Shawn Michaels vs. Sycho Sid

[2.0] "This boring match came AFTER the rumble because it was in San Antonio. Shawn looked out of it, uninterested and unmotivated because that's exactly how he felt at the time. Sid was an anomaly. He was insanely over and had inexplicable charisma but if the stars weren't perfectly aligned, his matches were horrible. This is no exception. If WCW wasn't ahead of WWE at this point in time I think there was a chance Shawn would've been released or sent home to sit out his contract. 1996-97 was not a great time for him."

[3.0] "Fine, memorable for Shawn becoming champion in front of his family in his homeland, but the match was mid, I don't think was bad because the work was good, but Shawn Michaels has more memorable matches from those years, and Sid wasn't someone to be world champion. 3/10 [**1/4]"

[3.0] "Fine, memorable for Shawn becoming champion in front of his family in his homeland, but the match was mid, I don't think was bad because the work was good, but Shawn Michaels has more memorable matches from those years, and Sid wasn't someone to be world champion. 3/10 [**1/4]"

[6.0] "It's a decent match between both men with some fine in ring work and chemistry between each other with a hot crowd and Shawn winning back the WWF World Title was a nice way to close the show, but it's way below their WWF Survivor Series (1996) match and it was overbooked towards the end."

[5.0] "Much like the show surrounding it, this isn't particularly good, but you're happy to enjoy the company. For this match in particular, the crowd is a big part of that, not only waking up but ultimately exploding for the finish. They're hot the whole time too, hot enough that an especially listless Sid showing isn't too detrimental. Michaels obviously helps, bumping around violently and even while sick, turning in an admirable performance that's more heroic than his norm. It's a great atmosphere and moment, even if the execution is rough around almost every edge. **1/2"

[8.0] "Similar to the comment below i particularly enjoyed this one in contrast to the suggested rating - good to see it go back to HBK winning with hitting Sid with the camera which is how Sid won the title in the first place"

[9.0] "I guess I'm in the minority for this one. I loved this match and Shawn got the best performance out of Sid once again. It had a "David vs Goliath" feel and HBK's selling was great as always. Sid's mannerisms during the match were even better than usual. Shawn using the TV camera as a callback to the Survivor Series match was a great way to finish it. I've tried thinking about which match was better, but I think the fan holding the "SHAWN KEEP YOUR PANTS ON" sign puts this over the top."

[6.0] "Shawn Micheals regains the WWF championship in his home town. The crowd wasn't super hot, but there was still plenty of cheers for HBK, which was a change from when he was getting booed in the Garden where he lost the title. The match is roughly the same quality as their encounter at the previous Survivor Series. The middle of the match was a little slow, but they got the desired reaction out of the crowd when Shawn started mounting his big comeback. Not one of HBK's classics, but one of Sid's better matches."

[5.0] "So for me the clear highlight of the night was the Rumble itself, especially the extremely stacked back half and chaotic finish, but it was obvious WWF was banking very hard on HBK's hometown fans coming out hard to support him. And they did succeed by the numbers, drawing a very large crowd despite a weak undercard and WWF business being down overall, so fair play. It was also clear they wanted to prop up Shawn once again as the beloved super face of the company if possible. Through his lengthy '96 reign fan support had been falling away as WCW pounded WWF left and right, and at Survivor Series '96 Michaels was nearly booed out of the building by the unruly crowd in Madison Square Garden. Here the fans were much more behind him, though maybe not quite as much as you'd expect considering the hometown advantage and all. As for the match, hm... well, I am not as high on Shawn as I used to be but I do think he was very on point with his ring work during this period, despite showing some wear and tear from his personal life here and there. Unfortunately he's up against Sid, and I know some folks have turned the corner on Sid and now like him in retrospect, I don't argue he's got the look and the aura, but man as soon as he has to do anything besides powerbomb a jobber the dude just looks awkward and tentative as hell. None of his offense left any impression on me in this match, and that's pretty much the only thing he had, it's not like he's going to show you some amazing selling or psychology. Plus they just had to keep pumping the Jose Lothario story, which felt quite cold, so the whole match is stilted. I actually think it could have come out a lot worse, it was not an awful match or anything, basically Shawn did his best to wrestle a tree in there and managed to pull out something passable. I even like it slightly more than the Shawn/Sid MSG match, which had the crazy crowd reaction but lacked even more in terms of ring action. In the end at least the title came off Sid, but even Vince will soon have to admit Shawn is not the guy who is going to pull them through the slump."

[7.0] "I honestly really liked this match, the camera spot was something you dont see a whole lot. The match was very innovative for its time despite sid not being the best worker."

[6.0] "This match does a better job compared to their last encounter at Survivor Series 1997 in terms of capturing the David vs. Goliath dynamic. Sid plays the big monster heel, and Michaels is the underdog trying to overcome the odds and recapture the title in his hometown. It has a big match feel, and the hot crowd adds to the main event atmosphere. However, I am not particularly invested in either of them as champion, so the match still falls a bit flat for me."

[7.0] "Despite the fact Shawn was obviously not able to fire on all cylinders in this match, I thought it was perfectly fine for what it was. Sid isn't the best worker in the world, but he is a naturally imposing big man and he plays the old school heel role very well in this match. It pretty much looks like one of the classic main event matches you'd see in the 80s where Sid started off in dominant fashion and then the crowd would really pop when Shawn makes the comeback. The atmosphere in Shawn's hometown made this an unforgettable title win and it was a special moment."

