[1996-09-06-WWF-Raw Championship Friday] CNE Experience / Bob Backlund and Iron Sheik

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Sid has a tug-o-war with an elephant at the Special Olympics, and there are clips of other guys mixed in doing autograph signings, making appearances, etc. I'm shocked that RODDY PIPER showed up. This wasn't too far ahead of the Halloween Havoc appearance, and I didn't realize he had a WWF appearance this late. What caused their falling out (if there was one) anyway? Or was it just that WCW offered a lot of money?

 

Then, Bob Backlund introduces the Iron Sheik and says he's going to lead him back to the WWWF title!!!

 

Jim Ross: "I thought the Iron Sheik was in a home somewhere."

 

Ross clarifies that what Backlund meant is that he would be the trainer for the Sheik's associate who would be coming to the WWF soon.

 

I guess this was the best counter the WWF could produce to all the 80s stars on the other channel.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

It was just a money thing with Roddy and Vince. Piper says on his DVD that Vince called him shortly before his WCW debut and asked him to induct Snuka into the HOF.

[Zenjo]

Backlund and the Iron Sheik were awesome. Bob's facial expressions early on were cracking me up and then the Shiek comes out and cuts an unintelligible promo. It was like watching one of those crazy adverts on Japanese TV. Afterwards you're shaking your head in disbelief and have no idea what it was trying to promote.

[PeteF3]

Sid teams up with some Special Olympians to win a tug-o'-war against an elephant. That elephant should have known better than to tangle with Sid in Sid's natural environment, the softball diamond. JR hypes up a 50,000-crowd for an Exhibition Stadium show, which seems a tad exaggerated.

 

Meanwhile Mr. Backlund makes his return, and hypes up the man who will win the "WWWF Champion." But first, a man he has a lot of abomination for, but a man he respects as an amateur and a professional: The Iron Sheik! Ross: "I thought the Iron Sheik was in a home somewhere!" Sheiky still knows how to get heat after all this time. JR and Kelly shit all over this and Sheik is cut off by a commercial break.

[El-P]

What were they thinking with this pairing, to manage Fatu dressed up as a guy from Ali Baba and the forty thieves of all people ? I always liked the music though. They were throwing so much shit against the walls at this time.

[soup23]

One of the few times I can correct Between the Sheets thanks to this clip as we have Piper on television. Everything else feels like your normal WWF PR piece.

[Exposer]

I love these videos of the WWF experience. Sid having a tug-o-war with an elephant is amazing. Hey, that looks like Biker Taker! Perfect teasing an in-ring comeback again. I loved Austin's smug look in what seemed to be some sort of WWF parade. Piper randomly showing up in WWF weeks before his Halloween Havoc appearance is prime Monday Night War era.

 

The Backlund/Sheik stuff is amusing. Backlund is a wonderful crazy man. His misuse of vocabulary is always funny. Sheik just rambles incoherently for a few minutes & it's hilarious. What a bizarre segment.