Henry's World

 King of the Ring 1998 marks the beginning of the hottest summer in wrestling history, with the war between the WWF and WCW at it's absolute peak, creatively and commercially. This show also features perhaps the most famous Hell in a Cell match ever, as The Undertaker and Mankind did their damnedest to end Mick Foley's career, with several absolutely horrifying and legendary moments of absolute carnage. That's not to mention the crowning of a new King of the Ring, which was the peak of the Rock-Shamrock rivalry, and a historic Attitude Era moment in the main event, as Kane took on "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. It's sure to be one hell of a ride, so let's get into it.  - King of the Ring 1998 comes to you from Civic Arena, the former home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, with, as always, Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler on the call. It's worth noting that, while she features prominently on that pay-per-view poster, Sable has very little screen tim...

There have been many celebrities who had major roles at a WrestleMania, but perhaps none was as important as "Iron" Mike Tyson. Tyson was still blanketed in controversy following the Evander Holyfield biting incident the year prior, and getting Mike so involved in the promotion for this event was a huge coup for Vince. Tyson debuted on screen earlier in the year at Royal Rumble, initially supporting "Stone Cold", before Austin would brawl with Tyson and his entourage. Tyson would thus switch his allegiances to D-X, and this saga was the undisputed headliner going into WrestleMania 14. It's probably no hyperbole to say that this storyline is what transformed the WWE into the absolute titan that is today. WrestleMania 13's buyrate was the lowest in history, indicative of a steady decline since the early 90s, and that number would be tripled this time around. Business was about to get hotter than ever, so let's look at the show that put the WWF back on the ...

We now move fully into the Attitude Era, and by the start of 1998, it was finally "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's time. The WWF roster was thinner than ever following the Montreal Screwjob, with anyone that could find a way out of their contract jumping ship to WCW, but McMahon still had his prospective megastar and pushed forward. Austin was quickly established as the biggest threat heading into the Royal Rumble, with every member of the roster gunning for him, and Austin gave it right back. This storyline made him one of the more obvious winners in history, but did also add a ton of interest to the match, which combined to headline this event alongside a rematch between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker. This time, they would meet for the world title and in a casket match, and the build featured a terrific angle where Kane helped his brother fight off D-X, ending with the two men posing to each other as the crowd exploded. After almost 2 years spent in the shadow of WCW, th...

 I'm not sure this one really requires a lengthy intro, to be honest. If you've been a wrestling fan for anytime at all, you should already be aware of the circumstances surrounding Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels' infamous battle in Montreal. In case you need it, the cliffnotes: about a year prior, Bret signed an unprecedented 20 year contract, but Vince couldn't honor it due the increasing financial troubles in the WWF. Bret then signed with WCW, refusing to drop the belt to Shawn in Canada due to long standing personal grievances between the two, though he did agree to surrender it the following night on Raw, after the match with Shawn was scheduled to end in a non-finish. Vince, growing more and more paranoid with his company on the edge of bankruptcy, wasn't willing to let Bret leave the event with his top prize, and put together a plan with some of his top allies, plus Shawn. There's plenty more that could be mentioned, but that's all you really need to k...

 Badd Blood 1997(technically called Badd Blood: In Your House, but I changed to avoid confusion with the '03 and '04 versions) is a show largely remembered for two things. The first was the inaugural Hell in a Cell Match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, a large scale pay-off to their feud that began when HBK accidentally cost 'Taker his title at SummerSlam. The second was the unfortunate passing of Brian Pillman just hours before the event was scheduled to begin, which caused some significant changes to the card. I'll have more to say about the WWF handled Pillman's death in the review proper, so let's get into it.  - Badd Blood 1997 comes to you from the Kiel(now Enterprise) Center, the home of the St. Louis Blues, with Jim Ross, Jerry "The King" Lawler and Vince McMahon on the call, the final pay-per-view appearance in the broadcast booth for Vince, thanks to the events that would transpire the following month. That pay-per-view poster is q...

 While 1997 may not have been the best year for the WWF commercially, in retrospect, it may be among the very best in terms of storytelling. Vince obviously decided that the only way to truly compete with WCW was to offer a more cohesive and intelligent product, a lesson I wish he would take today. There were quite a few overarching story threads that all collided here at SummerSlam, each one highly intriguing. First, you had Canadian nationalist Bret Hart, who had reformed the Hart Foundation following his heel turn, bringing in brother Owen, former tag partner and brother-in-law Jim Neidhart, another fellow brother-in-law in The British Bulldog and finally "The Loose Cannon" Brian Pillman, joining the group to assist in their war against Stone Cold. Of course, Pillman wasn't actually Canadian, neither was Bulldog for that matter, just look at his ring name, but they were anti-American and that's all that mattered. As mentioned, their main rival was Steve Austin, who...

 By the spring of 1997, the Monday Night Wars were already getting extremely one sided. The WWF may have produced their first legitimate star in years with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin winning King of the Ring, but just two weeks later, WCW formed the New World Order, with Hulk Hogan completing a shocking and legendary heel turn. In this case, a brand proved to be a significantly bigger draw than just one man, and very quickly, the 84 week reign of dominance for WCW had begun. It didn't help matters for Vince that Bret Hart had taken about half a year off following his WrestleMania 12 defeat, leaving one of the company's biggest stars on the sideline. Like a shark smelling blood in the water, Eric pounced, offering Bret a lucrative 3 year deal to jump ship and join the likes of Hogan, Randy Savage, Lex Luger, Scott Hall and Kevin Nash as a defector. Vince countered back with an insane offer, a 20 year contract that would keep Bret with the company for the rest of his car...

 The King of the Ring tournament got off to a great start in it's debut on pay-per-view in 1993, as Bret Hart would be crowned King after defeating Razor Ramon, Mr. Perfect and Bam Bam Bigelow, all in the same night. You can read my review of that show here , but suffice it to say, it's an event that's well worth checking out. However, the WWF failed hard when it came to keeping that initial momentum going with their fifth major annual event. The 1994 edition was a trainwreck, even though a worthy winner in Owen Hart was crowned, as the ramblings of Art Donovan on commentary and a dull main event between Roddy Piper and Jerry Lawler dragged everything down. King of the Ring '95 was one of the worst WWF pay-per-views ever, somehow crowning King Mabel despite The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels both competing in the tournament. Now in 1996, Vince was intent on finally getting the tournament back on track. The quarterfinal round would no longer take place on the same night, ...

 1996 was a big transitional year for the WWF, as with ratings and attendance still on the decline, two of the biggest stars of the "Golden Era", The Ultimate Warrior and Jake "The Snake" Roberts, had returned. After dominant runs in WCW and New Japan, Vader had joined the company, looking like the most legit heel Vince had on the roster after crushing Gorilla Monsoon in a brutal attack on Raw. But for all the talent cycling into the company, it was nothing compared to those biding farewell. Eric Bischoff splashed the cash to lure away Razor Ramon and Diesel, two of the biggest home grown stars of the WWF. They would both completely overhaul the business later in the year, but let's focus for now on the impact these two impending departures had on the WrestleMania 12 card. Scott Hall was taken off the show completely via a very convenient "positive" drug test, meaning he would miss out on the 'Mania payday, while Nash was still booked to face The U...