From the Bowery: OMG! The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History (Disc 1)

From the Bowery: OMG! The Top 50 Incidents in WWE History (Disc 1)

-I’m a sucker for countdowns, so I figured I might as well see what this WWE did with this list. Last countdown list was Top WWE superstars and that caused all kinds of controversy (ask Hart, Bret and Angle, Kurt), but I haven’t heard any about this list. Let’s go to it!

-WWE missed the boat here as there isn’t a proper host, and considering the title of the DVD, Joey Styles would have been the man for the job.

# 50 – Seeing Double – 5th February, 1988
-This would be the Hogan/Andre rematch on The Main Event that had a record viewing audience of 33 million people. Think about that number for a second? That number alone should make this a lot higher on this list. This is here for the twin referee finish with Hogan getting screwed out of the title in a moment that made me cry as a 7 year old. Yes, you are allowed to laugh at me if you want. CM Punk speaks and tells how Dibiase spent money for the plastic surgery, and even he bought that as a kid. Punk on here is already a plus for this DVD as this is something made for him.

# 49 – Nexus is Here – 7th June, 2010
-Had this angle not been botched this could have been a lot higher. With that said this was still a hell of a deal at the time because it was something we hadn’t seen in years on WWE TV. The former Nexus members put over the moment and we get Bryan screaming “you are not better than me” at Cena.

# 48 – Chokeslam to Hell – 7th June, 1999
-We head to RAW and see where Show chokeslams Taker through the ring. Great visual, but ECW did it earlier with Bigelow and Tazz. Still it’s a pretty awesome spot. The ring breaking while the Show is involved will probably come up again.

# 47 – Backlot Brawl – 31st March, 1996
-This would be the WrestleMania XII brawl between Piper and Goldust that took place in a backlot. Punk brings the funny as he mentions Piper had retired about 30 times by the point. Chris Masters brings up the fact they reused stock footage of the OJ chase. Punk calls this a precursor to the attitude era, and Cena backs him up on that. I could have done without Goldust getting stripped to lingerie, but maybe that’s just me.

# 46 – Wedding Surprise – 7th September, 1991
-Savage and Liz tie the knot at SummerSlam and at the reception Liz opens a gift that contains a cobra. Jake Roberts then decks Savage and taunts Liz with the snake. Awesome stuff! This should have been much higher as it reignited the careers of both men and gave us one of the best (albeit brief) feuds in recent history.

# 45 – Cena’s Feat of Strength – 5th April, 2009
-Well, I was there in Houston for this one, and don’t really have a problem with it on the list, but wouldn’t put it higher than some of the ones that we already saw. Still, Cena lifting Show and Edge for the AA is fucking insane even if we didn’t get to see the finished move. That probably would have sucked for Edge though.

# 44 – Concrete Crypt – 27th June, 2004
-Really? I am still dumbfounded by this whole ordeal as a PPV was closed with Taker fighting The Dudley Boys in a handicap match. If that’s not bad enough Paul Heyman is controlling a lever that is pouring cement into a chamber housing Paul Bearer. Taker wins the match and then decides to “kill” Paul Bearer by pulling the lever to fill the chamber. As bad as it sounds!

# 43 – DX Invades WCW – 27th April, 1998
-Funny stuff here as DX rolls a tank to the Norfolk Scope where WCW is holding Nitro. Punk mentions the WWF was getting shit kicked out of them in the ratings and they needed to do something to counter. This just makes me miss the Monday Night Wars even more. I still think WCW should have let them roll the tank down to the ring, and Tyson Kidd says the same thing.

# 42 – Dumpster Stage Dive – 2nd February, 1998
-Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie have a hardcore brawl that ends with Cactus coming off the Titan-tron with an elbow into a dumpster. The New Age Outlaws hit the scene, tie the lid shut, and roll it off the stage to the concrete floor to a massive pop from the crowd. Daniel Bryan mentions that he freaked out because Terry Funk was too old for something like that. Ha!

# 41 – Grocery Store Attack – 13th December, 2001
-This whole deal was just kind of surreal, but had some pretty hilarious moments. Booker T is eating some cereal in the supermarket, and then gets his ass beat relentless by Austin. They have a ball with this as they use the environment in every way possible, and make as many food related puns as possible. Goofy, but fun! Cena mentions he would have done more gags if he was in that spot, and that doesn’t surprise me. Actually, give me Rock/Cena in a super market and watch as the Fruity Pebbles fly.

