Best Turns of All Time - Draft Thread - Page 3 - Wrestling -- Two Plus Two Poker Forums

Well it looks like I chose correctly in the first round, because my other choice is still available. So I’ll take the heel turn that was a part of the greatest angle in WWF/E history. With my second pick I’ll take:

Spoiler:

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02-25-2018 , 09:06 PM

#53

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

Yeah that was going to be my pick, but I didn't hold out much hope of it getting back to me. Strong value in the second round.

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02-25-2018 , 09:40 PM

#54

gs3737

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 4,615

Amazing value. Top 5 for me.

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02-25-2018 , 10:04 PM

#55

True North

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 23,703

Can’t believe it fell to the second round.

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02-25-2018 , 10:04 PM

#56

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

It was actually what I first thought of when you mentioned wanting to pick a personal favorite at #2. Then I realized it was the other main Savage turn.

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02-25-2018 , 10:54 PM

#57

mflip

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4,957

With my 2nd round pick I'm taking the moment that officially launched the biggest face of this generation.

Spoiler:

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02-25-2018 , 10:57 PM

#58

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

I don't know. Obviously that Bryan face run was a great success, but the specific Wyatt face turn was just sort of a swerve that was somewhat expected after a previous face turn. The moment that he became a mega-face is a bit ill-defined since there was sort of a heel turn in the middle, and I think the muddiness hurts this as a pick.

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02-25-2018 , 11:05 PM

#59

mflip

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 4,957

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKJ

I mean a lot of turns are swerves and expected. There wasn't ever a face turn moment before this. This was the official moment that led to one of the top Wrestlemania moments and a cultural phenomenon that swept sporting events across the country.

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02-25-2018 , 11:08 PM

#60

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

Yeah, it's less that I'm criticizing it for being predictable than that I feel like his face turn got split up. "Expected swerve" totally fits the bill of HBK in the Barber Shop, which I took #3 overall. Daniel Bryan was full-fledged face when he beat Cena at SummerSlam, then he got de-pushed and turned heel, then he turned face again. I don't know that the whole sequence counts as one face turn.

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02-25-2018 , 11:30 PM

#61

eyebooger

Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 58,700

Will write up while watching the chamber match.

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02-26-2018 , 12:26 AM

#62

GeoffRas22

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 40,161

Quote:

Originally Posted by .isolated

I've always been confused on that Hogan turn. He helps Rock at Mania but the next night he comes out in black and white and to the NWO music/b+w filter. Why?

Because it wasn't the plan? The Rock & Hogan re-scripted the story of that match on the fly when the crowd reacted the way they did. It's one of the best matches ever for that specific reason.

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02-26-2018 , 12:29 AM

#63

eyebooger

Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 58,700

Picked a one-day face turn, now I’ll pick a one-day heel turn.

Spoiler:

In 2013, Sami Zayn debuted on NXT. As the former El Generico on the indie circuit, he already came with a bit of fan support. On his first NXT taping, he would defeat Curt Hawkins, then several minutes later defeat Antonio Cesaro as well. Cesaro and Zayn would have several more high profile NXT matches, culminating in the first ever match in an NXT special event. Zayn would never get the best of Cesaro again, but definitely showed fans what he was capable of in the ring.

Zayn would continue to be a mainstay on NXT television in battles with Tyler Breeze, Corey Graves, and Leo Kruger among others. But his goal was always the NXT title held by his friend, Adrian Neville.
On September 2014, Zayn would get his shot at the NXT title in a four-way match with Neville, Breeze and Tyson Kidd. It’s an incredible match that’s still one of my all-time NXT favorites. During the match, Zayn had Kidd pinned, but Neville pulled the ref out of the ring to break up the three count. Neville would then go on to retain.

Zayn vowed to get another shot at the title. On consecutive weeks, he would defeat Kidd, Titus O’Neill, and Breeze to earn another title opportunity. Again Zayn would come up short due to some questionable tactics by Neville.

A furious Zayn wanted one more shot, and vowed to leave NXT forever if he lost. The match was signed for the December 2014 NXT R-Evulotion.

Now to Owens. Kevin Owens would appear in a series of vignettes on NXT TV stating that he had waited 14 years to get to WWE and listed all of his contemporaries who had been called before him. But he would be debuting at R-Evolution. He had the first match of the event against CJ Parker. He legit broke his nose in the match, but eventually won with blood dripping down his face.

Zayn and Neville would have the final match of the night. An incredible back-and-forth affair that is still thought of as one of the best matches in NXT history. Zayn would finally get his win to the delight of the Full Sail crowd. In an amazing moment, many of the NXT faces would come down in celebration of Zayn’s year+ long quest for the title. Chief among them was Owens, acknowledged as Zayn’s best friend.

