Wrestlemania X
Date: March 20, 1994
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 18,065
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

If there is one thing that WWE does well, it is big milestone episodes where they are able to look back on what they have done before and praise themselves for it. The good thing is that this show has a lot going for it on its own, including the legendary ladder match and the two World Title matches, along with a second instant classic. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look back at the first Wrestlemania (egads it’s amazing how far they have come, even in nine years), with some awesome old school clips.

The opening sequence is just a look at the World Title participants without so much as a voiceover.

Little Richard and the Harlem Boys Choir sing America the Beautiful in a great performance.

Vince and Lawler explain the WWF Title situation, which is going to require some backstory. Lex Luger and Bret Hart were co-winners of the Royal Rumble, so both of them are getting title shots (since the triple threat wasn’t a big thing yet). Luger won a coin toss, meaning he will face Yokozuna for the WWF Title first, while Bret will face his brother Owen Hart (had Bret won the coin toss, Luger would have faced Crush). Bret will then face the winner of Luger vs. Yokozuna, no matter what happens in Bret vs. Owen.

We recap Bret vs. Owen, which is all about Owen wanting to get out from his brother’s shadow. Bret is one of the top stars in the WWF but Owen feels he is even better. They tried to win the Tag Team Titles together but the injured Bret wouldn’t tag out, costing them the titles. Owen turned on him as a result, which felt completely justified as Bret wouldn’t listen and tried to do everything himself. This is Owen’s big chance to prove that he’s a star in his own right and back up everything he has said about Bret for months now.

Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart

Dig that entrance where the X in the Wrestlemania logo slides apart, plus the entrance being opposite the hard camera as only MSG can make work. They go straight to the lockup, with Owen celebrating almost immediately. Bret wrestles him down and this time Owen has to go to the ropes for a break. Back up and Owen takes him down but this time Bret sends him outside to escape.

Owen slaps him in the face and then grabs a headlock, only to get reversed into a hammerlock. A rollup out of the corner gives Bret two and he armdrags Owen into an armbar. That’s broken up as well so Bret grabs a monkey flip, followed by a clothesline to the floor as things pick up for the first time. Owen teases leaving so Bret throws him back inside and hits a slap of his own, setting up another arm crank.

That’s broken up as well and Owen hits a spinwheel kick as neither can keep an advantage for that long. They head outside with Owen ramming him back first into the post. A backbreaker stays on the back and we hit a camel clutch as Owen plays Iron Sheik. Bret gets out (I knew he was better than Backlund) but charges into a belly to belly for two. Owen’s middle rope spinning crossbody connects and it’s off to the reverse chinlock with a knee in Bret’s back.

With that not working well enough, Owen tosses him to the floor, followed by a bridging German suplex for two back inside. It’s time to crank things up with a jumping Tombstone but instead of covering, Owen goes up to miss a top rope headbutt. Bret fights up and hits a clothesline, followed by a Russian legsweep for two. The middle rope elbow gets the same but Owen comes back with the enziguri.

Owen tries his own Sharpshooter but Bret counters, only to have his own version countered as well. A cradle gives Owen two with the kickout sending him outside. Lawler freaks out again, as he is glorious in praising Owen while yelling about Bret. A dive to the floor drops Owen again but Bret bangs up his knee on the landing. Back in and Owen goes right for the knee rather than letting Bret have a chance to sucker him in, including wrapping the leg around the post over and over.

Something like an Indian Deathlock has Bret down again so we hit the LET’S GO BRET chant. There’s something so simple about a chant like that but it just feels like wrestling. Owen goes a bit more classic with the Figure Four but Bret turns it over, sending Owen straight to the ropes. Back up and Bret whips him chest first into the buckle, setting up a bulldog for two.

A heck of a piledriver gives Bret two more, though it seems to tweak his knee a bit. Said knee is fine enough to hit a top rope superplex (Bret always made those look good) for another near fall as Bret is getting frustrated. Bret grabs a sleeper so Owen goes for the ropes and kicks him low to escape. Owen slaps on the Sharpshooter, which is reversed into Bret’s version, which sends Owen straight to the ropes. Back up and Bret gets whipped into the corner but gets up a boot to stop a charge. Bret tries a victory roll but Owen sits down on him for the clean pin at 20:22.

Rating: A. Absolute classic here and still probably the best opening match ever. What made this work so well, in addition to the great wrestling, is the story that they were telling. Bret was going as hard as he could but he couldn’t beat the motivated Owen, who had everything riding on this. If Owen lost here, he had nowhere to go and would go even nuttier, which was enough to get him past his brother. I’ve seen this one a ton of times and it is still great every time. Check this out again in case you haven’t seen it in awhile.

In the back, Owen is VERY happy with his win and says he told us all. This is more pride than anything else as Owen is finally validated. He even praises Bret a bit because while he still loves his brother, he had to win. That’s a great little detail and something you don’t see in a lot of matches and stories.

Wrestlemania II was in three cities and had celebrities!

Sy Sperling, the President of the Hair Club for Men, presents Howard Finkel in a toupee.

Doink The Clown/Dink The Clown vs. Luna Vachon/Bam Bam Bigelow

Makes sense to put this here as nothing serious should be following the opener. Bigelow wastes no time in dropkicking Doink down to start but misses a backsplash. Doink avoids a charge and works on an armbar, which lasts as long as you would expect. It’s off to Luna vs. Dink, the latter of whom starts with a quick spank. Luna chokes him on the middle rope, only to miss a charge on the ropes. Dink’s elbow drop gets two so Luna kicks him in the stomach. Dink drives her into the corner but misses something off the top for a crash.

This time it’s Luna going up, where she misses a splash (which got some height) of her own. The double tag brings in Bigelow and Doink, with Bigelow clotheslining him out to the floor in a heap. For some reason Dink is able to knock Bigelow down to his knees but Luna chases him back outside. Back in and Doink tries a sunset flip on Bigelow, which goes about as well as you would expect. Doink is fine enough to hit a jumping DDT on Bigelow, setting a missed top rope Whoopee Cushion. Bigelow knocks Dink off the apron and the top rope headbutt finishes Doink at 6:07.

Rating: D+. What else were you expecting here? There is only so much that you can get out of having a match mostly played for comedy, though having Bigelow and Luna win in such dominant fashion was a bit weird. At least they didn’t give it too much time though and it’s hard to get that annoyed at a match that is pure filler.

Post match Dink goes after Bigelow but gets taken down by Luna. The splash misses though and the clowns stand tall enough.

A Bill Clinton impersonator is here, complete with Jack Tunney next to him and IRS behind him.

Wrestlemania III was a huge show.

Randy Savage vs. Crush

This is billed as Falls Count Anywhere, which is true, but it has a twist to it, in that you get a fall but then your opponent has sixty seconds to get back in the ring. Yokozuna destroyed Crush a few months ago and Crush accused Savage, his former friend, of not checking on him. As a result, Crush beat the heck out of him, sending Savage into a rage, costing him a broadcasting job.

Now it’s time for revenge, so Savage charges at him in the aisle. That earns Savage a throat first drop onto the barricade for a fall on the floor less than a minute after the bell. Savage falls down at ringside but makes it back in with two seconds left. Crush ties him in the Tree of Woe and hammers away before going over to manager Mr. Fuji to get some salt. As you might expect, Savage gets out and knocks it into Crush’s face, setting up a top rope ax handle to the back.

The top rope elbow connects but Savage is smart enough to throw Crush outside for the pin, meaning the sixty second countdown is on again. Crush makes it back in with a second to go (and Fuji pouring water on his face/pushing him inside), meaning that was the most incredible elbow Savage ever hit.

Back in and Crush starts hammering on the back as they go to the floor again. They fight into the back with Crush being sent face first into a door, where they find some scaffolding. Savage gets the pin, but stops to tie Crush upside down in the scaffolding. Apparently never a Boy Scout, the rope slips and Crush falls down on the floor, but Savage gets the win anyway at 9:03.

Rating: C. This was a weird one as they mixed up a couple of stipulations, leaving us with a match that didn’t really work. Waiting for almost a minute after each fall made things drag a lot and that isn’t how such a grudge match should have gone. Savage out for vengeance in a wild weapons brawl should have been easy, but they twisted things around a bit here and it only kind of worked, mainly when they weren’t in the long rest periods. This would be Savage’s last match for the WWE, and it wasn’t a great way to go out.

Todd Pettengill is with the Clinton impersonator, who talks about how he has loved wrestling for years. IRS pops in for some tax jokes.

Video on Fan Fest, the ancestor of Axxess.

Randy Savage celebrates with the fans.

Randy Savage won the WWF Title in a tournament at Wrestlemania IV.

Women’s Title: Lelani Kai vs. Alundra Blayze

Kai, who challenged for the title at the first Wrestlemania, is challenging here as the company decided it cared about the Women’s Title again. The camera stays rather zoomed in to start before zooming out to show Kai running her over. Kai picks Blayze up for some choking and throws her down as Lawler talks about how much better Kai is at everything.

The yet to be named hurricanrana gives Blayze two but Kai tosses her outside. Back in and a butterfly suplex gives Kai two as this is one sided so far. Blayze fights back with some kicks and a snap suplex is good for two. Lawler suggests that Blayze looks like a horse before the German suplex retains the title at 3:27.

Rating: C-. Nothing to see here, though Kai getting in that much offense was quite the surprise. The problem is that the division was Blayze, Bull Nakano and maybe one or two other women, which didn’t leave many options. Blayze was good, but there was only so much they could do in about three minutes with a cold challenger.

The Fabulous Moolah and Nikolai Volkoff are watching.

Roddy Piper used a fire extinguisher at Wrestlemania V.

Shawn Michaels interrupts an interview with Rhonda Shear, a USA TV host, but Burt Reynolds interrupts and gets the girl. Reynolds seems to have no idea why he’s here.

Tag Team Titles: Men on a Mission vs. Quebecers

The Quebecers, with Johnny Polo (better known for his bird themes such as Scotty Flamingo and Raven), are defending but rapping Oscar is here with Men on a Mission. The champs jump the rather large challengers before the bell to start fast. Mo gets knocked outside but Mable runs the champs over with a double clothesline.

We settle down to Mo crossbodying Pierre for two and Mable drops the leg to make it worse. It’s back to Mo, who gets taken into the corner this time so the stomping can begin. Mo gets sent outside for a dive from Pierre for two back inside. A double hot shot gets the same as Lawler thinks Mabel has gone off to find food. Mo finally scores with a running flip attack but the referee doesn’t see the tag to Mabel.

Pierre misses a top rope legdrop though and the hot tag brings in Mabel to wreck the normal sized humans. A missed charge slows him down and the Quebecers manage a double suplex (Polo approves) to drop the giant. The Cannonball gets two but Mabel is back up with a spinwheel…well leg as his foot didn’t come close to Jacques’ face. An assisted splash crushes Jacques so Polo distracts the referee. Oscar breaks that up as Pierre hits Jacques by mistake. Another assisted splash hits Pierre on the floor and that’s a countout at 7:45.

Rating: C. This wasn’t the best match as Mabel is so big that you can only do so much with him and Mo just wasn’t very good. The Quebecers were a good team but they weren’t exactly miracle workers. Men on a Mission was a fun team just because of how bright and colorful they were, but you’re only able to get so far with this kind of a matchup.

Wrestlemania VI was the Ultimate Challenge, which proved that no one was unbeatable. In other words, pay no attention to that loser about to sign with WCW.

Donnie Wahlberg (of New Kids on the Block) and Rhonda Shear are the ring announcer and timekeeper.

WWF Title: Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger

Luger is challenging and Mr. Perfect is the surprise guest referee (in a referee shirt and matching pants for a different, yet still perfect, look). Yokozuna has Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji with him for quite the numbers advantage. Vince is doing everything that he can to make fans care about Luger, even calling him the embodiment of the spirit of America. Maybe calling him the embodiment of the spirit of someone who won the WWF Title at some point might help.

They glare at each other to start until Luger starts hammering away. The right hands put Yokozuna on the floor but Luger tosses him back inside, actually having learned his lesson from Summerslam. Back in and Luger goes up (Huh?) for a high crossbody (HUH?) for two, setting up the jumping elbow (which actually connects for a change) for two more. Luger tries a slam but Yokozuna falls onto him for the crash, meaning it’s time to start the slow beatdown.

Yokozuna pulls off the turnbuckle pad and we hit the nerve hold, which means putting his hand on Luger’s neck and not even pretending to squeeze. Luger starts fighting up and elbows his way out, only to get knocked down again. Some hard chops to the neck set up another nerve hold, which goes on for another minute plus before Luger is sent outside. Back in and we hit the nerve hold AGAIN, with Luger giving a look of boredom rather than pain, as this match is so far beyond dead that it’s actively turning into a zombie so it can die again.

Luger fights up and gets knocked down again, setting up the fourth nerve hold in a match that is just over eleven minutes long so far. That one is broken up as well but Yokozuna hits a belly to belly suplex. A missed charge sends Yokozuna into the exposed buckle though and Luger makes the clothesline comeback to put Yokozuna down.

Now the slam works (Lawler: “THAT WAS A HIPTOSS! THAT WAS A HIPTOSS!”) and Luger hits the loaded forearm. Mr. Fuji and Cornette come in but get decked, only to have Mr. Perfect not count with the two of them still in the ring. Luger yells at Perfect and shoves him, which is enough for the DQ at 14:38.

