The SmarK 24/7 Rant – Shorties!
– This month, it’s debuts, and the Shorties section focuses on RAW debuts for current stars. Santino hosts, and he’s hilarious as usual.
The Headbangers v. Matt & Jeff Hardy. This is from RAW in February 1997, which was actually recently on the Monday Night Wars. The Bangers attack to start, but Jeff hits Mosh with a clothesline and works the arm. Matt comes in and gets powerslammed, then Thrasher comes off the middle rope with a clothesline and a tilt-a-whirl slam. Matt gets dumped and Mosh follows with a dive off the apron, and back in for some choking in the corner. A Rockerplex follows and the Bangers do some dancing to celebrate. Matt manages to make the tag to Jeff, but Mosh clotheslines him and the Stage Dive finishes at 4:04. Total squash, although the Hardyz would certainly get the last laugh.
Mankind v. Bob Holly. Mick Foley debuts in April of 1996, in his first WWF incarnation. He attacks Bob to start and hammers him in the corner, then follows with the running knee. Holly fights back with the dropkick, but misses a charge and hits the floor. Mankind follows him out and stunguns him on the apron, and back in for the Tree of Woe and an elbowdrop from Mankind. Mandible Claw finishes at 3:18. Strong debut here.
Rocky Maivia v. Sal Sincere. From November of 1996. It’s interesting that they had everyone give Rocky the proverbial verbal blowjob before his debut, predicting huge things for him, and none of the hyperbole even came close to how huge he actually became. There’s a case of someone truly living up to the hype, even if it took a while. Sal tries the kiss of death in the corner to start, but that just gets Rocky mad. Sal grabs a headlock, but Rocky kips up and does his overblown armdrags, but gets dumped. Sal necksnaps him and throws some chops, into a sideslam and fistdrop. Rocky fights back and finishes with the shoulderbreaker at 4:27.
Hunter Heart Helmsley v. John Crystal. From May 1995. Santino’s intro, talking about how “Hunter should watch out because Crystal’s fame will be coming along any day now” is great stuff. They trade hammerlocks to start and Hunter makes the ropes to break. Hunter smacks the jobber around in the corner and follows with a leg lariat (!?) before giving him the Regal forearm rubs on the mat. Definitely showing his influences there. Snap suplex and he hits the chinlock, and into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Diamond Cutter finishes at 2:35. Man, he could have stuck with that and had an awesome finisher either way.
And we’ll finish with Umaga debuting in April of 2006 and attacking Ric Flair during an interview the night after Wrestlemania. Not really that exciting of a debut, actually, and also a misnomer unless they’re pretending that 3 Minute Warning didn’t exist now. Which I think they are.