In the final scene, Owens and Zayn walk back together up the ramp. Then, with the copyright text on the screen, Owens threw Zayn onto the ramp and powerbombed him on the ring apron..

Over the next few weeks, Owens would explain his actions as “just business” and that he was just looking for a way to get to the title so that he could get more money for himself and his family. He became a brutal, but logical, heel and would get his wish, winning the NXT championship from Zayn just two months later.

This is a great heel turn whose ramifications are still being felt to this day, as they truly seem “destined to do this forever”.

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02-26-2018 , 12:44 AM

#64

GeoffRas22

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 40,161

IMO Austin turning face is a CLEAR #1. My reasoning is:

1) More meaningful- Compare what WWE was pre-Austin turn and the ceiling it reached to what WCW was pre-Hogan turn and the ceiling it reached. Not sure it's close.

2) Tougher execution- I'd wager when they scripted this match they thought the bigger deal was going to be Bret Hart turning heel. It should matter that fans were instantly more interested in cheering Austin than booing Hart. It means that his build, and execution of turning was extremely well done. Hogan otoh, in retrospect, was an extremely easy and logical booking decision even though I understand why it may have been tough for Hogan himself.

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02-26-2018 , 12:52 AM

#65

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

For my next pick, I will be lazy and quote myself not being lazy in a prior thread, edited just to include the heel turn and direct aftermath thereof:

Spoiler:

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKJ

JAKE "THE SNAKE" ROBERTS' LEGENDARY HEEL RUN

<snip>

Part 2: The Turn

A Seemingly Unrelated Matter…

The Undertaker debuted at Survivor Series 1990 as the mystery partner of Ted DiBiase. He was an evil, chilling heel who no-sold everything and seemed to be indestructible. On an April 1991 edition of his manager Paul Bearer's talk show, The Funeral Parlor, the Ultimate Warrior was the guest. Bearer baited and riled Warrior a bit. When Warrior had finally had enough, he put his hands on Bearer…but danger awaited inside of what seemed like a perfect innocuous part of the set.

Undertaker emerged from a standing wooden coffin, behind Warrior, and attacked. He placed Warrior in a casket and, despite Warrior's struggles, succeeded in closing the lid on him. Bearer sealed it shut and walked off, with the announcers left horrified that Warrior couldn't breathe in there. Officials poured in out of the back and desperately attempted to open the casket, but it took several minutes and a series of tools to break in and finally open the lid. Warrior seemed to be unconscious inside, but after a moment he broke into a coughing fit, showing that he had survived the ordeal. A feud between Warrior and Taker was born.

Jake Vows to Assist the Warrior

In an interview that aired on July 28, 1991, Jake Roberts was the guest on The Funeral Parlor. Jake's previous snake, Damien, was kayfabe killed by Earthquake, and Jake had moved on to an even bigger snake that he named Lucifer. In this interview, Roberts tells Paul Bearer, "But if death should ever come looking for me, and knock upon my door, I will jerk that door open, look into his eyes, and I will spit. Because I have something that rests upon my shoulders that will not let me fear death." Bearer asked if what rests upon his shoulders was his snake, Lucifer. Roberts replies, "No. I'm talking about Lucifer himself, the same one who rests upon your shoulders." Like I said, even when Jake went face, he didn't exactly go classic white meat babyface.

Jake gives a knowing sideways glance at Bearer as Bearer says, "Ohhh, I've always had my suspicions about you. But you know and I know that every man on his final walk to his resting place must face The Undertaker. Even you, Jake Roberts." Jake says that as far as he can see, The Undertaker has his hands full right now. Bearer laughs that off, saying that if he's talking about the Ultimate Warrior, The Undertaker is just stringing him along until he can drop him in his final resting place.

Finally, Jake levels a threat. "Then let me ask you this: how would you feel, and how would The Undertaker feel, if I shared the secrets of the darkness, and if I shared the secrets of this cold, black heart, and if I shared the secrets of The Undertaker himself with the Ultimate Warrior?" Bearer panics at this prospect, asking for reassurance that Jake wouldn't do that.

Jake: "Would I? Yes I would. And all that the Ultimate Warrior must do to understand the darkness and the cold is to release, release all those fears of death, and secondly he must do something that neither you or The Undertaker could ever do…and that's simply, trust me. Trust me, Warrior." Bearer flips out as Jake exits stage right.

Jake Shows the Warrior the Dark Side

As promised, Jake takes the Warrior on a journey.

