That Shawn Michaels/Jeff Jarrett match from In Your House

[Loss]

I was curious what people think of that match.

 

I had never actually seen it until last night, or if I have I had blocked it out, and thought it was pretty fun, and really well laid out. It seems to be overpraised in some circles (no way would I call it anything close to a ***** match), and it seems to be really underplayed in others.

 

I loved all the opening comedy and stalling, and there were some good false finishes near the end. It seemed to lack any real aggression though, which is what I think kept it from going over the top.

 

The match layout is there for it to be great, but Jeff Jarrett, while he had his strengths, just wasn't the kind of ruthless heel he'd need to be to make it work. I do think Roadie was great as a second, and actually think that may have been a better career role for him than what he ended up doing.

 

It deserves credit for being a non-formula Michaels match. I don't think Shawn is really a formula guy (at least until the comeback kicks in), but this really didn't have the feel of a typical Michaels match at all, and it stands out a bit because it's different.

 

I'd say it's one of the better WWF matches of the year, but I'm not convinced it would even be in the top five of the year -- even in just the WWF for me -- next to Shawn's ladder match with Razor at Summerslam, Bret's title win over Diesel at Survivor Series, and several other matches all looming.

 

But it's been a polarizing match for years, so I thought it would be worth talking about.

[MJH]

Actually I'd say it's a common Shawn match of the time, to an extent at least. A lot of his face stuff during that time was quite light-hearted. The Owen IYH match is another (I agree with both sentiments that they could've done WAY more with the enzuigiri angle BUT that Owen wasn't really the right sort of heel for it). I'm sure there's a spot in the Raw HHH match he did where he drags Hunter into the ring by his nose. I've a clearer recollection of the Owen and Jeff matches than the HHH one, not having seen that in a good few years, but they're fun and entertaining and that's all they were meant to be.

 

Part of Shawn's character was as a fun-loving, outgoing, "life of the party" kinda guy who wanted to give entertaining performances. Obviously there's the camp overtones and quite where the idea to pull a Jim Morrison at the end of the '96 Rumble came from I don't know but they're there to separate himself entirely and have his own niche well apart from Bret (serious) and Taker (dark). Thinking about it, it's probably the reason why the concussion angle, and the way they handled the marine incident, worked as well as they did.

 

But yeah, I like the match, though I'm a bigger Shawn fan than most.

[Bix]

Michaels' strip routine at the '96 Rumble is quite possible one of the weirdest WWF moments ever. Amazing that fans didn't revolt immediate after being bombarded with the image of his pubes.

[Jingus]

Arrgh, I'm annoyed with myself now. I have a vague recollection of Tony Falk telling me some odd backstage story about this match, since he was backstage that night (they used him in a couple of cameos as Jeff's chauffer, iirc) and now I can't remember what the hell he told me. All I can remember is... uh... it was something memorable. Something about Jarrett and Roadie walking out of the company after the match? But I think I've seen everyone from Scott Keith on up mention that, so I'm not sure. Damn all that partying I did, now my brain don't work right.

[Bob Morris]

If I'm not mistaken, Jarrett did leave the WWF shortly after that match. Of course, he was back a few months later.

 

Roadie didn't come back for a while, though. Not sure of the details, though.

[Bix]

They quit after the match for reasons I forget.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

I seem to remember Jeff quit either because he didn't want to do an angle implying that he had a bad singing voice or because he thought it was too soon for them to break up his act with the Roadie. Maybe a little of both. Either way, he left and Roadie went with him because he was loyal to Jarrett. I don't know. I'll e-mail Dave and ask him.

[kjh]

Yeah, Jarrett was upset that they were going to reveal over the coming weeks that he had been lip synching "With My Baby Tonight" and that the Roadie was the person really singing the song, thinking it would kill his heat being revealed as a fake and it was too soon to break their act up. If I recall correctly, the Roadie quit not just out of loyalty to Jarrett, but also because he had failed two drug tests already and wasn't willing to clean his act up.

[KB8]

I think I read somewhere that they were planning on doing a Jarrett/Roadie split since Roadie cost him the match, which would lead to a programme between the two, and Jarrett felt he was "above" working with someone that had been nothing more than basically a manager. Jarrett didn't like it so he left. Not sure what reason was given as to why Roadie left, though.

 

Actually, I'm sure I read this somewhere.

