The Fed Zone: Reviewing WWF 1995

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RAW #129

Date: 2 October 1995
Location: Grand Center; Grand Rapids, MI (taped)
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler


TONIGHT: 1-2-3 Kid and Razor Ramon settle the score! Jean-Pierre Lafitte gets another crack at Bret Hart!

We're taped from Grand Rapids again this week. RAW actually won the live battle with Nitro last time, and in style. We'll see how long that lasts for them.

After a recap of last week's episode, Vince and Jerry welcome us to the show.

Razor Ramon def. The 1-2-3 Kid (2:55)
Razor (who is still yet to beat the Kid) takes charge of the match early and roughs him up using his physical advantage. Kid responds with speed and throws a series of kicks at Razor to level the playing field. Razor grabs him off one of them though and hits the fallaway slam. We see Dean Douglas in the aisle now, taking notes. Kid tries to mount a comeback and goes for a couple of leg drops, but the spinning heel kick misses Ramon, and Kid gets nailed with a clothesline for three. That's where I'm officially calling the match, but Kid is not done and wants another round. We go to a break just as Razor puts Kid in a stretch, and when we come back, we learn that Razor pinned him again. They're going at it for a THIRD round now, and Razor has the chance to go for the Razor's Edge, but pins Kid with a small package instead out of kindness. Post-match(es), Kid tries to restart things for a fourth round and gets two off a roll-up, but Ramon again resists the urge to Razor's Edge the little runt and they hug it out. I guess all is well? Probably not. This was an angle, not a match, and thus I won't give it a rating. I don't think it was very effective though; it made Kid (the soon-to-be heel) look like a loser and Razor (the babyface) seem like a dick.

It really seems like PPV reports are dead, as Vince and Jerry run down some of the matches for IYH4 (basically the same ones announced last week, plus Goldust vs. Marty Jannetty).

Also, tonight, you can vote on whether you think O.J. Simpson is innocent or not! All proceeds will go to a child abuse charity, which wasn't consulted about being associated with a poll about a murder trial and demanded an apology. D'oh!

Hunter Hearst Helmsley def. Barry Horowitz (5:34)
Barry still has his theme music! F*** yeah! Hunter dominates the early exchanges with his technical prowess, but Barry continues trying to steal pins and makes Hunter, currently undefeated, look a little unsure of himself. Barry then gets a genuine near fall off a Thesz Press and rolls Hunter up for another two count. Let's go Barry! Hunter really looks all at sea here, but gets his deadly Pedigree over by catching Barry in a split second — just as it looked like Horowitz was on top — and hitting the finish. That ends it for the blue blood. Decent enough extended squash, and I appreciate they're giving Barry the opportunity to look like more of a legit roster member. HHH moves on to the next contest (which will be Fatu at IYH4). (*½)

PG-13 def. Al Brown & Sonny Rogers (3:45)

First appearance for PG-13 here, who came over to work for WWF as part of a talent exchange with USWA. They're actually the USWA Tag Team Champions, so you can think of this like The Heavenly Bodies coming over from SMW a few years prior (although these guys don't wrestle nearly as many matches). There's not much to this one and the jobbers barely get any offense at all. PG-13 are pretty good at playing to the crowd though and they work a pretty neat top-rope bulldog into otherwise unremarkable offense. A tilt-a-whirl combo finishes it for the newcomers.

Bret Hart def. Jean-Pierre Lafitte (12:04 shown)
Lafitte gets on top and is the aggressor early, but Bret absorbs that pressure and takes things outside, giving Lafitte a sick slam onto the side of the steps. That looked painful as shit! Back inside, Lafitte recovers and rattles Bret by sending him flying into the ropes, which Bret sells like a beast. A brief REST HOLD follows, but Lafitte gets bored of that and heads up top for a flying headbutt. That connects but only gets two. Bret recovers and rolls up Lafitte into a small package for two, but Lafitte kicks out. Back from a break, Lafitte stays on top but can't connect with a legdrop and has to take things out to the floor, where Bret gets absolutely HURLED into the steps. Ouchie! Bret gets back in the ring and begins to mount an offense, hitting the atomic drop and middle-rope elbow (the classics). Lafitte gets a roll-up to halt Bret's momentum, but Hitman kicks out and meets Lafitte at the top as he goes for a Cannonball. A superplex follows and the Sharpshooter is locked in for a quick submission. And with that Lafitte is basically done in the WWF (besides a short Quebecers revival in a few years). This wasn't as good as their PPV bout but a really enjoyable TV match for the time with only one commercial breaking it up. Both guys took some really stiff shots here too. (***)