Reliving the Casket

First he takes Warrior to a dimly-lit place with a casket and convinces Warrior to lay down in it. As Warrior resists, Jake pulls the puppet strings perfectly, and says, "I'm not gonna fight you for this. If you don't want to know, brother, I've got something else to do. … If you want to learn, you'll lay down, relax, and accept it. … Trust me. Lay down. Trust me."

Warrior turns docile, accepts the situation, and lays down, as Jake violently slams the lid shut and seals it as Paul Bearer did. Through the lid, Jake tells him to just settle down and let the cold wash over him. Once Warrior has silently laid there in the casket for maybe 30 seconds, Jake opens the lid and, with a start, declares that Warrior has that look of The Undertaker in his eyes. Warrior sits up in the casket like Taker would be known to do, and stares into the camera.

Fun at the Cemetery

Next up is a gravesite. At Jake's behest, Warrior digs himself into a grave, pulls a human skull out of it, and upon request declares, "I trusted you before, Snake man. Before my gods I trust you again. Bury me alive, Snake man! Bury me!" It's like an alternate cut from the HHH and Friends segment. Jake buries Warrior up to his neck and walks off.

Never Trust a Snake

Jake leads Warrior to the entrance of a dark room. "In this room is a coffin, and Lucifer sits waiting for you. Reach in there, grab him by the throat, and let him give you the answer." Warrior replies, "The trust I had before did me no wrong. The Ultimate Warrior has no fear. Let me in." Warrior opens the door and enters. Jake closes the door and boards it shut. He says, "I'll shed a little light on the subject for you, big guy." He turns on a light in the room, revealing that the room is full of snakes. Warrior is shook by the snakes, but Jake encourages him. "They're just snakes. Just a little skin prick, nothing that will hurt you." Warrior kicks a few of the snakes aside. Jake urges him, "Trust me. Go to the center of the room. Open the coffin." Warrior forges ahead and slowly opens the coffin.

A cobra rises up and lunges at Warrior, biting him. Jake darkly says, "Ah, not what you expected! Not what the doctor ordered, is it? No!" He urges Warrior to relax. "It's part of it. The venom racing through your body." Warrior begs Jake to let him out. Jake coldly watches him fade and drop to the floor.

Roberts turns, smirking, and says, "Ah! The man in black. Why don't you come and see how the devil's work is done?" Warrior manages to break the door down, collapsing through it. Barely breathing, Warrior reaches out for a black boot in front of him. The camera, playing Warrior's point of view, pans up to show The Undertaker and Paul Bearer standing over him.

He turns to the right, sees Jake Roberts, and reaches desperately for help. Jake says, "Yeah, reach out for me. I'm a snake. Never trust a snake." Warrior's vision blurs before he passes out.

The Biggest, Dumbest Rabbit I've Ever Seen

Obviously no heel turn is complete until we get an explanation. For that, we go to the promo room.

Quote:

Let me relay a little story to you, so you'll understand exactly where I'm coming from. Once upon a time, there was a little rabbit hopping down a trail. And he looks out on the roadway, and a snake had been crushed by a car. Nearly dead, but not quite. The rabbit hopped out, and he said, "Snake, I know you're hurt badly, and I'm going to take you back to my den and help you, and I'm gonna nurse you back to health." The snake said, "Oh no, you can't do that. I'm a snake. I'm a snake, you can't do that." "Oh, I'm gonna make you my friend, Mr. Snake."

So he did. He carried that snake back to his den, and slowly but surely he did nurse him back to health, just like the rabbit said he would. Then one day the rabbit went out for more food and more water for the snake. He came back <sinister chuckle>, the snake was gone. He turned around, and there was the snake in front of him. And the snake said, "Mr. Rabbit, I am going to eat you." And the rabbit said, "Oh no! I'm your friend! And the snake said, "From the very beginning, I told you I was a snake. And you, Ultimate Warrior, have to be the BIGGEST, DUMBEST RABBIT I've ever seen!

[To Be Continued]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKJ

JAKE "THE SNAKE" ROBERTS' LEGENDARY HEEL RUN

Part 3: The Snake Takes Aim at the Madness

The Self-Destruction of the Biggest, Dumbest Rabbit

So, about that Ultimate Warrior thing: about a week after Jake turned on him, at SummerSlam '91, the Warrior infamously held the main event hostage by demanding additional money from Vince McMahon under threat of not going on. McMahon coughed up the money, Warrior participated in the main event as advertised, and then Vince fired his ass. I would prefer to think that Warrior just self-sabotaged out of the sheer terror that comes with Jake Roberts eviscerating you on the mic over the course of a feud.

