Matches That Time Forgot #22

I didn't watch much wrestling during the 2000's, but since rediscovering my love for the industry, I have done my homework. In doing so, I found that the WWE reverted back to the New Generation Era, if only for a few years. From 2005 to 2008, garish gimmicks and campy storytelling made a comeback of sorts. Don't believe me? Watch this match. Here we have The Great Khali versus Tatanka. Yes, this match exists. To say that Tatanka's second run in the WWE was largely exiguous would be a heinous understatement. Simply using the word "exiguous" would be heinous. And yet, he enjoyed modest success upon his return.

Khali was fresh off of upstaging The Undertaker. The creative team bent over backwards to hide his flaws, and for the time being, he was able to coast on his size. All of his matches on Smackdown were quick squashes, including this one. Vince did a decent job of putting him over as a monster heel, I suppose. I still prefer Giant Gonzalez, but whatever. If you watch the video, you will be treated to eight minutes of pulp. It's delightful. Tatanka's maudlin promo, Bradshaw's racist commentary, Taker's mystical interference (spoooooky)...it's straight out of 1993. The only thing missing is an ICO-PRO banner.