The Fed Zone: Reviewing WWF 1995

[ChristianCaged]

Monday Night RAW (#93)

Date: 2 January 1995
Location: Liberty High School; Liberty, NY
Commentary: Gorilla Monsoon & Shawn Michaels

Tonight, Double J sings!

This is the last of the holiday taping cycle from a high school gym in New York and looks incredibly low rent. For some reason Grumpy Gorilla is covering this one in front of the green screen with HBK.

Lex Luger & The British Bulldog fought The Million Dollar Corporation (Bam Bam Bigelow & Tatanka) to a double count out (8:46)
Luger and Bulldog are not yet The Allied Powers, as you sense they still see Luger as a star for now. Lex gets attacked on arrival before Bulldog can make his entrance, and the heels quickly get the upper hand, putting the heat on Lex in what is a very basic, chronically dull tag team match. Eventually, Lex makes it to his corner and gets the hot tag, letting Bulldog run wild for a bit. Then things head out to the floor for a lazy double countout. Snooze fest with a crappy finish, but we'll come back to this later. *

Royal Rumble Report now as Todd Pettengill hilariously shits all over the finish of the last match before running down the card for the Royal Rumble. Also, Pamela Anderson will be there! Hopefully she scats and tells the snowman to stay away (iykyk). Meanwhile, The Roadie is getting shit together for Jarrett's big performance. This is a rare mid-nineties gimmick I actually quite dig.

Duke Droese def. Mike Bell (1:34)
Very straight-forward squash here with little to no selling of any kind by Dumpster. Probably for the best. An awesome looking Trash Compactor finishes it. At least he had one good move.

Papa Shango Kama is coming! On a motorbike!

King's Court now with Owen Hart. I think Neidhart had been fired at this point as Owen comes out to meet King alone. Owen has a bombshell to share, which is that he'll win the WWF Championship and never lose it, unlike Bret. Very on brand for Owen. This was an awkward segment as Owen was never comfortable talking for too long and Gorilla was jabbering constantly over the top of it.

Jeff Jarrett def. Buck Quartermaine (2:52)
Before he sings, Jarrett has a ham 'n' egger to bounce. This was another brief squash with very little offense given to Quartermaine at all, as Double J took it easy and mostly strutted around before synching in the figure-four for the win.

Post-match, it's time for Double J to perform, but in a predictable bit the mic is too loud, the spotlight goes missing, and the mic stand collapses. Monsoon actually blames Kevin Dunn for this and they didn't edit it out. I guess Dunn must have been gnawing his way through a redwood or something.

In what I can only assume was a USA Network cross-promotional bit, Super Dave Osborne gets into mischief, including a pretty hilarious stunt-gone-wrong that made me wish I was watching his show instead.

Lex Luger & British Bulldog def. The Million Dollar Corporation (4:58)
After the non-finish earlier, it's declared that the match must continue! Great. It pretty much resumes the same formula as earlier, with Lex getting beaten down by the heels. More interestingly, HBK absolutely buries Luger on the call for a lack of talent. He gets to Bulldog for the hot tag once again and Davey cleans house. Tatanka gets whipped into Bam Bam on the apron and Bulldog makes the cover for the win. This didn't need to exist. 1/2*

As the heels leave, DiBiase gets on top of Bam Bam, so it's pretty obvious where that's going. And we're outta time.

Overall, thumbs way down for this show, which came off lazy and thoughtless in pretty much every way.

NEXT WEEK: RAW has its second birthday; Razor faces Owen (that should be good); Shatner reunites with King; and Whippleman takes on Fink in a Tuexedo Match! Good lord.

 

[ChristianCaged]

Monday Night RAW #94

Date: 9 January 1995
Location: The Summit; Houston, TX
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Shawn Michaels

Monday Night RAW is two years old...

We're live from an actual venue tonight, as RAW celebrates its second birthday from The Summit. We've got a classic, MSG-inspired set up, with the hard cam facing the entrance.

Later tonight, William Shatner joins Jerry Lawler on The King's Court, but warns him that he's not looking for a fight. He just wants to promote TEK WAR (you guessed it, a new USA Network show).

Intercontinental Championship: Owen Hart def. Razor Ramon (c) via DQ (11:13)
Well this is a worthy match for RAW's birthday. Razor attacks Owen right from the starting, threatening to waffle his opponent with the IC Title right away until the ref pulls it off him. This is of course a rematch of the 1994 King of the Ring final where Owen and Anvil screwed Razor. The first segment of the match is pretty much all Razor, as he beats on Owen, grinds him down and hits an impressive fall-away slam. Owen makes a comeback after the break, hitting a tope out to Razor before levelling him with a bunch of flying kicks, before swinging around Razor like a pole in a sweet transition into the sleeper. Razor back body drops Owen out of that and we're at a stalemate. Owen then gets back on top, but just as soon as that happens Bret returns for his first RAW appearance since Survivor Series and attacks Owen for the DQ. This brings out Jeff Jarrett for a four-man brawl, which the geeks eventually quell. Really good match here between Razor and Owen, who were cooking up something special until the non-finish. ***¼

Royal Rumble Report now with Todd Pettengill, who runs down the card once again. We also cut to a Diesel promo in his "I'm trying to be a cool babyface" voice, as he gets in some subtle jabs on Bret over his absence. Man, Diesel just sucked in this role and they stuck with it for *so* long.

Lawler previews King's Court, and Shatner better pay him some respect.

Hakushi def. Matt Hardy (1:06)
One of those weird RAW matches that's only cool in retrospect. In fairness, Matt gets to show off some athleticism early with a flip off the turnbuckle, but the rest of this is the *awesome* Hakushi just hitting him with all kinds of sick, ahead-of-its-time offense. A bit of a weak finish ends it early.

It's time for King's Court, as Lawler welcomes William Shatner to the ring. When you think about it, Shatner was comfortably one of the biggest celebrities they had got on the show to this point, and at a real low point for the business. Shatner isn't impressed by King and that riles the latter up. He starts getting physical, but William Shatner gets him in an arm lock and then monkey flips him. King is all embarrassed, so Bret comes out and rubs it in some more by lifting Shatner's hand. Jarrett is out again to have his Memphis buddy's back and that's it. A pretty basic segment but at least it was to the point.

Everyone on the roster is calling Pam Anderson's phone. My money's on Doink, personally.

King Kong Bundy def. Gary Sabaugh (0:32)
As usual, a blink and you'll miss it squaaash from Bundy, who overcomes an early onslaught from Sabaugh and avalanches him in the corner for the pin. Bundy then tries to give HBK some flack at ringside, which is a subtle tease of the face turn we'll see in a few months.

In the Tag Team Championship Tournament, 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly replaced the Smoking Gunns and advance to face The Heavenly Bodies. The semi-finals will both happen on Superstars, because f*** me only doing the RAWs I guess.

