dragged Billy Gunn up the ramp and threw him into a wooden box, while talking about Chainsaw Charlie. Suddenly a chainsaw cut through the side of the box as its occupant made himself an exit. The Outlaws soon found themselves caught back in the middle of the ring before they were able to escape.
The next week saw the Outlaws taking on the Headbangers. Mosh wound up getting pinned after missing a Stage Dive, and that was the cue for Cactus and Chainsaw to run out and drive off the Outlaws.
Cactus Jack had a revelation the following week. In a taped interview, he revealed that Chainsaw was actually Terry Funk.
That brought us to the Royal Rumble, where Cactus and Chainsaw drew numbers 1 and 2. The two brawled until Cactus was eliminated shortly after competitor #7 (8-Ball, if you’re keeping track) had entered. Competitor #15 would wind up eliminating Chainsaw. #15, of course, was Mankind.
The next night saw Cactus and Chainsaw taking on the Quebecers. Cactus wound up running the Quebecers off with a barbed wire baseball bat.
Cactus and Chainsaw had a match against the Outlaws a week later. All four men brawled as we went into a commercial. Later in the night, D-Generation X interrupted an interview backstage which gave the Outlaws the opportunity to trap Cactus and Chainsaw under the cyclone fence that made up the interview set and pummel them.
The next week Cactus and Chainsaw were squaring off in a King of the Hardcore match. They brawled up onto the stage, then Cactus threw Chainsaw inside a dumpster and dropped an elbow on him from the set. The Outlaws then ran out, locked the dumpster, and shoved it off the stage, sending it crashing to the concrete below.
After a commercial break, we returned to a chaotic scene. WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter was directing traffic and trying to get EMTs to the wounded men. Sunny was holding Chainsaw’s hand and crying. Several other wrestlers were alternatively keeping people back and wanting to go after the Outlaws themselves.
Eventually Cactus and Chainsaw left in ambulances.
The Outlaws were giving an interview and starting to admit maybe things had gone a bit too far when DX showed up. Shawn Michaels told them they’d done exactly the right thing, and that they were drawing in the all-important ratings.
Billy was set to take on a furious Owen Hart next. Owen went after both Outlaws, and they wound up fighting to the top of the stage and then began teasing at throwing Owen off. Road agents surrounded them and got Owen to safety.
It didn’t take long for Michael Cole to call in a report from the hospital. There was something going on and police had been summoned.
As the Outlaws and DX attacked Steve Austin in the main event timeslot, another ambulance had pulled up outside. Cactus and Chainsaw ran down the ramp with medical gear attached to them (Chainsaw still in his hospital gown) and ran DX and the Outlaws off to save Austin and close the show.
On February 9th, the Outlaws brought out another dumpster, then shoved it off the stage to reveal two dummies wearing Cactus and Chainsaw’s gear. They cracked wise about the incident the week before.
That brought us to the February In Your House — No Way Out. In the main event, Cactus and Chainsaw teamed with Owen and Austin to take on the Outlaws, Triple H, and Savio Vega (replacing the injured Shawn Michaels). Austin won the match for his team by pinning Gunn. Afterward, Chyna got in Austin’s face, and he hit her with a Stunner.
A week later on Raw, internal pressures had caused the Legion of Doom to fracture during a match against the Outlaws. Michael Cole tried to get the Outlaws’ thoughts, only for Cactus and Chainsaw to attack them in their car.
The next week, the Outlaws were sporting neck braces as they came out for a match against the Disciples of Apocalypse. A dumpster sat down at the bottom of the ramp. It didn’t take long for the Outlaws to decide they’d had enough and they started to the back. That was the cue for the dumpster to pop open and Cactus and Chainsaw to attack.
The Quebecers took Chainsaw and Cactus on the next week. Cactus got the pin, then chased Road Dogg up the ramp. Billy Gunn took advantage of the distraction to blast Chainsaw with a chair.
The next week Chainsaw Charlie took on Billy Gunn. Charlie wound up giving Billy two DDTs (one on his Tag Team title belt) and then Cactus came out to help hogtie Road Dogg and hoist him up into the air.
The Quebecers had a rematch the next week. Cactus and Chainsaw were doing well at ignoring the Outlaws’ shenanigans at ringside until they hit the ring and attacked.
That brought us to Wrestlemania XIV. Cactus and Chainsaw took on the Outlaws in a dumpster match — the object being to put both your opponents into a dumpster and close the doors. The brawl went backstage, where the Outlaws were deposited in a dumpster and Cactus used a forklift to hold the doors shut. Cactus and Chainsaw won the match, and the WWF Tag Team titles.
The next night Cactus and Chainsaw were scheduled for a rematch in a cage against the Outlaws. With the help of Triple H and X-Pac, the new DX obliterated Cactus and Chainsaw to regain the titles.
The next week Cactus came out alone and addressed the fans. He talked about how disgusting he found it that while he and Chainsaw were being helped out the week prior, the crowd had been chanting for Steve Austin, not them. He demanded an apology and didn’t get it, then told the crowd that they wouldn’t be seeing Cactus Jack again anytime soon.
Analysis
Take two hardcore legends and team them up. It seems like a no-miss proposal! The problem is that the people wanted Terry Funk, not Chainsaw Charlie. The feud with the Outlaws was well-done, as was Cactus’s exit. However, the entire angle would have had so much more impact if it had been Terry Funk and Cactus Jack taking them on instead.
To be completely honest, Terry Funk did admit in an interview that Chainsaw Charlie was his idea. Looking back, he also admitted that it wasn’t the greatest idea he’d ever had.
Where are they now?
Mick Foley went on to become a WWF champion as Mankind, but by 2000 he had become the WWF commissioner. In November of 2001, Foley resigned from that position and vanished from WWF television. Foley made a quick return in mid-2003, and was back as a co-GM of Raw by December. In April the following year, Foley vanished again and began working on the independent scene, as well as traveling to Japan for a couple of Hustle appearances.
Foley returned to the WWE in 2005. Most recently he has wrapped up a feud against Ric Flair.
Terry Funk left the WWF in mid 1998 and was in WCW at the beginning of 1999 as their commissioner. By January of 2001 Funk was out of WCW and had returned to Japan. In June of 2005, Funk made news by refusing to take part in the WWE’s ECW One Night Stand PPV, choosing instead to appear for Shane Douglas’s Hardcore Homecoming. Funk did come in to the WWE for the following year’s ECW reunion, and vanished again following the show.
Next Week
Well, it worked for Goldust”¦