[JHawk]

Yeah, Jarrett was upset that they were going to reveal over the coming weeks that he had been lip synching "With My Baby Tonight" and that the Roadie was the person really singing the song, thinking it would kill his heat being revealed as a fake and it was too soon to break their act up. If I recall correctly, the Roadie quit not just out of loyalty to Jarrett, but also because he had failed two drug tests already and wasn't willing to clean his act up.

That's the story I've always heard, but I always thought the first half of that was kayfabe.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

Michaels' strip routine at the '96 Rumble is quite possible one of the weirdest WWF moments ever. Amazing that fans didn't revolt immediate after being bombarded with the image of his pubes.

Oh man, why didn't I notice this before. Shawn pulling down his trunks and showing everyone his pubes, not to mention everyone on the other side seeing his bare ass, was freakin' strange. This wasn't the first time he did that either. I think the first time was after beating Jimmy Del Ray the day after he beat Jarrett. Then he did it again after he beat Sid on that one Raw. (Jesus, I known way to much about Shawn Michaels exposing his pubes. Help me.) It was especially weird considering WWF was still pushing the "family entertainment" thing at that time. (I consider the end of that era to be In Your House V, where Goldust was explicitly revealed to be a faux-homosexual.)

 

Lucky we didn't get the worst part. In an Observer a couple of years back, Dave noted that he was at a TV taping in Stockton in '96 (and there was a Raw taping in Stockton the day after the Royal Rumble) at which Shawn did the striptease routine again, and he pulled his trunks down a little too far, if you know what I mean.

 

Completely unrelated side note that I just thought of: Anyone remember the year-end issue of PWI in '95 where they printed a picture of Tammy Sytch in a coat and thong that made it look like she was completely bottomless? That was kind of extreme for the Apter mags.

[Bix]

On another related note, anyone remember Wade Keller (or possibly one of the Torch correspondents) implying that Michaels stripped nude at the end of the "Good Friends, Better Enemies" PPV? I distinctly remember someone in the Torch saying he was naked and wearing only the belt as stood over Diesel and cursed him out. I found it weird that I never heard anything else about it and that it blatantly wasn't true when I saw the tape (though Michaels did pantomime cursing Diesel out after the finish). It wasn't Mitchell making some sort of weird joke or written in a context where it would be some sort of metaphor either.

[Loss]

Wishful thinking?

[Hollinger.]

I thought James stuck around after Jarrett left and they went with the lip syncing story to cover it up, and then James was let go because he was asked to go to drug counselling? Maybe my timeline is off, but I'm fairly sure they stuck with the Roadie as the real singer gimmick for a bit.

[Bix]

James came back in 9/96, right as Jarrett went to WCW.

[Dylan Waco]

My thoughts dragged over from the SC Greatest WWE matches forum

 

Jarrett v. Shawn was a borderline pick for me coming in, now it is a definate. i really like that they basically work a slightly modernized Tennessee style match in Nashville. Jarrett is awesome with his stalling tactics, my favorite being him counting along with The Roadie as the ref counts to nine before rolling back in and and out. Of course Michaels chases him down and knocks him out with a straight right. Match is based on a lot of stuff like this. Michaels strikes suck now, but they were decent enough then. Jarrett is awesome reacting befuddled at all of Michaels "high end" offense (mostly splashes of various ilks) and the Roadie is a great second here from the intros on, taunting, taking nasty bumps, working the crowd, and even deliver a nice clothesline on the outside. Michaels over the top bumps really work here also as they are well spaced and timed and make a nice contrast to Jarrett's overtly comedic schtick when he is getting slapped around by Michaels. Finish fits with the theme of Southern style and the overall match and is quite good. Not sure where it will rate, but of the stuff I have gone back and watched from 95, this is my top pick right now.

[jdw]

On another related note, anyone remember Wade Keller (or possibly one of the Torch correspondents) implying that Michaels stripped nude at the end of the "Good Friends, Better Enemies" PPV? I distinctly remember someone in the Torch saying he was naked and wearing only the belt as stood over Diesel and cursed him out. I found it weird that I never heard anything else about it and that it blatantly wasn't true when I saw the tape (though Michaels did pantomime cursing Diesel out after the finish). It wasn't Mitchell making some sort of weird joke or written in a context where it would be some sort of metaphor either.

I don't recall that. I suspect someone here subs to the Torch and can find the PPV report since Wade put them all online.

 

Hell, I wonder what I wrote about that PPV in the Torch.

