Loss Posted December 4, 2010 Report Share Posted December 4, 2010 Talk about it here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted December 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2010 This is the best Nash has ever looked. Great brawl, with Diesel looking like a million bucks! Lots of WWF standard spots debuted here, specifically Michaels using a fire extinguisher. Incredibly, Diesel takes off the prosthetic leg of Mad Dog Vachon at ringside and tries to attack Shawn with it. This was Nash's last televised match before heading to WCW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Austin Posted January 14, 2011 Report Share Posted January 14, 2011 This is one of those matches I figured I knew really well, but there's still a couple of bits I'd forgotten or somehow never noticed before.... 1) Shawn going under the Spanish announce table at the beginning to take over Hugo's boot was an interesting and different little spot 2) I never noticed Shawn visually challenging Hogan during his celebration...can't believe I never spotted that before! Great match, one of my favourite WWF brawling matches of the time, and up there with my favourite Shawn matches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeteF3 Posted January 27, 2015 Report Share Posted January 27, 2015 Fantastic match and...well, we'll check out Survivor Series, but this should be at worst the #2 WWF match of the year. This is a great layout on top of a fantastic underneath performance by Shawn and a fine performance by Diesel as the confident dick. Loved the payback spots with the low blow, and the symmetry of both guys using bystanders' footwear as weapons. And the Jackknife through the table is of course an all-timer of a spot. There's also an almost odd shoot vibe running through this at times, with Diesel threatening before the show to swear on live TV and making threats towards McMahon--for two buddies that weren't always concerned with selling the company storylines, there's a great undercurrent of true visceral hate, from Shawn's stoic entrance to his downright angry victory celebration. This is the Shawn we needed to see as ace of the company--a resourceful tough guy willing to mix it up instead of a happy-go-lucky male stripper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soup23 Posted March 16, 2015 Report Share Posted March 16, 2015 Great match with the underlying feel that nash can bolt at any time. This had some controlled spots that looked reckless like the powerbomb through the table that has the headsets popping off King and Vince. The Vachon spot is awesome and incredible dickish and really leads us right into the finish. Nash looks good leaving the promotion but Shawn continues to be at least impressive in the actual PPV matches this year at being an effective babyface. **** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JKWebb Posted November 16, 2016 Report Share Posted November 16, 2016 I've seen this match many times, but it has been a while since the last time. I believe that Kevin Nash has stated that this is his personal favorite match. Shawn and Diesel don't waste any time. They look like they want to tear each other apart, and HBK hits the ring throwing punches. A big knee from Diesel cuts Michaels off. HBK uses his speed and agility to get the upper hand, and knocks Diesel to the outside to cool it off a second. Here we go. HBK is ready to go to work as he hits his standard moonsault into body cross maneuver from the top, he heads over to the Spanish announce table for a boot from an announcer. Off the top with the boot to the face of Diesel. Diesel eventually uses his power to get the upper hand and knocks HBK to the outside. Diesel takes over with his slower paced offense of power strikes, and smiles maniacally at the crowd to build heat. Diesel really draws the heat with his belt. He beats HBK with it - then starts choking him in the ring, and eventually hangs him off the side of the ring choking him. Shawn is selling great here, and Diesel comes around with a chair shot to the head. He stalks HBK into the ring with a powerful chair shot to the back. HBK barely gets to his feet and dodges another chair shot causing the chair to hit the ropes and rebound causing Diesel to basically be striking himself on the head with a chair. I've never really liked that spot. I feel like it never looks good. After a low blow, Diesel gets back on the offense sending HBK airborne. Michaels get some good hope spots in here showing his heart and resiliency. This is when we get the SICK powerbomb! Diesel sends HBK through a table and both monitors fold on top of him. The crowd is booing, which I found interesting. I think today the crowd would be cheering. Diesel had some real heat here with the WWF fans. Vince tells HBK "it's over, let it be over!" HBK is not giving up. Diesel peaks over the ring rope to grab HBK but gets a fire extinguisher blast in the face. HBK starts the comeback, and with no commentary which is cool. HBK goes back out for a chair and the commentary comes back. Diesel takes a blow to the head, and Vince is begging for a cover. But, it's not over. Diesel is back with a big boot to the head. HBK is laid out flat. Diesel goes for the powerbomb, but HBK reverses out and hits the flying elbow. He tunes up the band, but eats a lariat on approach. Diesel knocks HBK back to the outside. He goes back to attacking the throat. This is when Diesel steals the prosthetic leg of Vachon. THE lowest thing Vince has ever seen in his life. HBK reverses and calls his shot like Babe Ruth. Diesel eats the prosthetic leg followed by sweet chin music and the three count. HBK is still the WWF champion. HBK mocks Hogan quickly, which I also had never noticed. Awesome match. It's right up there with the Bret Hart/Diesel matches as probably the top 3 matches of Kevin Nash's career. I'd say **** is probably about right for this, maybe closer to ****1/4, but I'd probably go a little higher for his Survivor Series 1995 match against Bret Hart. #475 - placetobenation.com/countdown-top-500-matches-of-the-90s-500-451/2/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stro Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 Wonderful match. Imagine a world where this is the HBK on top all year instead of the dude constantly doing comedy spots while Vince verbally fellates him more than he has any talent ever. And imagine a world where Nash got to be like this for more than a couple of months in the WWF. Both guys were absolutely on fire the whole match, HBK actually living up to his hype for one of the few times that year, Nash putting on an all time career performance as a ruthless bad ass while also talking shit to Vince every few minutes. Vince's nervousness of another talent taking one of his titles to WCW is understated, but definitely