[7.0] "It's much better due to the simple fact, that Sid finally works like a bigger guy and dominates for the most part. It has such a big fight feeling and they don't have to do much to get the crowd going, especially since Shawn is in his hometown. Sid controls most parts of the bout with Michaels' occasional spurds of offense and the pops are enormous for every move of his. They pace everything nicely and every minute they pick up the speed with the finish being a crescendo. Very good stuff, a pleasant surprise for me."

"A fantastic match that perfectly milked a partisan crowd. Michaels here played a perfect hometown hero, battling injuries to overcome the odds against Sid, a monstrous champion of pure evil. The finish was as good as Ive seen to establish an underdog overcoming the odds. Sid played as big a part as any in that, he was great. Considering the state of the WWF, this was the best PPV main event they could have done."

[6.0] "[6.0] Captures the main event feel perfectly. There's a video package detailing Michaels' struggle against Sid, a backstage view of the (lengthy) entrances in real time, and an emphasis on Michaels' family at ringside. Sid looks great here, he undoubtably has the best physique in the company at the time, and his look that balances derangement and precision sells him as a main event talent from the onset. I especially like how, despite playing heel, Sid is still pretty over with the crowd. He fist-bumps kids at ringside daring enough to side with him, and still elicits some cheers that rise to the top of the sea of boos. Sid's ring work is rough, but it's not distracting. The match itself is by the books, which isn't a bad thing when they're being written by Michaels', even if he's working with a flu. Shawn is dominated by the more imposing opponent for the duration of the match and Sid's overconfidence ends up costing him when Michaels' beats the odds and scrapes away a win. There's a ref bump, which allows Shawn to cheat by hitting Sid over the head with a camera, and after a delayed pinfall, Michaels hits the Sweet Chin Music and puts him down for good. The victory celebration is heartwarming, with Shawn hugging fans, shaking his ass in Vince's face (he laughs), and sending the crowd home happy with a memorable finish. It's simple, but it had me more invested than the rest of the card sans the rumble."

[5.0] "Poor HBK is working with an injured knee so bad he has to leave wrestling for years the next day. Sid tries to carry him but there is only so much he can do."

[6.0] "Good but not great. Not the best, not the worst. Two performers who have certainly had better matches. This was a fine match. A terrific crowd though, the hometown hero did get enough chants. A good 6/10"

[8.0] "HBk had a way of bringing out the best in Sid. The two had a unique chemistry that allowed them both to look good throughout their matches. Sid's not known for great matches, but both of his matches with Michaels are probably the best he ever had."

[6.0] "HBK had the flu here and you can tell that he wasn't running at 100%. Sid's stuff here was basic, but worked over Shawn's back and brought enough crazed facials to the table to keep his control segment interesting. Shawn using the camera was a nice callback to their Survivor Series match. This was an entertaining enough main event, but you can't help to think that this match (and the entire show) would have been improved if it happened at a smaller arena that was sold out with passionate fans instead of a stadium that had a heavily papered attendance. The fans were louder for this than any other match on this card, but it didn't quite feel like the triumphant homecoming victory that they were hoping for."

[5.0] "Shawn Michaels cuts a promo saying he's not feeling well. He had the flu at this time, unlike the knee injury he faked the following night and vacated the belt because he got word that they wanted him to do the job to Bret at Mania. First 5 minutes of the match is ruined by some stupid asshole at ringside whistling incessantly. Security should have told them to shut the fuck up! So this match was set up as Shawn's big victory match in his home town but business was so bad they wound up comping a ton of free tickets to fill the building anyway. This was the dark period for the WWF where they were getting crushed by WCW. Shawn gets the belt back of course, and immediately gives it up because he was such a little diva bitch at the time. Didn't like this match as much as Survivor Series."

[5.0] "**1/4. This match was just decent, which is disappointing to say when it's a Shawn Michaels match. It was probably the worst main event level match that Michaels ever had. The reason this was lacking is probably due to Sid not being that good in the ring , plus Michaels legitimately had the flu, so that likely affected his performance. I liked how the finish was booked with the camera as a factor since that played a part in their last match with Sid. The crowd response for the title change was by far the best crowd reaction of the night. This match was one of the most predictable in WWE history because Shawn Michaels was the babyface in his hometown."

[5.0] "Oof, this might be Shawn Michaels' worst match outside of Saudi Arabia. Michaels was legitimately ill, and Sid is one of the worst wrestlers in terms of carrying someone in a match, so it's not entirely Shawn's fault. What seemed like half the match was a bearhug, and for the fourth time in 5 matches we had shenenigans in the finish. That it was entirely terrible is entirely down to the charisma of the participants, as the wrestling was pretty bad."

[5.0] "This match would have been way better if the first half of the match was cut. It was just slow holds. After that the match picked up and was better. **3/4"

[5.0] "Sycho Sid dominated most of the match, and I can't say it was the most engaging work I have seen, but HBK's comebacks were great and the match really has a big match feeling into it. It's certanly flawed but still good."

[5.0] "It was worse than their match at Survivor Series. But I still liked it. They were able to tell a story. Sure, Sid is terrible in the ring, but he's incredibly good as a character. * * 1/2"

[6.0] "If they'd shaved off a few minutes of boring Sid holds to a dead Shawn Michaels this would have been a good match as they actually had some pretty entertaining highspots. I liked the callback with the camera but the spot with the Lotharios was lame."