In any case, the Warrior found his way out of the picture, and the big program that was just set up for Jake was gone. Thankfully, they had an amazing Plan B.

The Match Made in Heaven; The Reception Made in Hell

At WrestleMania VII, Randy Savage lost a retirement match to the Ultimate Warrior and then tearfully reunited with Miss Elizabeth in one of the great WrestleMania moments of all time.

Spoiler:

Savage, forced by the stipulation of the match he lost, retired to the commentary booth on WWF Superstars. He transitioned into a full babyface over the course of a few months, and eventually went to the ring one week to say "Elizabett…Elizabett…" to propose to his IRL wife and kayfabe love interest.

Their on-screen wedding at SummerSlam, labeled "The Match Made in Heaven" as the counterpart to "The Match Made in Hell" (the very same match that Warrior ended up holding hostage), was unlike many wrestling weddings in that it went off without a hitch.

However, Warrior being gone suddenly put WWE down a top-level babyface and also down a program for the newly-turned Jake the Snake, so it was time to solve two problems in one step. They filmed a wedding reception segment for Randy and Liz, and this is where the on-screen couple finally encountered trouble.

Liz opened a wedding gift and discovered a cobra inside, understandably causing her to scream and flail backwards. Jake Roberts and The Undertaker then ambushed Randy Savage, and Jake openly threatened Liz with the snake before being chased off by white knight Sid Justice.

The gauntlet had been thrown down. Jake Roberts and his ally The Undertaker had wrecked the feel-good moment of the summer and had declared war on Randy Savage and his (kayfabe) new bride.

Randy Savage Wants His Wrestling License Back

Not So Fast, My Friend

The small problem, of course, is that Jake had declared war on a forcibly retired wrestler. If this happened today then Randy Savage would be reinstated by the third hour of the same episode, but this was 1991, and President Jack Tunney was not simply going to reinstate the loser of a retirement match unless he was absolutely forced to. On the September 14, 1991 edition of Superstars, it is announced that Savage would meet with Tunney to petition for reinstatement. The following week, on the September 21, 1991 episode, Tunney announces his decision…a firm, decisive JohnnyAceNo.gif. Tunney was just a neutral authority figure who said, "Well, no, you lost a retirement match. Of course you can't suddenly start wrestling again." Savage trashed Tunney's office, furious at being denied.

Heel Jake Hits the Promo Circuit

Jake, now entering to a more sinister entrance theme that starts with him saying "Trust Me," does the Funeral Parlor again, with things a lot more openly friendly with Paul Bearer now, and he announced that he would be carrying a cobra with him to the ring at all times, and that he would be bringing a black glove to wear when he handled the snake, for his own safety. I don't know to any level of certainty whether the snake-handler's glove was actually a necessary safety precaution or not, but man did it add something. It really made all the snake stuff feel legitimately dangerous. An edict came down from Jack Tunney's office, saying that Jake will only be allowed to bring a snake to the ring with him if it has been devenomized.

A week or two after doing the Funeral Parlor, Jake does an interview with Mean Gene Okerlund, who had not been shy about criticizing Jake up to this point. Jake first addresses Randy Savage. "As far as Elizabeth goes…I've had my fun. As far as the Macho Man goes, he was conveniently knocked out. Convenient for him, because after all Okerlund, if he had not been knocked out, tell me just what he could have done. Nothing." He calls Savage "the luckiest man alive" for being barred from wrestling right now. He turns his attention to Sid Justice. "Chivalry is dead, my good man. This is 1991, not 1521. You're not King Arthur, and there's no round table. So if you want to ride the stallion into the castle and play with the snake, then you've got to be ready to pay a heavy price. … Don't turn your back, Sid Justice. Randy Savage is making a fool out of you. He's letting you pick up the lance that he can't carry himself."

And now Jake speaks pointedly at his interviewer. "Now something else. Fair warning. Fair warning to every WWF star or to people like you. Be careful what you say to me, because I'm not playing any more stinkin' games. And if you don't like what I'm doing, then you'd better keep your mouth shut and take a couple of steps back. Because if you don't, you just never know…trust me, Gene Okerlund. Trust me." With those words, Jake departs the interview platform. Okerlund, apparently having more guts than brains, starts wrapping the segment by saying that someday somebody is going to do something about Jake Roberts. Jake is only a few feet away at this point, and calmly unstrings his bag, releases the cobra, and aggressively tries to attack Gene with it.

