[1997-07-13-WCW-Bash at the Beach] Chris Benoit vs Kevin Sullivan

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Last few minutes and the end of a feud which it seemed at the time would never ever ever end. Weird finish, as Jacqueline brings a chair into the ring and Sullivan wants to hit Benoit with it, but she wants to do it. He refuses to comply, and she breaks the chair over his head. Well, she gets upset easily. Benoit wins the match and Kevin Sullivan's wrestling career is officially over.

[Kevin Ridge]

They went long on this feud. Jacky cracks Sullivan in the head with a wooden chair. Nick Patrick is confused at the splinters of wood all over the ring but still counts the pinfall for Benoit. Announcers say good bye to Sullivan in the ring.

[soup23]

This does feel like a wasted feud overall as we are 13 months from GAB 96 but they have had plenty of matches and starts/stops. I know the yearbooks sometimes make an effort to minimize Benoit but watching this did show how marginalized he has been in a way in 1997. I never understand the finish but nonetheless that is it for the Taskmaster.

[El-P]

This feud used to be a favourite of mine, and creepiness aside, still is. Tremendous match and a fitting way to end this great feud. They found ways to not repeat their match from one year ago yet not lose one bit of intensity. Them destroying the beach set-up never gets old, and it doesn't get cartoony either. Sullivan almost gets himself a last fiery babyface segment that the crowds eats up before putting Benoit over clean and put an end to his in-ring career. Jacky bashing Sullivan with teh chair didn't came from nowhere, as there had been issues between the two, and earlier in the match Sullivan used Jacky as a projectile to throw on Benoit, which she didn't enjoy. Her leopard outfit was something else too.

 

 

On a side note, I have to reiterate the paranoia that was rampant in early 00 when Sullivan was put back into power, as he did nothing but push Eddie, Dean & Chris during his stint as a booker, and went to great lenghts himself to put over Benoit as a major ass-kicker in the most heated undercard feud of the year despite their personnal issues. So yeah, maybe everything would have turn out different (and maybe not) had they not leave WCW at this time.

[y2stump]

The ending to this match pissed me off to no end. These two had a very personal feud for over a year with numerous brutal matches, this one included. In the end, it wasn't Benoit that beat Sullivan it was Jackie. Made no sense to me.

[PeteF3]

Yes, a lame ending to a long feud and long career, as Sullivan does the job to Jacqueline with Chris Benoit making a brief cameo.

[flyonthewall2983]

Maybe the finish was the only one Sullivan would agree to do, perhaps not wanting to do a straight-up job considering their personal issues. The interview with Nancy's sister on the recent Dark Side of the Ring on the murders would suggest the heat between Chris and Kevin hit an all-time high that night.

Just watched this again recently. Jimmy Hart is notably and uncharacteristically vicious with his outside interference.