Rating: D-. This was absolutely dreadful and one of the worst major Wrestlemania matches of all time. Yokozuna could barely move and had to go to the same lazy hold four times in less than fifteen minutes. I know he’s huge and can’t move much, but maybe that means it is time for him to figure out something else. That didn’t help things, but it also exposed the other issue with Luger’s big push.

In addition to Yokozuna being terrible, Luger looked AWFUL here, as he did almost nothing but right hands and clotheslines. There are things you can do with an opponent the size of Yokozuna but Luger went as basic as possible, just like he did at Summerslam. At the same time, Luger looked bored out there with almost no charisma or anything close to it. Neither guy was putting in much effort here and it showed badly, as the fans calling the whole thing BS at the end being rather telling.

We go to the back where Mr. Perfect says you can’t touch a referee or you get disqualified. Luger comes in to yell at him but referees separate them. This was supposed to be a long term followup on Luger knocking Perfect out cold last year at Wrestlemania but Perfect left the company before it could go anywhere.

Vince and Lawler talk about the match, with Vince having to acknowledge the BS chants.

There was a blindfold match at Wrestlemania VII. THAT’S the match you pick from that show?

Harvey Wippleman yells at Howard Finkel about being a stupid New Yorker who has big ears and fake hair. He doesn’t like Fink’s suit either and rips it up, so Fink fights back. Cue Adam Bomb to go after Fink, but Earthquake of all people makes the save.

Earthquake vs. Adam Bomb

Powerslam and the Earthquake finishes Bomb at 34 seconds. I’m going to assume this was a time issue.

Jim Cornette isn’t happy with how the match with Luger went but all that matters is who has the belt. He loved Mr. Perfect’s officiating and remember that BOTH PARTIES agreed on the referee choice. As for Bret Hart, what matters is whether he makes it through the match with his career intact. Bret already lost to his brother and has a bad knee but he still has to face this monster. Cornette knew how to hype someone up like few others could.

Wrestlemania VIII had an Undertaker….something. No match or opponent is mentioned, but he sure was there.

Intercontinental Title: Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels

Ramon is defending and the title is hanging above the ring, because this is the ladder match. Ring announcer: “There are NO RULES.” He then explains how you win the title, which sounds a lot like rules. This is fallout from Shawn being suspended while still champion and being stripped of the title. Ramon won it, but then Shawn came back and said he was the real champion. Therefore, hang them both above the ring and see who can pull them down. Diesel is here with Shawn, meaning Razor has to keep glancing down at him.

Ramon blocks an early hiptoss attempt and hits a hard chokeslam (Razor was one of the first to really use that around here and it’s never remembered). Shawn comes right back with a running neckbreaker and starts hammering away as the cameraman has to avoid a referee. A charging Razor is sent outside where Diesel gets in a clothesline, which earns him an ejection. The camera stays on Diesel all the way to the entrance and we come back to Shawn getting flipped upside down in the corner.

A hard clothesline puts Shawn on the floor and it’s time to pull back the ring mats. That takes too long though and Shawn is back in with some stomping. Razor isn’t having that and punches him in the face, but the Razor’s Edge over the top is countered with a backdrop to the floor onto the exposed concrete. With Ramon down holding his arm, Shawn goes to get the first ladder, which is baseball slidden into Razor’s ribs.

Back in and Shawn drives the ladder into the ribs and then slams it onto Ramon’s back to keep him in trouble. Shawn makes the first climb so razor pulls his tights down on the way up for the save. Since that’s a bit embarrassing, Shawn kicks him down and drops the elbow to put Ramon back down. Shawn goes up the ladder and dives off with a splash for one of the most famous shots in company history.

Another climb is broken up as Razor goes simple by shoving it over. Back up and they collide for a double knockdown and a much needed breather (at least for Shawn, as Razor has mainly just been getting beaten up). Razor is fine enough to throw Shawn into the ladder in the corner for a crash to the floor, but instead of climbing, Razor drives the ladder into Shawn into the post. It works so well that he does it again and then catapults Shawn into the ladder, sending it crashing back down onto Michaels for a good looking bump.

Back in and Razor BLASTS HIM in the face with the ladder, knocking Michaels outside again. Shawn breaks that up as well but this time the ladder falls down onto him, which is quite the punishment. They both go up so Razor backdrops him over the top, only to fall as well, with the ladder bending underneath him. Shawn dropkicks the ladder to make another save and then gets smart by shoving the ladder onto Razor.

Back up again and Shawn hits a superkick, setting up another hard piledriver. Shawn heads to the top and rides the ladder down onto Razor’s in another famous shot before setting the ladder up again. That takes too long though and Razor shoves it over, with Shawn’s leg getting tied in the ropes. That’s enough for Razor to go up and pull down the titles for the win at 18:51.

Rating: A+. I could go with “it’s the ladder match” as the explanation here and it would be completely covered, but this is again almost all about Shawn, as it should be. When you look back at the whole thing, there are only a few big Razor bumps or spots at all. The rest is Shawn doing things to Razor, who is mainly laying there. Razor got the title, but Shawn got the glory and fame here, which is how it should be. This is the match that really put Shawn on the map and my goodness it is easy to see why, as he was a human pinball who made this look flawless. I would tell you it’s great, but again, it’s the ladder match.

IRS, the Headshrinkers, Rick Martel and Adam Bomb argue about who the captain is going to be in their ten man tag. Somehow, this results in the match being postponed to Raw in a few weeks.

Ted DiBiase meets the Clinton impersonator but Clinton doesn’t want to talk politics.

Wrestlemania IX was outside and Yokozuna cheated to win the WWF Title. And nothing else happened after that.

Video on Bret Hart, set to Making Some Noise by Tom Petty.

Video on Yokozuna.

It’s time for the main event so Jenny Garth is timekeeper and a seemingly hammered Burt Reynolds is guest ring announcer.

WWF Title: Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna

Yokozuna, again with Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji, is defending and the guest referee this time is….Roddy Piper. Bret even sells the leg from earlier in the night on his way to the ring, with Yokozuna jumping him on the way in. The slow beating is on, with Yokozuna hammering him down and then standing around for a bit. Yokozuna cuts off the comeback attempt and chokes in the ropes, earning a tongue lashing from Piper.

Bret fights back again with a headbutt, which actually puts Yokozuna down, albeit after some staggering. Cornette pulls Piper out at two so Piper drops him with as much effort as you would expect. The delay lets Yokozuna knock Bret over again and the legdrop lands right on his face. Back up and Yokozuna very, very slowly hammers on Bret in the corner, only to miss the big charge.

Bret slugs away and drops the middle rope elbow, setting up the running clothesline for two. A middle rope….something is pulled out of the air to set up the belly to belly and it’s time for the Banzai Drop. That takes a good while to set up though and Yokozuna loses his balance, falling backwards in a big crash. Bret covers and Piper counts rather quickly (so quickly that he doesn’t see Yokozuna’s shoulder being off the mat) for the pin and the title at 10:33.

Rating: C-. It was better than the Luger match because it didn’t go as long, but this was another match where Yokozuna looked like he was gassed after every move. That is the reason you get the title off of him because there isn’t much that can be done with e champion who is virtually immobile after two minutes. Bret didn’t so much win the title as much as he escaped with it, but sometimes that’s all you need to do.

Post match Yokozuna goes after Piper so here is Lex Luger to shake Bret’s hands. Piper comes back as well and here is the locker room, plus the celebrities, to join them. Even Vince and Gorilla Monsoon get in there. Bret is carried on their shoulders….and here is Owen to come out and look at him, with a shake of the head to end the show. That’s great storytelling and something so simple because so many people can relate to it, plus it isn’t some long ago call back that requires some big explanation. Nice job.

Overall Rating: B. This show is kind of fascinating really. the show is beloved and considered a classic, but outside of the opener and the ladder match, the wrestling is ok at best and terrible at worst. It’s a two match show and those two matches are both all timers, but the rest of the show is around a D+. There are some long stretches without anything good going on and that makes this a bit of a chore at times.

Then there is the other part of the show that makes it so well regarded: the show felt important. This felt like a celebration of the history of the biggest WWF show and that was something worth bragging about. At the same time, look at how they celebrated it: a quick look at each of the previous editions and Vince hyping up how important the show is. That’s it. No stadium, no LOOK AT US LOOK AT US LOOK AT US and no ridiculous scripted speeches from commentary with words no one would use. It felt natural but still big, which is something that has been completely lost on WWE over the years.

Overall, this is a special show and something that every fan needs to see at least once, just for the two major matches. Both of them are Wrestlemania moments, but they are about all that is worth watching on the show. I don’t know why Lelani Kai and Earthquake are on a major show in 1994, but that isn’t what people remember. Either way, check this one out if you have the chance, because it still feels special.

Ratings Comparison

Owen Hart vs. Bret Hart

Original: A+
2013 Redo: A+
2015 Redo: A+
2022 Redo: A

Bam Bam Bigelow/Luna Vachon vs. Doink the Clown/Dink

Original: F
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D-
2022 Redo: D+

Randy Savage vs. Crush

Original: C+
2013 Redo: C
2015 Redo: C+
2022 Redo: C

Alundra Blayze vs. Lelani Kai

Original: D-
2013 Redo: D
2015 Redo: D-
2022 Redo: C-

Men on a Mission vs. Quebecers

Original: F
2013 Redo: F+
2015 Redo: D
2022 Redo: C

Yokozuna vs. Lex Luger

Original: F
2013 Redo: D+
2015 Redo: F
2022 Redo: D-

Earthquake vs. Adam Bomb

Original: N/A
2013 Redo: N/A
2015 Redo: N/A
2022 Redo: N/A

Razor Ramon vs. Shawn Michaels

Original: A+
2013 Redo: A+
2015 Redo: A+
2022 Redo: A+

Bret Hart vs. Yokozuna

Original: C+
2013 Redo: B-
2015 Redo: D+
2022 Redo: C-

Overall Rating

Original: A
2013 Redo: A-
2015 Redo: B+
2022 Redo: B

This one has actually gone down a bit over the years as the nostalgia might be wearing off a bit.

 

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Monday Night Raw
Date: July 11, 1994
Location: Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 1,600
Commentators: Jim Ross, Randy Savage

This week has a pretty big match for a change as Bret Hart is defending the WWF Title against the 1-2-3 Kid in a match that has some serious potential. The Kid is someone who can have a good match with a lot of people and Bret is Bret, so we could have something great going here. Other than that, Ted DiBiase will have more about the Fake Undertaker. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a look at the 1-2-3 Kid’s history of upsets coming into the title shot against Bret Hart.

Hart talked about some young, up and coming stars at the Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.

Opening sequence.

Commentary hypes up the title match.

WWF Title: Bret Hart vs. 1-2-3 Kid

Hart is defending…but hold on because here are Jim Neidhart and Owen Hart to yell but are quickly thrown out. We get a handshake before the Kid quickly takes him down with an armdrag. Kid works on a wristlock but Hart slams him down, only to have Kid nip back up for a standoff. A hammerlock puts Hart down again as they’re certainly taking their time to start. Hart reverses into a quick chinlock but Kid is right back up as well. A monkey flip has Hart in trouble and a spinning kick to the face has him on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Kid still working on the arm and Hart looking a bit frustrated. Hart gets up and gets in a knee to the ribs to stop a charging Kid. A slam drops Kid again and some hard uppercuts in the corner keep him in trouble. Hart gets two off a neckbreaker and we hit the chinlock. Kid fights up and hits a crossbody for two of his own, leaving Savage VERY enthusiastic (yeah I’m stunned too).

Kid’s crucifix is countered into something like a Samoan drop for….three, though Kid’s foot was on the ropes. The referee (Earl Hebner, because of course in a Hart match) didn’t notice it but Hart himself points it out, which really doesn’t seem to be the best idea. The match will indeed continue and we take a break, coming back with Hart grabbing another chinlock. Kid fights up again and gets two off a backslide (I remember Hart’s panicked face from watching this as a kid), only to have Hart grab a DDT for the same.

Hart takes his sweet time going up for the middle rope elbow and Kid gets his foot up to the face. The jumping spinwheel kick drops Hart and Kid fires off the kicks in the corner, including a running dropkick. A spinning high crossbody gets two and Kid plants him with a powerbomb. You can hear the crowd getting into this as Kid hits a guillotine legdrop for two more and there’s a clothesline to put Hart on the floor.

The moonsault to the floor is partially blocked though and it’s Hart getting back inside first. Kid gets back up and heads to the top, only to miss a Swanton. The Sharpshooter is loaded up but Kid grabs the rope before Hart can turn it over. Hart hits the bulldog and goes up, where he is slammed right back down. Kid goes up instead but dives right into the Sharpshooter as Hart retains at 25:35.

Rating: A-. This is one of those matches that I remember seeing as a kid and flashing back to it many times over the years. Watching it back in full shows why as this was outstanding stuff, with Kid hanging in there long enough that you believed a miracle could be possible. At the same time, a lot of that is due to Hart, who knew exactly what he was doing the whole way through. This was the Kid’s big coming out party and they knocked it WAY out of the park with one of the best matches ever on Raw.