Papa Shango black goo curses notwithstanding, I can't remember another time when a wrestler got that physical with Gene. Can't say Jake didn't warn him. By the way, this became a staple of his snake-handling at the time also…he would openly taunt his own cobra to make it act more aggressive. It was an awesome touch.

A Garden-Variety Squash Match Takes a Twist

On the October 19, 1991 edition of Superstars, Sid Justice was set for what seemed like a regular enhancement match against a masked man named El Diablo. Diablo gets the jobber entrance, Sid comes to the ring for the match, and right after the opening bell, The Undertaker's gong hits. Taker and Paul Bearer come to the ring, Bearer summons Diablo out to ringside, offers him a briefcase, and Diablo accepts it and leaves, clearing the path for Undertaker and Sid Justice to have a go.

As Taker and Justice choke each other, the masked man comes running back to the ring, ripping off his mask and revealing himself to be Jake Roberts, and he and Undertaker double-team Sid together. I love how easily Jake was just able to wolf in broad daylight. As a babyface he speaks sincerely on the Funeral Parlor about his relationship with Lucifer, then just says "trust me" and Warrior trusts him. Later he goes undercover as "The Devil." He wasn't really running any particularly elaborate deceptions here. As Taker and Roberts beat Sid down, Randy Savage is at the commentary booth, but his hands are tied; he can't get involved. He openly agonizes over that fact. Paul Bearer wheels a casket down to ringside.

Jake Roberts opens up the briefcase that purportedly contained a bribe, and inside is his snake and his snake-handler glove. While he's getting the snake out, Undertaker ties Sid up in the ropes. Jake makes like he's going to sic the snake on a tied-up Sid Justice as Savage cries, "LOOK WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO ME, TUNNEY!" Of all the ****ing people, Hacksaw Jim Duggan runs down and makes the save. He unties Sid, allowing him to escape, and both men get the **** out of there because there's a massive deadly snake in the ring.

The Campaign for Reinstatement Continues

As the weeks pass, Randy Savage continues to use his platform as part of the announce team on Superstars as a method through which to keep making the case for reinstatement. The basic arc of the announce team since WrestleMania VII was that they went with Vince McMahon, Roddy Piper, and Randy Savage as the announce crew. Despite seeming to turn face at Mania, Savage more or less starts off as the heel-leaning commentator on this crew, which was sensible enough; his love for Elizabeth doesn't mean he has to start loving all the wrestlers he was having problems with immediately before.

His relationship in the announce booth with Roddy Piper starts off as a contentious one, and then an organic bromance blossoms over the course of the year. Piper and Savage would trade barbs, but then Piper increasingly encouraged Savage to propose to Liz, moving them closer to being friends and moving Savage closer to being a full babyface. By the time this later part of the year had arrived, Piper's sympathy for Savage's reinstatement campaign grew on a weekly basis, and he started joining in and openly appealing to Tunney to come to his senses and reinstate the Macho Man, one week bringing a sign to the show in support of the cause.

Added to the mix was a legit injury that Sid Justice suffered on the house show circuit. Not publicized on TV, but Randy Savage started replacing Sid in his matches against Jake Roberts on the tour. Officially Savage had no business actually wrestling yet, but it makes sense that they did that. However, they had no choice but to acknowledge Sid's injury on TV, because he was scheduled to wrestle as part of a Survivor Series team and wouldn't be able to go. Sid publicly asked Jack Tunney to reinstate Macho Man and let him take his place at Survivor Series in a match against a team captained by Jake Roberts. Savage added his own on-screen promo asking Tunney for that chance as well. Gene Okerlund voiced his support for reinstatement from the Update desk. However, no official word came down except that Tunney would "take the matter under advisement," and the status of Sid Justice's Survivor Series spot remained up in the air.

That Snake Had BETTER Be Devenomized!

As President Jack Tunney continued to drag his feet and to hem and haw, a game-changer happened. On the episode of Superstars directly preceding the 1991 Survivor Series, Jake Roberts finished off a jobber squash in less than a minute, and then the fireworks commenced. Jake picks up a mic. "Hey. Yeah, you with the orange hat up there."

Piper and McMahon immediately begin urging Savage to take it easy. Jake: "There was a time in my life where I almost looked up to you. You were the Intercontinental Champion. You were the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Champion at one time. I almost envied you. But you know what? I'm looking at you, and I'm thinking to myself, 'Here's a man who used to be a real man, but obviously he's grown a little soft hiding behind the skirt of a woman.' So I tell you what, Macho Man. Why don't you see if you can borrow Piper's skirt?" Savage drops his headset and stands up, again drawing protests from his broadcast colleagues.

