[1996-04-08-WWF-Raw] Shawn Michaels vs Jerry Lawler

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Joined in progress. Diesel does commentary at ringside.

 

Diesel: "Where's the Kliq now, Vince? Where's the Kliq now?"

 

Diesel is wearing a Shawn Michaels t-shirt and they brawl after the match before Diesel hits Shawn with the belt.

 

In an awesome touch, he returns to the broadcast booth to casually collect his shades before walking off.

[Strummer]

Loss, is this the same match where Nash drops the famous "I like the Kliq, hell I'm *in* the Kliq" line. I don't think it was those exact words but something very similar

[Loss]

Something to that effect I think, but the match was JIP.

[BackToBionic]

He does say "This is the greatest sports entertainment in the world!" which is interesting.

[PeteF3]

Shawn dispatches of Lawler and calls Diesel in the ring from the announcer's desk. The fight's even at first, but Mr. Perfect gets up to distract Shawn and toss Diesel the belt, and Raw ends with Shawn laid out. I liked Perfect keeping an eye on Diesel's watch. Part 3 of one of the most heel-dominated episodes of Raw to date. In one episode we had Yokozuna getting his leg broken, the British Bulldog destroying Ahmed Johnson after an arm-wrestling contest, and Diesel laying out HBK.

[soup23]

Some tongue in cheek shootiness from Diesel on commentary. Match was fine but probably disappointing considering Shawn has been a good face the past couple of months and we just saw Jerry get some insane heat.

[tim]

Disappointing that the match doesn't seem to have been much with it being advertised last week and Lawler having a great squash to get heat. Diesel was awesome here. Shawn/Diesel is a great program for Shawn's first title defense.

[dawho5]

Diesel looks like a beast post-match with the aforementioned return to the desk for his watch and shades.  So he wasn't given this kind of stuff until he was going to WCW?

[Superstar Sleeze]

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Shawn Michaels vs Jerry Lawler - WWF RAW 4/8/96

Peacock is losing all the RAWs by the time end of the year so I’m accelerating my timeline just focusing on WWF Title matches on RAW between now and 1998. Vince says it is non-title on commentary but Cagematch lists it as a title defense. Diesel is on commentary to hype their No Holds Barred match. Lawler seems like a good first TV opponent for Shawn as I think this is two weeks after his title win.

Not as good as their August 1995 IC Title which is a fun romp. This one is more of a languid affair. Shawn is really playing up his nonchalant demeanor. Really focusing on the crowd not taking King seriously, reclining on top rope and high giving people. King is a good stooge crawling on his knees right escape Michael’s punches and taking wild swings. Lawler goads Michael’s into a test of strength and clobbers HBK with a phantom foreign object. Lawler gets a chance to work some good heat with running fists to the head and a pile driver. Michael’s hits him in the breadbasket on a top rope fist drop and Michael’s has a great right cross uses that. Flying burrito kip up top rope elbow. He had his Hulk Up down pat. I like the use of stare down with Diesel to buy time for Lawler to get up take a swing with Phantom Foreign Object BANG Sweet Chin Music! Nice beat down by Diesel fighting through Shawn’s counter offense. Interesting wrinkle having Perfect help Diesel gain the upper hand and KO Shawn with the belt.

Like I said not as fun as the August 1995 match but still had good parts.