That's right, we're doing WWF, too! If we're going to do a weekly WCW Monday Nitro review starting with episode 1, we might as well cover the entirety of the Monday night war. To do so, we're also going to cover WWF Superstars. RAW and Nitro were on Mondays, and Saturday Night and Superstars both aired on Saturdays. This thread begins with the September 9, 1995 edition of Superstars, because oddly enough, there was no RAW on September 4. I never knew this before, but Nitro had no competition on their debut episode, as 09/04/1995 was the only time in history RAW took the week off. So, let's jump into it with my Retro WWF Review of Superstars on 09/09/1995.


Another first for me, as I present to you my Retro WWF Review of WWF Superstars on September 9, 1995. The 1995 journey began with WCW Monday Nitro from September 4, on the only night RAW ever took a night off. At the time, WWF was still running Challenge, Action Zone, weekly shows on the MSG Network, and who knows what all other programs. To save my own sanity, I’m keeping it simple and will only be doing reviews of RAW and Superstars.

Before I get started on this taping, I just want to say 1995 WWF sucked. I’ve seen some of the Pay Per Views, I’ve watched a RAW or two in the past, but this is my first time actually diving into the weekly product of that era. The first thing we see on this taping is Man Mountain Rock. I’d just like to say, for 30 years, Kevin Nash has been blamed as the worst WWF Champion of all time because he was the lowest drawing. This was not Kevin Nash’s fault. I wouldn’t have been caught dead buying tickets to a show in this era. I don’t care about Man Mountain Rock, Jean-Pierre Lafitte, or Dean Douglas. That’s half our show right there. So no, it’s not Kevin Nash’s fault I think this show sucked. The poor guy had nothing to work with.

With that off my chest, let’s get into this thing. My first review of WWF Superstars from September 9, 1995. Enjoy.



PART 1: SYCHO SID DANGEROUS MAN, BRITISH BULLDOG ENGLISH MAN

We kick things off with a hype video and voiceover from Vince McMahon. Right off the bat, I have to mention that Vince is my all-time favorite commentator. The things people hated about his announcing are the things I love. I’ll point a couple things out as we go along here.

He’s hyping up the debut of Dean Douglas. Douglas has issues with Razor Ramon and will be taking on the 123 Kid later on tonight. We’ve heard that the Kid was WWF’s “measuring stick” at the time, and if the office wanted to see if a guy would make it, they’d put them in the ring with the Kid. I’m curious if that was the case here, or if they knew Shane Douglas was good and just wanted to use Kid to progress the story with Razor. Either way, the gimmick sucked and he was doomed from the start.

And now we watch the all-time worst wrestling intro of all time. I don’t know who sings the Superstars theme song, but it sounded like Michael Hayes a time or two. Whoever it was should be ashamed of themselves. This was awful. The lyrics are so 90s-cartoon-for-kids crap that I GUESS was a trend at the time. I don’t know how else to describe it. “Sycho Sid dangerous man, British Bulldog English man” are the caliber of lyrics we’re listening to.

McMahon and Jerry Lawler are on commentary, so at least that should be fun for me. On tonight’s show will be Shawn Michaels taking on the Million Dollar Corporation’s Tatanka in the main event. Also, Owen Hart and Yokozuna will defend the WWF Tag Team Titles.



PART 2: MAN MOUNTAIN ROCK VS JEAN-PIERRE LAFITTE

In the ring, Man Mountain Rock (MMR) is playing his WWF guitar. Immediately, I hear a lot of fan interaction but see everyone sitting on their hands. That takes points away for me. I understand piping in crowd noise, but I hate it. It’s distracting for me and I’d personally rather hear crickets throughout the show because then the genuine reactions mean more. But I’ve never run a TV show, so what do I know?

MMR continues playing guitar while McMahon and Lawler talk over him the whole time. As a guitar player myself, I can tell MMR was legitimately playing in the ring. There was no sound-synching or any of that. I respect him playing the instrument, but does anyone really come to a wrestling show for that? It was an ambitious gimmick, but I just don’t think things like that work unless you’re a heel and you use it to progress your stories (Rock, Elias, or even Boogs/Shinsuke).