Savage says, "I'm just going to go get a closer look." Vince somehow sounds sincerely placated by this and says, "Just a closer look. Okay." Piper, not a huge dumbass like his boss, yells, "No! You're so close to being reinstated!" Savage has already departed though, leaving the announce table and heading down the aisle. Jake continues taunting, calling Savage a gutless coward. Savage is increasingly losing his temper, and now he runs to the ring and jumps up on the apron.

Savage spits into the ring and sheds his hat. As an official tries to hold him back, Savage is distracted by the official for long enough that Jake is able to blindside him with a clothesline. Roberts continues the attack, jumping out to the floor, ramming Savage into the post, and then rolling him inside and tying him up in the ropes. Jake unleashes the king cobra. He steps toward Savage as if he's going to attack him with the snake. So here's the thing: WWF at this time was very PG. Probably even more PG than today. It was unthinkable that the snake would actually get at Savage. It was like…you know the feeling when you're watching a movie or TV show, and a protagonist is in a tough spot, and even though you're into it you know beyond all reasonable doubt that some sort of save is coming? That's what this was, ESPECIALLY when they had Sid prone in this same spot a few weeks earlier and someone emerged from the back for the save.

So it was an intense scene, but it was pretty obvious that Savage wasn't actually going to get bitten by a snake. So who's going to make the save?

...we have just lost cabin pressure. This was among the most stunning visuals of the entire era. And yet I will say that it's a close contest as to whether or not it even turned out to be the most shocking moment of this Jake Roberts heel run. It might be #1, but it's close. Vince yells frantically, "I'll tell you, that snake had BETTER be devenomized! It'd better be!" To add to the terror of the whole thing, Jake shakes the snake and the snake clearly clamps down even harder on Savage's arm. Jake said since that he was legitimately trying to pull the snake loose at that point and the snake went into business for itself, simply reacting angrily that Jake was pulling on it.

Miss Elizabeth runs down to the ring screaming as officials hold her back. Savage gets loose and tries to get up and fight back, but he can't keep his balance and just throws an air punch that leaves him face-planting back down on the mat. Vince says that it's obvious that the snake wasn't actually devenomized, and that something has gone terribly wrong here. Liz is crying at ringside. Officials keep trying to pull Savage out of the ring, and he keeps resisting. Savage flails wildly, and Jake actually kneels in a corner away from him and laughs at his desperation. Children in the crowd openly bawl as the officials get Savage on a stretcher and break into a full sprint to try to get him to medical attention.

Jake Roberts regrets nothing, and continues laughing evilly in the ring as the segment ends.

[To Be Continued]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LKJ

JAKE "THE SNAKE" ROBERTS' LEGENDARY HEEL RUN

Part 4: Snakes Don't Fear Maniacs

Randy Savage is Reinstated

So Jack Tunney is obviously a big believer in the rule of law, and is a traditionalist when it comes to respecting the results of a retirement match, but it turns out he's willing to bend the rules a bit when a guy nearly gets poisoned to death.

At the start of the Survivor Series 1991 event, Jack Tunney makes an announcement. Tunney accepts blame for what happened to Randy Savage on Superstars, feeling that allowing any reptile at ringside was a stupid and dangerous move. Tunney says that he is reinstating Randy Savage effective immediately. However, due to that snake attack happening just a few days prior, Randy Savage could not be medically cleared to compete on this show. In order to level the playing field, Tunney decided to hand down a suspension to Jake Roberts that also stopped him from competing at Survivor Series, leaving that scheduled 4-on-4 match as a 3-on-3 match. Savage and Roberts would be booked in a one-on-one match at the PPV shortly after Survivor Series that was named "This Tuesday in Texas."

This Tuesday in Texas

After a ton of build, it was finally time for Jake Roberts and Randy Savage to meet in a proper, sanctioned match. And the match was…okay? It has all the intensity that you would want, with Savage jumping Roberts before the bell and the two brawling viciously, but the whole thing ends rather abruptly at 6:25 after a Savage flying elbow.

My point here isn't that the match was bad. It wasn't bad. It's just that this match was an exercise in getting to the post-match segment. After Savage's hand is raised in victory, he goes outside and grabs a steel chair. An official gets it from him, so he gets the ring bell. Earl Hebner gets that away from him as well, but all of these distractions with officials have created time for Jake to recover, and he seizes an opening to plant Savage with a DDT. And another one, the second one knocking Savage out cold or nearly so.

Earl Hebner yells at Roberts to get out. Roberts puts his hands up in innocence and begins to leave, but he only gets a handful of steps up the aisle when he stops, and his look grows from serious to a wicked smile.