# 40 – Triple H Meets Escalator – 8th February, 1997
-Taker tombstones HHH on an escalator at Penn Station on an episode of Shotgun Saturday Night. That show was genius in the early days as they set up a ring in night clubs and other unusual places. They need to do something like that again to give the product a fresh feel. Punk makes a joke where he says he was worried about HHH’s nice hair getting stuck in the escalator. I love Punk!

# 39 – Tim White Tries to End it All
-This was just in horrible taste, and I can’t believe they are even talking about. Even Punk laughs at the absurdity of the angle and questions why it is on the list. Basically Tim White was injured in Hell in a Cell match (legit) and it ended his career as a ref. He then did depressing interviews with Josh Matthews on WWE.com and it built to White killing himself. The WWE received some backlash and opted to turn the thing into a weekly running gag on wwe.com where White tries to kill himself. At least they went way over the top so that it wasn’t taken so seriously by the end. Punk spends the entire time just laughing at the notion of the show and then shakes his head in disbelief.

# 38 – Bischoff – New Raw GM – 15th July, 2002
-Only #38? What the hell are they thinking? This should easily be Top 20 at the worst and I may be short changing it there. JR mentions he wanted to soil himself and compares it to Satan reuniting with his little brother just outside the gates of Hell. Wow, tell us what you really think JR! Booker says nobody ever saw that coming, and really can’t argue with that one. Just one of those crazy ass moments in this business!

# 37 – Orton Thumbtacks – 18th April, 2004
-The match that made Randy Orton’s career and one of better brawls you will ever see. Specifically they call out the spot where Orton goes for a RKO, but gets tossed off into a pile of thumbtacks. Just a nasty spot and credit to Orton for taking that spot like a man.

# 36 – Unholy Wedding – 26th April, 1999
-The Undertaker kidnaps Steph, ties her to a cross symbol, and has Paul Bearer marry the two in an Unholy Wedding. Fortunately Steve Austin saves the day and in the process helps out Vince McMahon. The response to Austin from the crowd is pretty nuts, but whole thing meant jack shit when Vince ended up being the Higher Power.

# 35 – Mad Dog Vachon Loses Leg – 28th April, 1996
-Hell Yeah! This was before the Attitude Era so seeing Diesel rip off Vachon’s prosthetic leg was insane at the time. That draws some unreal heat from the crowd and Grisham gives him credit for creative thinking. Apparently not a big enough moment though as they only spend 15 seconds discussing it. So, moving right along then!

# 34 – Haiti Kid Gets Haircut – 7th March, 1986
-This is just hilarious and kind of mean spirited (which Piper excelled at) as he shaves the head of midget wrestler, Haiti Kid to look like Mr. T. Cowboy Bob Orton holding him up as he feet dangle is just one of those priceless moments you can only get from pro-wrestling. Then all the good will is lost as they use Santino to work in that bullying is not cool. What they hell was that about? I am all for anti-bullying (having been bullied myself), but I can’t even escape their propaganda on a DVD release? It’s just a midget getting a haircut, but I guess the 80s were a less complicated time.

# 33 – Hospital Visiting Hours – 5th October, 1998
-The Undertaker and Kane break Vince’s ankle confining him to a hospital bed. That gives us Mankind visiting, and the birth of Mr. Socko. That alone makes this noteworthy, but then things get even better as Austin beats the piss out of McMahon including a brilliant shot with a bed pan to the head. Hilarious! Daniel Bryan mentions was one of the funnier things he’d had seen and CM Punk calls it a classic moment.

# 32 – Jarrett Plays a Number with Moolah – 9th September, 1999
-Jarrett is in a feud with Chyna and is going full anti-woman, so after Moolah talks some shit, she gets blasted with a guitar for her trouble. Props to Moolah for taking that shot, and then Jarrett goes a step further as he puts Mae Young in the figure four.

# 31 – Edge Cashes in Money in the Bank – 8th January, 2006
-The very first cash in, and probably still the best as nobody knew when it was coming, and didn’t know how this was all going to play out. Cena survives an Elimination Chamber match much to the displeasure of the fans, but they get sent home happy as Edge cashes in his Money in the Bank shot. In a nice little touch, Edge hands the briefcase over to Vince McMahon, and I always liked that attention to detail. The coolest thing is that Edge was a despicable villain, but the sheer joy of winning the WWE Title for the first time hits him, and you can see tears of joy in his eyes. I love moments like that where something so special causes them to break character if even for a brief second.

# 30 – Got Milk ? – 20th August, 2001
-The Alliance sings “Wind Beneath my Wings” to cap Austin Appreciation night, but Kurt Angle crashes the party by driving a milk truck to the ring. In a play on Austin’s beer truck, Angle sprays down the Alliance with ice cold milk. The best part is him chucking cartons of milk in the ring with some force. This time period was probably the most over Angle has ever been as face. I was hoping Punk would make a joke about Angle being wholesome and drinking only milk, but no dice.