After the song, Jean-Pierre LaFitte (JPL) makes his entrance. McMahon tells us JPL is a real modern-day pirate who has a habit of stealing from Bret Hart and from children. He stole Bret Hart’s jacket, stole the pink shades from a child last week, and will have to answer for his crimes at In Your House when he faces the Hitman. MMR was allegedly at the MTV Video Music Awards the previous week. Or at least that’s what McMahon wanted us to believe.

This was not a terrible match. A good little back and forth opener that saw JPL pick up the win after his Cannonball.

WINNER: JEAN-PIERRE LAFITTE



PART 3: IN YOUR HOUSE REPORT

We go now to Todd Pettengill with your In Your House report. In Your House 3 takes place on September 24 and will be headlined by the TRIPLE HEADER MAIN EVENT… more info on that later. Also on the card, Bret Hart will take on Jean-Pierre LaFitte. We get a Bret promo here where he says he knows JPL is used to living like an outlaw on the high tides, but JPL is swimming in Bret’s pool now. Bret won’t stand for JPL stealing children or him.

Also at IYH 3, we’ll get Razor Ramon vs Dean Douglas and Savio Vega vs Waylon Mercy. I’m actually excited to watch this show.



PART 4: SHAWN MICHAELS/SYCHO SID HYPE

We get a hype video telling the story of Shawn Michaels vs Sycho Sid, which will happen on the 09/11/1995 RAW. Sid was brought back to the WWF earlier this year as Shawn’s new bodyguard in the build to Wrestlemania 11 against Diesel. Shawn blamed Sid for costing Shawn the match, because Shawn had Diesel laid out but the referee was knocked out, and Sid woke the referee up. Diesel kicked out and came back to defeat Shawn Michaels in the match. So… this was Sid’s fault, according to Shawn. And Shawn is our babyface here?

Sid is now aligned with Ted DiBiase’s Million Dollar Corporation. We get a quick shot of Sid standing in the shadows whispering like a psychopath and SID IS AWESOME. I LOVE SID.



PART 5: 123 KID VS DEAN DOUGLAS

The 123 Kid makes his entrance and I still love his entrance music. I do not, however, love Dean Douglas’s entrance music. It begins with nails on a chalkboard. If that doesn’t sum up an entire run of a gimmick in wrestling, I’d like to see what does. Even the referee cringed in the ring when he heard it.

Dean Douglas has a decent match with the Kid here. Douglas looks strong, dominates most of the match, and gets a disqualification win after Razor Ramon interferes. Douglas began picking Kid’s shoulders up during pinfalls because he wanted to inflict more punishment. Razor wouldn’t stand for it, so he comes to ringside fired up. Douglas knocks Razor off the apron, prompting Razor to jump in and attack Douglas. After the match, the 123 Kid is upset with Razor Ramon for costing him the match, which will set up the eventual turn when the Kid will join the Million Dollar Corporation.

WINNER: DEAN DOUGLAS VIA DQ



PART 6: GOLDUST VIGNETTE

We get the classic Goldust vignette with Los Angeles in the background. This is very early Goldust, not much black face paint on top of the gold, his music is just some generic/dramatic sounding weird (bizarre, if you will) tune. I’m pumped for early Goldust. That sounded bad.



PART 7: OWEN HART/YOKOZUNA VS AC CONNER/TONY WILLIAMS

The World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championships are on the line as Owen Hart and Yokozuna defend against AC Conner (D’Lo Brown) and Tony Williams. Two things: I love getting to see Mr. Fuji and Jim Cornette, and I love being able to say WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION. Of all the differences between WWF/WWE, I think that’s what I miss the most. It feels big, it feels fun, and it feels right.

During the entrance of the champs, our “Triple Header Main Event” for In Your House is finally explained. It will be a tag team match featuring Owen Hart and Yokozuna against Shawn Michaels and Diesel with all titles on the line. Basically, a winner-take-all match. If Owen Hart pins Diesel, his team retains the Tag Team Titles, Owen will be the WWF Champion, and Yokozuna will be the Intercontinental Champion. If Michaels or Diesel win the match, they will be the new Tag Team Champions. They’ve done this a time or two over the years (Backlash 2001 comes to mind) and I love it. It’s rare and it always felt huge to me as a kid.