there, and it adds a lot to this match and gives some interesting color to Montreal and the Mr. McMahon character. Nash has a tendency to over hype himself at every stage of his career, but his November 95-April 96 run really is pretty integral to the NWO and Attitude Era. As for HBK, consider that at the previous IYH, he was doing comedy spots with Owen Hart, then dancing with kids. Here's he's being hanged, powerbombed through a table, and using a prosthetic leg as a weapon. This was about as good as a leaving the territory match as you can get. People are always quick to shit on Nash, but he has three of the best WWF matches of the 90s in a year and a half. His matches with Bret in 1995 were amazing. Nash has better matches against HBK and Bret than they do against each other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy James Posted January 9, 2017 Report Share Posted January 9, 2017 The commentary for the table spot is so good. Vince screaming "OH NOOO" and the commentary just cutting out for like a solid minute. It's a shoot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stro Posted January 10, 2017 Report Share Posted January 10, 2017 I didn't even notice that the monitor actually hits Vince in the face lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superstar Sleeze Posted January 17, 2017 Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 WWF World Heavyweight Champion Shawn Michaels vs Diesel - WWF Good Friends, Better Enemies No Holds Barred When you have a newly crowned white meat babyface, you gotta test his mettle in a brawl against big, bad, tough muthafucka. This is Booking 101 and with the past history these two shared took the normal story and made it even better. One of those matches I have seen 8 million times, but I have always enjoyed and it has been about five years since I last seen it. This is probably the best Nash has ever looked on top in a match. The Bret match have him playing along to the Bret Show, here he show he can hold his own on offense. Shawn with scowl on his face ready for war was great. I forgot how pissed he looked. Great exchange of punches to start. We see Shawn star off red hot but that is quickly quashed by a big kneelift. So he turns to speed where a dropkick sets up a reverse crossbody from the top rope to the floor. Nice big spot to kick the match off! He grabs the boot of a Spanish Announcer which gets over the gimmick early and shows he needs to weapons to beat this monster. I have said before sometime Nash feels like the world's smallest seven footer. He just does not project size in his matches. Here Shawn does a great job making him look huge with how desperate he is on offense and way he sells. Nash whips him hard into the ropes and then sends him flying off the apron to take a nasty Pillman bump. Great start to heat segment. Nash was slow and methodical but in a vicious, sadistic way. I liked him choking out the ref to get the belt. The whipping and hanging, followed by the chair shots were brutal. Nice hope spot with Nash hitting the chair on the ring rope and it ricocheting up. Nash stymies Michaels again with a low blow. Love when Goliath hits David in the balls. Nash is kicking Shawn's ass. Here comes the big spot. The MONSTER POWERBOMB THROUGH THE TABLE!!! Nash celebrate prematurely by putting the belt around his own waist. Shawn gets up in drmataic fashion and in an iconic spot also sprays his face with fire extinguisher. He fights back ferociously! NIP UP! Diesel cuts off, but Shawn roars back by countering the Jacknife and then hitting the elbow. Sweet Chin Music and Diesel dives through with a clothesline. IN what I think is the most famous spot of the match, Diesel goes into the crowd and tears off Mad Dog Vachon's prosthetic foot. Still mind-blowing. Now the Heartbreak Kid goes low and calls his shot ala Babe Ruth before hitting a home run with Mad Dog's foot and Shawn hits Sweet Chin Music to retain. A very important match in Shawn's title reign to really establish credibility. With Bret on sabbatical and Diesel & Razor leaving, it really was just him and Taker. That is a lot of pressure. I actually think the heat segment was too much to be honest. Diesel crushed Shawn. Shawn died on me. Not enough hope spots or struggle. This in turn hurts the credibility of the comeback. Kip up usually does not bother me, but here it did. On its own, the finish stretch was fantastic. More struggle in the heat segment or something to make Diesel sell a little more would have taken this up a notch. Still a badass match, Diesel was awesome as a monster and Shawn did come off as an asskicker. ****1/4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted January 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2017 It's weird that of all the big spots, what I remember most is the SCM counter to the lariat, just because that spot looked so great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim Posted October 24, 2017 Report Share Posted October 24, 2017 A big step up from anything else we've seen from WWF this year. All the 'hardcore' spots in this match felt wonderfully organic and unique. Shawn grabbing Hugo's boot ruled. The powerbomb through the table was a real holy shit spot in context, unexpected in a WWF match of this era and totally not telegraphed. The fire extinguisher spot really came out of left field and got a huge reaction, leading to a really, really great comeback from Shawn. Maybe my favorite part of the match was Shawn going out to get a chair from the wreckage, but it's tangled up in all the wires, he tries to shake the wires off but can't, and just drags them all into the ring and is assaulting Diesel with a chair with all these wires hanging off of it. Awesome scene. The ending is great with Shawn paying back the low blow. Shawn looks awesome as a champion coming out of this, a real tough guy who can take anything a bigger man can dish out and still come out on top. This was a really good first program for Shawn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cactus Posted June 29, 2020 Report Share Posted June 29, 2020 Heel Diesel was such an unsung treat. He's leaving for WCW and his attitude is so carefree and relaxed that I can't tell if he's working me or not! His control segments when he's not using any weapons might not be the most interesting, but he more than makes up for it by taking his sweet time and looking like the coolest motherfucker ever. Shawn brings a lot more fire than usual seeing that this might be his most personal feud since the Jannetty feud. All the weapon spots were interesting, but a few that stuck out to me were Diesel hanging Shawn with Earl Hebner's belt and the famous Mad Dog Vachon prosthetic leg spot. ★★★★ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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