# 29 – Kiss My Ass Club
-Regal is the first member of the Kiss my Ass Club and he mentions that it was an honor. No seriously, he said that, and he means it. JR mentions it was top moment of his career and reason he got put in the Hall of Fame. Unlike Regal he obviously isn’t serious. Back to Regal for a second as I know he had no problem with the idea because he feels he owes his life to Vince McMahon. He has said several times he would take a bullet for him, and I’m not one to doubt him.

# 28 – Jeff Hardy Pyro Gone Bad – 16th January, 2009
-This seems kind of weak compared to some of the shit that Hardy has done. The fact that Goldberg used to stand in that shit makes Hardy look like a pussy as well. To the WWE’s credit, the kids and women in the crowd bought this as a serious moment. Now, Taker getting legit burned by his pyro at The Elimination Chamber I could buy.

# 27 – Austin Blows Up DX Bus – 27th April, 2000
-Austin makes a brief return while recovering from neck surgery and blows up the DX Express by dropping a steel beam on it. Yep, that’s about it really!

# 26 – Wedding in Vegas – 29th November, 1999
-Now this is more like it as HHH becomes a star by interrupting the Test/Stephanie McMahon wedding and reveals he drugged Steph and married her at drive through chapel in Las Vegas. Their pairing led to real life romance, and now HHH is the heir to the throne. Regal says he was married to at least six of his wives in the same manner. Nice! Cena mentions he was in the crowd as a fan for that which is pretty cool actually.

# 25 – Snitsky Punts Baby – 8th November, 2004
-Lita was pregnant with Kane’s demon seed, but she had a miscarriage when unknown Gene Snitsky pushed Kane on top of her. Snitsky was then booked as a monster as he beat the piss out of Kane at Taboo Tuesday, and became known as the baby killer. This is from RAW as he teases Lita with a baby on the highlight reel, and then punts the baby into the crowd. Lawler is cracking up as he recalls the moment, and even Regal calls it one of the funniest things he’s ever seen. Punk says he doesn’t think it was meant to be funny, but it damn sure came off that way.

# 24 – Concrete Corvette – 12th October, 1998
-In an act of defiance to Steve Austin, Vince McMahon drove his white corvette from Connecticut to RAW, and obviously that’s going to end well. Austin commandeers a cement truck and destroys the corvette by pouring a shit load of cement in it. Cena cries over the fact that car was destroyed since he is such a car buff and collector. Now this is proper use of cement compared to that earlier Paul Bearer fiasco.

# 23 – Snake Bites Macho Man – 23rd November, 1991
-Way to fucking low in my opinion, but again that may just be me. Roberts squashes a jobber on SuperStars and then taunts Savage as he calls the action from the broadcast booth. Savage heads to the ring, but gets tied in the ropes and has a cobra latched onto his bicep in a moment that freaked me out as a kid. Masters mentions that he was traumatized as well, and even JTG mentions it made him cry. Daniel Bryan says pretty much the same and makes me feel better about coming to tears as well. Punk wishes they could more of that stuff now in the WWE. This is just another reason why Savage is one of greatest ever: HE LET A FUCKING COBRA CHOMP ON HIS ARM TO GET AN ANGLE OVER!

# 22 – Shane McMahon, Daredevil – 27th August, 2000
-We cover the exploits of Shane McMahon in the ring and Santino calls him an adrenaline junky. I but that! This covers SummerSlam where Shane takes a ridiculous fall off the Titan Tron in a match against Steve Blackman for the Hardcore Title. Coincidentally in WCW just a month earlier, Sting a stuntman took a similar fall in a match against Vampiro. Sure, it was probably the smart thing to do, but this showed the difference in the two companies.

# 21 – Barber Shop Window – 11th January, 1992
-WOOO! Greatest split of a tag team ever! Shawn and Marty bury the hatchet and vow to make the Rockers work, but just as quickly Shawn super kicks him and tosses him throw the glass window on the barbershop set. Dolph is my hero as he makes sure to mention Heenan’s classic line: “Jannetty tried to dive through the window to escape.” I love Bobby Heenan! Thankfully they don’t go to black and white as they show the blood pouring down Marty’s face. They talking heads mention that symbolically it showed which way each man’s career would ending up heading. A big pet peeve of mine is that people always think Shawn super kicked him through the window, but that’s just my own little thing.