This is a squash match, quite literally. Yoko catches Tony Williams in mid-air and just slams him onto the mat with all 600 lbs coming down on top of him. But instead of going for the pin, Yokozuna tags in Owen Hart just so Owen can score the pinfall. Owen was such a scumball heel and I love it so much. Owen was great.

WINNERS: OWEN HART AND YOKOZUNA



PART 8: SHAWN MICHAELS VS TATANKA

Before our main event, we get more teases for Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid on RAW next Monday. They’ve mentioned the dynamic that if Sycho Sid beats Shawn Michaels for the Intercontinental Championship, what will that mean for the main event of IYH?

Tatanka has recently joined the Million Dollar Corporation. And I LOVE Tatanka. He was one of the few lucky guys who survived the gimmicks of the mid-90s. He started in 1992 as a white-meat babyface, had a great undefeated streak until he didn’t, fell into obscurity somewhere along the line, and decided to take the money from DiBiase because the fans never truly cared about him. Asshole Tatanka is my favorite Tatanka, which is unfortunate, because there’s not a lot of him to watch. I’ve often wondered what went wrong or why he didn’t last longer in the WWF.

The match starts with Shawn Michaels making fun of Tatanka’s Native American heritage with the stereotypical gestures that wouldn’t fly in 2025. Again, am I supposed to believe Shawn Michaels is a babyface? After my aforementioned breakdown of Tatanka’s character arc and now Shawn’s blatant racism directed at Tatanka, I feel bad for the guy. I’m Team Tatanka.

It’s a short but fun match that ends with a superkick and a pinfall for Shawn Michaels. After the match, we get a promo from Shawn Michaels hyping up RAW and IYH and says he’s coming for all the gold. Knowing the behind-the-scenes stories these days, we can surmise Shawn Michaels was 100% shooting when he said he was coming for all the gold.

WINNER: SHAWN MICHAELS

After Shawn’s promo, we get more Todd Pettengill and MORE hype for Shawn Michaels vs Sycho Sid on RAW. Vince McMahon wraps up the telecast and asks Lawler to tell everyone, “goodnight, King.” Jerry Lawler ends the show by saying, “Goodnight, King.”

And that’s a wrap. Final thoughs:

• I was not a fan. Superstars feels like a show that doesn’t know what it wants to accomplish. It wants to do enhancement matches, but it wants to showcase their actual stars. Is Man Mountain Rock a jobber? No, but he’s being booked as one. So next week, if Man Mountain Rock beats The Goon (I doubt this match happens, but I’m doing a hypothetical), what does that tell me about The Goon? If you’re going to do an enhancement match, use AC Conner, Tony Williams, Duane Gill, Randy Hogan, etc. Tatanka booked as enhancement to Shawn Michaels is no bueno for me. After watching and reviewing my first WCW Saturday Night, which aired on the same night, I can say WCW had the formula figured out and the WWF did not.
• They spend more time hyping RAW’s main event than the entire card at In Your House. Why are Savio Vega and Waylon Mercy having a match on Pay Per View? Nothing was said at all. Why would I watch a match if I have no reason to care about it?
• Diesel, the WWF Champion, wasn’t featured on this show at all. Everything was all about Shawn Michaels. I’m sure they knew by this time that Shawn was going to be the next face of the company, but this is a case of counting the chickens before they hatch. Anything could go wrong (and it did when Shawn picked a fight with a bunch of Marines and had to take time off), so why focus more on a secondary champion than your top champion? Diesel really didn’t stand a chance as the champion.

So that’s WWF Superstars on September 9, 1995.