Howard Finkel def. Harvey Whippleman in a Tuxedo Match (2:39)
If you're expecting a review of this, kindly see the exit door. They basically roll around in the ring and tear each other's clothes off. It hardly qualifies as a match but Finkel technically wins and him and the Bushwhackers dance as the Fink/Harvey feud mercifully reaches its conclusion. DUD

Vince and HBK close the show and preview next week, before Double J arrives to put the bad mouth on Bret. The Roadie will be on hand to stop any Shatner shenanigans.

I'll give this a thumbs in the middle, as I quite enjoyed the first featured match and King's Court was mildly entertaining for once, but man Fink vs. Harvey was dreadful (albeit short).

NEXT WEEK: It's the go-home show for Royal Rumble, as Bret Hart and Jeff Jarrett collide. That should be fun.

 

[ChristianCaged]

Monday Night RAW #95

Date: 16 January 1995
Location: The Summit; Houston, TX
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Shawn Michaels

Bret gets back to business...

We're back at The Summit for week two of this taping, which happens to be the go-home show for Royal Rumble 1995. Shawn should be off the commentary desk and back in action after tonight, I think.

The 1-2-3 Kid & Bob Holly def. The Heavenly Bodies (4:37)
Kid/Holly beat the Bodies on Superstars to advance to the finals of the Tag Team Championship Tournament, so this is the return match. Bodies jump right on top of the babyfaces from the off, and after some back-and-forth they manage to isolate and work some heat on Holly. As Bigelow and Tatanka arrive to cast an eye on their Rumble opponents, Holly gets to Kid for the hot tag and things breakdown. After a neat little exchange, Kid manages to hook Jimmy Del Ray into a Northern Lights Suplex for the pin. Fine little match for the amount of time given. *½

Backstage, Bret Hart and William Shatner look forward to the featured match. Shatner will be in Bret's corner to keep "Roadkill" out of trouble.

Mantaur def. Jason Ahrndt (1:43)
Oh dear lord, it's the RAW debut of Mantaur! Now being managed by Cornette, which feels like a rib, he no longer rocks the animal head and just looks like a generic fat guy with weird hair. This is a pretty lousy squash with Mantaur looking absolute ass. He falls on Ahrndt for the win.

Royal Rumble Report now, as Todd makes one more hard sell for the PPV. Here's the final card:

• 30-Man Royal Rumble
• WWF Championship: Diesel (c) vs. Bret Hart
• Intercontinental Championship: Razor Ramon (c) vs. Jeff Jarrett
• World Tag Team Championships: 1-2-3 Kid & Bob Holly vs. The Million Dollar Corporation (Tatanka & Bam Bam Bigelow)
• The Undertaker vs. IRS

Bret Hart def. Jeff Jarrett (9:00)
Hey, an actual finish! Jarrett does a lot of stalling early, but Bret soon gets a hold of him and starts kicking his ass, forcing Jeff to cower away. Double J's attempts to get back into it are foiled as Bret consistently out-wrestles him, but some extraneous involvement from Roadie helps Jarrett take the advantage. He even manages to synch in the figure-four on Bret, but he makes it to the rope with the support of Shatner. Bret then gets the roll-up on Jarrett as the momentum reverses and pins him. This was fine and technically sound, but they didn't really click and a lot of the match felt like going through the motions. **½

Post-match, Roadie tries to get a few licks in on Bret but Shatner is on hand to protect the Hitman and gets to embarrass Jarrett's stooge before hurling him out of the ring. Get Captain Kirk in the Rumble match!

This week on King's Court, Lawler welcomes Ted DiBiase and his Million Dollar Corporation. He cuts a promo promising three victories at Royal Rumble for his charges. Once again, Shawn poo-poohs the notion of Bundy winning the Rumble, subtly hinting at his face turn.

Mabel def. Lee Tobin (2:31)
Mo is back in action but Mabel is still being pushed as a single. Tobin actually gets a bit of offense here despite the huge size difference, but Mabel tosses him around and finishes him with the leg drop as the big man builds some momentum going into the Rumble.

Post-match, Vince and Shawn interview Mabel about the Rumble, which brings out Bundy for a fracas between two of the company's meatiest men. DiBiase manages to beg Bundy off, so we'll have to wait until Sunday for that major collision (sarcasm alert).

The episode closes with a Diesel video package, as the company continues its campaign of begging fans to like him.

Slight thumbs down for this episode, which had an okay but disappointing featured match and a bunch of ugly squashes. The company feels cold as ice right now so you can see the logic behind turning HBK into a face in a few months.

NEXT WEEK: The Smoking Gunns take on whoever the new World Tag Team Champions turn out to be and we speak to the winner of the Royal Rumble!

 

[ChristianCaged]

Royal Rumble 1995

Date: 22 January 1995
Location: Sun Dome; Tampa, FL
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

The night of The Heartbreak Kid...

Pamela Anderson is here and the locker room empties to ogle her. Send them all to horny jail right away. Vince and King welcome us to the show.

Intercontinental Championship: Jeff Jarrett def. Razor Ramon (c) (18:06)
Big pop for Razor entering in his "home state". Razor takes charge of the match early, hitting Jarrett with a bunch of strikes and forcing him to retreat to the floor, where he consults with Roadie. Back in the ring, Jarrett goes for the strength test, but that doesn't go so well. Double J does pick up some steam eventually, using his pace and agility to pick away at Razor, and the two have a fun pin fall exchange, with Jarrett trying to use the ropes until he gets caught. Then we get a paradigm shift as Jarrett lifts Razor out of the ring, causing him to hurt the knee. Jarrett distracts and Roadie goes to town on Razor's knee on the outside, which leads to the count out. Not satisfied with this, Jarrett goads Razor into restarting the match so we can get a definitive winner, and then goes after the injured knee once the action resumes. This all builds up to the figure-four, which Razor overcomes. Unfortunately, his knee buckles on an attempted Razor's Edge and Jarrett rolls him up for the title. I don't think this needed all the bullshit with the false finish, but it got Jarrett over as a bit of a schemer I guess. Nothing extraordinary here, but the action was good and, as ever, the crowd really gets into Razor matches. ***

Backstage, Todd meets Pam Anderson, while Double J celebrates.

The Undertaker def. IRS (12:21)
The first of many Undertaker vs. Million Dollar Corporation matches in 1995 *gulp*. This all started with IRS hanging around in graveyards trying to tax dead people. IRS gets the jump on Taker after the big entrance, but Undertaker is too powerful for the tax man and fends him off. After IRS is sent flying into Ted DiBiase on the apron, the heels retreat and call upon their druids (by the looks of it, two jobbers in ill-fitting monk costumes). With their help IRS gets back into it, hitting Taker with a bunch of elbow and leg drops to try and keep him down. That doesn't work though and the druids start to get creative, beating on Taker outside the ring off a distraction. Taker then manages to take them out while going for a Tombstone, only to get clocked by IRS' big clothesline. That's not enough for a win though, and Undertaker finishes him with a chokeslam. It probably benefits by comparison to Undertaker's last few PPV matches, but this was not terrible and at least IRS got Taker moving a bit quicker in the ring. *½

Post-match, the heels gather themselves and go on the attack, as King Kong Bundy emerges to face down Undertaker and set up his next programme. Meanwhile, IRS "repossesses" the urn (which is about the size of the Champions League trophy by now) and Bundy leaves Undertaker laying while Paul Bearer wails.