Hart checks on Kid as Savage and JR give it a standing ovation to really put Kid over. We get the big show of respect with Hart raising Kid’s hand.

Summerslam Report! The show will be the first televised event in the United Center (and for some reason they wouldn’t be back for 23 years) with a main event of….Undertaker vs. Undertaker, which has Todd Pettengill rather confused. Paul Bearer talks about how the real Undertaker is NOT happy and it’s time for him to come back for some revenge.

Crush vs. Matt Hardy

This show is downright notable. Crush knocks him into the corner but Matt moonsaults over him, only to get his head superkicked off. A delayed gorilla press drops Hardy again and has Savage doing a weird soccer styles GOAL shouting. The tilt-a-whirl backbreaker finishes Hardy at 1:25.

Razor Ramon vs. Barry Horowitz

Barry doesn’t care for the fans liking Ramon to start so Ramon shoves him down without much effort. Ramon takes his time before firing off right hands as commentary talks about boxing. Something close to an STF has Horowitz in more trouble before Ramon messes with his hair. Horowitz’s comeback is cut off by a fall away slam and Ramon grabs a small package of all things for the win at 2:53. What a unique way to wrap it up.

We go to what looks like a basic office for the King’s Court with special guest Ted DiBiase. Lawler recaps the history of the Million Dollar Corporation, including bringing back the Undertaker, but now DiBiase is trying to buy Lex Luger. DiBiase says he isn’t trying because it has been a success, but even Lawler isn’t sure if he buys that one. Ok so the contract isn’t actually signed or anything, though it’s just a matter of time.

Commentary isn’t sure about DiBiase buying Luger either.

IRS vs. Ray Hudson

Before the match, IRS guarantees everyone will pay for cheating on their taxes. IRS grabs a hammerlock to start before throwing Hudson outside without much trouble. Hudson comes back in with a high crossbody for two but IRS is right back with an abdominal stretch. That’s switched into a leglock as commentary talks about baseball. A clothesline drops Hudson again and the Penalty (STF) finishes at 3:44.

Rating: D. Geez this was boring. I don’t know if the idea behind IRS is that he was uninteresting in every way but it’s a shame as he is capable of having some better stuff. This was just a bunch of waiting around for Hudson to lose, which felt far longer than just under four minutes. Terribly dull stuff.

Bret Hart is happy with his win and respects the 1-2-3 Kid. He isn’t worried about Owen Hart and Jim Neidhart either so Owen can come find him.

Overall Rating: B. It’s a one match show but that one match is one of the best matches the company had presented in years at that point. It was a great match and absolutely worth checking out, which is enough to overcome that IRS match, plus some other skippable stuff. In other words, Bret Hart is the best thing in the WWF at the moment and…well yeah of course he is.

 

 

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 4, 1996
Location: War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Attendance: 4,555
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

The march through the first four years continues and….oh boy it’s this show. The show has officially moved to 8pm and they wanted to start with a bang. In this case, that means Steve Austin going to Brian Pillman’s house and Pillman is going to be waiting on him. Oh yeah, it’s THIS show. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Steve Austin being thrown out of the WWF studios by the police over making such a ruckus. In addition, Shawn Michaels and Sid just might not be able to trust each other. Yeah yeah. Back to Austin already.

Opening sequence, complete with someone coughing.

Kevin Kelly is live at Brian Pillman’s home in Walton, Kentucky for an interview. Steve Austin has promised to show up, despite Pillman recovering from ankle surgery.

Goldust vs. The Stalker

Goldust’s entire Survivor Series team, plus Mr. Perfect and Marlena, are here with him. Stalker (better known as Barry Windham) has his team with him too (including one Rocky Maivia, making his Raw debut). They start on the floor before Stalker (or Barry Windham as Vince calls him) takes him inside and falls down armdragging him.

We go split screen to hear from Doc Hendrix, who patches in a phone call from Steve Austin, on his way to Brian Pillman’s house. So yeah, we’re looking at half a screen of someone who basically handed Vince the phone. Anyway Austin is on his way as Windham gets two off a powerslam. Austin isn’t worried about any gun Pillman threatens to have because he’s a big star and hangs up.

Goldust is sent outside but gets thrown back inside by Windham’s team, drawling Jerry Lawler (also part of Goldust’s team) off commentary. Goldust catches Windham on top and kisses him down, only to dive into a raised boot as we take a break. Back with the two of them crashing out to the floor and yeah it’s time for the teams to start fighting, which is enough for the double DQ at 7:32.

Rating: D+. Understated historic debut aside, there was only to much to be done here, as most of the match was focused on the phone call and then they only had about 45 seconds after the break. Then again, it isn’t like the upcoming Survivor Series match was going to be anything more than a showcase for Maivia. Was anyone that interested in Barry Windham in 1996?

Doc Hendrix hypes up Survivor Series, focusing on Undertaker vs. Mankind. We see a clip from what appears to be a special called Bing Bang Boom (granted the RAW set kind of makes that feel off), with Mankind promising to destroy Undertaker. Cue Undertaker’s voice to promise pain, plus a one person cage for Paul Bearer, complete with a dummy inside. Note that the Executioner, better known as Terry Gordy, is here for a mini (and of course unmentioned) Freebirds reunion.

We go to Brian Pillman’s house where Pillman, with his wife Melanie, says Steve Austin has made this personal. Vince cuts in to say Steve Austin is circling the neighborhood but Pillman says he knows Austin better than anyone. Pillman doesn’t feel like he’s a hostage, because when Austin 3:16 meets Pillman 9mm Glock…..and Austin is apparently outside, as Pillman pulls out a gun.

With that cut away, we go back to the Karate Fighters tournament, with Sid beating Marlena. This was a toy that sponsored Survivor Series, giving us this kind of thing week after week. And yes, there were brackets.

Back at Pillman’s house, Austin beats up Pillman’s friends outside his house. One of them even gets his head crushed in a Jeep door while the other gets beaten up in a kid’s pool. Austin tries to go inside but has to go around to the back (with Vince calling it a publicity stunt, which is about as ironic as you can get). Worked in Home Alone…kind of.

Alex Porteau vs. The Sultan

Bob Backlund and the Iron Sheik are here with the Sultan. Before the match, Backlund insists that the Sultan will bring you into the 21st century as a respectable WWF Champion. Sultan sweeps the leg and grabs a belly to belly as commentary is all about Austin/Pillman. A backbreaker and the camel clutch finish for Sultan at 2:09. Of note: Vince says Austin and Pillman are former Tag Team Champions, a rare reference to another company’s title reigns.

Austin breaks a window and Pillman gets up with the gun pointed….as we lose the satellite feed.

Jim Ross brings out Shawn Michaels (with Jose Lothario) and Sid for a face to face meeting before their title match at Survivor Series. We see a clip of Sid turning on Shawn and powerbombing him over and over about a year ago, but Shawn says he has already forgiven him. That’s why he brought Sid back again, because ultimately, they are still friends. Sid: “THAT’S BULL****!”

Shawn says Sid has to know who he should thank for getting back in the WWF, but JR asks why Sid hit Shawn from behind last week. Sid calls JR fat and says it was just a mistake, which Shawn seems to accept. We hear a voiceover from Vince saying we now return you to Cincinnati where they have reestablished their satellite feed. Vince: “No….sorry, we don’t have it.”

Sid agrees that he is the favorite going into the match because of his size, but Shawn says Sid’s ability will be his downfall. Shawn says Sid isn’t in his league, with Sid saying that’s true: he isn’t in Little League. Violence is teased but here are Jim Cornette and Owen Hart/British Bulldog, who are facing Shawn and Sid next week.

The brawl is on with Vader getting involved too and Owen hits Sid with a chair. Shawn takes the chair away and makes the save but Sid thinks Shawn hit him. The villains come back again, only to get cleared out again. This went a bit long but it did build some tension for the title match at Survivor Series, even if it is feeling miles beneath anything involving Austin.

We recap Steve Austin beating up Brian Pillman’s friends and Pillman pulling the gun.

Marc Mero vs. Fake Razor Ramon

Sable and Fake Diesel are here too. As usual, Diesel looks like someone who might actually resemble the real thing if you’re about fifty feet away and only catching a glance but Razor…my goodness no. Jim Ross joins commentary to continue his heel run, which still doesn’t work no matter how much they try. Razor takes him into the corner for a weak slap to start but Mero punches his way out of trouble.

We get a phone call from Kerwin Silfies, who is in the production truck in Cincinnati. Brian Pillman’s power seems to be out as Mero armdrags him into an armbar. Silfies heard some noises but isn’t sure if they were gunshots. What kind of a roving reporter is he supposed to be?

We take a break and come back with Mero slugging Razor down as the scintillating phone call continues. The cops are still not at Pillman’s house and Vince is getting annoyed at them not being around yet. Razor works on the arm for a change but something happens at the truck and Silfies’ call drops. The chinlock goes on as even Lawler is sick of hearing about Austin and wants to talk about the match.

Mero finally fights up as Vince is in his serious voice talking about Pillman’s house. A missile dropkick gets two on Razor and a super hurricanrana (ignored by commentary to talk about Mr. Perfect appearing on Livewire) gets the same. Cue Mr. Perfect as we take ANOTHER break. Back again with Mero hitting a fall away slam but HHH (here with Perfect) breaks up the Wild Thing. The Razor’s Edge finishes Mero at 12:35 as Vince apologizes for a lack of enthusiasm over the match.

Rating: D-. This was the exact same thing that used to drive me nuts on Nitro: commentary completely ignoring everything in the match, even if it wasn’t very good, to talk about something else. Yes the Pillman/Austin stuff is more important but could you at least pretend what is going on in the ring matters? Granted it doesn’t help when the match is downright appalling, but don’t just ignore it entirely for the sake of one other angle that has dominated the show.

We look back at Pillman pulling the gun on Austin.

We go back live (with just two minutes left in the show for an amazing stroke of luck) and commentary asking if anyone was shot. Pillman is being held back by his friends (I like that UK shirt one of them has on) but Austin comes in again. The friends go after him and Pillman rants a bunch, including dropping an audible F bomb and waving the gun around to end the show.

Ok so that was a lot. To say this was a game changer for the WWF would be an understatement, as we go from what was still the cartoon era to Pillman literally pulling a gun on Austin. USA had wanted something new and edgier to combat Nitro but then took this REALLY badly and nearly canceled the show. Granted then it wound up being the style that made Raw a juggernaut and finished WCW off for good, but this really didn’t go well at first and it’s easy to see why. It’s such a jarring change from everything the WWF had been doing but yeah, it more than worked in the end.

Overall Rating: D+. Historic nature aside, this was a show that felt like Nitro and not in a good way. It was all about one story with everything else, including the World Title, feeling like a distant second. If you’re in on that story then you’ll have a good time, but other than that, there was nothing worth seeing here and it was painfully obvious. The times are certainly changing though and that is something that absolutely needed to happen. It could have been a bit more smooth, but this was the kind of thing that saved Raw and they are diving into it head first.

 

 

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WrestleFest 1993
Hosts: Gene Okerlund, Bobby Heenan
Commentators: Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes, Gorilla Monsoon, Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan

It’s back to Coliseum Video and in this case we’re jumping to one of the weaker times the company has had. The good thing is that these tapes almost always have something worth seeing and there is always a hope that we could see the same thing here. There is no major theme here most of the time and that makes things more fun. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence, featuring various stars of the era and yeah this was likely put together in late 1992.

Gene Okerlund and Bobby Heenan are on a road trip for the Coliseum Video headquarters, which I believe was a story that Sean Mooney and Lord Alfred Hayes did in a previous tape. The car breaks down but worry not because Heenan knows that he can fix it. After breaking the hood ornament, they get the hood open so Heenan can look around. But now, a match!

From Madison, Wisconsin, December 15, 1992.

Tag Team Titles: Money Inc. vs. Nasty Boys

Money Inc., with Jimmy Hart, is defending and IRS thinks the fans like the Nasty Boys because they ALL CHEAT ON THEIR TAXES! Sidenote: how did IRS and Repo Man not get together at some point? Shouldn’t that have been an obvious pairing? The brawl starts before the bell with the champs being knocked outside as Hayes starts making money jokes.

DiBiase and Sags start things off with DiBiase working on the arm. A hiptoss sets up a missed elbow drops and it’s Knobbs coming in to stay on the arm. The Nasties take turns on said arm but IRS is a good partner who breaks up the Pit Stop. IRS comes in and gets his arm cranked on as well but a drop toehold gets him out of trouble. Knobbs….wins a mat wrestle off (I’m as shocked as you are) and it’s time to work on IRS’ arm some more.

They head out to the floor with a distraction letting IRS drive Sags into the apron. Back in and the champs start taking over, including a bearhug of all things from DiBiase. A bite get Sags out of trouble but IRS makes the save and grabs a bearhug of his own. Sags manages to send the champs into each other and it’s Knobbs coming back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and the champs are knocked outside, which is enough for the two of them to walk out.

Hold on though as the referee says not so fast, because if they don’t answer the ten count, the titles change hands (that was a Money Inc. signature spot). Back in and DiBiase gets in a shot to Sags and grabs the Million Dollar Dream. That’s broken up as well and a faceplant is enough to bring Knobbs back in. Everything breaks down again and Sags drops his always bad top rope elbow onto IRS for two. Hart offers a distraction though and DiBiase’s belt shot retains the titles at 13:23.