 

John

[Stuttsy]

Does anyone else remember the week after this In Your House in the control center on Superstars they actually announced Jarrett vs. Roadie for Summerslam? I distinctly remember it but havent seen the episode in years.

[Strummer]

*bump*

 

Roadie v Jarrett was hyped in WWF magazine for Summerslam 95 so that was definitely the plan

[jdw]

Good Friends, Better Enemies PPV:

 

Cover Story has:

 

Shawn Michaels celebrated in the ring for 15 minutes. By the time he was done, he has stripped off two layers of tights and was naked with only the WWF title belt wrapped around his waist. When he got into the locker room, he didn't stop celebrating as those in the back congratulated him on a homerun match. And let's not forget Diesel who put in his best performance ever.

 

Moments earlier, at the 17 minute mark of a match of the year candidate, Michaels stomped his feet in the corner signalling the superkick. The fans clapped along. Michaels then nailed the superkick on Diesel and scored the three count. He stood over the fallen Diesel and taunted him, shaking his arms and yelling down at him. He then grabbed the WWF Title and looked at the camera and said, "You want a big boy to play with?" That acknowledgement of WCW further showed that Michaels realizes his success or failure as champion as the most important factor in the WWF's battle with WCW.

PPV report has:

 

Michaels went berserk, standing over Diesel swearing at him. Michaels then grabbed his title belt and celebrated in mid-ring. Michaels then mouthed: "You want a big boy to play with?" aimed at WCW, of course.

And looking at the PPV "roundtable", looks like I liked that match quite a bit.

 

John

[MikeCampbell]

Considering the WWF's current state in '95, would a program between Diesel and Jarrett/Roadie for Summerslam done much better than Diesel/King Mabel?

[Bix]

Shawn Michaels celebrated in the ring for 15 minutes. By the time he was done, he has stripped off two layers of tights and was naked with only the WWF title belt wrapped around his waist

Okay, I wasn't hallucinating, just misremembering the context of it. I guess this happened after the PPV went off the air. Vince sure let him get away with a lot since this was the second time he stripped too much. Between those incidents, the lack of punishment for them, the way that Vince fawned over Shawn on commentary/fed lines to other announcers to act similarly to the point where they sounded like they wanted to fuck him, and Vince's uncharacteristically emotional reaction to the "lost my smile" speech, the weird vibe that Bret Hart and others got from Vince and Shawn aren't too far out of left field. Which isn't to say that Shawn and Vince had wild, passionate gay sex with each other, but I can certainly see why someone around them would think something out of the ordinary was going on.

 

Oh, and speaking of the "knee injury": Has anyone other than Killer Kowalski said that Michaels went to rehab with the knee injury as the cover story as opposed to it being an excuse not to job? He said at the time in Wrestling Then & Now that he was backstage at the show (which makes sense, since they were in Lowell, MA), saw Shawn skipping around, clearly without a major knee problem at the moment, and was told that Shawn was going to rehab.

[rovert]

Shawn Michaels celebrated in the ring for 15 minutes. By the time he was done, he has stripped off two layers of tights and was naked with only the WWF title belt wrapped around his waist

Okay, I wasn't hallucinating, just misremembering the context of it. I guess this happened after the PPV went off the air. Vince sure let him get away with a lot since this was the second time he stripped too much. Between those incidents, the lack of punishment for them, the way that Vince fawned over Shawn on commentary/fed lines to other announcers to act similarly to the point where they sounded like they wanted to fuck him, and Vince's uncharacteristically emotional reaction to the "lost my smile" speech, the weird vibe that Bret Hart and others got from Vince and Shawn aren't too far out of left field. Which isn't to say that Shawn and Vince had wild, passionate gay sex with each other, but I can certainly see why someone around them would think something out of the ordinary was going on.

Hawk seemed to be pretty convinced in his shoot interview way back when,

[Strummer]

the way that Vince fawned over Shawn on commentary/fed lines to other announcers to act similarly to the point where they sounded like they wanted to fuck him

Listen to Jim Ross at Royal Rumble 98 during the casket match. He spends pretty much the entire match putting over Shawn which was strange since 1.)Shawn was a heel and 2).was going over

[Victator]

According to Road Dogg they left over money. Jarrett was mad that guys like Nash, Sid and Shawn were making a lot more money when him and Roadie were doing more work on a tougher schedule. Roadie quit out of loyalty to Jarrett but after a few months in the USWA he regretted quitting. Especially after Jarrett returned to the WWF.