Jake comes back to the ring, pointing at his corner and saying, "I gave you my word, Tunney. It never was there." He pulls the ring apron up and grabs a black bag from underneath it, presumably containing the cobra. As he sits next to the fallen Macho Man, about to open the bag, Miss Elizabeth runs out to the ring. She drapes herself over Savage and screams for Jake to stop it. Jake picks Savage up, sets him in position for the DDT, and yells at Elizabeth to look him in the eyes while he does it.

He executes for the third time. Savage is out. Liz again tries to cover her man as Jake loosens the drawstring on the black bag. Roberts puts on the black snake-handling glove. He stomps Savage and then yells, "Beg. Beg. Beg. Beg, dammit. You want to save his ass, you'd better start begging now.

Up to this point, this was already an impressive display of heartless heel work. If you haven't watched the Golden Era then it's difficult to bring across just the feeling that Elizabeth evoked from the audience. She evoked a level of purity and innocence in her character that made her among the most sympathetic characters you'll ever see. Whether she was selling or just bringing out her own personality (given her WCW work, I'm certainly going with the latter), her emotions were believable and you felt for her. Jake not only no-selling her desperate cries for mercy, but actually enjoying them, was another level. That was what you felt when you watched this segment up to this point…you did NOT expect him to kick it up another notch.

After continuing to brow-beat her for a bit longer, Jake suddenly stood, up, grabbing her hair and violently pulling her up with him. That was enough to make your jaw drop and cause a, "What…" He held her hair and pointed at her as Gorilla Monsoon, on the play-by-play, yelled, "This is disgraceful! This is despicable!" Despite everything we saw from Jake up to this point, there was still a disbelief. They wouldn't actually have someone hit Miss Elizabeth…right? Sure, Hulk Hogan can atomic drop Sensational Sherri and nobody bats an eye, but Liz was special. This is reprehensible on the level of kicking a newborn puppy. And despite his character's actions over the past few months, you really didn't expect Jake to cross yet another line that was unheard of in its time.

The air goes out of the arena as Jake slaps Liz across the face. Gorilla Monsoon, channeling everyone's anger, yells, "He should be suspended for life! … He's not a man, he's an animal!" I think I would call the snakebite the most shocking moment of Jake's heel run over this one, but it's only because he broke that unbelievable barrier first, and in doing so threw up a signal that he doesn't recognize conventional boundaries.

Roberts goes to continue the segment, as if there's even more to be done here. He grabs the bag and appears to get ready to take the snake out. Jack Tunney finally shows up at the ring and yells something at him that seems to be enough to get Jake to finally be willing to leave. Jake smiles at Tunney and tries to shake his hand. Then he yells, "There's no snake in this bag!" He crosses himself and you can clearly read his lips saying, "Trust me."

Before moving on to the promo, another thought: part of the sheer horror of this segment actually is owed to the greatness of Randy Savage. Because of his maniacal, deeply intense character, when Elizabeth got slapped, it wasn't just, "Oh my God, that's awful." It was also, "Oh my God, Savage is literally going to murder this man when he wakes up." Savage's other amazing work throughout his career added a very certain something to this moment, because it really gave you the sense that: (1) this thing is going to escalate even further; and (2) how the hell much further is there to go? Gorilla gives voice to this, saying, "Wait 'til the Macho Man finds out what happened."

Backstage, Mean Gene catches up with Jake the Snake for one of the most iconic heel promos of all time.

Quote:

JAKE: Congratulate me Gene, huh?!

GENE: After taking a look at that, you are a bona fide sicko, Jake Roberts. Hitting a woman, how could you?!

JAKE: A woman. No man wants a woman who's going to lay down and grovel and beg for somebody's life. If it's a woman that I want, I want her to stand up. Stand up and be it. Be what I want. As far as slapping her, yeah, I slapped her <slaps himself>, I'll slap myself, I'll slap you, Gene Okerlund.

But I'll tell you something, Randy Savage. DDTing you was fine. That REALLY felt good. But the best feeling I've ever had in my life is when I grabbed a hold of your woman's hair and jerked her up off of her knees. Huh? That was good. And then when I put my hand across her face, my man, that felt so good I should have to pay for that. Yeah, I would pay to do that.

So the next time you think about crossing this snake's path, and a snake chooses his own path, where nobody else wants to go…you think about it again. But, if you do decide to, please do me one little favor. I'm begging you. Please bring her back. Let me touch her again. I can cultivate her into something that even I could want. Huh? I could do that. Trust me. Trust me.

GENE: Please. I refuse to -- Gorilla Monsoon, let's get back -- get out of here! Get the hell out of here!

