Dom chose three potential picks this week, which got sent to a poll to our twitter feed. It was a very close run thing, but even Dom couldn't make our viewing this week in the end as he was getting Christmas boozy with his faculty... what a heel turn!
Ross: Hey chaps, so mankind v HBK at In Your House Mind Games won out… see you at 10
Pete: The match is in the three faces of Foley collection - "Breaking Mankind's heart"
James: How is the Stephanie McMahon Collection before this?
Pete: The alphabet?
Ross: BURN! I’m good to go – but even though it’s Dom's pick he's at a work drinks and may do a run-in later! What a lad.
James: Well I’m ready
Pete: Yeah, count us in
Ross: I absolutely love the In Your House set
James: Hang on have we started?
Ross: I’m 27 secs in sorry
Pete: OK start over?
James: I'll pause at 27
Pete: Start over
James: I'm confused
Ross: Just hit play
Pete: Haha. I've paused now .Lets all go to start
James: Yeah me too. I am waiting at the start
Ross: Haha. From the start. 321. Go!
Pete: OK and we are off! We got it first time as well!!!
James: Yes, Ross this set is fantastic. Literally someone's house. Where do you keep your Druids? Just in the garage…
Ross: So, I remember reading in Foley’s book about his music for Mankind. He had an intro which was creepy and an outro that was beautiful. Based on Hannibal. That’s awesome
Pete: Paul Bearer looks like a cartoon character… he has the same vibe for me as Frank from It's Always Sunny!
James: Mankind is in the Coffin!
Ross: JR: “Mankind will do anything to his own body to win the match"
Pete: There's probably a deep point to be made about the world's real horrors taking places in ordinary suburban neighbourhoods here…
James: Anyone got some backstory for this? Before my time. Why has Mankind got CM Punk's urn?
Pete: Vince probably doesn't care
Ross: Listen to the female screams for HBK!
Pete: Fresh off a hen night
James: My band covered this song
Ross: The juxtaposition between these two characters is brilliant! Sexy boy v boiler room freak.
James: Yes, Ross. Shawn with all the arrogance and Mankind ashamed to even be in public
Pete: Now as we all know Shawn in the 90s was a totally grounded individual… nice to have a champ with his head screwed on properly
Ross: Looks like those HBK gloves sold well...
Ross: Weirdly, Paul bearer and Brock have pretty similar voices.
James: Oh, here's Earl again
Pete: Bearer could have ended the streak before it was even a thing if he wanted
James: Closed fist warning inside 30 seconds! Vinny Mac on Comms?
Pete: It's quite difficult to watch this without thinking of 20+ years of Foley since
Ross: The ring is covered in glitter for some reason? It’s like getting in the bath after my fiancée has been in it.
Pete: Mankind’s meant to be this crazy monster but we all know he's actually Santa Claus
Ross: EC-DUB chants for the clothesline over the top! Bloody hell! HBK just trampling on Mankind under the mats!
Pete: Liking them exposing the mat ASAP - none of that waiting around like Ciampa
James: Mankind taking the gym mats back to the local high school. Nice guy.
Ross: Crossbody to the outside onto concrete! This has started so fast!
Pete: Jesus, even HBK's double axehandles look cool!
James: Crossbody and a Double Axe. I think this match has already had more non-finishing moves than last week’s six-man hell in a cell!
Ross: All HBK to begin. JR states the faster the pace, the better for the champion!
James: Mankind avoiding the Sweet Chin was amazing
Pete: Even when mankind gets out of the way he takes a gnarly bump
Ross: Mankind taking a bump through the middle rope to avoid sweet chin music. Brilliant.
James: Like Take Michinoku getting thrown out of that Royal Rumble
Pete: I like the hieroglyphics on mankind's gear, it looks like a weird stylised ankh
James: Please include that picture of Hebner simulating punches when they're in the corner! It makes Shane's rabbit slaps look like Deontay Wilder…
Ross: Mankind squealing when he has a hold on. Terrified me as a pre-teen!
James: Those Body Scissors - a Tony Nese staple
Pete: Completely NOT what you expect from Foley
James: Does Mankind have eight abs?
Pete: No, but people watch his matches...
Ross: HBK leaps over the table onto mankind... then smashes Foley into the steps with a suplex, where he smashes his leg! THAT WAS NASTY!
Pete: That sounded nasty as hell
James: Fuck. That is horrible
Pete: I get incredibly scared when Shawn is near a casket…
James: Working the knee, Shawn
Ross: Foley’s legs would be on at least yellow if this was 2K by now
Pete: Foley has just gotten absolutely battered so far
Ross: Mankind bringing out vicious side of HBK here - he even pushed the ref. Perfect: "He knows he keeps the title that way"
James: Who's the heel?
Ross: Mankind - but Shawn knows he needs to match fire with fire. MIND GAMES
Pete: Dragon screw!!!! Tanahashi has said repeatedly how much he likes HBK and there's the proof!
James: Drop Kick to the knee. All over the knee of Foley!
Ross: That was a Vinnie Jones reducer!
Ross: Half crab!!!
Pete: This is so out of Tanahashi's playbook, except you know, it came first
James: Not the best Half Crab I've ever seen though. The best Half Crab I've ever seen is a certain Mr OJMO
Pete: Mankind Hope spot. Shawn with a throat injury - uh oh - sounds like that might help for the mandible claw!
James: Mankind Stabbing his own knee to get the feeling back!
Pete: Shawn should have worked the back while he had the chance - gone for that sharpshooter of his - he made Bret tap to that!
Ross: So, a coffin isn’t a foreign object? No DQ for using it? One for the rulebook.
