Hog Wild '96: Chris Benoit (w/ Woman & Miss Elizabeth) vs. Dean Malenko
Date: August 11, 1996
Link: http://network.wwe.com/video/v31660407
Background: Dean Malenko had just randomly started attacking Chris Benoit on Nitro (maybe there was some weekend build that I'm unaware of that led to this), and then Jimmy Hart pledged to get Dean Malenko a Cruiserweight Title shot if he would take Benoit down, due to Benoit's ongoing feud with the Dungeon of Doom. Apparently this title shot already happened and Dean already lost it.
The Match: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan, Dusty Rhodes on the call. Nick Patrick the referee. Staredown in the middle. Benoit suddenly shoots low with a double-leg and pounds away. Dean flips over and pounds back. Benoit fights his way back up, and the two fight for position in the corner until Benoit pulls Dean away, whips him into the ropes, and buries a knee into his midsection on the way back. Turnbuckle smash and a couple of punches, but Malenko continues the back and forth by fighting his way out of the corner and then executing a delayed suplex. Neckbreaker by the Iceman, then an elbow drop gets two.
Reverse chinlock by Malenko. Benoit fights his way free and then plants a kick to Malenko's midsection, following quickly with a headbutt, and the Crippler is back on offense, smashing him into the turnbuckle and choking him along the top rope. Legdrop by Benoit as the announcers say that it's been "all Chris Benoit," which isn't particularly true. Hard chops by Benoit, and a back elbow after whipping Dean into the ropes. Multiple covers for two-counts by Benoit. Malenko kips up, and the two counter back and forth with dueling pinning combos for two-counts. More chain wrestling culminates in a backslide by Dean that gets two. Hip-toss into an armbar by Malenko. Benoit powers his way all the way out to his feet and then drops Malenko on his back.
Snap-suplex by Benoit. Two. Into an abdominal stretch. Dean escapes from that with a leg drag, but Benoit puts him back down. Snapmare into a reverse chinlock. Malenko works his way out, the two trade blows, and then the two have a mid-ring collision as both go for a cross-body. Benoit up a little before, whips Dean into the corner, Dean avoids the turnbuckle and jumps over to the apron, heads to the top, Benoit blocks a top rope axhandle and hits a snap-suplex. Benoit to the top this time, swandive headbutt connects. Slow cover leads to a two-count.
Benoit sets up for a tombstone, Malenko counters into his own tombstone, successfully executes it but not particularly well, and goes for multiple covers as he futilely attempts to get a pinfall out of it. Benoit reverses a corner whip, Malenko gets a boot up as Benoit charges in. Malenko tries following, Benoit counters into a small package. Two. Malenko charges at Benoit along the ropes and carries both men out over the top to the floor.
Both very slow to get up. Again Benoit up a little faster, as he kicks Malenko, but Malenko blocks a post attempt and posts Benoit instead before rolling him back in. Dean slowly climbs to the top rope, telegraphing that Benoit is going to catch him and stop him. Benoit climbs up with him and connects on a nice superplex. They work their way back up. Benoit with a slam and a cover for two. Malenko with a nice release German suplex for yet another two-count. Small package by Benoit doesn't work out, Benoit with a short clothesline that doesn't finish Dean either. Misses on another short clothesline, Malenko puts Benoit down, and we see another failed cover. This is way too many cover attempts.
Northern lights suplex by Dean gets two. A better northern lights suplex by Benoit gets two. German by Benoit gets two. Ring announcer gives us a five-minute warning. Been a while since I've heard a time limit warning in any match. A slam by Benoit into a modified Boston crab, close to a Lion Tamer. Releases the hold, whips his man into the ropes, back elbow sends Dean outside, then Benoit follows with a pescado to the floor. Benoit rolls Malenko in, traps Dean's arms with his legs, then bridges back for a pin. Two. Victory roll by Dean gets two.
Malenko fights hard and finishes a backslide. Still no good. Benoit sends him into the ropes, Malenko counters with a roll-up on the way back for two. Benoit tries a couple more covers. Nope. Benoit powerbomb gets two.
Benoit to the top, Malenko catches him going up and executes his own superplex. Cover gets two as the ring announcer gives us a 30-second warning. Malenko rolls through for another failed pinning combo. Malenko powerbomb gets only two as the time limit runs out. Oh, but we're going to five-minute overtime by declaration of Nick Patrick. Frankly I was ready to be done with this one. Benoit slugs Malenko, back suplexes him, gets another two. Tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two. Benoit slaps Malenko's finishing hold, the Texas Cloverleaf, on. Malenko fights toward the ropes, Benoit drags him back to the middle, Malenko keeps fighting through the hold and Benoit eventually just releases it as the ring announcer gives us a three-minute warning.
Enziguiri by Malenko. He's slow to get up, and then the two collide once he does. Malenko suddenly has an injured leg, and Benoit immediately goes on the attack, kicking at that leg and then grapevining it. Malenko still refuses to give up, and Benoit releases at the one-minute warning. He jumps on Dean's leg a couple more times, then cinches the same grapevine back in. Thirty seconds remaining. Malenko fights his way into the rope break. A small package by Dean gets kicked out of as time expires. Nick Patrick sends it to another five-minute overtime, which the crowd loudly boos. They're bored with this too. Bobby Heenan tries to say that they're booing because they think that Benoit should be the winner.
Backdrop by Benoit. Legwhip by Malenko. Dragon suplex by Benoit gets two. Goes for another, Dean escapes, Benoit sits down into a pinning combo, two-count. Dropkick by the Crippler misses. Texas Cloverleaf by Malenko. Benoit fights out of it, so Dean has to transition into an STF. Woman tries running interference, Malenko starts to go after her, Benoit with the schoolboy, and that finally gets the three-count.
Result: Chris Benoit via pinfall (26:55)
Meltzer Rating: ****1/4
My Review and Rating: Yeah, this match isn't very good. There are scattered good spots here and there, but way fewer of them than you would expect from these two men. There was no particular story. The crowd wasn't into it at all, and even got the opportunity to state clearly that they were mad that they had to keep watching it by the time a second overtime was ordered. Seriously, when a live crowd boos the fact that they have to keep watching a match, how can that match possibly be four stars? **