Nobody did pure evil like Jake "The Snake" Roberts.

<snip>

Spoiler:

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02-26-2018 , 07:43 AM

#66

True North

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 23,703

That was one of the three I had on my list, which means I’ll likely get the other two.

First pick to come later this morning.

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02-26-2018 , 09:17 AM

#67

True North

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 23,703

Incidentally, I would’ve put significant money on LKJ picking the Jake heel turn.

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02-26-2018 , 10:35 AM

#68

True North

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 23,703

This should also come as no surprise to anyone...

Spoiler:

The background:

The Honky Tonk Man won the Intercontinental title from Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat in mid-1987, in a bit of a fluke. Nonetheless, one of the first guys to congratulate him was the former champion, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, who was thrilled Honky had bested Savage’s longtime nemesis Steamboat:

From there, Honky would invariably hang onto his new belt through DQs, countouts, and various chicanery involving manager Jimmy Hart and his ever-present megaphone. Still, the string of title defences had swelled Honky’s head considerably, to the point where he was calling himself “the greatest Intercontinental champion of all time”. Naturally, this didn’t sit well with Savage, the ACTUAL greatest Intercontinental champion of all time, nor did Honky’s insinuations toward his manager, Elizabeth. Savage, of course, had something to say about both.

Honky vs. Savage for the IC belt was set for Saturday Night’s Main Event in October.

The turn:

Nominally, although he was getting cheered more and more, Savage was still a heel, as he got interviewed in front of the purple curtains before his match:

Onto the match...Savage started out hot, and then it went back and forth for a bit before Jimmy Hart got bumped and had to be taken to the back. Honky was then joined at ringside by his stablemates, the reigning World Tag Team champions, The Hart Foundation. The match continued, and Savage had it won after delivering the flying elbow, before Bret Hart slid in to break up the pin and cause a disqualification. The three would then beat on Savage after the bell, and set it up for Savage to be brained with Honky’s guitar, when, all of a sudden, Elizabeth comes in to save her man!

Honky berated Elizabeth for a bit, before:

Elizabeth would then run to the back, and Honky would finish tuning his guitar on Savage’s head. But wait, there’s a rumbling in the crowd, Elizabeth has returned, with...OH MY GOD IT’S HULK HOGAN!!!

Hogan rushes to the ring and helps a recovering Savage clean house on the heels. The crowd is going ballistic, when the two run into each other and retreat into defensive postures. Savage, though, calls for a truce, and sticks out his hand. Hogan he’s totaled, looks to the crowd for approval, and then...

The whole post-match segment is here:

The aftermath:

Hogan and Savage would cement their new bromance with a backstage interview, and the Megapowers were born:

This, of course, was a seismic shift in the WWF. Savage rocketed to the top of the card and never really came down, winning the WWF title tournament at WrestleMania 4 and holding the belt for an entire year. The Megapowers angle is some of the best work WWE ever did.

Team:

Spoiler:

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02-26-2018 , 11:48 AM

#69

gs3737

Pooh-Bah

Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 4,615

Hey guys, won't be able to do write ups til prob tonight but don't wanna hold up the draft.

My two picks:

Spoiler:

and

Spoiler:

Write ups to come.

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02-26-2018 , 12:14 PM

#70

True North

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Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 23,703

Oh, damn, you sniped both of them (my next pick and the backup). Nicely done.

I’ll have to think some more now.

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02-26-2018 , 12:19 PM

#71

teejayC

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 8,085

How has no one picked a Big Show turn yet? Law of averages say 2 or 3 of his should have gone by now.

sorry for naming like 100 undrafteds

---

decent picks so far, only Mr. Perfect and Batista have made me raise my eyebrows slightly.

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02-26-2018 , 12:45 PM

#72

True North

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Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 23,703

I hadn’t wanted to take it, but it seems like the best one available by a fair bit, so I pick...

Spoiler:

Writeup to come tonight when I get home.

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02-26-2018 , 12:53 PM

#73

teejayC

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 8,085

Poncharello getting both the Andre heel turn and the Savage heel turn is pretty sick. I have him firmly in the lead so far.

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02-26-2018 , 12:57 PM

#74

LKJ

Smugly Contemptuous

Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 95,986

I select...

Spoiler:

Team:

Spoiler:

Quote

02-26-2018 , 01:11 PM

#75

True North

Carpal \'Tunnel

Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 23,703

I thought of that, but wasn’t really seeing a true turn there. Punk was turned more by circumstances than any definitive action on anyone’s part — no one kicked his leg out of his leg or anything

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