The build to In Your House 3 continues on the first ever head-to-head battle in the Monday Night War takes place on September 11, 1995. Here’s a quick rundown of the show:



Razor Ramon def British Bulldog via DQ

Smoking Gunns def Brooklyn Brawler and Rad Radford

Isaac Yankem DDS def Scott Taylor

Intercontinental Championship Match: Shawn Michaels (champion) def Sycho Sid w/ Ted DiBiase



Other notes:

The seeds are being planted for the 1-2-3 Kid to turn on Razor Ramon after the Kid interferes in Ramon’s match and inadvertently splashes him, which ended the match. Kid challenges Ramon to a match next week on RAW. Before the match, British Bulldog vs Bam Bam Bigelow was announced for IYH.

Like on Superstars last week, Shawn Michaels is the center of attention. The whole night is built towards Shawn Michaels wrestling Sycho Sid, not a match between Shawn Michaels and Sycho Sid, if that makes sense. Everyone else is a second priority to Shawn. Shawn is insufferable anytime he’s on a microphone. Even at the end of the night, there’s an interview to end the show with Shawn and Diesel, and the WWF Champion isn’t even the one doing the talking. The WWF Champion has been relegated to being Shawn Michaels’s buddy.

1995 WWF just isn’t my cup of tea. They had so much talent at the time and had no idea what to do with them. Rad Radford (Louie Spicolli) might have been a loose cannon and not the guy to push, but they definitely could’ve done something other than Rad Radford with him. He was a hot heel in AAA and everyone I’ve ever heard talk about the guy says he had a lot of talent. Glen Jacobs turned out to be a massive talent and the poor guy was stuck playing the part of an evil dentist in 1995, with the worst theme song of all time. Even worse than Dean Douglas. None of this can be taken seriously.

Results:

Hakushi def Skip w/ Sunny and Rad Radford

Henry Godwin def King Kong Bundy w/ Ted DiBiase

Savio Vega def Rick Stockhauser



Other notes:

The opening match was supposed to be Hakushi vs Skip, but Sunny said Skip was injured and Rad Radford would take his place in the match. Skip continued interfering in the match for around six minutes before Hakushi pulled Skip into the ring and pinned him. So I’m not really sure how to score that one, but we’ll say Hakushi beat Skip, not Rad Radford.

Henry Godwin slopped Ted DiBiase again, and will now face Sycho Sid at In Your House 3. The crowd loved this.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley was scheduled to make his debut on Superstars this week, but was so disgusted by the slop at ringside, he refused to wrestle. I love this.

The show ends with a compilation of the Superstars’ reactions to Barry Horowitz beating Skip a few weeks ago. Bob Holly was working on a race car in his shop when he found out about it, apparently. Shawn Michaels says he was in a “fine dining establishment with some lady named Sun- no, Susie, I think.” Poor Chris Candido.

Results:

1-2-3 Kid def Razor Ramon

Kama Mustafa and Tatanka def Savio Vega and Bob Holly

Jean-Pierre LaFitte def Brian Walsh

Owen Hart and Yokozuna def Men on a Mission

Results:

Kama Mustafa and Tatanka def Bam Bam Bigelow and Henry O. Godwinn

Hunter Hearst Helmsley def Tony Williams

Isaac Yankem DDS def Bob Holly

Sycho Sid def Savio Vega via DQ

Results:

Savio Vega def Waylon Mercy

Sycho Sid def Henry O. Godwinn

British Bulldog def Bam Bam Bigelow

Dean Douglas def Razor Ramon

Bret Hart def Jean-Pierre LaFitte

Triple Header Match: Shawn Michaels and Diesel def Yokozuna, British Bulldog, and Owen Hart for WWF Tag Team Titles

Results:

Marty Jannetty def Skip (w/ Sunny)

The Smoking Gunns def Owen Hart & Yokozuna (c) to win the WWF Tag Team Championship

The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) def The British Bulldog (w/ Jim Cornette) by DQ

I’d like to remind everyone how much I hate the WWF Superstars theme song.”ARE YA READYYYYYYY ARE YA READY TO GO” no, I’m not. But I do love the sound of Vince McMahon, Jim Ross, and Jerry “The King” Lawler on commentary. We’re reminded that The Smokin’ Gunns defeated Owen Hart and Yokozuna on RAW this past Monday to become the new WWF Tag Team Champions. But enough of that, it’s time to see the next greatest tag team, Barry Horowitz and Hakushi!

