Opinion

Cook’s Top 5: 1997 Wrestling Memories

Steve Cook continues his journey through time with a look at 1997, an infamous year in pro wrestling, and a nefarious year for Mr. Cook…

Published

5 years ago

June 27, 2020

Steve Cook

Vince McMahon Bret Screwed Bret WWE WWF Montreal ScrewjobChairshot Edit

Steve Cook continues his journey through time with a look at 1997, an infamous year in pro wrestling, and a nefarious year for Mr. Cook…

I told you last week how 1996 was all about laying the seeds for the future. 1997 saw some of those seeds start to blossom.

Every major wrestling promotion was on fire this year. WCW had never been bigger. ECW was getting onto PPV television, which would take them to another financial level. Then there was the WWF, which had one of the most eventful years of its existence. There were definitely some bumps in the road, but this was the year where the WWF got its groove back.

Let’s go back to 1997 and continue my thirtieth anniversary celebration with my five biggest memories of one of wrestling’s most notable years.

5. The Black Box

I’ve been telling on myself a lot lately, and here’s something else I took part in when I was younger that some of you may frown upon. Or, perhaps some of you may identify with it. You know how cable comes with a black box? Well, sometime in the 1990s, somebody started producing illegal black boxes that made PPV & premium channels like HBO, Showtime, Cinemax & The Movie Channel available without a certain amount of money per event or month.

Somebody in my family obtained one during 1997, which meant I could watch wrestling PPVs as they happened. Up until this point, I was stuck watching these events months after they happened via Blockbuster Video. The world opened up. I was so excited to watch PPVs live & living color. Then when I found out about the Hot Choice channel…well let’s just say I learned a good number of things my parents were too embarrassed to talk about. YEAH BUDDY.

4. The Starrcade Debacle

WCW had a really good 1997. It was all about the build to Starrcade, featuring the match we had wanted to see since 1996’s Fall Brawl. Hollywood Hogan vs. Sting. The Stinger had hung out in the rafters for several months & changed his wardrobe to a darker Crow-style look. He became a bigger star than ever, and everybody was ready to see him take the title off of Hogan in dominating fashion.

That didn’t happen. Instead, Hogan dominated the match & even got a fair 3-count over Sting. One problem: it was supposed to be a fast count and was sold as such by the announcers & Bret Hart, a troubleshooting referee on this evening that decided there wasn’t going to be any funny business. Another problem: Sting didn’t do a whole heck of a lot during the match. It was a tremendous letdown, and unfortunately a sign of things to come. Even though 1998 had its high points too.

3. USA vs. Canada

It all started with the greatest face/heel turn of all time. Bret Hart broke bad while the fans were finally allowed to cheer for Steve Austin. There was a bit of a twist though. See, Canada and pretty much every country other than the United States still looked up to Bret as a hero figure. It was only in the USA where the culture had been overtaken by tawdry material like the Jerry Springer Show, Howard Stern’s radio show & whatever Donald Trump was doing at the time that the fans had grown tired of Bret’s squeaky-clean persona. So, Bret doubled down on his representing Canda and got his entire family back together. Bret, Owen, Davey Boy Smith, Jim Neidhart & Brian Pillman formed a new Hart Foundation that ran roughshod over the WWF for most of 1997.

Bret has said this was the most fun period of his career, and as a fan it was one of the most fun times for me as well. Raw went up to Canada fairly often in 1997, and it was cool to see the crowd reactions to different wrestlers change by the week. Every WWF crowd in 1997 was hot. Calgary’s Canadian Stampede crowd might have been the hottest of all time from start to finish. WCW still led in the ratings, but the WWF was winning over the audience on the streets. You could tell it was only a matter of time before the WWF took the top spot, and this angle had a lot to do with it.

2. Austin Stuns McMahon

Steve Austin had a serious injury at SummerSlam that would play a major factor in cutting his career short. At this time, he was as hot as any WWF babyface had ever been even if he wasn’t able to wrestle, so he had to remain on TV every week doing things. Mainly delivering the Stone Cold Stunner to people.

Tension had been building between Austin & the friendly lead announcer for months, and it was bound to come to a head at some point. When it finally did at Madison Square Garden, the reaction from the crowd was similar to what I imagine it would be if the Knicks won the NBA Finals. Vince’s terrible sell of the move just added to the moment.

1. “Bret Screwed Bret”

It’s only one of the most talked about moments in pro wrestling history. A night that changed the course of wrestling for good. I don’t need to sit here and tell you about the circumstances behind the Montreal Screwjob. Since we’re back in 1997, we need to talk about my initial reaction.

Vince McMahon was full of shit.

What we saw on television was pretty shady, then we saw an interview with Vince where he came off like a man with his head up his rear end. I’m sure there were those that sympathized with Vince, but the pro-Bret camp was definitely the majority. To their credit, the WWF was smart enough to realize this, and were more likely to go along with public opinion than they would be in later years. Vince’s move towards being an evil boss that had already started earlier in the year picked up speed. As for Bret, he moved on to WCW, and the less said about that the better.

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

2 weeks ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

1 month ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1