The Year That Was 1996 - Part 4

Please note that with this part I will start rating all matches shown in full.

Tommy Rich & Doug Gilbert + PG-13 Feud Recap (USWA 1/6/96)
We start with clips of PG-13 winning a Texas Death Match with The Rock and Roll Express. Jessie James Armstrong. and Tracy Smothers attack PG-13 after the match. Tommy Rich and Doug Gilbert have words with PG-13 after Rich was inadvertently punched by Wolfie D and this brings about some wild southern brawling. The USWA sets up a round robin tag tournament with the winner facing WWF Tag champs The Smoking Gunns. There is also some prior history between Rich/Gilbert and PG-13. This involves the teams trading wins (Rich/Gilbert through cheating and PG-13 stealing a win with a schoolboy rollup), in the rubber match Rich and Gilbert cheat to win the tag belts. I must mention these two teams had a great brawl all over the studio, something that is missing in today's wrestling. Rich/Gilbert spray a chemical in Wolfie D's eye and PG-13 retaliates by hitting Rich's left arm with a baseball bat. There is so much here, what a feud they have built. There's more, Rich beats Wolfie D in a hair vs hair match by having Gilbert run in with an ether soaked towel to know out D. Wolfie D does a complete Jimmy Valiant with his facial expressions during the shaving. PG-13 them win the tag titles from Gilbert and Rich in a cage match only to be piledriven through a table. I will also mention that the cage they had this match in surrounds the ringside area ala Hell in a Cell, Vince steals ideas from everyone. Fast forward to the current date and they confront each other over their past and another wild brawl ensues.

Tommy Rich & Eddie Gilbert vs. PG-13 - USWA Tag Team Championship (USWA 1/6/96) [**3/4]
We get a good TV match that had a good flow but lacked the psychology I love. There wasn't a lot of wrestling here but more along the lines of southern brawling. PG-13 wins the titles after Gilbert mistimes a punch with a chain wrapped fist and nails his partner. The story got across that Doug Gilbert isn't all in with Rich and there is some developing friction between the two.

HBK Press Conference (RAW 1/8/96)
Against doctors orders Shawn declares his intent to enter the Royal Rumble. He claims he will win the title at Wrestlemania and be the champion to being the WWF into the new millennium. How wrong he would be as he would be temporarily out of wrestling in a little over 2 years. Scheme Gene says that he has another name entering the Rumble but you will have to call the hotline to find out who it is. Jim Ross goads the information out of him and Gene says its Vader Time. The Scheme Gene stuff was actually good here, not as offensive as it would later become.

Brother Love Show: Steve Austin & Ted DiBiase (RAW 1/8/96)
This was the Ringmaster, where he states his intentions to win the Rumble, and go on to win the title. The gimmick isn't horrible but it is not suited for Austin. He is pretty much in Stunning form here as opposed to the Stone Cold he would be by May. Besides being officially crowned the million dollar champion, there wasn't much of substance here.

Billionaire Ted Skit (RAW 1/8/96)
This is where we start really getting some underhandedness from these skits. What is inferred here is that the WCW wrestlers do not undergo drug tests and are roided freaks. They attack WCW's brad of wrastlin' as not believable and these skits are horrible on many levels.