# 20 – Edge Spears Jeff – 1st April, 2001
-This was the pinnacle of the last golden age of tag wrestling in the WWE as these three teams have been beating the shit out of each other nearly 2 years. In this instance Hardy gets caught hanging above the ring and Edge leaps off a nearby ladder to deliver the mother of all spears. Still breathe taking to watch and kind of scary at the same time.

# 19 – Kane sets JR on Fire – 14th July, 2003
-JR does a sit down interview with a recently unmasked Kane, and it ends with JR getting set on fire. No really! Santino makes a joke about JR loving barbecue, and Regal mentions that the ordeal disturbed him. Sadly we don’t get JR’s take. What’s up with that?

# 18 – Stone Cold Stuns Mr. McMahon – 22nd September, 1997
-Historic moment here as McMahon takes the first of what would be many stunners to come. The MSG crowd ate up every moment of this, and it launched the angle that would make Vince McMahon a billionaire. Good stuff here!

# 17 – Kurt and Shane Battle – 24th June, 2001
-This is a forgotten classic as Kurt and Shane put on one hell of a match. It started out as a wrestling match and degenerated into a hardcore brawl where Shane gets dropped on his head following a belly to belly suplex into a glass panel. This is painful to watch as several times the glass didn’t break and poor Shane took a hellacious beating. The match ends with an Angle Slam from the top rope, and Shane receives a standing ovation as his blood carcass is carried to the back. Just a sick, brutal match to watch, so I think I need to find my copy and watch it again.

# 16 – Jeff Swanton off Tron – 14th January, 2008
-This was the first serious singles push for Jeff as he was heading to the Royal Rumble and a WWE Title match with Randy Orton. On an episode of RAW he backdrops Orton off the stage and then follows with a Swanton off the a section of the Titan Tron! Regal says he doesn’t know how he survived or how Hardy is still here. I’m sure a lot of people are wondering about the second part to that question.

# 15 – Edge Spears Foley – 2nd April, 2006
-Yes! Yes! Yes! WrestleMania 22 sees Foley and Edge tear the house down in a hardcore match that ends with Edge spearing Foley off the apron and through a flaming table. The fact that barbed wire and thumbtacks weren’t the high spot of the match says something. The crazy thing is that Edge went face first into a fucking flaming table. Sure Foley took the move, but Edge was the one basically face planting into a fire.

# 14 – Stone Cold Zamboni – 28th September, 1998
-This seems kind of high to me, but at the time it was one hell of a moment. Austin drives a zamboni to the ring to crash Vince McMahon naming either Taker or Kane as the new WWF Champion. The crowd loses their mind as Austin dives off the zamboni and onto Vince. This was the first of many instances where Austin got behind the wheel of a vehicle.

# 13 – Piper hits Snuka with Coconut – 17th July, 1984
-Piper does an episode of the Pit with Snuka and insults him by tossing bananas and pineapples at him. Snuka just calmly takes the abuse as Piper calls him a monkey (would never get away with that one today). Snuka asks if he is making fun of him, and Piper says no before blasting him in the head with a coconut. In a hilarious story, Santino mentions he wanted to see how real this was so he blasted his brother with a coconut and it knocked him out! Don’t try this at home my ass.

# 12 – WWE buys WCW – 26th March, 2001
-This should be top 5 just because nobody saw this day coming. Vince McMahon shows up on Nitro live from RAW and mentions he has bought WCW. I remember this day vividly and still it just unreal to think it actually happened. Shane shows up saying he is the one that bought WCW in what should be been the single greatest angle ever, but stupidity and not being patient killed it all. Too bad for us fans!

# 11 – Unbreakable Mae Young
-This is not one real moment as it is instead just a highlight package of all the crazy shit Mae Young has done in her run with the WWF. They include the puppies being exposed at the Rumble, Bubba giving her a powerbomb off the stage through a table, and of course her pregnancy. Daniel Bryan doesn’t seem all that thrilled with the idea, but Lawler has a good laugh at it. In his defense Lawler at least calls it the dumbest thing he’s ever seen.

# 10 – Big Show’s Father’s Funeral – 11th November, 1999
-This is way too damn high. Seriously, how is this above the snake bite, the death of WCW, or Bischoff showing up as GM? Show’s father had died and Boss Man crashes the funeral with a police car. He ties a chain to the casket and pulls it while Show climbs on top. Again we get to Lawler, and he is nearly in tears at the absurdity. Actually everyone they talk to is in tears from laughing at the angle. I don’t think that was the response they wanted at the time.

