[1997-02-08-WWF-Shotgun Saturday Night] The Undertaker vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

This match took place in Penn Station in NYC. What a wild setup to see them both coming down the steps and having a match in an area I've walked through many times. This is a really good match that I enjoyed quite a bit. They cut a quick pace and HHH turned up the aggression. Undertaker ends up giving Helmsley a tombstone on the escalator then sending him down. Really cool spot, and a great segment.

[Zenjo]

I can't believe I just watched a match from a train station, let alone in the WWF. Take away the fans and this is like something IWA Japan might have done. These early Metal shows are certainly interesting.

[soup23]

Really unique set up and HHH coming out of the limo and spouting off something snooty worked in this setting. I think Taker wanted to rid the escaltor down but had to use the steps instead. Him coming through the crowd to get into the ring was a cool scene. Match doesn't have much to it but I do think these two have good chemistry with each other and the tombstone spot was a good way of using the unique setting.

[Kevin Ridge]

Great setting. Was just there is April. Triple H escapes with the DQ victory. Great finish to it all with Undertaker hitting the Tombstone on the escalator.

[stomperspc]

Penn Station is such a random and outside-the-box venue choice but it completely works. I loved the first Nitro at Mall of America just because it gave off a different vibe and this as the same impact.

 

The camera shot of the tombstone onto the escalator was well done. With the stairs moving it really looked like Undertaker planted Triple H right on them.

[El-P]

I can't believe I just watched a match from a train station, let alone in the WWF. Take away the fans and this is like something IWA Japan might have done.

 

Yeah, totally. Terrific setting.

 

The match itself is pretty much nothing although the action is pretty decent. Hunter at this point is much more mediocre than I remembered him to be (I used to like him quite a bit back then). The tombstone on the escalator is a classic moment. Too bad they stopped producing those funky Shotgun shows (although the later ones definitely are the worse after they toned down the insanity like Terri flashing or Terry going crazy on the mic).

[goc]

Just caught this on youtube. That looks smaller than the standard size WWF ring. Tombstone on the escalator was pretty cool.

[PeteF3]

Match is kind of goofily laid out, with a commercial break, an immediate ref bump, and then another commercial break all within 4 minutes. That doesn't get into the setting, or the simply odd scenario of Undertaker challenging for the Intercontinental title. UT whacks HHH with the belt to draw a DQ, but lays him out afterward and tombstones him on the top of an escalator in an oft-replayed scene. Cornette in his '97 timeline runs down all the logistical reasons why Shotgun was a bad idea, but I'll kind of miss these weird settings for shows, which the WWF rarely ever did.

[Exposer]

This is a lot of fun. HHH arriving in a limo is a great touch. The Undertaker coming out to his music in Penn Station is a sight to see. Cool moment. Pretty good match actually with belt shots, both guys working pretty hard, & a nice slugfest to start. The Undertaker gets disqualified for a payback belt shot & he chokeslams HHH afterwards in frustration. He gets a huge pop after signaling for the tombstone, but HHH escapes. Taker runs after him & tombstones him on the escalator sending him for a ride down it. Awesome spot & moment. It seems like we won't be getting anything too unique out of Shotgun after this. That's a shame. It was a fun first month.

[Superstar Sleeze]

I didn't watch this, but they showed the highlight of the Tombstone on the escalator and I popped huge for that! Very cool! I am surprised that did not become a more iconic moment.

[KB8]

Cool look at two of the WWE's longest-serving talents having what I'd imagine was one of their very earliest matches together. It's more of a segment than an actual match, but the whole setting, Helmsley with the limousine and Undertaker having to walk through the crowd to get to him was pretty neat. The tombstone on the escalator indeed ruled and I'm also a bit surprised they haven't made a bigger deal of this in WWE lore over the years. 

[Wahoos Leg]

I echo those who wonder who we haven't seen that tombstone on the escalator replayed regularly through the years. 

The setting stands out because it is so unlike standard WWF/WWE programming, which usually seeks a sameness from show to show and week to week… and has since the promotion truly “went national” in the late 1980s. Here, we get wide panning shots to take in the crowd and the limited space, unlike the glut of camera cuts that embodies current programming from WWE. The ring looks considerably smaller than the 20-by-20-foot squared circle WWE typically uses. It catches the eye and draws your interest.

Here's the link to my full review of this match, as part of my 365 Wrestling project.