Post-match, Bret celebrates and draws the ire of Jerry Lawler on commentary, as this feud will NEVER END. Bret and Lawler get into it and King gets sent over the barricade into the crowd, but the Big Red Dentist Isaac Yankem saves Lawler's bacon and DDTs Bret on the outside. We learn after a break that Gorilla has been watching and will sanction a STEEL CAGE match on RAW in a few weeks between Bret and Yankem.

Before we finish, we get promos from the two all-star teams clashing next week, and discover that 51% of WWF fans think O.J. isn't guilty! I'm sure that will swing things.

Not quite as good an episode as last time, although the main event here was the best match on either show. This has that slightly diluted, taped feel to it. Thumbs in the middle.

NEXT WEEK: All-star tag action as Camp Cornette team up to face Diesel, HBK and The Undertaker!
 
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RAW #130

Date: 9 October 1995

Location: Grand Center; Grand Rapids, MI (taped)
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

TONIGHT: Undertaker becomes the Third Dude with Attitude to take on Owen Hart, Yokozuna & The British Bulldog!

We're still in Grand Rapids and, for a second week in a row, RAW and Nitro were pretty much tied in the ratings.

Vince and Jerry welcome us to the show and we're right into the action, but not before we get a clip of Shawn Michaels getting all teary at the Survivor Series press conference. He loves kids, that's all!

Owen Hart, Yokozuna & British Bulldog def. Diesel, Shawn Michaels & The Undertaker (11:55 shown)
This is pretty much all the top talent — bar a few obvious names like Bret Hart and Razor Ramon — in one match. An early break means we join in progress, as Shawn works some catch sequences with Owen Hart, monkey flipping him across the ring. HBK then clotheslines Owen out of the ring and skins the cat, which always gets a pop from me. A massive brawl breaks up at this point, but Taker and Diesel DOUBLE BIG BOOT Yoko out the ring. After some order is restored Diesel and Bulldog tag in and mix it up a bit. It's just a quick tease for IYH4 though, as Big Daddy Cool tags in Taker, while Bulldog introduces Yoko. I don't need to see Yoko vs. Taker again, please and thank you. Undertaker goes up to the rope for OLD SCHOOL, but that doesn't keep Yokozuna down for long and he wipes out Taker with a big Samoan Drop. As usual, Undertaker barely sells and is up quickly to DDT his nemesis. Shawn enters now, as Waylon Mercy looks on from the shadows (you just lost to Savio bro, give it up), but Bulldog tags back in and roughs him up. A press slam and a lot of heat on Shawn follows, as we enter the commercials. Back from the break, Dean Douglas is out and taking notes, as everyone seems interested in this match. Owen tags Bulldog in as the heels continue to punish Shawn, and he levels HBK with a vertical suplex. Owen is back in now and puts Shawn in a REST HOLD. Shawn breaks free, only to get walloped with a spinning heel kick. That gets two as Owen goes up for a flying headbutt. Back from another break and both men are down (so I guess the headbutt missed), but Shawn makes it back to his corner and tags Diesel. He cleans house, but Owen clocks him from the outside and Diesel gets hoisted up for a power slam. That gets just two as Undertaker saves the day. The referee reprimands Taker, meanwhile Yoko drops the leg on Diesel. Bulldog covers and pins the champ! Pretty much exactly what you'd want from an all-star tag, setting up the PPV and weaving various other storylines in. None of the work was remarkable but I had fun with it. (***)

After the match, it's a full-on heel assault, as Dean Douglas and King Mabel join Camp Cornette in beating down the babyfaces. Everyone gets laid out, but this is famously where Undertaker fractures an orbital bone, leading to him wearing that weird mask for a while.

