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[1997-09-22-WWF-Raw] Cactus Jack vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Street Fight)


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  • 1 month later...

Another famous angle on a loaded show. Cactus Jack debuts after a really, really great Titantron video.

 

I love "Hi Dude, thanks for having me here" and "I think I am thinking what you think I think you're thinking."

 

I love the intro with the plunder coming through the curtain before Cactus himself. Garbage can shots and fire extinguishers are spots I hate now because they were later so overdone, but it was really new here. This is a really good brawl. Hunter takes some nice bumps and more than holds his own. Chyna keeps getting physically involved and not getting any retribution, but at least she sort of took a bump here.

 

Huge pop for the piledriver through the table finish. All three (wrestlers and Chyna) laid out after the match is the best part.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think the idea for the Titantron video came from Jurassic Park movie where John Hammond is explaining dino DNA. Hunter went full speed up the ramp into that garbage can. To that point, I thought this was HHH’s best match. The table looked like it was going to give but they were still able to hit a great looking piledriver. Match holds up well.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 months later...
  • 1 year later...

Yes, definitely Helmsley's best career match to this point. A lot of the usual Cactus falls-count-anywhere spots make their return, including the pinfall reversals on the floor which I'll always love. Great pace and they go to lots of different places and never resort to comedy--this is a hate-filled street fight all the way. A terrific finish that looks great, and I like the visual of Chyna frantically diving to break the count but being a few seconds too late. The WWF really went all-out for the first Garden Raw and it paid off in multiple ways.

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  • 1 year later...

A fantastic promo beforehand from the three Faces of Foley. Having a hardcore feature match at MSG was a boyhood dream come true for Mick. As he was laying in the wreckage afterwards you could tell how much he'd enjoyed it. The 10m shown was just about right. Long enough to feel complete without any downtime. Plenty of energy and of course weaponry. Including the obligatory trash can. The falls count anywhere stip is a neat twist that adds to the more familiar hardcore rules. Fun, fun, fun. Agreed this was HHH's career highlight thus far.

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  • 3 months later...

Cactus Jack vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley - WWF RAW 9/22/97 Falls Count Anywhere

 

I think we have a winner for best non-Bret, non-Shawn match from WWF 93-97. Cactus absolutely killed it. I loved the crazy brawl he had with Shawn about a month before this, but this was an incredible plunder-based brawl. It was short and sweet and never overstayed its welcome. The video package with the Dude, Manny (Dude calling Mankind Manny always cracks me up) is just a total classic and a great way to introduce Cactus Jack, who is immediately super over in the Garden. This is the Greatest Hits of Cactus Jack Falls Count Anywhere. The garbage can to head, Swinging neckbreaker on exposed concrete, Cactus elbow onto the trash can, the pinfall reversals on the outside, the Sunset flip from the apron to the floor (love that spot), whacking the back of his head really hard on metal. Honestly, he was just wrestling himself. Helmsley was just a warm body, but he did not bring the match down and I thought he was good at running away. Chyna was awesome in this. She fucking clocked Foley a couple times with clotheslines and that chair shot was nasty. Liked the way they took her out with Hunter accidentally shoving Cactus and her into the steps. Finish was great. Used the Nestea Plunge to make you believe Cactus was done for and going to eat Pedigree through the table and Cactus counters a hits a monster piledriver. Awesome energetic plunder brawl that made Foley really feel like a huge star. ****1/4

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  • 2 weeks later...

Famous match. Cactus Jack makes his WWF debut & they way they do it is so brilliant. They played off the interview series so well. The series was basically the template for booking Foley for the remainder of the year. Big pop on the Cactus reveal. Fun brawl with lots of big bumps & a hot crowd. They actually take out an entire guardrail at one point. Chyna gets involved some & gets her comeuppance after HHH pushes Cactus into by accident & they both go crashing into the steps. Great finish with HHH bringing a table onto the stage from the back & going for a pedigree but Cactus reversing & hitting a piledriver through it to a huge pop for the win. This is an all-time great RAW.

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  • 1 month later...
Jack's debut popped the crowd huge and they go straight into a great brawl that's perfectly paced and hard hitting all the way through. Loved that Chyna even got her shots in as well as took some comeuppance for it. HHH bumps like crazy for Jack but Jack returns it in kind, doing some sick bumps off the apron to the floor (RIP Foley's hips). The fight felt very natural and organic with the only slight lull coming in the set up for the finish but the visual of that was so great that it was worth it. Strong case for Jack and a decent showing for HHH. Cactus Jack might just be Triple H's best opponent of all time.


****

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  • GSR changed the title to [1997-09-22-WWF-Raw] Cactus Jack vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley (Street Fight)
  • 1 year later...

Cactus Jack makes his WWF debut in a literal garbage brawl. DX has formed but Triple H is still going by Hunter Hearst Helmsley. It's amusing to see him doing the Suck Its whilst Ode To Joy is playing. We think Dude Love is going to come out, but he appears on the Titantron and cuts a promo with Mankind by his side, which leads to Cactus Jack being introduced. It's a great moment and Foley knows how to weave his comedy into wrestling. The match itself is what you'd expect out of an Attitude Era hardcore match, but this was before it felt like a cliche. Foley takes a lot of damage and he brings the best out of Helmsley. They attack each other with all kinds of weapons and Cactus gets the win by piledriving HHH through a table on the stage. 

★★★¼

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