In some pre-recorded interviews, neither Bret Hart or Diesel want to speak to Todd Pettengill ahead of their WWF Championship match.

WWF Championship: Diesel (c) fought Bret Hart to a draw (27:19)
Big-match feel right off the bat here, as Bret goes for shock-and-awe early. Diesel bats him off though and hits a big slam to take control. Bret changes tact and manages to start a campaign on Diesel's knee, smashing it into the ring post before working it over the ring. Diesel squirms out of a figure-four using the rope, but Bret keeps up the momentum by hitting a tope out of the ring! Sweet! The momentum shifts again though as Diesel whips Bret into the ring steps and then works him over in the ring with a side body slam and torture rack for good measure. Bret manages to reverse out of this position though and does some clever, heel-ish stuff to regain control, like using his wrist tape to tie up Diesel's legs in the corner and continue the attack on the knee. More quickfire offense from Bret now, but his attempt to hit the cross body out of the ring is foiled when Diesel catches and drives him back-first into the ring post. That's a pretty neat set-up for the Jackknife, but HBK is on hand to break up the pin and attack Diesel. Hebner decides that he isn't going to let this end in a DQ and the match MUST CONTINUE! Bret tries to take advantage of Diesel's weakened knee and applied more submissions. Bret actually gets a bit naughty around this point, even going for a chair shot against the post with Diesel's knee sandwiched between, but that misses. Fans are starting to boo Bret for his heel tactics now, so I guess the dynamic is working. Bret applies the Sharpshooter and Diesel looks finished but not Owen Hart is out to break that up, exposing a top turnbuckle in the process. He fires Bret into the turnbuckle and takes a walk, but Hebner still insists the match MUST CONTINUE! Both guys are going through it now, as Bret tries to sneak a win by a playing possum and hooking an inside cradle for a great near fall. Both men then collide with the referee and everybody is down! That brings out all the heels once again and everything breaks down as Hebner finally calls for the bell and the stooges try to break things up. It's a draw! This was pretty great and a little bit better than their KOTR match, as you can see Diesel has more experience now and Bret's heelish antics gave this bout a fresh flavour. A shame about the finish but they clearly didn't want to beat Bret or Diesel at this point and at least they'd have a chance to settle the score later in the year. ****

Post-match, Bret and Diesel collect themselves and hug it out, confirming that they're both babyfaces for the foreseeable.

Meanwhile, backstage, Pettengill continues creeping on Pamela Anderson and Stephanie Wiand interviews Kid and Holly, the "cinderella" team, ahead of the World Tag Team Championship match.

World Tag Team Championships: 1-2-3 Kid & Bob Holly def. The Million Dollar Corporation (Bam Bam Bigelow & Tatanka) (15:32)
Fast start to this one as Holly and Tatanka exchange blows, but neither man gets the upper hand. Holly tags in Kid as Tatanka tags in Bigelow, and the latter crushes both his opponents with a huge double clothesline. Bigelow is clearly feeling it tonight. He goes toe-to-toe with Kid now, and in awesome spot gets him up for a power bomb, only for Kid to reverse it mid-air into a rana. The crowd went wild for that one. Kid then manages to lift Bam Bam over the top rope for a back body drop out of the ring. Holly and Tatanka are back in now and the heels finally start working some heat on the plucky babyfaces, as Holly gets caught in the opposite corner and worn down by Tatanka and Bigelow's quick tags. Holly even does the wrong corner spot! Nice. He eventually makes it over to Kid for the hot tag and Kid runs wild, hitting a ton of flying offense, including a sick springboard dive onto Tatanka. Bigelow manages to neutralise Kid and sets up for the DOOMSAULT, but the heels get their wires crossed and Tatanka accidentally knocks Bam Bam off. Kid takes advantage after the everybody down count and pins Bigelow to win the belts, in a pretty underwhelming finish. This was pretty decent, and 1-2-3 Kid put in an excellent performance, but the long heat segment on Holly brings it down a bit for me. **¾

Post-match, DiBiase and Tatanka abandon Bigelow, who wakes up from his fall and then circles ringside as the fans berate him. He eventually comes across Lawrence Taylor, who laughs in his face. Bigelow gets pissed at this and full-on shoves Taylor to the ground. I wonder where that's heading?

As if it wasn't already obvious that this year's Rumble is full of jobbers, the usual pre-match carousel of promos is just...HBK and Luger. Oh dear. Before the Rumble kicks off, Pamela Anderson gets the big entrance and is wearing a dress that seems to be made by Adidas?

Shawn Michaels won the Royal Rumble, last eliminating The British Bulldog (38:41)

• It's the shortest 30-Man Royal Rumble of all time, as a wise decision was made to reduce the entrance intervals to just a minute. So as rubbish as this Rumble is, at least it flies by.
• HBK is out at #1 and faces off with Bulldog at #2, so that's two of the four or five biggest stars entered already. They end up being the only two in the ring on a couple more occasions throughout the match, including the finish, so there's an attempt to tell some kind of story there.
• Absolute jobber procession fills out the first third of the match, to the point that it actually becomes a comedy. Where the hell did they find Rick Martel? This is the last of seven Rumble matches for Martel, so actually nice for him to make an appearance here.
• Owen Hart is #11 but Bret Hart attacks him before he can even get to the ring, and by the time Owen does get in, Bulldog dumps him straight away (and off camera, just to make it worse).
• After HBK and Bulldog manage to survive a mid-match purge, King Kong Bundy is out at #15 and makes an impact straight away, dumping #16 Mo. Mabel is #17 and we get the showdown promised on RAW, and Mabel actually makes pretty short work of him. I don't think Bundy could last too long out there.
• Lex Luger is #19 and he tosses Mabel to mark himself out as a new favourite in the match.
• The next significant entrance is Bob Backlund at #25, and once again Bret Hart and his new attitude are on hand to cause trouble, attacking Backlund before he can make it to the ring. Backlund makes it inside after the stooges pull Bret away, but Luger dumps him straight away.
• Dick Murdoch is #27 in one of the most random Rumble entries ever. You couldn't have just had Jarrett or Razor do double duty?
• Returning in the #30 spot is Crush, and the crowd goes mild.
• The final four, after a whole bunch of eliminations, is HBK, Bulldog, Luger and Crush. HBK, who has spent most of the match getting the crap beat out of him, catches Luger out as he wails on Crush in the corner, launching him over the top, before convincing Crush to join a double-team against Bulldog.
• That truce doesn't last long, but Bulldog clotheslines Crush out and HBK survives. This is all leading to an admittedly iconic finish, as Davey hurls Shawn and then celebrates victory, only to be thrown off the corner and out of the ring as we discover that only one of Shawn's feet touched the floor. This is a spot we'll see time and time again in future Rumbles, but you can't beat the original.
• Post-match, HBK poses awkwardly with Pamela Anderson, and the latter clearly wants to get away from the sweaty freak post haste.