Rating: C. This took some time to get going but they went with what was more or less a house show finish. That makes enough sense given the situation but it is still a bit more than a disappointing ending. The Nasty Boys were getting warm again at this point but I don’t know if they were hot enough to win the titles.

From Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, October 12, 1992.

Crush vs. Papa Shango

This is a different one. Shango jumps him from behind to start and the beating is on fast. A running crossbody in the corner hits Crush but he manages a quick backbreaker. Crush hits a superkick to put Shango on the floor as Sean talks about Crush moving a bunch of wood in a barn. The story doesn’t have quite the impact as Shango wins a test of strength and takes him down. Hayes’ advice: cheat.

Crush doesn’t go evil and fights up for the comeback, only to miss a splash in the corner. The beating is back on until Shango misses a jumping legdrop and now the real comeback can be on. A big boot knocks Shango outside and there’s a clothesline to do it again. That’s finally enough for Shango, who grabs his skull staff and shoots fireworks into Crush’s eyes for the DQ at 6:48.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t much of a power match and the ending didn’t make it any better. Crush was getting bigger and bigger at this point but he was still beneath Shango, so this wasn’t the worst decision. The ending didn’t make things much better though and this was a pretty lame match.

Crush looks mildly perturbed. Not hurt or anything, but annoyed.

From Hershey, Pennsylvania, September 1, 1992.

Big Boss Man vs. Rick Martel

Boss Man knocks him around to start and Martel accuses him of a hair pull. Then he does it again, with the referee, who was looking right at them, taking Martel’s word for it. With that not working, Boss Man MESSES WITH Martel’s hair, which is enough to earn him some knees in the corner. A hiptoss sends Martel outside though as this is one sided so far. Back in and Boss Man starts working on the arm before sending Martel into the corner over and over. With nothing else working, Martel grabs the atomizer, meaning Boss Man grabs the nightstick and that’s a double DQ at 6:10.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t great as Boss Man more or less squashed him until the lame ending. You really can’t have Rick Martel take the Boss Man Slam in late 1992? Boss Man was on a downward trajectory at this point but he should be able to get a win here. Also, back to back DQ finishes after a cheating ending isn’t quite the hot start to a tape.

Bobby and Gene are still looking at the engine, with the sun rapidly going down.

From Dayton, Ohio, November 24, 1992.

Earthquake vs. Repo Man

Earthquake sends him into the corner for a splash as Sean talks about how this is an exclusive for WrestleFest 1993. The fact that this match is also on Smack Em Whack Em makes me think I need to reevaluate my thoughts on Sean Mooney. Earthquake charges into a shot in the corner and gets ax handled down but the beating doesn’t last long. Back up and Earthquake runs him over, setting up the Earthquake for the pin at 4:22.

Rating: D+. Aside from my faith in Mooney being shattered, this was a pretty nothing match, with Earthquake shrugging off Repo Man’s basic offense and winning with the usual. There isn’t much that can be said for Repo Man in the ring, but he was so over the top as a character that it became memorable.

From Louisville, Kentucky, October 28, 1992.

Intercontinental Title: Virgil vs. Shawn Michaels

Michaels is defending in a match that appears on three different tapes. Shawn takes him down to start and gets in some taunting, which earns Hayes’ approval. Virgil fights back with an atomic drop into a dropkick for a fast two but a kick to the face cuts him off in a hurry. One heck of a dropkick drops Virgil again but commentary is too upset about Shawn chewing gum during a match. I mean….well yeah kind of.

Shawn grabs a chinlock for a bit, followed by a suplex to drop Virgil again. A faceplant gets Virgil out of trouble and he hits a clothesline to the back of the head. The rapid fire punches spin Shawn around for a delayed two and a middle rope clothesline gets the same. That’s a bit too much for Shawn, who grabs the Tear Drop suplex to retain at 7:07.

Rating: C. Completely watchable match as Virgil had a good comeback but wasn’t going to beat someone anywhere near as good as Shawn. That’s not a bad place to be either, as Shawn’s star was clearly on the rise at this point and few people were going to be able to give him a run for his money. Also, it’s nice to see a clean finish for a change.

From Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, June 1, 1992.

Undertaker vs. Berzerker

Paul Bearer and Mr. Fuji are the seconds. Hayes says that Undertaker is a sex symbol in Europe for your disturbing thought of the day. Berzerker jumps him to start and gets uppercutted right into the corner. Undertaker charges into a corner though and a running dropkick sends him to the floor. Brawling outside works fine for Undertaker but he misses the running clothesline back inside.

They head right back to the floor with Undertaker being sent into various steps and then the apron (the STEEL apron according to Hayes), setting up a big chair shot. Back in and Undertaker fights back, only to miss the big elbow. Berzerker goes outside again and chokes with a cord, setting up a running bulldog back inside. Undertaker gets laid against the ropes for some right hands but manages to backdrop him over the top.

That does nothing so Berzerker is right back in for a piledriver, which Undertaker no sells. Then he hits a piledriver, which Undertaker no sells. Then he hits a piledriver, which Undertaker….actually sells, allowing Berzerker to drop a knee. Fuji hands in the sword (because there’s a sword), but Undertaker takes it away, only to have Fuji grab the leg. That doesn’t work for Undertaker, who clotheslines him down and hits the Tombstone for the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C. This was the kind of match where they knew there was almost no one paying attention so they had a pretty goofy match. Undertaker popping up from the piledrivers was funny but the sword stuff was so goofy that it didn’t make much of a difference. At the same time, at least it wasn’t ANOTHER DQ finish.

Post match Fuji comes in, earning a Tombstone (the safest I’ve seen in a long time) of his own.

Heenan and Gene still don’t have any luck with the car, though they do have some extra parts.

From Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, July 9, 1991.

Jim Duggan vs. IRS

Well this is kind of out of nowhere. Duggan goes personal/business by stomping IRS’ briefcase before knocking IRS down. Back up and a running shoulder drops IRS again as he’s a bit shaken to start. There’s a clothesline to do it again as this is totally one sided to start. An atomic drop and an elbow to the face put IRS on the floor, where he is tossed back in but then gets thrown outside again.

IRS FINALLY gets in a shot to the face and we hit the chinlock with a foot on the rope (or maybe IRS just got caught by mistake). This goes on far longer than it needs to until Duggan fights up and rams him into the corner ten times in a row. The three point clothesline sends IRS outside again but he pulls Duggan outside for the brawl and double countout at 8:02.

Rating: D-. This tape is getting terrible in a hurry as three of the seven matches have ended in either a countout or a DQ. Again: is it that hard to have one of these two lose with a pin? It’s a stand alone Coliseum Video and after doing one of the most boring matches you could imagine, they have that ending.

From Portland, Maine, July 21, 1992.

Nasty Boys/Repo Man vs. Tito Santana/High Energy

Jimmy Hart is here with the villains, despite managing AGAINST the Nasty Boys about an hour earlier. Knobbs kicks Koko into the corner to start but misses a dropkick, allowing Koko to hit a jumping elbow/hip attack. Repo and Tito come in with the latter cranking on an arm and handing it off to Owen. Sags comes in and blocks a hiptoss before Owen flips backwards and gets the hiptoss on the second try.

Knobbs low bridges Hart to the floor though and that means a BIG dive over the top, because that’s what Owen would do in this spot. Back in and the beating continues, with the villains getting to take turns this time. Repo grabs a neck crank and yells a lot before finally missing a charge. That’s enough for Santana to come back in for a dropkick and flying forearm to Sags as everything breaks down. The Nasties and Repo are sent into each other, allowing Santana to hit another flying forearm. Knobbs tries to bring in the hook and that’s enough for the DQ at 7:35.

Rating: C-. This got better in the end but I’m trying to get my head around the idea of another DQ finish. Did they really have nothing better to do with a show like this? The Nasties were about to turn face so wouldn’t a loss help them move in that direction? I can always go for a good six man, but that wasn’t quite what we got here.

From Erie, Pennsylvania, November 23, 1992.

Randy Savage vs. Terry Taylor

Note that it’s TERRIFIC Terry Taylor, not just Terry Taylor. They go with the grappling to start and Savage manages an armdrag into an armbar. Back up and they shove each other a few times, which you know won’t sit well with Savage. Taylor is sent outside but manages to punch Savage out of the air to break up the top rope ax handle. Back in and Taylor hits a backbreaker as Monsoon says youth is the only thing Taylor has going for him.

An atomic drop gives Savage two as we hear about Savage’s success in the company, which doesn’t make Monsoon sound biased at all. The sleeper is broken up rather quickly and Savage grabs a backslide for two, only to be neckbreakered back down. Something like a Vader Bomb hits raised knees though and Savage does the neck snap across the top. There’s the ax handle for two, setting up the slam and elbow to give Savage the pin at 9:44.

Rating: B-. By far the best match on the whole thing so far, which isn’t the highest bar to clear. Savage was well past his prime by this point but he was still good for a fine match against someone with Taylor’s skill. It’s amazing what happens when you have Taylor as just a guy in trunks instead of a wrestling rooster, but no one cared about someone named Terrific Terry Taylor and that was never going to change.

There’s a hamster in the car engine. That’s the big finish.

From Huntsville, Alabama, August 10, 1992.

Intercontinental Title: Bret Hart vs. Kamala

Kamala, with Harvey Wippleman and Kim Chee, is challenging. Commentary has no idea how Kamala is allowed to compete when he’s, you know, a savage. Bret works on the arm to start but a dropkick doesn’t actually drop him. With that not working, Bret goes back to the arm, sending Kamala to the rope (as you do in the dark jungle). Kamala wants a test of strength and Bret is way too smart for that, as he doesn’t go for it and eventually stomps on Kamala’s bare feet.

Some running shots stagger Kamala but he gets in a shot to the throat to take over. Back up and Bret charges into a bearhug before getting kicked in the face (Bret has a bad, bad history with superkicks). The chest claw goes on, then Bret fights up, then Bret gets knocked down, then the chest claw goes on again. Back up again and Bret ducks a leapfrog (ok that was cool) and grabs the Russian legsweep for two. The middle rope clothesline gets the same and the middle rope elbow connects, only to draw in Chee for the DQ (of course) at 10:04.

Rating: C. The chest claw aside, this could have been a lot worse. Bret knows how to make just about anything work and he did well enough here. Kamala was perfectly fine as a monster challenger who had no real chance and that is what we got here. Granted we also got….what, the fifth DQ on this thing? I was almost expecting it at this point.

Post match the beatdown is on but Kamala splashes Wippleman by mistake and gets knocked outside. Bret even steals Chee’s pith helmet.

From Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, October 13, 1992.

Razor Ramon vs. Tito Santana

Santana starts fast by hitting the flying forearm out to the floor before working on an armbar back inside. A dropkick and armdrag into an armbar have Ramon in more trouble but he manages a hot shot to take over. Some forearms to the back set up an abdominal stretch (it was a Razor signature even back then) but Santana reverses into one of his own. That’s broken up as well so Ramon tries a bearhug. Santana gets sent into the corner, where Razor’s pulls him out with the Razor’s Edge for the pin at 4:44.

Rating: C. I like both guys and it was nice to see Santana when he was still able to do a lot of good in the ring, though Ramon was on the rise and not about to lose anything for a good while. These two actually have a bit of a personal history too, as Santana came up with the Ramon name after Razor had picked Razor. If that isn’t enough to give you chemistry, nothing else can.

From New York City, New York, January 18, 1993.

Ric Flair vs. Mr. Perfect

This is from Raw and Loser Leaves The WWF, with Flair looking very Tommy Rich. Perfect is serious here and drives him into the corner to start as Heenan is losing it early on commentary. Flair gets slapped in the face and knocked out to the floor, leaving Perfect to seem rather cocky. Back in and they fight over arm control until Perfect gets him into the corner for some chops, setting up the Flair Flop.

As Vince and Heenan argue about driving too fast and rock music, Flair takes him into the corner and hammers away, only to have Perfect punch him right back down. Flair is so frustrated that he goes outside and grabs a chair as we’re cut (via commercial, which isn’t mentioned here) to Flair sending Perfect face first into the post and out to the floor HARD. Back in and Perfect, busted open, gets caught in a chinlock for two (yes a chinlock) but Flair’s feet are caught on the ropes.

Perfect slugs back and hammers away with right hands in the corner (Heenan: “THAT’S A CLOSED FIST!!!”) until an atomic drop slows him down. A suplex gives Perfect two but Flair is right back with a sleeper. That’s broken up after two arm breaks and Perfect grabs a sleeper of his own as Heenan is panicking over the time limit. Flair breaks it up with a belly to back and the Figure Four goes on, with Flair grabbing the rope as you knew he was going to do.

The referee finally catches Flair so it’s time to kick at the leg even more. Flair goes up top and gets slammed down as we take another break. Back again with Flair loading up the foreign object and nailing Perfect, setting up an elbow drop for two, as Perfect’s foot is on the rope. Flair might want to look next time, as the foot was on the rope before Flair even covered him.

The hard right hands to the cut set up the chop in the corner, which is enough to fire Perfect up. The comeback is on with Flair getting backdropped and going up top, only to get clotheslined out of the air for two more. Flair sweeps the leg and puts his feet on the rope for some near falls. That’s broken up so Flair ducks his head, setting up the PerfectPlex for the pin at 24:11.

