[1997-12-22-WWF-Raw] Shawn Michaels vs Hunter Hearst Helmsley

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Owen ends up attacking Hunter on his way to the ring the first time they do this match. They try again later in the show and we get the original Fingerpoke of Doom, with Shawn laying down and HHH pinning him to win the European title. They do this mock emotional reaction to the title change after the match with Chyna comforting Shawn over losing the match, which is admittedly pretty funny. They rub Slaughter's nose in it and the show closes with Slaughter responding by saying he'll defend the European title against Owen Hart next week.

[Strummer]

Hunter doing his ultimate Warrior impression in this match made me laugh very hard at the time. Poor Sarge was made to look like a complete buffoon this entire run. At the time it didn't matter to me as I was big time into DX but 16 years later I feel sorry for the big lug.

 

BTW it had to kill Cornette to announce this. Two guys he hates and Vince Russo booking

[Kevin Ridge]

Michaels and Triple make a mockery of everything. But at least only the European title was on the line and Shawn dropped a belt in the ring!! Man I can't wait until Shawn versus the Casket in 1998. As bad as Slaughter has looked I still think Dillon came off a lot worse in WCW.

[Zenjo]

HBK may have already vacated 5 titles without doing the J-O-B, but here he is selflessly putting over a rising young star in the middle of the ring. Afterwards he showed how upset he was initially to promote the value of the European title. Once he'd got over the initial disappointment Shawn displayed great sportsmanship by celebrating with the new champion.

 

And I cried when he 'lost his smile'.

[soup23]

I had to see where this Raw was at since it seemed like a small arena and sure enough it was in Lowell Mass with just over 2k in attendance. I dont understand why Sarge thought they would go at it with each other. I don't think this is that bad an angle to kill some time on a Christmas episode but the hype for the big Taker match needs to be ratcheted into high gear as we start 1998 and Owen really should have beat HHH at the Rumble.

[PeteF3]

I *think* they actually had the audacity to propose that Owen beat Michaels for the European title outright, which may actually be a bit over-the-top as I have to concede you probably have reached the point where HBK needs to be protected all the way until Mania. The "match" and immediate post-match reaction are pretty funny, though in typical DX fashion it's milked a bit too long.

[Exposer]

They try to have this match in the middle of the show, but Owen attacks HHH in the aisle. They finally have the match in the last segment & they've teased dissension all night. HHH hits a shoulder tackle & Shawn plays dead as Hunter runs the ropes like a goof. He hits a splash without making any contact & pins Shawn for the Euro Title. Shawn fakes crying & talks about this being the toughest match of his career. They laugh about tricking everyone & Slaughter comes out at the entrance & laughs with them. He makes Owen-HHH next week for the Euro Title but says it without a mic where only the fans at home can hear. This is more bait & switch stuff, but actually does work as a heel move. I think it does make the Euro Title look bad as Shawn obviously doesn't give a shit about it. I'm really tired of DX at this point.