This beatdown is still being sold after another break, which means we should take it SERIOUSLY.

For some reason (maybe there were lacking for content or something) we now go back to Bret Hart vs. Isaac Yankem at SummerSlam, with Vince and Jerry commentating on the latter half of the match over the existing commentary? Feels like a waste of time, but this was all promotion for next week's Hart/Yankem cage match.

Fatu def. Skip (5:54)
Haven't seen Do the Right Fatu in a while, good to know he's still around. Skip tries to mash up Fatu's head on the turnbuckle, but he's Samoan you dummy! After a momentary distraction from Sunny on the outside, Fatu gets back to work, but his corner charge misses and Skip suplexes him to take charge. An enziguiri follows to give the Bodydonna a two count. Time for a REST HOLD now, as Skip continues to wear Fatu down. He then goes for a flying headbutt, plumbing new depths of stupidity. That has no effect on Fatu, who powers up. Sunny once again draws him outside for the distraction, allowing Skip to send Fatu head-first into the post. That knocks him loopy, finally. Back in the ring, Skip tries to end things with a vertical, but he can't get Fatu's big ass up. Fatu clocks him and flies off the top with a Samoan Splash (or an Uso Splash, if you will) for three. This was fine for a elevated squash, which Skip matches are at this point. Fun story with Skip being dumb about the attacks to Fatu's head. (*3/4)

Backstage, J.R. ambushes Cornette's crew in their dressing room, where some celebrations and strange hat-wearing is occurring. Cornette seems nigh-on orgasmic over the decimation earlier, which is pretty funny. Bulldog promises to take the WWF Championship back home to England at IYH4. Then Mabel storms in and threatens to bury Undertaker in the snow. I mean, his spirit literally levitated out of a casket a few years ago, I think he'll be fine.

A weird episode this week, although I did like the featured match quite a bit. That strange lull for the rest of the episode was just plain odd, though. Slight thumbs down here.

NEXT WEEK: The first Steel Cage match on RAW ever!
 
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RAW #131

Date: 16 October 1995
Location: Grand Center; Grand Rapids, MI (taped)
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler


TONIGHT: Bret Hart meets Isaac Yankem inside a steel cage! Will Jerry Lawler end up in his own cage?!

It's the final episode of the taping and the go-home show for In Your House 4: Great White North. Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are our hosts, as usual.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley def. Doink (3:51)
So Doink is still around, I guess? According to my research though, this is the official end of the line for him (although he'll pop up here and there for cameos). Meanwhile, we learn that Undertaker has a "crushed face", which is definitely an actual term real doctors use. As for the match, Doink does get to have some fun on his final RAW outing, grabbing the particularly large proboscis of Hunter and getting a small reaction from the audience. It doesn't last long though, as HHH takes over and elbow smashes the clown. Doink makes a small comeback with a backbreaker but misses an elbow drop. Hunter gets two off a suplex and then locks in a sleeper. Doink escapes a steals a few quick pins for near falls, but a cross body attempt fails and WHAM PEDIGREE. That's it for the clown. Just a squash really but as a slightly fond farewell to Doink (mainly the 1993 Matt Borne version), I shall rate it. (3/4*)

Backstage, Barry Horowitz and the virtually forgotten Hakushi have a discussion about baseball. This feels like it's building to something (maybe a short tag team run), but I can't remember that ever coming to fruition.

World Tag Team Championships: The Smoking Gunns (c) def. PG-13 (5:06)
The word is this wasn't even supposed to be aired originally, but hey, they got PG-13 over with this crowd already, so why not get some value out of them? Before the match gets underway, we learn from Gorilla Monsoon (via split screen) that Yokozuna will now face Mabel at IYH4. That'll put butts in seats. Anyway, the Gunns start like a house on fire and throw the smaller PG-13 boys around the ring with ease. Eventually, PG-13 use their cunning and work Billy outside of the ring, using the double-team action to stomp on Billy while keeping Bart out of reach. Important sidebar now, as we hear about the famous incident of Shawn getting his ass kicked by 10 military guys, which sounded pretty brutal. A lot of people try to get Shawn's ass for this one but really, I don't think many people would be able to take 10 soldiers at once in a fight. Anyway, Billy eventually gets to Bart in the corner after engineering a PG-13 collision and the Sidewinder quickly follows. Short and sweet here, with the Shawn stuff the bigger focus, but PG-13 didn't look too bad in there. We'll see them pop up again a bit further down the road. (*1/4)