Needless to say, this is not a good Rumble. At best, about a third of the participants are not what you'd call lower card talent and even some of the stars who do enter (Owen, Backlund) are barely in the match. The quicker pace and the awesome finishing spot help but this can't survive just how bad the roster was around this time. Probably the worst Rumble yet. **

Overall

Man, this was shaping up to be one hell of a show for the mid-nineties but the crappy Rumble sucks the wind out of it. I think if your undercard (i.e., everyone but Diesel and Bret) also enters the Rumble then you're looking at a far better show overall. As it is, this is still an enjoyable few hours and even a poor Rumble is usually entertaining enough. 6/10

 

[ChristianCaged]

RAW #96

Date: 23 January 1995
Location: Manatee Civic Center; Palmetto, FL
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Shawn Michaels

TONIGHT: A title changes hands and Vince eats humble pie...

Vince begins tonight's RAW After Rumble with a solemn apology to Lawrence Taylor on behalf of the WWF. Scott "Bam Bam" Bigelow is suspended (without pay). Oooh, Vince real-named him!

Shawn Michaels, your Royal Rumble winner, is here as I guess his run on commentary continues. He proper milks this entrance before giving it to Vince about how he told him so.

World Tag Team Championships: The Smoking Gunns def. 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly (c) (19:20)
As announced last week, the new champions were made to put up their titles 24 hours after winning them, which seems unfair. This is a rare babyface vs. babyface featured match on RAW and we get a quick start as both teams go back-and-forth in attempting to take control. The story seems to be that both teams are playing fair but neither can take the advantage and we reach a stalemate. Eventually the two teams start doubling up and we get some neat tandem offense, including a big double superplex off the top from Kid and Holly on Billy. That gets a near fall. Kid and Holly work the double team for a bit (and Kid is once again flying all over the place for this one), until Bart gets the hot tag and the Gunns gain some momentum, managing to isolate Holly. When we come back Kid has taken Holly's place, but a slightly heelish move from Holly, kneeing one of the Gunns from the outside, leads to him being tagged in and he runs wild. Holly then goes to the top, but Billy gets the boot up and a sidewinder from The Gunns finishes the match. We have new champions! This was a pretty good match (the best I can think of from the Gunns so far) with little in the way of heat segments or downtime, and a fairly constant pace throughout. I'd have maybe given Kid and Holly a longer run but everything would change in a few months anyway come WrestleMania XI. ***

Post-match, Holly and Kid look sad (and a bit out of it) as Vince interviews them. They want a rematch, dammit! I can go for that.

Time for our Post Royal Rumble Report now, as Todd runs down the key events from the PPV. Sans, you know, the winner of the Royal Rumble itself. HBK rightly calls bullshit on this and reveals that he's in the market for a new bodyguard he can rely upon. I wonder who that's going to be?

IRS def. Buck Quartermaine (2:17)
This is just background noise for a phone-in interview with Roddy Piper, who praises the Rumble and says he's proud of the new generation. He dogs on HBK a bit as it's revealed he'll be presenting the replay. Meanwhile, in the ring, IRS finishes the beating of Buck with the write-off clothesline and gets some heat back. Oh, and he still has the urn.

Man Mountain Rock is coming to WWF! That would be the man formerly known as Maxx Payne (which is of course a way better name).

King's Court now as Jerry Lawler welcomes the new IC Champion, Jeff Jarrett, who gloats about his victory over Razor. Jerry asks him what's next, which prompts a funny line as Jeff declares he's held the IC Title for "a while" and will now go after Diesel's WWF Championship. Vince believes this is greedy but surely winning all the belts is the objective of being a wrestler? I guess the Ultimate Warrior was really greedy then. Lawler and Jarrett had good chemistry, both being Memphis guys and all.

Tickets for WrestleMania XI, live from Connecticut of all places, will go on sale soon. If that doesn't tell you business is in the toilet, I don't know what will.

The British Bulldog def. The Black Phantom (3:12)
Vince insists that Bulldog was robbed as he arrives, which Shawn rightly disagrees with. He didn't win the match! Bulldog and HBK jawjack for a bit, which allows Phantom to get the jump on Davey Boy, but that advantage doesn't last long and Bulldog goes to work on him. Phantom goes for a last-gasp flying attack which misses, and Bulldog wraps it up with a running powerslam.

The show finishes awkwardly as we try to go live backstage with Bigelow (wait, I thought he was suspended) for an apology, but some sort of audio issue prevents this. That could be a work, I'm not sure. Anyway, we'll find out next week what Bam Bam has to say!

This was probably my favourite edition of RAW in a while, as most of it was taken up by a good match and nothing actively pissed me off. Plus, Shawn making Vince eat humble pie was very entertaining. I'd say thumbs in middle, edging up for this episode.

NEXT WEEK: Mabel and King Kong Bundy face off in a two-man Royal Rumble; Kid and Holly get their rematch with The Smoking Gunns; Kama debuts!

 

[OwenEdwards]

Fun stuff, and somehow I didn't know about Shatner so it's nice to know he was briefly Bret's second, of all things!

 

[ChristianCaged]

Fun stuff, and somehow I didn't know about Shatner so it's nice to know he was briefly Bret's second, of all things!

Of all the celebrities WWF were trying to use to help with business at the time, Shatner was one of the more game ones. The rumour though was that he had been drinking a whole lot before going out there, so maybe it was just dutch courage.

 

[ChristianCaged]

RAW #97

Date: 30 January 1995
Location: Manatee Civic Center; Palmetto, FL (taped)
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Shawn Michaels

TONIGHT: The worst apology of all time...

We're back in Palmetto for the first taped episode in this cycle. Vince and HBK are in front of the dreaded GREEN SCREEN, which pretty much confirms this will be a forgettable episode. Speaking of which...

King Kong Bundy def. Mabel in an Over the Top Rope Match (3:18)
This is basically a two-man Royal Rumble, which is weird as I distinctly remember Mable eliminating Bundy in the actual Rumble, so you'd think that would settle it? Nope. I won't rate this like all non-Rumble battle royals, obviously, but as you'd expect it's absolutely pants and neither of these guys could work with one another. I do believe the slowest Irish Whip of all time may have occurred during this match. After slugging it out for a bit, Bundy's Corporation goons (sans Bigelow) hit the ring and basically triple-team Mabel to throw him over. Well that seems like it should be a disqualification or something. Post-match, Mo, Oscar and Lex Luger(?!) hit the ring for the save. Unfortunately, this is all set-up for a featured match next week.