Rating: A-. This is a classic and the first great match in Raw history. Flair was on his way out and made Perfect look like a star, as Perfect’s 1993 run of awesome begins. You often hear about Perfect being an amazing talent and this was the time when he felt like he could possibly break through to the main event. This is absolutely worth checking out if you haven’t seen it before and dang it was a welcome end to this never ending tape.

Gene and Bobby hitchhike as the sun is coming up. A car pulls up and Gene leaves Heenan by the side of the road, as apparently this is the first car to drive by in about twelve hours.

Overall Rating: C-. The main event helps it a lot, but e pluribus gads the rest of this thing (save for Savage vs. Taylor and maybe Bret vs. Kamala, there is not much else to see here. I know I harped on it a lot but MY GOODNESS what was the point of all the disqualifications? It’s a Best Of tape and you really can’t have a few more definitive pins? This was one of the weaker Coliseum Videos I can remember, but the main event does help boost things up a lot.

 

 

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Monday Night Raw
Date: February 28, 1994
Location: Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 1,600
Commentators: Harvey Wippleman, Vince McMahon

Now we go back in time to a taped show following last week’s life show. I don’t know if it makes sense either but we have a big main event this week with Yokozuna defending the WWF Title against Randy Savage. Other than that, we are only a few weeks away from Wrestlemania and the show could use some more build. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the controversial ending to the Royal Rumble and the double title shot at Wrestlemania. But what if Randy Savage wins? I mean he probably won’t, but it’s a chance.

Opening sequence.

WWF Title: Randy Savage vs. Yokozuna

Yokozuna is defending and has Mr. Fuji with him but no Jim Cornette. Savage knees him in the back to start but gets hit in the face for his efforts. The big elbow misses though and a delayed cover gets two. Back up and Yokozuna chokes away in the corner before ax handling Savage rather hard. A headbutt misses but Yokozuna is fine enough to slam him right back down. This time the big leg misses though and Savage knocks him outside. Cue Jim Cornette and we take a break.

Back with Savage trying (and failing) to get the champ back inside so Yokozuna runs him over again. Savage gets sent into the steps and then back inside, where he gets to fire off some right hands. The top rope ax handle and a high crossbody give Savage two but Yokozuna (with his hair flipped forward so it looks like he’s wearing a big hat) knocks him into the corner for more choking.

The running splash crushes Savage, only to have Yokozuna miss (again) the big leg. Cornette offers a distraction so Fuji can slip in the salt bucket, which Savage takes and knocks Yokozuna silly. That gets a VERY delayed two so Savage drops both Cornette and the elbow but Crush comes in for the DQ.

Rating: C+. Savage was working but there is only so much of what you can do with someone as big as Yokozuna. Other than a few things from the top rope, the majority of Savage’s offense came from avoiding Yokozuna’s big shots. That is going to run out of time rather quickly and that was the case about halfway through this one. It is also one of Savage’s last big matches in the WWF and at least he went out with a good enough performance.

Post match the beatdown is on until Bret Hart and Lex Luger come in for the save.

Post break and we recap what we just saw.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Mike Khoury

Luna Vachon, with a crossed out Doink shirt, is here with Bigelow and Vince says she looks good next to the Fink. The good sized Khoury grabs a headlock to no avail and gets slammed down. Bigelow misses a headbutt (must be a Yokozuna fan) but hits some forearms to the back, setting up the enziguri for the fast pin.

Wrestlemania is coming, with a Broadway show theme that I don’t remember seeing.

Earthquake vs. Black Phantom

The Phantom is in the same gear as the old Blackhearts team and is probably one of the same guys. Earthquake runs him over and hits a splash into the corner. A dropkick of all things keeps Phantom in trouble as Earthquake is working here. Another splash misses but a powerslam plants Phantom again. The Earthquake finishes in a hurry.

Wrestlemania report time, starting with talking about Fan Festival. Then we get a talk about the matches and celebrities, because Wrestlemania is kind of strange at times.

Kwang vs. Jon Crystal

Harvey jumps of commentary to manage Kwang. Against this goon? Sy Sperling, the President of the Hair Club For Men, calls in to talk about giving the Fink a makeover at Wrestlemania, because this is where we’re going for celebrities. Kwang starts with some chops as Vince asks if Fink is going to become a sex symbol. Some choking keeps Crystal in trouble and a superkick finishes him off fast.

Stan Lane tries to talk to Shawn Michaels, but Shawn isn’t dressed (he’s in a towel). Hold on though as he puts on the Intercontinental Title and now he’s good to go. Shawn knows nothing about this whole Razor Ramon as Intercontinental Champion deal because Shawn is the only champion. He’ll prove it at Wrestlemania when he leaves with both belts.

Men On A Mission vs. Brooklyn Brawler/Steve Smith

Mo knocks Smith around as Harvey sounds like he is challenging Vince to a fight (I’d watch that). A double clothesline drops Brawler and Mabel drops the leg to crush him even further. There’s a big boot and a….something to Smith, setting up the double splash for the easy pin.

Rating: D+. Almost a literal squash here and that is is the kind of thing that you can use on a show like this. Men On A Mission was getting a Tag Team Title shot at Wrestlemania and that means they needed to get a boost up here. Nothing to the match, though there is always something to be said about seeing the Brawler out there, just for nostalgia.

We get the normal rundown of what is coming next week to wrap up the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was all about the opener and then whatever else they could put together on the rest of the show. We are on the way to Wrestlemania and the show is mostly put together so that leaves a lot of time to talk about the celebrities. The show is a classic and it is rather cool to see how we are getting there.

 

 

 

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Monday Night Raw
Date: February 7, 1994
Location: Fernwood Resort, Bushkill, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 1,600
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bastion Booger

We are fresh off of the Royal Rumble and on the way to Wrestlemania, but that is going to prove tricky. Bret Hart and Lex Luger are the co-winners of the Royal Rumble and that means we are going to need to figure out more than a few things. Other than that, Wrestlemania is going to need so work done so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of 1-2-3 Kid stealing IRS’s briefcase last week. Razor Ramon and Marty Jannetty then saved the little thief from getting what was coming to him.

Opening sequence.

Vince McMahon introduces Bastion Booger (oh boy) and promises to introduce us to Thurman Plugg, whose friends call him Sparky! Booger actually talks, which is more than I was expecting. The card is run down and Booger eats a lot.

Smoking Gunns vs. Reno Riggins/Barry Horowitz

We hear about Booger wanting to host the Oscars instead of Whoopi Goldberg as Billy armdrags Riggins down a few times to start. Riggins gets sent outside and needs a meeting with Horowitz (Barry recommends more patting on the back) before coming back inside to get his arm cranked again. Bart drops Riggins with a suplex as Booger thinks he should be part of a tag team. Vince: “What about Roseanne Barr?” After some jokes about Freddie Blassie’s upcoming birthday, Bart brings in Billy for a top rope splash/something like a powerbomb combination to finish Riggins.

Rating: C-. Just a squash here but egads it is going to be a rough time to listen to Booger all night long. His voice is weird enough and then hearing him make jokes about pop culture and current stories doesn’t make it better. That being said, the Gunns continue to be one of the better teams of their generation and it is fun going back and seeing them do their thing.

We look back at Owen Hart turning on Bret Hart at the Royal Rumble.

Owen is happy with what he did after Bret cost him the Tag Team Titles.

Bret can’t let this keep going and thinks he has to do something about Owen.

Owen Hart vs. John Paul

Owen rips up some Bret Hart sunglasses that he teases giving to a fan for some good heeling. Fans: “WE WANT BRET!” Booger: “I WANT PIZZA!” Owen works on the arm to start and cranks away, only to get elbowed in the face. We talk about some weight loss show as Owen hits a backbreaker. Booger still wants pizza but Vince pitches ICO-PRO instead. That doesn’t work for Booger, as I guess he doesn’t want it. A snap suplex has Paul in trouble but he manages to send Owen into the buckle. That just earns him the spinwheel kick for two as Owen pulls him up. The enziguri sets up the Sharpshooter to end Paul.

Rating: C. I can go for more of Owen but EGADS the commentary is killing this show. Anyway, Owen is on the way to a showdown with Bret, whenever they get around to announcing the show. Another total squash, which unfortunately was more about the annoyance from Booger than anything else.

Paul Bearer is in the graveyard and insists that Undertaker may be gone but he has never left us. He comes to the graveyard to be closer to Undertaker’s spirit and you must have faith in the fact that one day, he will rise again.

The WWF Fan Festival is coming. That would be the forerunner to Axxess.

IRS vs. Marty Jannetty

IRS accuses the locals of being a bunch of tax cheats, as is his custom. Vince hypes up the Fan Festival as a way to get in the ring, get a photo with Paul Bearer, or MEET MARTY JANNETTY! IRS slugs away to start and gets his with a dropkick that didn’t look so great. Back up and the jumping back elbow sends IRS outside for a breather as tends to be his custom. We hit the pause as Booger and Vince talk about pizza.

Back in and Marty grabs a headlock takeover before working on the arm. Jannetty throws him outside for a change and gets posted for being such a cheater. A sunset flip gives Jannetty two back inside but cue the Quebecers as we take a break. Back with the Quebecers having been ejected following a double stomping of Jannetty during the break. IRS grabs the abdominal stretch with one arm and the rope with the other as Booger now wants hot dogs and hamburgers.

With that broken up, we hit the chinlock for a bit as Vince and Booger thankfully run out of food jokes. Jannetty fights up but here is Johnny Polo for a distraction as a faceplant looks to finish IRS. Cue Razor Ramon to cancel out Polo so the Quebecers come out as well. A sleeper has IRS in more trouble but Polo breaks up a slingshot and IRS steals the pin.

Rating: C-. This is a match that should have been better as you had two talented stars in there but Jannetty wasn’t exactly looking lively. I’m sure I couldn’t imagine why that was the case but it didn’t exactly work well. IRS was his usual slow paced self which works well if you have someone more high energy to work off of him. Jannetty is capable of doing that but it wasn’t happening this time.

Post match the Quebecers and Razor get inside for the brawl but Jannetty makes the save, likely setting up a pretty good tag match.

Yep, in two weeks (no show next week due to the annual Dog Show), Razor and Jannetty get a Tag Team Title shot against the Quebecers. Booger eats hot dogs as a result.

Thurman Plugg vs. Duane Gill

Plugg starts fast with a snap suplex as Booger chokes on a hot dog. Gill gets knocked into the corner and kicked in the ribs, setting up a powerslam. Vince switches his mind and says that the Tag Team Title match MIGHT take place in two weeks as Plugg hits another suplex. The Overhead Cam (top rope knee) finishes Gill off.

Rating: C-. What do you say about a guy named Thurman Plugg who is occasionally called Sparky? It’s one of the all time lame gimmicks and there isn’t much that anyone could do with the thing. Having a race car driver as a wrestling occupation is fine, but what is he supposed to do with that stupid name?

It’s the Wrestlemania Report so we start with the “historic” coin toss that determined Lex Luger gets to face Yokozuna first at Wrestlemania. Bret Hart will get a shot at the winner, whether he beats Owen Hart in his own first match or not. As screwy as this is, I’ll take it over what would be a triple threat today.

Jim Cornette rants about Yokozuna having to face Lex Luger because he already got his chance.

Also at Wrestlemania: Crush vs. Randy Savage in a weird falls count anywhere/Last Man Standing hybrid that was memorable but didn’t really work.

Crush vs. Thornberg

Crush hits a headbutt to start before snapping him down into a Fujiwara armbar. Vince talks about FOX offering Diane Sawyer $10 million for….well something I guess. More pounding ensues as Booger wants to get to the Madison Square Garden concession stands. A gorilla press into a legdrop of all things gives Crush the easy win.

The Tag Team Title match is on in two weeks.

Johnny Polo and the Quebecers aren’t happy.

Since the Dog Show is in two weeks, Booger eats some dog treats.

Men On A Mission, the Bushwhackers, Doink and Dink all bark to end the show. Thank goodness.

Overall Rating: D. This was brought WAY down by the commentary, as the joke got old in about four minutes. On top of that, it’s too early to really get the meat of Wrestlemania set. There are pieces of it set up, but they are too far out for that to matter. The highlight of the show was a pretty lame Marty Jannetty match and that should tell you all you need to know about this week.

 

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Summerslam 1992
Date: August 31, 1992
Location: Wembley Stadium, London, England
Attendance: 80,355
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan

Most of the older editions are in need of an update so we’ll knock out this one. This is one of the biggest crowds in wrestling history and they’re in for a pretty major show. We have a double main event of Randy Savage defending the WWF Title against the Ultimate Warrior and the instant classic of Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog for the Intercontinental Title. Guess what’s headlining. Let’s get to it.

Nasty Boys/Mountie vs. Jim Duggan/Bushwhackers

This is a bonus dark match (at least on the American broadcast, though all three on the card aired on the European broadcasts). Jimmy Hart is in the villains’ corner. The fans get their chance to boo/cheer the various teams until the villains jump them from behind. This goes as well as you would expect and the ring is cleared in a hurry. Back in and the Nasty Boys are whipped into each other in the corner, followed by some double clotheslines for a bonus.