MATCH 1: BARRY HOROWITZ AND HAKUSHI VS SKIP AND RAD RADFORD W/ SUNNY

I’m not sure where Zip is, but I’m not complaining. No disrespect to Dr. Tom Prichard, the Bodydonnas suck. I’d much rather see Louie Spicolli in action. I must say, I would’ve watched a Sunny workout video in 1995.

Hakushi starts things off with Skip, but Barry Horowitz is feeling confident after starting his recent winning streak, and he wants in with Skip. Skip wants no part of Horowitz, so he tags in Rad Radford. Radford gains the advantage, so of course the cowardly heel Skip wants in on the action, but Horowitz catches him slipping and Skip is bumping all over the ring.

Vince McMahon points out that Barry Horowitz and Hakushi might have difficulty communicating.

Radford gets some good offense in with Horowitz. He was a very skilled wrestler. One of the many unfortunate, sad stories in pro wrestling. He made the best of this gimmick in the WWF. Beautiful spinebuster on Horowitz and Skip takes the pin for a near fall.

Dean Douglas makes his way to ringside. I guess he’s moving on from Razor Ramon. Lots of good, heel tag team basics in this match. Hakushi keeps getting goaded into distracting the referee, allowing Skip and Radford to double team Horowitz. But finally, Hakushi gets a hot tag and gets the crowd on their feet. The people love babyface Hakushi! Hakushi and Horowitz hit a double superplex on Skip, which was a big spot for 1995. After another distraction, Radford hits a big diving forearm on Horowitz, but Hakushi gets revenge when Radford has the referee’s attention. Both men are laid out for a count of 8 before Horowitz finally covers Skip for a win!

WINNERS: BARRY HOROWITZ AND HAKUSHI



Dok Hendrix is backstage with the WWF Slam Jam. He let’s us know the next In Your House will be on Sunday October 22 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Diesel will defend the WWF Championship against the British Bulldog.

Diesel has a quick promo where he says the Bulldog is getting a seven foot Rottweiler and he’ll be in your house, in your face!

The British Bulldog is with Jim Cornette and he says he’s a real gentleman and will give Diesel the first opportunity to chant “UK UK” at In Your House. Cornette says Diesel’s worst nightmare will be the Bulldog.

Dok says the winner will face Bret Hart at Survivor Series. Also at In Your House 4, Shawn Michaels will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Dean Douglas.



MATCH 2: RAZOR RAMON VS AL BROWN

Back at ringside, Razor Ramon is making his entrance and we’re reminded that the 123 Kid cost Ramon his match against Dean Douglas at IYH 3. Their friendship is on the rocks and they will face off on RAW this Monday. Lawler says he has sources that say the Kid was seen having a conversation with Ted DiBiase.

A side note during this obvious enhancement match, this is the first time I’ve ever seen Razor Ramon wearing mismatched gear. He has red boots and a red elbow pad with yellow trunks and knee pads. He did this later on in WCW all the time, but it just feels a little wrong here as Razor Ramon.

In the time it took me to type the above paragraph, Ramon set Al Brown up for the Razor’s Edge and picked up the win.

WINNER: RAZOR RAMON

Coming up later on tonight, Fatu will take on the British Bulldog! This week, WWF Superstars is brought to you by MILK!

We go now to a new superstar named Ahmed Johnson, talking about competition. Johnson says the hood was all about competition. NFL is real competition. But his biggest competition will be in the WWF. He says they didn’t know what they were doing when they called him and invited him to join the competition in the WWF. He says he accepts the challenge and wants all the competition.



MATCH 3: BOB HOLLY VS AC CONNER

Back at ringside, AC Conner (the future D’Lo Brown) is set to take on Bob Holly. AC Conner has been frequently used here on Superstars and I love it. Big fan of D’Lo. He gets a little offense in here against Sparky Plugg. Conner goes for a big splash (not THE splash) and misses. Holly goes up for a cross body and gets the win.