We now cut to Bigelow in his home (the weather looks nice there anyway) for his apology to Lawrence Taylor, which we couldn't get last week. While Bam Bam, or "Scott" as Vince keeps calling him, seems quite contrite to begin with, that mask soon slips and wishes he'd shoved LT harder! Hell yeah! He then calls out Taylor, any place, any time, in what feels like a reasonable attempt at a "realistic" angle that stands out like a sore thumb from the more cartoonish elements of the show in this era.

Hakushi def. Ricky Santana (4:02)
Longest squash in a while here, but it's the awesome Hakushi so who cares? Early chop from Hakushi puts Santana down, but the jobber comes back with a big crossbody for a one-count. Hey, that's something to hang your hat on. It's pretty much all Hakushi from there, as he wears down his opponent with some sweet-looking kicks and strikes. We get a fun chop-off interval as Santana looks to make a comeback, but he gets cut off. A flying shoulder block sets up an acrobatic splash by Hakushi and we have a winner. Pretty fun squash, as usual for Hakushi.

Aldo Montoya def. David Sierra (1:57)
Montoya's early push was already fading with a loss to MANTAUR on Action Zone, but he's still got the pinwheel pyro ( I think Rey Fenix has that now?) and picks up a squash victory here. As usual, Shawn spends most of this Aldo match making fun of his jock strap mask, which is hard to argue with honestly. Montoya is actually the smaller man here but uses his speed and athleticism to keep ahead of Sierra, hitting a dropkick to send Sierra out of the ring. Sierra does get some heelish offense in, including an eye-rake and a slam, but misses with an aerial move. Montoya hits a flying bulldog for the win. This was okay but short.

It's 1995 and the 49ers have won the Superbowl again! Ken Norton Jr. (who was paid for this supposedly) says he's not going to Disneyland, he's going to WrestleMania. No rush Ken, as WMXI is not even sold out yet despite taking place in Hartford! Ouch.

King's Court now, as Jerry Lawler welcomes Mr. Bob Backlund to the ring. Backlund has a new policy, which is that his opponents must say "I quit, Mr. Bob Backlund" for him to release them from the chicken-wing. No one is exempt from this, including Lawler! Lawler gets a bit irate and even challenges Bob to put the hold on him, before chickening out. As Backlund walks off, Jerry berates him, which feels dangerously like an attempt to turn Backlund face, although I think the intention here was just to make him seem a little more crazy than before. We'll of course see him pick up his feud with Bret again shortly, his last programme of any real substance as a wrestler.

World Tag Team Championships: The Smoking Gunns (c) def. The 1-2-3 Kid and Bob Holly via referee stoppage (8:46)
The Gunns are good old boys and give the former tag team champs a rematch after overcoming them last week. Kid and Holly make a real fast start to this, as Kid is all over Billy, before doubling up on Bart with Bob Holly for a double dropkick and a near fall. The Gunns take over with some quick offense before we go to a commercial. Back from the break, Holly is in charge and goes for the pin on Bart, but Billy breaks it up. Bart gets some momentum again and seems to be in control, slapping a chin lock on Holly, but the latter makes it to Kid and tags him in to get things rolling. Things go wrong soon though as Kid attempts a somersault manoeuvre and lands awkwardly on his shoulder. He starts convulsing and moving weirdly and the referee calls a stop to it. This was just an angle as Kid was fine after but for whatever reason this led nowhere and sadly both Kid and Holly floundered for the rest of the year. It's especially a shame for Kid as he looked primed for a solid push after a very promising run in 1994. Match was okay while it lasted but nowhere near as good as last week, obviously. **

As we come back, Kid is helped out of the arena and even Shawn praises him for his toughness. I guess that is his buddy, after all.

Kama def. Jumbo Beretta (3:41)
It's the RAW debut of "supreme fighting machine" Kama (formerly Papa Shango, and the future Godfather), who takes on a pretty doughy wrestler who may or may not be a relation of Trent Beretta. Well he isn't, so there. The crowd are totally dead for this one as we don't really know if Kama is a face or a heel yet and the quality of the work, even for a squash, is pretty abysmal. Beretta gets no offense in really as Kama just wails on him for three minutes, before hitting a belly-to-belly suplex and applying an STF for the submission. And that's the end of the show, as we eschew the usual wrap-up segment this week.

Thumbs down for this episode, which was devoid of any exciting action but featured some interesting angles with the Bigelow and Backlund segments. Very much as second-week-of-taping level edition of RAW and next week will likely be even worse.

NEXT WEEK: A fading Luger teams with MOM to take on The Million Dollar Corporation; Diesel speaks; Razor is in action; and we'll find out more about this Bam Bam and LT situation.

 

[ChristianCaged]

RAW #98

Date: 6 February 1995
Location: Manatee Civic Center; Palmetto, FL (taped)
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Shawn Michaels

TONIGHT: The debut of Maxx Payne Man Mountain Rock!

It's our third week in Florida and the last in this taping cycle. You know what that means, as Vince and HBK welcome us in front of the GREEN SCREEN.

The Million Dollar Corporation (Tatanka, IRS & King Kong Bundy) def. Lex Luger & Men on a Mission (11:29)
As predicted, this was shit. Mabel and Bundy are the first to go at it, and as Shawn himself alludes to, it's ugly. I need to never see these two in a ring ever again, please. We then get some pretty quick exchanges of tags from both teams, as neither trio are able to take control. Throughout all of this, you can hear a pin drop in the arena. Back from the break and Luger finally tags in to mix it up with IRS. Luger's push is pretty much dead at this point, as we'll realise in a few moments. Mo is in now (I think this is his first match back on RAW for a long time) and gets a near fall on the sunset flip, at which point Vince hilariously announces that neither team is impressing him. Is that a Freudian slip or what. Onto the finish and everything breaks down as Luger gets the hot tag, only for the illegal Tatanka to sneakily DDT him. Bundy covers Luger and gets the pin, which given that Mo was literally there to take the fall might as well be a middle finger in Luger's face. Just terrible with next to no heat, but not quite into zero-star territory. ¼*

Luger will face Tatanka again on Action Zone, after which I assume we move on from the Luger/Corporation feud.

After Bigelow's non-apology last week, LT's lawyer (who is quite reminiscent of Uncle Jack from It's Always Sunny) threatens legal action if he keeps trying to challenge his client to a wrestling match.

Man Mountain Rock def. Charlie Hunter (2:49)
MMR was, of course, Maxx Payne in WCW and had a bunch of crazy brawls along with Foley and The Public Enemy, the sort of thing that you just weren't going to see in WWF at the time. Perhaps unsurprisingly then, this new character and push didn't work and his run with the company is very shortlived. After some guitar solos, MMR gets to work on Hunter, hitting an ugly-looking clothesline and a slam. His attire is this impossibly ugly tye-dye get-up which just makes him look fat and clumpy. Shawn also buries his look as MMR finishes off Hunter with a suplex. Not an impressive showing, sadly, and Payne just never got going in WWF.