Sags beats on Butch for a bit before everything breaks down again. The villains finally get in a cheap shot to take over on Luke and a double boot to the ribs puts him down again. The chinlock goes on and it’s back to Mountie for more stomping. Sags grabs a reverse chinlock, which draws a USA chant as the British fans cheer for a New Zealander.

There’s a knee drop as Heenan goes over the specifics for the WWF rule book (I’d pay money to see that). Luke gets a boot up to knock Sags out of the air though and it’s the hot tag to Duggan to clean house. Everything breaks down and Sags elbows Mountie by mistake, allowing Duggan to get the pin at 12:34.

Rating: C. This is a good example of a case where you need to consider the spot. They weren’t going for anything important here and it wasn’t a match with any story. You had three popular wrestlers facing three villains in an easy match. The fans liked it though and that’s entirely what they were shooting for here. It would have made a fine house show opener and it worked perfectly well here.

Papa Shango vs. El Matador

Another bonus match. Shango jumps him from behind and we’re starting in a hurry. A running crossbody connects in the corner but another charge misses, allowing Matador to hit a clothesline. They head outside with Shango getting posted as Heenan thinks Matador should just give up now.

A top rope clothesline gives Matador two and there’s the flying forearm. Matador’s sleeper is broken up in a hurry and it’s time to choke in the corner. Shango drops an elbow and hits a side slam, only to miss a middle rope elbow. Another flying forearm gives Matador two but he misses a charge into the corner. The shoulder breaker finishes Matador at 6:12.

Rating: C-. Another perfectly watchable match and that’s fine for the spot they were in. Matador was always good for something like this and he could make an up and coming villain like Shango look good. It wasn’t a good match or anything, but they kept it quick and Shango didn’t quite squash him, so it worked out well enough.

Brought to you by ICO PRO. I hope they kept the receipt.

The British fans are VERY happy to have Summerslam here. This includes a kid who says that British Bulldog is going to win, whether he wants to or not. Kid sounds like he has mob connections.

Bobby Heenan has a crown. My day is complete.

Money Inc. vs. Legion of Doom

Money Inc. has Jimmy Hart in their corner but the LOD comes out on their motorcycles in a pretty famous entrance. Now granted that might be because Paul Ellering is with them and he has Rocco the Dummy on the front of his bike. In one of my favorite lines ever, Vince says that the Legion of Doom are known for their psychology in the ring. The jet lag must have gotten to him. DiBiase in white trunks still feels wrong but it isn’t as evil as I remember.

Hawk threatens him to the floor to start and then clotheslines him outside again, this time for another clothesline from Animal. It’s off to Animal for a powerslam and Hawk comes back in with a top rope shot to the arm. Now the fact that Hawk looks like he’s somewhere around Saturn makes that one a little more impressive than it sounds. IRS grabs a sleeper on Hawk but it’s broken up with a drive into the corner. The top rope clothesline misses though and Hawk falls all the way out to the floor. That’s quite the flying leap.

DiBiase comes in for a few shots and it’s already back to IRS for two off an elbow. The chinlock goes on and the villains make some changes without tags (they really should be setting a better example for the foreign fans). Back up and a double clothesline puts both of them down but IRS comes in to choke with the tag rope in the corner. Hawk powers over to the corner but the referee misses the tag (that nitwit).

As tends to be the case, the hot tag goes through a few seconds later and it’s Animal coming in to clean house. It’s a bunch of shoulders and clotheslines as everything breaks down. IRS breaks up the Doomsday Device so Animal goes with a powerslam to finish DiBiase (it wouldn’t surprise me if that was due to being scared of Hawk coming off the top) at 12:00.

Rating: C-. The crowd helped but you could tell that there was something off with the LOD. That being said, it isn’t exactly surprising that Hawk stayed in England and more or less ended the team for the time being. Hawk was a time bomb for a good while and as bad as things went, it could have been a heck of a lot worse.

Ric Flair isn’t happy that he isn’t getting his rematch for the WWF Title because he should be in the ring in the bright lights of London, England. Gene wants to know where Mr. Perfect, Flair’s crony, is, especially with the rumors of Perfect being in the corner of either Randy Savage or the Ultimate Warrior. Flair says Perfect is in the dressing room. Gene: “Whose dressing room???” Flair: “The dressing room of the winner. WOO!” I’ve always liked that one.

Virgil is ready to fight Nailz to avenge his buddy the Big Boss Man. If Virgil is your the best friend you have, getting beaten half to death with a nightstick doesn’t sound too bad.

Nailz vs. Virgil

Nailz gets a jobber entrance for some reason. Probably protecting Virgil’s star power. Nailz takes him into the corner to start and chokes a bit until Virgil hits a dropkick. That doesn’t even put Nailz down (Heenan: “He’s tough as nails!”) and it’s time for more choking. Virgil is sent outside and rammed into the apron. Back in and the standing choke finishes Virgil at 3:19.

Rating: D. This made Summerslam? It felt like something that would be a featured match on Wrestling Challenge at best and that’s hardly the kind of thing that you need to see on one of the biggest (if not the biggest) show of the year. Nothing to see here as Nailz didn’t exactly have the longest shelf life in the world.

Post match Nailz beats Virgil up even more.

Lord Alfred Hayes can’t get into Randy Savage’s dressing room but thinks Mr. Perfect is in there. He’ll keep being annoying until he finds something out.

Sherri doesn’t like the idea of Shawn Michaels and Rick Martel fighting, even though Shawn cost Martel an Intercontinental Title shot. Sherri has been with Shawn for a good while now but has been flirting with Martel. Tonight neither of them are allowed to hit each other in the face, because they’re both too handsome you see. She’ll be standing by her man, which seems to be Shawn as he calls her to go to the ring.

Rick Martel vs. Shawn Michaels

Martel is in tennis gear because it’s what models do. Sherri is with Michaels and brings out a full length mirror as Vince can’t get over the no hitting in the face thing. Vince: “This isn’t the sixth grade!” Indeed. Hitting in the face is a fourth grade thing. Vince also panics over Sherri’s outfit, which is uh, kind of incomplete in certain areas. Sherri takes some extra time disrobing Shawn because….I’m not sure really.

Feeling out process to start with Shawn trying a monkey flip, allowing Martel to cartwheel into some jumping jacks. A dropkick to the face has Sherri nervous but Martel jumps Shawn from behind. The fans seem to be behind Martel, which is rather strange to see. Martel misses a crossbody out of the corner though and the fans calm down a bit. Back up and Martel teases a right hand but stops himself and throws Shawn over the top instead. Martel takes him back inside for a backdrop and more jumping jacks but Shawn reverses an O’Connor roll for two.

After both guys pull their gear back up (with Vince and Bobby making the usual jokes), it’s Shawn getting a knee up to stop a charge in the corner. Now they trade rollups again and it’s time to get serious. They slap each other in the face, drawing Sherri to the apron for a lot of screaming….and some fainting. Shawn goes to check on her and Sherri falls out to the floor, where Martel knocks Shawn away. He gives her CPR but Shawn starts the fist fight for the double countout at 8:09, which draws Sherri back to life.

Rating: C. This was a lot different than most matches you’ll see and it worked out pretty well. It was certainly a unique way to go and given who was in there, it is hardly a surprise that they had a decent match. The Sherri stuff was interesting, though given that Shawn was supposed to headline the show, it is a bit of a downgrade.

Post match Sherri faints again so Shawn comes back to carry her away. Martel breaks that up as well, and Sherri falls down in a heap. Shawn jumps Martel again and Sherri crashes again, allowing Shawn to get her….most of the way back, until Martel finds a bucket of water and throws it on Sherri, who storms off on her own.

The Nasty Boys laugh at what happened to Sherri but are more interested in watching Savage and Warrior destroy each other. Now where is their title shot? Jimmy Hart sounds rather nervous about that question.

Tag Team Titles: Beverly Brothers vs. Natural Disasters

The Brothers are challenging and have the Genius in their corner. They jump the massive champs to start and are quickly sent into each other for a quick crash. We settle down to Typhoon missing a legdrop on Blake as everything breaks down again. Earthquake splashes typhoon in the corner by mistake, but Typhoon launches Beau to the floor on a kickout. After finding out that SHAWN MICHAELS HAS LEFT WEMBLEY STADIUM, the Beverly Blast keeps Typhoon in trouble.

A headbutt gets two as it’s strange to see someone this big taking a longer form beating. Typhoon drives over for the tag but of course the referee doesn’t see it. How do referees not get fired more often for being so inept? Typhoon gets in a double clothesline but Beau distracts Earthquake, allowing Blake to get in a shot with the metal scroll. Since Earthquake is about 28% smarter than anyone in the match, he decks Blake before the cover, allowing the hot tag to Typhoon. A belly to belly suplex plants Beau and a double shoulder puts the Brothers down. The powerslam sets up the Earthquake to retain at 10:25.

Rating: D. This was as good as the Natural Disasters vs. the Beverly Brothers for ten minutes was going to be. The Brothers were just such worthless goofs and no one bought them as a threat to the champs. The Disasters on the other hand actually felt like a team who could destroy almost anyone and it was going to take more than a couple of goofs like these two to beat them.

The Bushwhackers don’t know anything about a dentist selling them a London Bridge, but they are going to a meal at Buckingham Palace. Royal sardines are on the menu and they might get to sit on the throne. These two are just goofy fun, even though they outlived their usefulness.

Hayes thinks Perfect is in Ultimate Warrior’s dressing room but still can’t get in.

Crush vs. Repo Man

This was when Crush was on the verge of becoming the company’s breakout star but it never quite got there. Or anywhere close for that matter. Repo jumps him from behind to start but gets gorilla pressed without much effort. A backbreaker puts Repo on the floor and then Crush adds a one handed backbreaker just to show off.

As commentary talks about the WWF Title match coming up next (and nearly apologizing for making us wait so long), Crush misses a top rope knee. A faceplant gives Repo two but the kickout puts Repo on the floor. Back in and Repo dives into a powerslam, setting up the head vice for the win at 4:03.

Rating: D+. Another fast match that feels like a way to extend the show longer than it needs to be. That’s what happens when you have a two match card, but Crush was a popular guy at this point and it makes sense to feature him on a show like this. Repo Man was always good for a job and it was a quick enough squash that it wasn’t exactly worthless.

Gene throws us to a package on Savage vs. Warrior. The match was signed with Savage summing up the issue rather well: “I’M THE WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION CHAMPION AND YOU’RE NOT!” Then Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect made it clear that they weren’t happy with Flair not being in the title match and teased that they were working with both of them. The mind games were on hard and the question was who be joining forces with Perfect and Flair here. That’s quite the intriguing question, and a good way to go for something like this.

Heenan insists that he doesn’t know who sold out but Vince doesn’t believe him.

WWF Title: Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage

Savage is defending and there is no sign of Flair and/or Perfect. Warrior always looked really weird in that singlet. They go nose to nose to start and shove each other away as the fans are WAY into this. Warrior shoves him down without much effort but Savage is back with a pair of clotheslines for one. Savage goes up top in a hurry but gets punched out of the air just as fast. A pair of delayed atomic drops have Savage in more trouble and a clothesline gets two.

Savage isn’t having that and punches him down, setting up a quickly broken sleeper. Warrior unloads with right hands in the corner and stomps Savage down, followed by another hard clothesline. A pull of the tights sends Warrior into the buckle though and a clothesline puts Warrior on the floor. The fans don’t like that one but Savage doesn’t seem to mind.

Back in and a pair of top rope ax handles to Warrior’s head gets two but the third is pulled out of the air for a backbreaker. The hard whips into the corner set up a bearhug for all of two seconds. Savage gets two off a small package and a swinging neckbreaker gives him a breather. Savage’s back gives out on a suplex attempt and even Warrior is smart enough to know what to do here.

A suplex makes the back worse and gets another two as they’re a little more spent than they should be after less than thirteen minutes. Warrior misses a clothesline and gets low bridged to the floor, allowing Savage to hit a top rope ax handle. There’s a ram into the steps and another into the post but Savage can’t hit a piledriver back inside.

Cue Perfect and Flair as NOW things are going to get interesting. Warrior hits a slam to damage the back again, but the splash hits knees. There’s the required double clothesline and they’re both down again. Savage is up first and glares down at Perfect and Flair, allowing Warrior to lift him up for some choking. The ref gets bumped (SHOCKING!) and it’s Warrior going up for his own ax handle.

That’s good for a very delayed two and Warrior is annoyed at the count. Warrior getting annoyed at things isn’t exactly surprising. Savage hits a piledriver but has to get the referee off the floor. During the delay, which takes quite a bit of time, Perfect comes in and holds Warrior for an illegal object shot from Flair. Somehow Savage doesn’t see that and hits the elbow, but the referee is STILL groggy so the two is delayed again. Sweet goodness get tougher referees.

Warrior starts shaking the ropes and Heenan knows what that means for Savage. There’s the flying shoulder but Perfect distracts the referee, allowing Flair to hit Warrior in the back with a chair. Savage gets that something is up and doesn’t want it that way so he kicks at Perfect. He goes up anyway and then dives at Flair, who uses the chair to blast Savage’s knee, which is enough for the countout at 26:16.

