Friday Night's Main Event - Recap for August 29, 1997

"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels shows up with a steel chair in his hands to start tonight's show. Three weeks ago, he couldn't get anyone in the WWF to agree with him that what happened at SummerSlam was a mistake, but now everyone says it was a mistake. He says everyone conveniently believes him after what happened last week, when he was painted into a corner and into a situation where he had no other choice but to react. He says there are guys in the WWF with bad attitudes who call themselves ticking time bombs, but in the real world, he is the ticking time bomb who will be forced to be reactionary when painted into a corner and lash out without thinking. He says what happened last week was just that, and he has said over and over not to push him, but he was pushed too far and a reaction occurred. While it may not be the reaction everyone wants, it is a reaction nonetheless, and now everyone believes he has signed his own death warrant. Shawn then says there is only one guy who decides what he does and does not do: himself. One thing he will not do at Ground Zero is lay down and die for The Undertaker. He freely admits he did not want any of this to happen, but since he is the only guy with "a set of balls" in the World Wrestling Federation, he will go ahead and take whatever is coming to him. He tells The Undertaker have never, ever crossed paths, and at Ground Zero, he will lock up, and if The Undertaker wants to bring him down, he might be able to bring him down, but he will take The Undertaker and everyone else with him as he is going in a blaze of fire. After being agitated by crowd chants for The Undertaker, he threatens to get in the crowd and beat people. He then suggests that The Undertaker that it is not him will go down at Ground Zero, but it will be him who becomes the first person to make The Undertaker rest in peace permanently, the first time with a steel chair and the second probable time with a Mack truck, and he will dance all over his corpse when he is done.

Before the next match, Vader pumps the crowd up by saying it's Vader Time. When Bret "The Hit Man" Hart shows up, he says he can't understand how "a big tube of shit" can get a WWF Championship shot out of thin air, then tells him "I'm gonna kick your ass." Bret gets walloped with a clothesline as he threatens to "kick [Vader's] fat ass" before Vader breaks the wooden pole of Bret's Canadian flag over his knee.

Vader beats Bret "The Hit Man" Hart by disqualification when Owen Hart and The British Bulldog attack Vader before Vader can attack Bret with a steel chair that Bret has introduced into the match. Bret then tries to break Vader's legs with a Figure Four Leg Lock on the ring post, but that is broken up by The Patriot, who fights Bret at ringside as referees and officials try to restore order. Bret "The Hit Man" Hart retains the WWF Championship. Jim Ross interviews The Patriot, who says there is no relationship between him and Vader, and says he will not let anyone get triple-teamed. He plans to throw a wrench in Bret's Ground Zero plans with his fists.

Is Brian Pillman telling the truth about him and Marlena? Check out The Ross Report on Option 3 on the WWF Superstar Line!

Sunny guests on commentary for the next match, announcing that she will be doing some interviews later tonight.

Goldust beats Salvatore Sincere. After the match, Brian Pillman is seen up in the crowd, saying it won't be long until Marlena spends 30 days and "30 long nights" with a real man, and asks how Dakota is doing. He apologizes to Goldust for him having to find out the hard way that "The Loose Cannon doesn't shoot blanks." Goldust jumps the guardrail and looks for Pillman in the crowd.

Dude Love beats Rockabilly. Jim Ross interviews Dude Love after the match, and Dude Love that "Stone Cold" Steve Austin is anything but cool right now, but whether they keep the tag team titles or not, he will not stand alone as Austin is his horse whether he runs the race or not, as Austin doesn't take crap from anybody. Dude then dances with two women after the match.

Sunny interviews Bret "The Hit Man" Hart. Bret tells her to get out, and Owen Hart tells Sunny to tell WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter to give "Stone Cold" Steve Austin back into the ring so he can end his career.

The Undertaker shows up. The Undertaker gives "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels credit where credit is due, as he can "swing the hell out of a chair" and can run his mouth like nobody else in the WWF. He tells Shawn there is a reason they have not touched in the last 10 years because he wanted somebody to go untouched and tell the story of The Undertaker, but Shawn ruined it. He then condemns Shawn to "an eternity of hell," and says that after 10 years, he thought he would be smarter, for as hard as he hit him, he should have known he was going to get up. The Undertaker then says he will continue to get up time and time again, because he gets up, takes people down and takes their souls. Next week, he will make an example of Hunter Hearst Helmsley, and leave as much of his rotting carcass to take back to the dressing room to show him what he has in store. When the blood flowed, he signed Shawn's death sentence with it, and Shawn will soon rest in peace.

Road Warrior Hawk beats The British Bulldog by disqualification after Owen Hart attacks him as he goes to the top rope. The Godwinns (Henry O. and Phineas I. Godwinn) show up during the match to watch from the stage. Animal takes Owen down shortly after, and The Godwinns, Owen and the Bulldog leave soon afterwards.

Sunny interviews Los Boricuas (Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, Jesus Estrada, Jose Castillo Jr.) in the locker room. They just wanted to have a nice ride with The Disciples of Apocalypse's (Crush, Chainz, Skull, 8-Ball) bikes before WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter forced them to return them. As for the Triple Threat Match at Ground Zero, he cannot wait to get in the ring with Faarooq for firing him and with Crush because he doesn't like him as he is always talking about Puerto Ricans.

The Disciples of Apocalypse (Crush and Chainz) beats The Nation of Domination (Faarooq and Rocky Maivia) by disqualification after Los Boricuas (Savio Vega, Miguel Perez, Jesus Estrada, Jose Castillo Jr.) attack Crush at ringside. D'Lo Brown and Kama Mustafa get involved, as does Skull and 8-Ball, and it turns into a 12-man brawl between The Nation (Faarooq, D'Lo Brown, Kama Mustafa, The Rock), The D.O.A. (Crush, Chainz, Skull, 8-Ball) and Los Boricuas. Referees, officials and even WWF Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter are forced to get in the ring and restore order, and Dave Hebner gets body slammed in the brouhaha.

Taka Michinoku beats Jerry Lynn in a Light Heavyweight Division match.

The Truth Commission (Recon and Sniper) beats The Headbangers (Thrasher and Mosh) after Sniper distracts the referee and The Interrogator knocks Thrasher off the top rope. Recon grabs the skirt during the pinfall.

Sunny announces that she will interview Rick Rude next week.

Next week: Owen Hart vs. The Patriot!