# 9 – Montreal Screwjob – 9th November, 1997
-This should probably be Top 5 as well because no single moment has been talked about or replicated since then. You all know the story of this one by now, and there’s no need to rehash an issue that has beaten into the ground for 14 years. Just concentrating on the talking heads, Lawler mentions he was absolutely shocked sitting at ringside. Regal said he would have do whatever he had to do, and can’t pick sides because he would have done whatever he could to take care of himself. Daniel Bryan mentions it made him hate Vince McMahon because he was a Bret Hart fan. Striker calls it the most infamous moment in WWF history and yet on #9 on this list.

# 8 – Big Show and Brock Lesnar Break Ring – 12th June, 2003
-This is way too damn high even if it was a pretty awesome moment. Perhaps they just wanted to get Brock on the DVD. Hearing the Miz talk about Brock makes me want to see a match between the two just because Miz playing the chicken shit hell before getting murdered would be great. On SmackDown Brock delivers a superplex to Show and it causes the ring to fall to pieces. The reaction from the crowd is pretty epic and so is Brock’s reaction when he gets to his feet. Good times, but not Top 10 worthy in my opinion.

# 7 – Tyson and Austin – 19th January, 1998
-This was best money Vince ever spent as it got the world talking and helped get Austin over to a bigger audience. Not because people didn’t know Austin, but because he went toe to toe with Mike Fucking Tyson back when Tyson still his bad ass aura. It got the WWF a ton of press and helped usher in the Austin and Attitude Era that made Vince a very rich man. Even Bischoff admitted that when he heard McMahon got Tyson it worried him a little.

# 6 – Mr. McMahon’s Limo Blows Up – 11th June, 2007
-Vince McMahon has an appreciation night for himself, but it gets ruined as everyone talks shit about him. He walks backstage to his limo with all the boys watching and Daniel Bryan brings up Paul London snickering while everyone else is silent. This was also a play on the Sopranos season finale as instead of fading to black we get Vince’s limo blowing up with him inside. Just a fucking fantastic moment, but never got a proper conclusion because of the Benoit murders/suicide. They mention that some people did call the police and they responded to the calls. Cena brings up that it was a fake death without ever mentioning why.

# 5 – Sable Handprints – 26th July, 1998
-Seriously? On the list sure, but no way it should be this high. Sable wins a bathing suit challenge by taking off her shirt and revealing handprints on her tits. Lawler’s reaction is absolutely priceless. Santino says the first thing he thought was whose handprints were they? Cena says it is a moment he will never forget. If you are going to include that then you might as well bring up the Kat showing all at Armageddon in 1999. I mean obviously they wouldn’t because rated G, but could have at least alluded to it.

# 4 – Snuka Off the Steel Cage – 17th October, 1983
-Again, memorable moment, but no way is this Top 5 either. No matter, Snuka jumps off the top of the cage and hits the splash on Muraco in a moment that shaped the career of Mick Foley. Santino says it is the first hardcore thing he has ever seen in his life, and something he will never forget.

# 3 – Pillman’s Got a Gun – 4th November, 1996
-Now this is more like at as this angle nearly got the WWF kicked off the USA Network. “When Austin 3:16 meets Pillman 9 millimeter glock, I am going to blast his sorry ass straight to hell.” I miss TV like this. Austin broke Pillman’s ankle and then tried to attack him Live on RAW at Pillman’s house. Pillman defended himself with a gun, and that pissed USA off because that wasn’t run by them first. I can’t believe they are actually airing this unedited considering the moved to PG TV. Though this DVD set is rated TV-14, so props to the WWE for that.

# 2 – Beer Bath – 22nd March, 1999
-Why is the WWF so infatuated with this moment? Sure it was funny and a memorable moment, but #2? Anyway, Austin drives a Coors Light truck to the ring and hoses down Shane, Vince, and The Rock. Vince steals the show as he swims in a pool of beer. Austin nearly blows out his tonsils as he tries to get a drink from the hose. Again, hilarious and memorable moment, I can’t see it being ranked this high.

# 1 – Mankind thrown off Cell – 28th June, 1998
-Now, as far as #1 goes, I don’t have any problem with this at all. I must mention this took place in the Igloo in Pittsburgh, PA. Lawler calls it the most horrifying thing he has ever see, and everyone else pretty much backs him up on that. The first fall is always the more famous of the two, but the second fall through the top of the cell is the more painful one to watch. I still shake my head watching now, and have no earthly idea how Foley was able to get through that match. All the credit to Taker for walking Mick through it until he realized where he was at.

-Video package closes things out as I get the stupid “Oh my God” lyric they have been repeating endlessly during this countdown in my head.

The 411: Will always be discussion and second guessing with any Top 50 list, but there wasn't too much wrong with this list. Lots of fun memories and moments and a worthwhile to spend a few hours. Two more discs to go as we get some of the matches and angles from the list.
Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]