Rating: B+. This was like an amazing setup to a joke but then they forgot the punchline at the end. Allegedly the original plan called for Warrior to turn but he wouldn’t go for it, which I can understand in a way. What we got was really good, though the ending was lacking just enough to pull things down. Flair and Perfect offered some great drama though, and that’s most of what they needed to do.

Post match Flair and Perfect stay on Savage’s knee, including the Figure Four. Warrior makes the save with the chair. Warrior helps Savage up and everything is cool. The knee injury would wind up costing Savage the title, with Flair winning it a few days later.

Perfect and Flair have a plan B and they’ll get the title back.

Undertaker vs. Kamala

Dr. Harvey Wippleman introduces Kamala, who also has Kim Cheer with him. The double manager thing is completely outclassed by Paul Bearer, who leads a hearse with Undertaker standing in the back to the ring. Not quite as awesome as some he would hit later, but good for early Undertaker. We get a little change of pace here as Undertaker chokes him into the corner to start and hits Old School (assuming it’s old less than two years into his run).

Another attempt is broken up thanks to a Wippleman distraction and Kamala clotheslines him to the floor, with undertaker landing on his feet. A ram into the steps doesn’t do much damage so it’s back inside for more chopping. Undertaker is fine enough for a chokeslam, but Kim Chee comes in with the pith helmet (get a chair dude) for the DQ at 3:40.

Rating: D-. I’m thinking this got cut short on time or something because what in the world is the point of a big entrance like that for a three and a half minute match? Then again, was anyone buying Kamala as a major threat? Maybe back in 1986 but against Undertaker? It really was a weird time for Undertaker as he was one of the bigger stars around but there was no one for him to fight. That would wind up being the case for years until Mankind showed up in 1996 as a totally different kind of threat.

Post match Kamala hits a bunch of splashes, including one from the top. Undertaker sits up anyway. But yeah, Kamala was a total threat here.

British Bulldog is ready to fight for the title, even though he is worried about what the whole ordeal has done to his family. He hopes the families reunite after the match, but it’s a dream to be here with no pressure.

Bret Hart knows how to wrestle under pressure and wants Bulldog to look him in the face and say he doesn’t know him. Bulldog doesn’t seem to remember Bret introducing him to his sister. Maybe Bulldog’s dream will wind up being a nightmare.

A Scottish band called the Balboa Highlanders performs Scotland the Brave and here’s Roddy Piper to play with them in a surprise cameo. Heenan is disappointed with the lack of break dancing.

Tatanka vs. Berzerker

Final bonus match and Berzerker has Mr. Fuji with him. They go with the test of strength to start and Tatanka shoves him over the top in a surprise power display. Back in and they chop it out until Berzerker misses a dropkick. Tatanka charges into a boot in the corner though and Berzerker grabs a World’s Strongest Slam.

They head outside with Tatanka being slammed on the floor and it’s back inside. Make that outside again as Tatanka clotheslines him over the top and hits his own slam on the floor. Serves the Minnesota viking (….hey) right. Back in and some chops set up a top rope chop into the Papoose To Go to finish Berzerker at 5:03.

Rating: D+. This was the weakest of the three bonus matches and I can see why it was cut from the pay per view. Granted they probably needed something for some breathing room between the show’s three big matches. These two were as stereotypical as you could get, but they weren’t out there long and the ending was clean so it’s hard to complain that much.

Sean Mooney talks to Diana Smith at ringside and she sounds as emotional as….I’ve heard more intense grilled cheese orders. She wants everything to work out but she’s on the front line with both her brother and husband.

Intercontinental Title: Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog

Bret is defending and you might have heard of this one before. Bulldog has British boxing champion Lennox Lewis carrying the flag to the ring. Bret gets quite the reaction as well but I think you know who the face is here. The bell rings and after the handing out of the sunglasses, we’re ready to go. They go nose to nose to start and Bret shoves him away, so Bulldog shoves him a little bit harder. A hard shoulder puts Bret on the floor and it’s time to rethink things a bit.

Back in and Bret headlock takeovers him down before hitting an uppercut (Heenan: “Right in the old fish and chips.”). Bulldog reverses an armbar into one of his own and then catapults Bret face first into the corner. A lifting armbar doesn’t quite work so it’s a crucifix for two on Hart instead. We’re right back to the armbar as Heenan does his old “the crowd is so loud I can’t hear commentary” deal.

Back up and Bret knees him in the ribs, much to the fans’ disapproval. The chinlock doesn’t last long either so Bret hits a backbreaker and grabs it again. That’s broken up and Bulldog hits a monkey flip, only to charge into a boot in the corner. The bulldog hits the Bulldog and Bret goes up, earning himself a slam back down (How do you make that mistake on a show with Flair?). Bret sends him outside and hits a slingshot dive, landing on a completely unprepared Bulldog, nearly breaking his back in the process.

The Russian legsweep gives Bret two and he hammers away with right hands. We’re back to the chinlock (with Bret’s back to the camera, showing he doesn’t understand wrestling), followed by the snap suplex and another chinlock. Bulldog grabs a quick backslide for two in the hope spot but Bret is right back with the middle rope elbow. We’re back to the chinlock, which is switched into a sleeper to put Bulldog in even more trouble. Bulldog grabs the rope and Bret grabs the sleeper again as things go right back down.

That’s broken up and they slug it out, with Bulldog trying a gorilla press and dropping Bret HARD onto the ropes for a scary crash. Three clotheslines give Bulldog two and it’s a gorilla press into the delayed suplex for the same. Bret is back with a German suplex for the same, as Bobby insists that Ric Flair could kick out of all of this of course.

Bulldog crotches him on top and hits a top rope superplex (without much elevation, which isn’t a good thing) for the next near fall. There’s a double clothesline and they’re both down, but Bret ties the legs together into the Sharpshooter (always cool). The rope is grabbed so Bret tries a sunset flip, only to have Bulldog sit down on it for the pin, the title, and one of the all time loud roars at 25:14.

Rating: A+. Yeah what else is there to say here? It’s a masterpiece, and mainly because of Hart. Bulldog was infamously out of it throughout the match and had to be told what to do every step of the way. It is an amazing match and probably Bret’s all time performance, which is probably why he was WWF Champion before the end of the year. Great stuff here and I’m sure you know that already.

Post match Bret isn’t happy but eventually shakes his hand. Diana comes in to join them to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. There’s a lot of bad on the show but the bad matches are mostly short and the two great ones are both rather long. Those are more than enough to carry the show and the huge atmosphere are more than enough to carry to a high level. It’s an excellent show and easily the biggest Summerslam ever. Now go back to England again for another big pay per view already. It’s not like it’s hard to make it work these days.

Ratings Comparison

Jim Duggan/Bushwhackers vs. Mountie/Nasty Boys

Original: B

2013 Redo: C+

2020 Redo: C

Papa Shango vs. Tito Santana

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D

2020 Redo: C-

Tatanka vs. Berzerker

Original: C

2013 Redo: D

2020 Redo: D+

Legion of Doom vs. Money Inc.

Original: C+

2013 Redo: C-

2020 Redo: C-

Nailz vs. Virgil

Original: C

2013 Redo: F

2020 Redo: D

Shawn Michaels vs. Rick Martel

Original: B

2013 Redo: D+

2020 Redo: C

Beverly Brothers vs. Natural Disasters

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D

2020 Redo: D

Repo Man vs. Crush

Original: C+

2013 Redo: D

2020 Redo: D+

Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage

Original: A

2013 Redo: B+

2020 Redo: B+

Kamala vs. Undertaker

Original: C

2013 Redo: D

2020 Redo: D-

British Bulldog vs. Bret Hart

Original: A+

2013 Redo: A+

2020 Redo: A+

Overall Rating

Original: A+

2013 Redo: B+

2020 Redo: B

Close enough.

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Wrestlemania IX
Date: April 4, 1993
Location: Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 16,891
Commentators: Jim Ross, Bobby Heenan, Randy Savage

In one of the major moments of the show, Jim Ross (JR) makes his WWF debut and talks about the main events before taking his place as lead commentator. I really could have gone through life without ever seeing him in a toga.

Finkus Maximus (just go with it) introduces Caesar and Cleopatra on an elephant while JR gives a history of elephants and Rome. This is kind of missing the point of a wrestling show but Randy Savage is brought out on a sedan to make things a bit better. To really cap it off, Heenan comes out riding a camel backwards.

Intercontinental Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Tatanka

The champ grabs a headlock for a bit before going up top, only to dive into an armdrag. More weak armdrags send Shawn to the mat before he channels his inner Nature Boy with a Flair Flip in the corner. A Tatanka chop knocks him off the apron so Shawn has to go to the eyes (another Flair standard) to get a breather. Things speed up until Shawn charges into an atomic drop and gets caught in a DDT.

Shawn leaves and Luna slams Sherri on the floor.

Headshrinkers vs. Steiner Brothers

The Headshrinkers are Samu and Fatu (later known as Rikishi) and the Steiners are Rick and Scott, a pair of hard hitting amateur wrestling brothers. At the bell, JR debuts the term slobberknocker to make this one historic. Scott and Fatu get things going with Scott easily taking him down via a nice amateur double leg. Fatu tries to make it into a slugout but Scott just takes his head off with a clothesline. The Headshrinkers double team Scott down so he and Rick get up on the same buckle for stereo top rope clotheslines. That looked awesome.

Call the Hotline!

Crush vs. Doink the Clown

Crush is a now big power guy from Hawaii in bright purple and orange. Doink has an umbrella with him but Crush knocks it out of his hands and rams the clown face first into the post. Some right hands to the face have no effect on Crush so he grabs a neckbreaker and keeps up the beating. Doink finally gets a break by guillotining him across the top rope. A piledriver gets no cover so Doink rams him into the post. Heenan: “Break the pineapple head!”

Razor Ramon vs. Bob Backlund

Ramon debuted late last year but the crowd is rapidly turning him face. Backlund is an old veteran who is making a nostalgia run and having some good matches despite being in his early 40s and being out of the ring for years. Ever the good sport, Backlund offers a handshake but gets a toothpick to the chest for his efforts. A LOUD Razor chant starts us off as JR hypes up the Hotline. Backlund starts fast by sweeping the leg a few times so Razor punches him in the jaw.

Ad for King of the Ring.

Tag Team Titles: Mega Maniacs vs. Money Inc.

Money Inc is defending and Hogan comes in with a black eye, with explanations ranging from a jet-ski accident (official and most likely story), DiBiase hiring a bunch of people to attack him (storyline story) and Randy Savage punching him in the face over accusations that Hogan was sleeping with Elizabeth when she and Savage were still married (possibly true). Beefcake has a metal mask to protect his face and the team gets a decent but certainly not great reaction.

Hogan finally mixes up the offense with a big boot before going back to the right hands. A Piper style poke to the eye is enough to send Money Inc. walking but the referee says if they walk out, the titles change hands. As usual, Hogan has some corrupt official helping him out. Back in again and Heenan gets very close to accusing Savage of having something to do with the black eye.

Lex Luger vs. Mr. Perfect

Luger is still the Narcissist and comes out with some barely clothed women that have the announcers drooling. They trade wristlocks to start and Perfect shoves the much stronger Luger into the corner. A big running knee lift knocks Luger down and a dropkick sends him to the floor as this is almost all Perfect so far.

Gorilla previews the rest of the show.

Giant Gonzalez vs. Undertaker

Call the Hotline!

Oh and one more thing: Hogan wants the first shot either at Bret or at “the Jap” if he wins the title. As for a prediction, he thinks the title is staying in the USA in the match between a Canadian and a Polynesian wrestler billed from Japan. As usual, Hulk never was one for the most in depth thinking in the world.

Todd Pettengill (a very stupid interviewer) interviews some frat boys.

WWF World Title: Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart

The 505lb Yokozuna is challenging and has Mr. Fuji in his corner. The announcers have spent most of the show talking about how Bret is the huge underdog after being knocked out by Luger, sat on by Yokozuna and then just being in trouble against the monster in general. Bret charges across the ring for a running dropkick and some right hands, only to have Yokozuna shove him down and shoulder him out to the floor.

Back up and Bret gets his feet up in the corner, setting up something like a middle rope bulldog for two. That earns the champ a superkick and another nerve hold to continue boring the crowd. Heenan points out the stupidity of the USA chants as Bret fights up and gets a better middle rope bulldog for another two.

A pair of clotheslines put Yokozuna down for half a second so Bret punches away in the corner. Yokozuna shoves him so hard that the turnbuckle pad is pulled off, only to have Bret ram the monster face first into it. The Sharpshooter actually goes on but Fuji throws salt in his eyes, giving Yokozuna the pin and the title at 8:56.

WWF World Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Yokozuna

Ratings Comparison

Tatanka vs. Shawn Michaels

Original: B+

2013 Redo: B

2015 Redo: B

Steiner Brothers vs. Headshrinkers

Original: B+

2013 Redo: B

2015 Redo: A-

Doink the Clown vs. Crush

Original: D

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D

Razor Ramon vs. Bob Backlund

Original: C-

2013 Redo: D

2015 Redo: D

Money Inc. vs. Mega Maniacs

Original: C+

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D

Lex Luger vs. Mr. Perfect

Original: C-

2013 Redo: C

2015 Redo: D+

Undertaker vs. Giant Gonzalez

Original: F+

2013 Redo: D-

2015 Redo: F

Yokozuna vs. Bret Hart

Original: D+

2013 Redo: D+

2015 Redo: D+

Yokozuna vs. Hulk Hogan

Original: N/A

2013 Redo: N/A

2015 Redo: N/A

Overall Rating

Original: F+

2013 Redo: D

2015 Redo: D

How is this a Wrestlemania?

