[1996-06-23-WWF-King of the Ring] Steve Austin vs Jake Roberts

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Not a good match obviously, but there are little details that Jake does really well. This was a slaughter to get Austin over strong and it worked. Austin does the promo after the match that made him a star, saying the Austin 3:16 line for the first time, although I also got a kick out of him telling Jake to go try to buy a cheap bottle of Thunderbird and reclaim the courage he had in his prime. Austin was obviously on the rise at this point.

[flyonthewall2983]

Is it true Jake came up with part of Steve's promo? Or did I hear that wrong.

[Victator]

I saw this on the Jake dvd and thought it was a good match. Jake is the one who really gets it over. He has a desperation to his selling that made me wish he could win.

[Phil Austin]

I forgot about the little Hollywood Blondes reunion spot in the aisle at the beginning. Such a mark out moment for me at the time!

[Tim Evans]

I really liked Owen's commentary during the match. Obviously the promo is the most important part but Jake's tease to the DDT was good.

[Kronos]

The crowd is so crazy for Jake's little comeback sequence late in the match, and they're utterly dead for Austin (even though he'd had that fantastic match with Mero).

 

Austin's fascinating. He's important, and the crowd loved his conflict with Vince. But I'm a little shocked to find that the more and more of SCSA I watch, the more bored I become. I can get behind liking a bad guy and cheering his ability to make me hate him -- see JBL, Punk, Nash, or late Jericho as strong examples. But SCSA is an asshole, and he becomes the good guy. (Stunning Steve was a jerk, too, but we weren't supposed to cheer for him.)

 

No strong opinions yet. But lately, between the Jake promo and his Mania stuff this weekend and other things I have watched, I am starting to sour on it all.

 

I really liked Owen's commentary during the match.

Owen is excellent here and in the Mero match. Yet another reason his loss was tragic for the industry - he could have been a great commentator.

[PeteF3]

Yeah, not much of a match, but it told what needed to be told and went exactly as long as it should have. Then of course Austin cuts the promo of his life afterward. They're not there yet, but the WWF is finally starting to click with characters that feel and act like believable, if exaggerated, people with real issues at stake.

[soup23]

Decent enough storyline driven match to put Austin over. He seemed courageous himself to come back after getting all busted up in the Mero match and return. Jake does well in getting him over and Jake overall was a selfless worker. *1/2

The promo afterwards is infamous but it is really good and the cutting edge tone that WWF really had to have to at least counteract all of the interesting stuff happening in WCW right now. Austin probably would have become Austin without this moment but it is a great place to point to as the genesis of one of the biggest draws of all time.

[Exposer]

The first huge moment & win for Austin in the WWF. I think it's a good sub five minute match actually. Jake's selling is very good & the crowd got up for his mini-comeback. The squash is appropriate though & the right call. I think the booking of this tournament is great. Jake needed to go to the Finals to sell his comeback story, but Austin is the new guy in town & Jake is the perfect star to put him over. Austin's post-match promo is legendary & rightfully so. Awesome promo with several great lines. I will also mention I liked the brief Pillman staredown during Austin's entrance. Great segment of the show when considering the whole package.

[tim]

Basically a squash with Austin working over the ribs. Jake's brief comeback was cool. Everyone knows the promo and it's pretty good. Austin already feels primed to be a major star, he has incredible magnetism.