Time for a taped interview now, as Vince sits down with Diesel to discuss wrestling, fame and life itself. From a WWF-standpoint, the most interesting part was Diesel calling his knee an achilles heel and referencing his 9 surgeries. The rest of it is an admirable, but misguided, attempt at humanising the WWF Champion and making him more likeable, but this sort of thing just comes off really cheesy and uncool. They've effectively retconned everything people liked about Diesel to begin with. He faces Jarrett for the title on RAW in two weeks.

Meanwhile, HBK reveals that he'll pick his new bodyguard soon.

Mantaur def. Leroy Howard (3:49)
Howard never really gets a look-in here, despite some early avoidance of Mantaur, heading up to the top and getting caught in mid-air for a side slam. That's about the only impressive thing I've seen Mantaur do. The rest is just repetitive ground and pound stuff as Mantaur stomps Howard around the ring, before finishing with the belly-to-belly. I'm still deciding if this is a worse gimmick than Bastion Booger or not.

Razor Ramon def. Frankie Lancaster (3:48)
Pretty slow start here as Razor works the arm to begin. Lancaster manages to get out of that and briefly mounts a comeback but Razor cuts him down with a chop. The fall away slam leads into an abdominal stretch, as Vince bemoans the "evil media". Methinks that's still a hobby horse for him. Razor's Edge finishes off Lancaster as Ramon gets some heat back.

Henry O. Godwinn def. Bill Weaver (2:32)
I always forget that Godwinn was a heel to begin with and even faced Undertaker on Superstars early in his WWF career. Weaver just gets demolished from the start here, before Godwinn finishes him with a Slop Drop to end tonight's procession of squash matches.

We finish the show by discovering that HBK will be stepping down from him commentary post as of the next RAW, which will be in two weeks due to the Westminster Dog Show next Monday. It was about time but he's made these shows somewhat bearable.

Yeah, this was horrendous, maybe one of the worst episodes of all time as nothing really worked on this show. The end-of-taping-cycle shows are always bad but this was a pain to sit through. Thumbs way down.

NEXT TIME: Diesel defends the WWF Championship against Jeff Jarrett and HBK reveals his new bodyguard!

 

[ChristianCaged]

RAW #99

Date: 20 February 1995
Location: Macon Coliseum; Macon, GA
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Jim Cornette

TONIGHT: Diesel defends the WWF Title and HBK introduces us to a Psycho!

Cold open to kick us off as we're live in Macon, Georgia; Diesel and Double J hype up their Championship match later tonight.

Bam Bam Bigelow def. Gary Sabaugh (3:54)
Bam Bam is back following his suspension and continues to make overtures towards Lawrence Taylor in an attempt to get him in the ring. This is a rare jobber match with a bit of a story, as Bigelow wears off some ring rust and actually gives more to Sabaugh than you would expect, even letting him work his arm a bit. An enziguiri cuts off Sabaugh's hopes though and, despite a brief comeback, Bigelow overcomes him with a DDT and flying headbutt combo to get the pin.

Post-match, Bigelow gets on the mic and calls out LT once again, calling him a "punk".

Adam Bomb def. Rip Rogers (3:25)
This is Rogers' first time wrestling in the WWF after *many* years in the game. He is of course best known as a trainer and even helped the likes of Pat McAfee learn the ropes (I'll let you decide if that's a good thing or not). After an early power exchange Bomb takes over with a hip toss and scoop slam, before sending Rogers out to the floor. He then hits a pretty neat springboard to the floor as the fans actually start to warm to this match. Back in the ring, a flying clothesline finishes Rogers off. Bomb was rarely pushed at this time and so this came off a bit random.

In other news, Bret has been bestowed the "Award of the People".

It's time for a pretty momentous King's Court, which Lawler opens by accusing Bret Hart of being a racist. Right. With that out of the way, HBK struts his stuff down to the ring and reveals his new bodyguard: SYCHO SID! It's not a crazy pop or anything but we'll blame the crowd for that. Sid gets on the mic and cuts a pretty sick promo in that teeth-gnashing, slow cadence that is his trademark, and declares that him and Shawn will rule the world together. Sid had been out of the major promotions for a little while following the whole stabbing incident but Vince took a chance on him. This was a fun segment and a good return for Sid, although there would be interesting angles to come with him.

The Blu Twins def. Leroy Howard & Mark Starr (4:25)
Hey, two appearances in a row for Leroy! The Blu Twins are of course The Bruise Brothers, a.k.a. The Grimm Twins, a.k.a. Ron and Don Harris, a.k.a. Skull and 8-Ball. We've seen them in the Rumble but this is their debut on RAW. The gimmick is basically a backwater hillbilly type deal, as we see the Twins overawed by modern technology on entry. They're also managed by "Uncle Zebekiah", who is Dutch Mantel for those unaware. This is a pretty terrible squash that basically confirmed these guys as a lower-ranked team. In terms of moves, the Blus pretty much just punch and kick their opponents around the ring before a spine buster / leg drop combo wins it. More significantly, we learn during the match that LT will appear on RAW 100 next week and address Bigelow's challenge!

Post-match, The Blu Twins stare into a camera and look confused. This gimmick is already death.

WWF Championship: Diesel (c) def. Jeff Jarrett (8:07 shown)
It's pretty bemusing that they would just send the brand new IC Champion out to job like this. Jarrett tries to get a jump on Diesel early and goes after the famously dodgy knee, but Diesel quickly overpowers him and sends him over the top rope. Honestly, Jarrett doesn't get a whole lot in here, as Diesel foils his attempts at a comeback and works him over in the ring, before attempting a Snake Eyes that Jarrett escapes from. With the tide clearly against them, Roadie attempts to get involved, but Diesel wipes him out on the apron and then hurls Jarrett out on top of them. It's one-way traffic here. After the break, Roadie manages to distract Diesel long enough for Jarrett to take some control, as Double J sends Diesel flying into the post. A prolonged control period for Double J comes now as he hits Diesel with a bunch of offense, including a swinging neckbreaker and a bulldog, but can't put the champion away. An attempted cross body goes awry though as Diesel catches Jarrett with a side slam and soon hits the Jackknife for the finish. This was okay but Jarrett never really had a chance and the match itself made it feel that way. **½

Post-match, Roadie tries to steal Diesel's thunder but gets smashed with the big boot for his trouble and Jarrett pulls him away. Meanwhile, HBK and Sid emerge from the entrance way and have their eye on the champ.

After the break, HBK and Sid drive home their new partnership with a closing promo and reinforce Sid's "Sycho" moniker. It might have actually been the normal spelling to begun with but that's what it will become.

If I was grading these 1995 RAWs on a curve I'd probably give this show a thumbs up, but as it is I'll give it a thumbs in the middle, leaning up. Probably the best episode of the year so far though.

NEXT WEEK: Lawrence Taylor responds and Luger vs. Tatanka (again! why!)

