Entry #327
The Undertaker vs. Mabel
King of the Ring 1995 First Round Match
WWF King of the Ring - June 25, 1995
King of the Ring's fast approaching, and it's taking place in beautiful, progressive [REDACTED] again this year. So I'd be completely mental if I didn't take a look back at the worst King. Who is somehow not Billy Gunn. Or Baron Corbin. Or Bad News Barrett. There's been a shocking number of shit Kings, hasn't there? But no, it's Mabel. And we're going to look at this from the beginning, his first-round match against Taker. Minus one and a half stars from Dave. Let's see why.
Mid-entrance, Stephanie Wiand tries to interview Mabel, and I forgot about Stephanie Wiand. The answer to the rhetorical question "what could possibly be more annoying than
one Todd Pettengill?". Mabel says he's going straight to the finals (the winner of this match was set to face Shawn Michaels or Kama but they went to a time limit draw). For all you Taker entrance clock-watchers, the length of the entrance this time around is just over 3 minutes.
Taker starting off with what else but THROAT THRUSTS! He needs two clotheslines and a shoulderblock to down Mabel, then he goes Old School. Mabel downs Taker with a... ripcord uranage? Whatever it is it looks awkward. Taker sits up though. He stays on his feet from a Mabel clothesline to the outside, but soon after Taker's foot gets tied in the rope. While he's hanging upside down Mabel gently nudges him with his knees. Taker gets a foot up, then the throat thrusts continue. Oh, and choke spots. I wasn't going to mention the choking in the corner, but there is a LOT of that. Mo distracts Taker so Mabel can hit a belly-to-belly suplex.
There then follows a minute-long camel clutch. Maybe it wasn't intended as such, but what is a camel clutch if not a chinlock while sitting on the other guy's back? Paul Bearer desperately tries to get the crowd interested. Mabel tosses Taker out and slowly follows him around the ring for a steel steps face-bash. Mo is nearly caught attacking Taker. As Taker tries to return to the ring, Mabel STEPS ON HIM. That's the level of wrestling acumen we're on. Mabel's vertical suplex gets two. He then slams Taker and sits down on him for another two. Taker gets a boot up for the world's slowest-moving corner splash and clotheslines Mabel down, but Mabel strolls into hitting Taker with a piledriver for a third two-count in quick succession.
Double down, which Michael Hayes on commentary assesses as "amazing". Taker's meant to roll away from a Mabel elbow drop but he's slightly late so the elbow visibly hits him anyway. Taker hits his own corner splash, then returns to choking. Mabel whips Taker into the ref, which bumps him. Taker hits the "you're too big for the Tombstone" flying clothesline and a low-elevation chokeslam (hey, at least it's better than Yoko's or Konnan's). But of course, there's no ref for the pin. Kama attacks Taker from behind, Mabel hits a leg drop, Mo wakes the ref, and Mabel is through.
That really was a load of shit, as expected from the immobile Mabel. Taker wasn't exactly on form either, though. And this is only the start of this horribleness.