James: Hebner has his knock off shirts in there for post-match ringside sales
Ross: The knee to the face in the corner, Mankind always made that looked vicious! Jim ross is excellent - "HBK needs to be resilient because he has lost his speed at this point in the match."
Pete: Who is the third guy on commentary?
Ross: Mr Perfect
Pete: He sounds disconcertingly close to Coachman. I’m sorry, Curt
James: Excellent slide through legs by Shawn
Pete: You can see why people think he's the best ever
Ross: Tree of woe!
James: Outside of the Iron Man I'm not sure how much Shawn I've seen pre-comeback. He's bloody good. Austin match with Tyson I think?
Ross: He’s incredible mate
Pete: Back when concussions were just casual injuries. Mankind with the yakuza kick! Get outta here, Shawn!
James: A young FRG there, Ross. Green shirt.
Ross: Bloody hell, Foley gave his body to this business more than most didn’t he?!
James: I wonder if this guy has knee problems later in life? Will we see Goldust????? It’s the main event. Surely not?
Pete: This match is excellent, but you can see it inspired a generation of 'Braun runs his shoulder into the post'
James: What a neck hang! Even with his head caught between the ropes, Mankind with the claw! Bloody hell!!!
Ross: The neck hang that lost him his ear
Pete: Oh Jesus, this is really like how Foley lost his ear - or is this that spot?
Ross: It was the same spot earlier in his career, yes. Such a striking image. Classic Hugo falling off his chair there…
James: Side of chair to the knee. That was nasty
Ross: I don’t think I’ve ever seen a chair shot that way?! Clever psychology by HBK. Kill the hand to stop the mandible claw
Pete: Young Pete Dunne - unlike in new japan where that would be done in full view of the ref
James: Joint manipulation says Nigel… not even joint manipulation really. Just fucking his fingers up!
Ross: Close ups on the hand stamps, ugly stuff
Pete: They did that last year, not with the mandible claw but Jericho tapped out Owens because he'd screwed his hand up enough that he couldn't physically touch the ropes
Ross: Michaels gets dumped outside. Mankind lands the apron elbow! BANG BANG!
Pete: I thought Shawn would roll out of the way there, nice of Shawn to at least spare one of Foley’s joints! Oh Jesus, that neckbreaker… get me a replay of where his head landed
Ross: Baseball slide outside into a neckbreaker. Mankind’s moveset is so peculiar, it really fit the character
James: Mankind sliding under the ring with the gracefulness I imagine of Bartolo Colon if he ever had to slide into 2nd
Ross: HBK KICKS OUT OF THE DOUBLE ARM DDT! PILEDRIVERRRR. And again. And another! Four kick outs so now he starts literally pulling his hair out!
Pete: Mankind's lost it. Well, he's lost it before, but you know
Ross: I’m loving this
James: Mankind opening the coffin???? Rolls Shawn in!
Pete: Stay in the casket! You can't lose your title in a casket!
James: He's out
Ross: The PACE of Michaels, man. Amazing when he hits his fire spots.
James: Crowd go wild for Shawn!
Pete: That flying forearm - he freaking bounced!
Ross: HBK gets crotched. swear that happened a lot to him. I hope he wore a cup
Pete: I know it's popular to say that half of RAW wants to be HBK but it's kinda true
Ross: YIKES
James: Off the top to the outside through the table!!!!!
Pete: Yeah I’d lose my smile taking that too
Ross: Didn’t even clear the stuff off the table!
Pete: Look at Shawn’s back!
Ross: Van Daminator by HBK!
James: That was a cool counter there! Step up Sweet Chin Music into a chair
Pete: And there's the bell… Vader interferes! That punk who wouldn’t job to Billy O
James: Urn to the head!!!!
Pete: This match is famously the best match to ever end in a DQ
James: SID!!!!!!!
Pete: I think it's the only thing that stopped it from getting the full 5 from Dave
James: Bloody Dave. Get over yourself
Ross: Mankind now with the mangled claw!
Pete: Sid is a super underrated dude, he main evented two Wrestlemanias and a Starrcade, but his one true love was softball
Ross: TAKER'S IN THE CASKET!
James: Why does this twat turn up every week?!
Pete: I also want to know how he got there - what the fuck? Haha James, our series is cursed
Dom: But it comes with your topping
Ross: OH HEY DOM!
Pete: We're gonna have to pick something from the UWFI in the 80s or something for Taker not to show up. Except the best pure striker will probably turn up and beat everyone up and tap them out with the gogoplata
James: I guarantee he won't be in my pick
Ross: Get the belt snaps HBK at Hebner. Michaels then gets the Hogan spot of posing in the ring victorious to end the show.
Pete: He's just a sexy real American…
THE NERD ANALYSIS
Ross: So, thoughts lads? 8/10 for me. Mankind put his body on the line, HBK went out of his comfort zone and we got Taker in a coffin. Loved the story of HBK taking out the hand and Mankind proving he is almost impervious to pain so HBK had to do some heinous stuff. A Classic!
James: Really good, best match I've ever seen from Foley and probably 2nd for Shawn behind the Angle one from Mania. Ratings wise, that for me is getting the 2004 USC Trojans. Best team in the country won the National Championship but had to vacate due to sanctions.
Pete: I’ll give it an 8. It was really brutal, especially for Foley, but what the hell was up with that finish? I guess they really wanted to protect Foley, which seems hard to believe in 2018. Great selling though.
Dom: Sorry boys. Who’d have thought a session with me would go past 10pm?
NERD RATING – 8 OUT OF 10 BUT VACATED DUE TO SANCTIONS.
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