WINNER: BOB HOLLY

We go now to a recap of IYH 3 and the Triple Header match. The Two Dudes With Attitudes won the match and the Tag Team Championships, but because Owen Hart, one of the official Tag Team Champions, couldn’t make it in time for the match, the decision did not stand. Owen Hart and Yokozuna were reinstated as the Tag Team Champions on RAW the next night, but later on lost to the Smoking Gunns. Attorney Clarence Mason helped Jim Cornette get the Tag Team Titles back, but unfortunately, they could not survive the Gunn brothers.



As Jacob and Eli Blu make their entrance, Fatu sends a warning to the British Bulldog for later on tonight.



MATCH 4: THE BLU BROTHERS W/ UNCLE ZEBEKIAH VS SONNY ROGERS AND BILLY GORGAN

The Harris Twins are in action, tossing poor Billy Gorgan around like a sack of potatoes. He’s slammed with a huge double spinebuster for the win.

WINNERS: THE BLU BROTHERS



Next week, Henry O. Godwinn and Bam Bam Bigelow will take on Kama and Sycho Sid. Also, the return of Marty Janetty!

Now, we get Dean Douglas and the Report Card. He says in the WWF, birds of a feather flock together. Shawn Michaels and Barry Horowitz have been riding a wave of luck. He says at IYH 4, we’ll find out who’s skillful and who’s lucky. He then issues a challenge to Barry Horowitz.



MATCH 5: THE BRITISH BULLDOG W/ JIM CORNETTE VS FATU

We’re shown a RAW recap when the Bulldog and Mabel attacked The Undertaker, leaving the deadman laying. After a commercial break, the match is underway. Fatu buils steam in the early goings. Ross reminds us that both participants are former Tag Team Champions.

One of the things I love about Jim Ross’s commentary is how he always reminds us of accolades. He makes sure to remind us, so that we realize those facts are important. He presents them as legitimate accomplishments. That’s why every time I see Goldust, I think about how he’s a “former two-time Intercontinental Champion.” Ross said it so many times, I’ll never forget it.

Bulldog actually gets Fatu up for the delayed vertical suplex. That’s the spot I always look forward to the most in a Bulldog match. I’m always anxious to see if he goes for it with bigger guys like Diesel and Fatu. Good stuff.

As the action continues, Bulldog nails a DDT on Fatu, but he forgot one of the most important rules in wrestling: never hit a Samoan in the head! Fatu popped right back up and laid out the Bulldog. Fatu nails a running Diamond Cutter in the middle of the ring. He goes to the top and hits a diving headbutt, but Bulldog kicks out. We get the first “ONE, TWO, HE GOT HIM - no, he didn’t” from Vince. One of my favorite things about Vince’s commentary.

Bulldog gets Fatu up for a very impressive Powerslam for the win.

WINNER: THE BRITISH BULLDOG



Unfortunately, it’s time for another WWF Slam Jam with Dok Hendrix. At this point, I’m surprised we haven’t gotten another insufferable promo from the annoying Shawn Michaels.

Dok says Mabel will take on The Undertaker at IYH 4. Paul Bearer says Mabel made a fatal mistake. This will be The Undertaker’s first IYH. He says the hearse doesn’t have a luggage rack, so Mabel shouldn’t bring any bags. Undertaker says Mabel will look into the eyes of his reaper and enter the darkness.

Dok Hendrix is still annoying. He throws it back to McMahon, Lawler, and Ross. Barry Horowitz is on his way back to ringside and we will find out if he accepts the challenge of Dean Douglas. Ross confirms the match will take place. We now go backstage to Ted DiBiase, Sid, and Kama.

DiBiasi and Sid are angry about being slopped repeatedly. Sid continues screaming YOU WILL PAY as we go off the air.



And that’s a wrap for the 30th anniversary of the September 30 edition of WWF Superstars! In comparison to WCW Saturday Night on the same night, I’ll say I enjoyed Superstars much more than Saturday Night. That being said, this show still sucked. Barry Horowitz is a top star on Superstars during this time and that should tell you all you need to know. At least we didn’t get a Shawn Michaels promo this week though, so I’ll chalk this week up as a win for WWF Superstars.

Up next, the 30th anniversary of WWF RAW from October 2, 1995.