 

[ChristianCaged]

RAW #100

Date: 27 February 1995
Location: Macon Coliseum; Macon, GA (taped)
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Jim Cornette

TONIGHT: Luger goes one-on-one with Tatanka: and this time, he's got back up.

It's the 100th episode of RAW and we get new titles! The theme song remains the same but the opening of RAW has received a much-needed lick of paint. Unfortunately, despite this being a milestone episode, it's a taped show from Macon.

Before the featured match kicks us off, we get some pre-recorded hype from Luger and Tatanka themselves, as Lex reveals he'll have Chief Jay Strongbow in his corner tonight.

Lex Luger def. Tatanka via count out (12:55 shown)
This feud has been going since before last year's Summerslam and we're still on this! The early portion of this is just classic heel avoidance, as Tatanka tries to nibble at Luger, fails, and then hits the outside to regroup. Tatanka tries for some chops on Luger but the latter stiffs those and fires back, taking out Tatanka with a big clothesline. Tatanka then manages to mount some consistent offense from the outside, before starting to work Luger over in the ring. Back from a break and Tatanka is still on top, as we head into a bear hug spot that brings the match to a grinding halt. It's boring enough when big monsters do it, let alone a relatively normal-sized wrestler like Tatanka. Luger breaks out of that and hits a suplex, before getting his own submission on in the form of a sleeper. Tatanka wriggles out of this and then harasses Strongbow a bit, stealing and tearing apart his Tribal headdress. In the best moment of the match, the Chief starts chopping the shit out of Tatanka and, of course, the ref doesn't consider this a DQ. Luger gets back on top of Tatanka now, as we go to another break. Back from the commercials, Tatanka decides he's had enough and tries to take a walk, but Luger goes outside and throws him back in for some more punishment, including a bodyslam and some fun in the corner with a turnbuckle. DiBiase then manages to distract Lex for long enough so that Tatanka can get out of dodge and take a count out loss. All that for a god damn non-finish?! This was pretty bad and the finish just pissed me off, but at least we'll be done with this crap soon. *

We go back to Superstars now as the Lawler/Bret feud 2.0 continues, with Bret eliminating him from a Battle Royal. Speaking of Harts...

Owen Hart def. Larry Santo (3:44)
First Owen appearance in a while here, as we find out he's looking for a tag team partner to take on The Smoking Gunns. Owen is a bit of a weasel to start this thing, as he hides behind the ref and frustrates the jobber. Jim Cornette claims Larry is the son of Mexican legend El Santo, in a funny bit. Owen mostly takes control of this but Santo gets a few hope spots, before the missile dropkick and a Sharpshooter finishes it for Owen.

It's time to speak with Lawrence Taylor, who is "live" from his home via satellite. Taylor reiterates that he was just at the Rumble to have fun and meant Bam Bam no disrespect, before suggesting he's a little embarrassed at how Bigelow pushed him, calling his new nemesis a "sissy". Very nineties insult that. Eventually Bigelow also pops up on screen and we get a fun interaction between the two parties, with Bigelow rightly calling out LT for calling 1-2-3 Kid a 13-year-old and challenging him to a face-to-face as the WMXI press conference. LT will be there! This wasn't an amazing segment or anything but it had a 'raw' appeal (if you will) that was sorely missing from the product around this time.

Doink the Clown def. Bob Cook (3:32)
Doink lives as this is his first RAW appearance of the year, although I believe he was in the Rumble. Doink is basically done as any kind of serious contender or attraction, so this enhancement match feels a bit pointless, honestly. Doink and Dink have some fun with their opponent before Doink finishes with the Whoopee Cushion. Moving swiftly on.

Kama def. Ken Raper (3:39)
Well, that's an unfortunate surname. Pretty ugly squash here once again from Kama, as he smashes Raper with a bunch of martial-arts-adjacent stuff like stiff kicks and jabs. None of this has any flow though and Kama moved around the ring steps glacial speed. Kama then gets right up in the camera and demands better competition, before hitting Raper with the belly-to-belly and making him submit with an STF.

Looking ahead to our final week in Macon, Vince and Jim talk to Bulldog about his match with HBK, as he looks to settle the score with him for *checks notes* legally eliminating him from the Rumble? Should be a good match though based on form. They also plug the WMXI press conference again, which eminates from the Harley Davidson Cafe!

Really bad show this week and an easy thumbs down, although the LT/Bigelow segment was at least a nice advancement of that feud.

NEXT WEEK: HBK takes on the Bulldog and we hear all about the fallout from the WMXI press conference.

 

[ChristianCaged]

RAW #101

Date: 6 March 1995
Location: Macon Coliseum; Macon, GA (taped)
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Jim Cornette

TONIGHT: The final two in the Royal Rumble go at again and LT responds to Bam Bam's challenge!

No GREEN SCREEN this week but we are in Macon once again for the final week of this taping cycle and we're right into the action.

Shawn Michaels def. The British Bulldog (17:53 shown)
Pretty typical start to this one as HBK tries to use his agility and pace to overcome Bulldog, but ends up getting ragdolled and launched out of the ring with the usual elaborate sell. After some consultation with Sid, Shawn is back in and actually catches Bulldog in a short-arm scissors to take us into the break. Bulldog is still caught in this when we return but an impressive power display sees Davey deadlift Shawn (with the hold still locked in) and hit him with a back body-drop. Nice! Bulldog tries to take over again and attempts to drop HBK out of the ring, but Sid makes the catch and we're back to an even keel. After a near fall off a vertical suplex, HBK manages to turn the tables and gets a solid run on offense, as Bulldog hurts his knee. As Davey gets out of a chin lock, Shawn hits him with a knee and a short elbow drop from the second rope gets a two-count. Back into a chin lock now and I've decided this match has too many rest holds. Bulldog suplexes out of it and we go to another break. Following the commercials, both men collide and we get an "everybody down" spot. Bulldog is up first and hooks Shawn into a sleeper, but Shawn rakes the eyes and escapes, only to miss a corner attack and go shoulder first into the post. Bulldog runs wild now and hits Shawn with a bunch of clotheslines. After a few near falls, Shawn manages to recover and dump Bulldog to the outside, where Sid rams him into the post. Bulldog makes it back in as Shawn attempts a small package for two, which Davey kicks out of, but Shawn loads up Sweet Chin Music and kicks Bulldog's head off for a big victory. The kick hasn't been named yet but it's officially a finisher now. As usual for these two, this was good, but it felt a bit protracted and would have succeeded more as a shorter, sharper contest in my opinion. Still, nice to get a match of this quality on RAW. ***¼

It's time for our first WrestleMania XI report, as Todd fills us in on the events of the press conference. The main story is that Lawrence Taylor has ACCEPTED the challenge of Bam Bam Bigelow and will face him at WMXI. As we know, Diesel vs. Shawn is also on tap.