Interview time now, but not in Grand Rapids. We go back to one of the WWF's tour shows this past weekend for a British Bulldog promo, as we look ahead to his match with Diesel at IYH4. Pretty bland, boring stuff here, even from the usually reliable Jim Cornette (who is basically a caricature of himself at this point).

Meanwhile, Ahmed Johnson makes his first RAW appearance in a vignette to educate us about HONOR. This was something alright.

Dean Douglas def. Joe Dorgan (2:08)
As of right now, the plan is for Dean Douglas to face Shawn Michaels at IYH4, but we all know that it doesn't happen. More on that in the PPV review. They actually go into more detail on the incident with HBK now, as Jerry seems to enjoy rubbing salt in the wound. I can't imagine Shawn took too kindly to that. Shawn then dials in and says he will be at the PPV on Sunday. In the ring, Douglas works away on Dorgan and finishes the job with a fisherman's suplex.

The shark cage has lowered, so it must be main event time. If Jerry interferes in the match, Gorilla has promised that he will go inside the cage! First, Vince runs down the card for the PPV:

  • WWF Championship: Diesel (c) vs. The British Bulldog
  • Intercontinental Championship: Shawn Michaels (c) vs. Dean Douglas
  • World Tag Team Championships: The Smoking Gunns (c) vs. Razor Ramon & The 1-2-3 Kid
  • Mabel vs. Yokozuna
  • Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Fatu
  • Goldust (debut) vs. Marty Jannetty
Can't say much of that excites me! Paul Bearer informs us that Undertaker will be back real soon and he's coming for revenge!

Bret Hart def. Isaac Yankem DDS in a Steel Cage Match (15:34)
Escape rules only here! Bret takes charge early and hits a lot of his big guns to kick us off, atomic dropping Yankem and hitting the middle-rope elbow before trying to climb the cage. The next few minutes involve Bret and Yankem taking it in turns to climb, which kind of worked when you had a hot feud in Bret and Owen, but just feels tedious here. Bret tries for the door next but Tim White can't open it, as Jerry Lawler has the key! Okay, that bit is kinda neat. Back from a break, Bret continues to wear Yankem down and applies a Sharpshooter, but that won't win it for him owing to the rules. He does some damage to Yankem though and goes for a climb again, at which point Jerry takes matters into his own hands and meets him at the top of the cage. Monsoon is out now, as this quickly becomes more about Lawler outside the cage than the match inside it. Bret punches Lawler to the floor and Monsoon has the drones put King in the shark cage, which ascends high in the air. He looks terrified and even gets a nosebleed, but it's not that high really. Back from another break, Yankem is in charge and connects with a DDT, but Bret stops him leaving the cage. Lawler throws him the key (surely they should have taken that off of him earlier?!) but Bret cuts him off before he can escape and then nails Yankem down low. Bret finally unlocks the door but isn't done with the dentist yet, unfortunately. A running bulldog and elbow drop puts Yankem down, and Bret decides to go the hard way, climbing out of the cage for the win while Jerry wails above. That pretty much ended the Bret/Lawler feud for good, as Bret finally moved on to better things after a year of treading water. Jerry would do angles and matches here and there, but he's mostly just a commentator from now on. Pretty terrible match here, as the camera was mostly focused on Lawler, and everything in the ring just felt pretty by-the-numbers. Apparently this was also intended as a dark match, but they decided to put it on TV. (*)

Jerry continues to hang high above the ring, as apparently there's a mechanical issue and they can't bring him down.

Awful episode this week, as I suspect a lot of these "fourth week of the taping" shows will be. The crowd was lifeless, the action was weak, but at least Bret finally gets to move on. Thumbs way down.

NEXT TIME: A 20-Man Battle Royal to determine a new No. 1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship! And Alundra Blayze wants her Women's Title back!