Bob Backlund def. Buck Quartermaine (5:30)
So it turns out that Backlund will settle the score with Bret at WMXI in an "I Quit Match". So, they gave Bret Hart (of all people) a filler match at the biggest show of the year, even though his feud with Jerry Lawler was already a focus once again. Undertaker vs. Bundy has also been announced (ugh). As for this match, Backlund is quite giving to Buck Quartermaine and this gets five minutes (which is about two or three minutes too long if you ask me). Buck almost catches Bob with a small package after being technically outclassed for most of the contest, so Bob calls it and slaps on the Crossface Chicken-Wing to force the submission. As usual, Bob takes his sweet time releasing the hold and makes the jobber squeal.

Duke Droese def. Steven Dunn (3:55)
Steven Dunn is, of course, one half of Well Dunn, so we'll treat this like an actual match rather than a squash. Droese takes hold of Dunn's arm early on as Lawler dials in to rag on Bret, ahead of their meeting NEXT WEEK. Well that's something to tune in for. After some early dominance, Droese sells for Dunn a bit, as the latter hits a snap suplex and body block to take the Dumpster down. The quality of work here is sloppy as shit though. After a period of control, Dunn gets caught off a big boot from Droese, who knocks Dunn down with a clothesline and finishes him with the Trash Compactor. A lot of nothing here and Droese sucks. 1/4*

Promo for WMXI now, as NYPD Blue star Nicholas Turturro investigates the whereabouts of Yokozuna. A highlights package wraps up this week's show.

Just barely a thumbs in the middle this week, as the featured match delivered and the rest of the show went by fairly quickly. New taping cycle next week, so let's hope for a more exciting episode as the road to WMXI hots up.

NEXT WEEK: Jerry Lawler returns to face Bret Hart!

 

[ChristianCaged]

RAW #102

Date: 13 March 1995
Location: Stockton Memorial Auditorium; Stockton, CA
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Jim Cornette

TONIGHT: Bret resumes his feud with The King and Double J gets a new challenger!

A hype package for tonight's episode leads us in to the intro, as Vince and Jim Cornette welcome us live in Stockton, California. This is the last taping cycle before Mania.

The New Headshrinkers fought The Blu Twins to a double count out (7:09 shown)
Contrary to the hype package we saw just a minute ago, it turns out Bob Holly / 1-2-3 Kid are stuck due to a storm and won't be able to face The Blu Twins. That's odd, as according to Meltzer they were there! We also learn that Men on a Mission have turned after attacking The Smoking Gunns, which balances the tag team division I guess. It's a brawl to kick us off, as Jacob and Fatu (he he) wail on each other, before Fatu tags Sionne (a.k a. Barbarian) in. The Blus take control now and work some heat on Sionne and get a near fall off a power slam. Back from a break and one of the Blus (your guess is as good as the commentators') is working a rest hold on Sionne. Needless to say, this is very dull and a bad clash of styles. The Blu Twins do a classic switcheroo spot while the referee's back is turned to keep control, but Sionne catches one of them with a slam of his own and everybody is down. No Afa or Albano with the Headshrinkers tonight either, which feels like an omen. Sionne manages to tag Fatu in, but all four men soon start brawling out of the ring and to the back, which gives us a really lame count out finish. I thought this stunk, to be honest. ¾*

Next up we get a long hype segment for LT vs. Bigelow at WMXI, which is clearly the match WWF is banking on (as opposed to the World Title match). Firstly, we discover that LT will counter The Million Dollar Corporation (which has randomly added Kama to its ranks) with his own entourage of NFL pros, including Reggie White and the incomparable Steve "Mongo" McMichael (RIP). We also get an interview with NFL/wrestling great Ernie Ladd, who predicts Taylor's inexperience will be his downfall against Bam Bam. That was a nice touch, actually, and Ladd speaks well.

Jeff Jarrett def. Barry Horowitz (4:38)
This is non-title, presumably. After years of being a heel enhancement talent, Horowitz is on the cusp of an undercard face push and actually gets to hang with Jarrett a bit here, leveraging his amateur background at the start to catch Double J in a series of pinning combinations. Jareett embarrassingly bails to consult with The Roadie, before tripping Horowitz from the outside and heading back in. Vince reminds us that Horowitz is yet to win a match, as he grabs Jarrett's arm and continues to match the IC Champion. Horowitz goes for a high knee but injures himself off of it, allowing Jarrett to apply the figure four. Horowitz actually manages to hang in there for a while, but eventually taps. I appreciate the effort to make squashes more meaningful and this was pretty fun for the time it got. **

Some hype for the main event now, as we go back to see how Bret and Lawler have ended up at each other's throats once more.

WrestleMania XI Report now as Todd runs down the card for the show (fully set with a little under three weeks still to go); new matches announced include Jarrett vs. Razor for the IC Title, The Smoking Gunns vs. Owen Hart and a "Mystery Partner" for the tag titles, and Lex and Bulldog teaming up to take on The Blu Twins. Well, alright. There's also a funny little skit with HBK and Pamela Anderson, who seems to be getting less impressed with Shawn every day.

Jerry Lawler def. Bret Hart via count out (6:36)
Lawler is escorted to the ring by none other than Bull Naka-naka-no, playing into the whole Bret hates Japanese people thing they were doing at the time. Bret goes right for Lawler on entry and thumps the shit out of him until King bails out to the floor. Bret follows him there and beats him up around the outside, using the steel steps for good measure. Back in the ring now and Bret continues the onslaught, hanging Lawler in the corner for more abuse. Hakushi and Shinja now appear in the aisle while Nakano distracts Bret, allowing Lawler to take control. After the break Lawler remains on top as he is serenaded with "Burger King" chants, but doesn't let that stop him hitting a bulldog and vertical suplex. Lawler then heads up top, but Bret cuts him off before hitting a bulldog of his own. Victory seems to be in sight for Hitman, but Lawler rolls out. Bret follows him there and gets him back in the ring, but Nakano dives at Bret's legs and holds on long enough for King to steal a count out win. Thr usual match between these two here in a slightly more compressed format. Nothing special but at least it had some heat. **¼

Nakano bails to the aisle to hang with her Japanese brethren, while Bret gets some satisfaction by beating on Lawler after the bell.

We finish the show with a ringside interview (hey, remember 1993 when those were a thing). Horowitz and Jarett are out, as the former wants a Championship rematch with Jarrett next week. Jarrett agrees to this, but Bob Backlund arrives, puts poor Barry in the chicken wing, and then goes ahead and signs the contract himself. Jarrett and Roadie are up in arms about this and decide, hilariously, to take their anger out on Horowitz, stomping on him to close the show.

Another thumbs in the middle this week, as the action was nothing to write home about, but we got a nice mix of angles and some decent WrestleMania build. California is a nice change of scenery for RAW too.

NEXT WEEK: Backlund takes in Jarrett for the IC Title; The Smoking Gunns defend the Tag Team Titles against The Heavenly Bodies; and Razor Ramon is in action against Henry Godwinn. Loaded show! Well, for 1995 at least.