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/03/16/history-of-wrestlemania-with-kb-wrestlemania-9-wrestlemania-goes-outside/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/03/18/wrestlemania-count-up-wrestlemania-ix-why-would-fuji-do-that/

 

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.

Monday Night Raw
Date: February 22, 1993
Location: Manhattan Center, New York City, New York
Attendance: 1,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Rob Bartlett, Randy Savage

Wrestlemania is inching closer and last week saw what felt like the start of a big angle for the show. Money Inc. attacked Brutus Beefcake’s face with a metal briefcase, which can cause quite a bit of damage. The bigger story though is the tease of the return of Hulk Hogan, which should get them somewhere. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Rob Bartlett finds out that wrestling fans can spell and does a “Live From New York” Saturday Night Live ripoff intro.

Opening sequence.

Commentary runs down the card.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Scott Taylor

Taylor bounces off of Bigelow to start as commentary jokes about the chance that Taylor could make a name for himself. Drop the Taylor and add y 2 Hotty and you might be onto something. The beating continues as Bartlett moves on to what sounds like Mickey Mouse talking about the Three Stooges. Bigelow plants him down again and adds a headbutt to the back to make it worse. A butterfly backbreaker sets up the top rope headbutt, followed by a second to finish Taylor at 2:59.

We get a previously recorded sitdown interview with Hulk Hogan (in a black and white ICO PRO shirt and jeans for a very different look) and Vince McMahon, the latter of whom talks about Hulk suggesting he would retire in this same studio last year. Hulk, referring to Vince as Mr. McMahon, says that the people who used to be his fans are now the people he looks up to. There have been a lot of people who have looked into his past and they have found out that he has made mistakes. He has made personal mistakes, business mistakes and peer pressure mistakes.

We’re in the 90s and that means the era of tabloid terrorism (oh boy) where people make up whatever they want and don’t care what happens to them. If you believe in yourself, you can accomplish your goals and he believes in the youth of our nations. Now there are five demandments: train, say your prayers, eat your vitamins, believe in yourself, and believe in HULK HOGAN. He’ll have an announcement tonight.

I’m assuming this is about the steroid issues and what was said on the Arsenio Hall show in 1991, but Hogan never actually flat out said he was wrong, or what the heck he was specifically talking about. Such is Hogan, but this was bizarre to hear (including hearing him refer to himself as a sports entertainer).

Beverly Brothers/Shawn Michaels vs. Tatanka/Nasty Boys

How 1993 of them. It’s a brawl to start with the villains being cleared out in a hurry as Bartlett wonders about the rules. We settle down to Knobs faceplanting Blake, setting up the double Pit Stop. A boot to the head slows Knobs down though and it’s off to Shawn for an elbow. Knobs manages to faceplant Shawn as well though and scores with a running clothesline, allowing the tag to Michaels.

That means Beau needs to come in rather quickly so Tatanka can crank on his arm. Sags takes his place and the arm is sent hard into the corner a few times. A shoulder breaker gets two with Beau making the save, finally actually doing something right. Knobs sends Blake into the corner and we take a break. Back with Bartlett saying they stood around looking at each other during the break, only to reveal that he’s kidding. Uh, yeah.

Anyway, we come back with Knobs being sent into the steps twice in a row to keep him in trouble. The Shaker Heights Spike gives Shawn two on Knobs as the fans are behind the Boys again. The slow beating continues, including Shawn kicking Knobs in the head. Beau sits on Knobs’ back to keep him away from the cornet but Shawn ducks his head and gets kicked in the face.

That’s STILL not enough for Knobs to make the tag so he collides with Shawn to put both of them down. The hot tag brings in Tatanka to start the comeback and everything breaks down. Tatanka scores with the top rope chop for two with Blake having to make the save. The Papoose To Go gets two more thanks to another save as everything breaks down again (Bartlett: “Aren’t there too many guys in the ring now?”). Shawn loads up the teardrop suplex but Tatanka reverses into a sunset flip for the pin at 14:13.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t so much good as much as it was long, but it did feel like a bigger match than most of what you would get on Raw around this time. If nothing else, it had some actual names involved and it did feel somewhat important. Not exactly good, but sometimes you just need to make things feel a bit bigger.

BUY WRESTLEMANIA TICKETS!

Crush vs. Terry Taylor

Joined in progress with Crush shoving him down and there’s the gorilla press to send Taylor crashing down again. Vince mentions that Hulk Hogan might be heading up the President’s Council on Physical Fitness….so Bartlett calls in and does an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression to complain about Hogan taking his job. Taylor gets in a shot and puts on a chinlock as thankfully the bit is over in a hurry. A neckbreaker gives Taylor two but Crush fights up, leaving Bartlett to make topical Las Vegas jokes. Crush hits the tilt-a-whirl powerslam and finishes with the head vice at 3:37 shown.

Rating: D+. Nothing to this one and Bartlett dragged what they had WAY down. Crush seemed like he was ready to jump up the card in a hurry but what are you expecting him to get out of a feud with Doink? Beating Taylor in a short match didn’t help that much either, but at least he got in his finisher for the win. How you don’t call that something like THE CRUSH is beyond me though.

We look back at Money Inc. dumping Jimmy Hart and hitting Brutus Beefcake in the face with the steel briefcase a few weeks ago.

Here is Hulk Hogan for his first appearance on the show and my goodness this feels out of place. Hogan, sounding much more like his usual self, sucks up to the fans and talks about waiting to see Brutus Beefcake making his comeback last week. He saw Beefcake outwrestle the Multi Million Dollar Man but then the smile turned to tears as the briefcase hit Beefcake’s face. The good news is that Beefcake is ok though and the curled up nose makes him look even more like a wrestler.

Hogan thanks God for saving Brutus and Jimmy Hart (yes he knows this sounds crazy) for putting his body on the line to protect Brutus from another shot. Hogan, calling Vince “Little Dude”, says he is back in the WWF and wants to right the wrongs from Money Inc. For now though, Hogan wants Beefcake here in the ring with him so here is Beefcake, with a taped up nose, in a hurry.

Beefcake talks about how he didn’t realize he was going to take the briefcase to the face last week but he thought it was curtains. Then he realized that nothing was going to break his titanium face, but now he has some people to think as well. Just like Hogan, that would be God and Jimmy Hart, but he wants Money Inc. too. With that out of the way, Hogan brings out Jimmy Hart as their new manager, which blew my mind as a kid and is still weird to see now. Hart talks about how great of a day this is because he has always wanted to wear the yellow and red.

Hogan looks a little confused as Hart talks about his success with tag teams but thinks this could be the greatest team ever. Jimmy promises to take his vitamins but thinks Money Inc. needs to say their prayers. Hogan dubs the team the Mega Maniacs and tells Hart to get Money Inc. in singles or tag matches. It’s not a good sign when Hogan has been in a team for 14 seconds and is already wanting a singles match. Anyway, a lot of posing ensues. This was rather long and still feels really weird, but what else was Hogan supposed to do at Wrestlemania?

BUY WRESTLEMANIA TICKETS!

They’re still posing.

Undertaker vs. Skinner

We’re joined in progress and Vince realizes we’re running out of time. Then five seconds later we go to a Slim Jim ad, followed by less than a minute of Skinner beating Undertaker up on the floor to end the show at about 1:15 shown. Vince promises to let us see this show next week, plus Bret Hart defending the WWF Title against one of the Headshrinkers. Which one? Eh who cares.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a bit of a tougher one to get through as the big pieces were a not so great six man and a LONG Hulk Hogan/Brutus Beefcake/Jimmy Hart interview. That doesn’t leave much to get excited about, but at least they are getting ready for Wrestlemania. It doesn’t feel like a special show, but they are in a new world at this point so it’s hard to get things together.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: May 30, 1994
Location: Struthers Fieldhouse, Youngstown, Ohio
Attendance: 1,500
Commentators: Randy Savage, Vince McMahon

Thank goodness we’re wrapping the month up here because I don’t think I can take much more of the build towards King of the Ring. The last few weeks have been nothing short of dreadful and there is no reason to think that it is going to get any better in the near future. Maybe they can wrap it up on a nice note so let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of the qualifying matches so far and there is one spot left. For some reason it is Tatanka vs. Crush instead of Jimmy Del Ray, as announced last week (which was taped the same night as this show). I’m thinking….common sense stepping in?

Opening sequence.

King of the Ring Qualifying Match: Crush vs. Tatanka

Crush has Mr. Fuji while Tatanka has Chief Jay Strongbow, meaning Vince gets to talk about the Hall of Fame. This means the bizarre situation of Vince mentioning Bobo Brazil, which is quite the clash of the generations. Feeling out process to start with Crush getting sent into the corner for a consultation with Fuji. This actually seems to work as Crush gets in a shot to the face, only to get clotheslined over the top.

We cut to Strongbow, who looks so bored you would think he was watching a Chief Jay Strongbow match. Back in and Crush misses a charge into the corner, allowing Tatanka to hit a middle rope clothesline for two. Hold on though as Tatanka has to break up a battle of the old managers as we take a break. Back with Crush holding a bearhug, as per WWF back from commercial laws.

A belly to belly gives Crush two and a rake to the eyes cuts Tatanka off again. Crush makes the mistake of ramming him into the buckle though and it’s time for the warpath. Tatanka faceplants him and a top rope chop to the head gets two. Strongbow decks the interfering Fuji but Crush drops Tatanka as well. That means Crush has to go after Strongbow and his overly large pants. Tatanka goes for the save and it’s the world’s fastest double countout at 11:05.

Rating: D+. Not much to see here, as too much of the focus was on Strongbow vs. Fuji. I get the idea, but how much interest was there in either of them in 1994? Strongbow looked so miserable out there and I don’t know if anyone has really cared about Fuji for the better part of ever. This wasn’t very good in the first place, and odds are something happens to get one of them into the tournament anyway. Great way to start the show.

The brawl stays on post match until referees break it up.

It’s time for another King of the Ring Control Center, which works fine as a one off but egads these are rough in a marathon. That being said, I do need Todd Pettengill’s KING OF THE RING 1994 shirt (It even has the date!). Anyway, we go to Roddy Piper at home in Oregon, where he says he isn’t interested in talking trash because all he wanted to do is help the kids. He’s no king.

Todd goes over the brackets as we know them so far, including Owen Hart, who already has thoughts on Crush vs. Tatanka going to a double countout. He should just get a bye and move on to the next round! Todd tells us to have fun on Father’s Day but make sure to save enough energy to turn on your TV for the show. How complicated is that TV?

Ted DiBiase is in a funeral parlor and thinks it smells like money. He has been in contact with the Undertaker and the two of them will be getting together again soon. When that happens, the rest of the WWF will be resting in peace.

1-2-3 Kid vs. George South

Feeling out process to start as commentary talks politics. South forearms him in the back and gets in more jobber style offense until Kid scores with some kicks. A headlock is countered into a belly to back suplex to drop Kid again. Not that it matters as a sloppy la majistral finishes South at 2:33.

It’s time for the King’s Court, meaning Lawler gets to insult the crowd as a Memphis heel can do. With that out of the way, Lawler gets to the point with his “Stu and Helen Hart are really, really old” jokes before bringing out Bret Hart as the guest. Lawler brings up the King of the Ring from last year and asks if Bret remembers it, or did all of the oil on his head make it slip his mind.

Bret gets a bit more serious but Lawler brings out the other two guests: Shawn Michaels and Diesel. Lawler asks if Bret is crazy for thinking he can beat Diesel, sending Bret into his usual response to Diesel. That doesn’t seem to bother Diesel, who promises the VIP treatment for Bret: Very Intense Pain. The Jackknife plants Bret in a hurry and the triple stomping is on. Pretty standard segment here but Diesel is a fresh player in the main event, at least partially due to the lack of anyone to challenge Bret at the moment.

Smoking Gunns vs. Reno Riggins/Austin Steele

Bart and Reno trade knees to the ribs to start and it’s quickly off to Billy for a crucifix. A swinging neckbreaker drops Riggins but Bart misses the elbow. Steele, looking like a Buddy Landel tribute, gets whipped into the corner over and over and there’s a top rope bulldog from Billy. Hold on though as Randy Savage needs to read the ad for Firestarter, airing later this week on USA. A dropkick/suplex combination drops Steele again and the Sidewinder (powerbomb/top rope elbow) gives Bart the pin at 3:31.

Rating: D+. The Gunns were the best team of this era but it isn’t like that means a lot. They are good enough to be consistently in the title hunt, though pretty much any two people thrown together could fit that description at the moment. Just a squash here, which isn’t exactly inspiring a lot of the time.

The official decision on Tatanka vs. Crush: a rematch next week, but it’s a LUMBERJACK match, because you want all of the 1994 roster in one place!

Come to the Wrestlemania Revenge Tour!

Jeff Jarrett vs. Chris Hamerrick

Hamerrick was around in the midcard in the dying days of ECW. Some armdrags take Jarrett down to start as we hear about the Arsenio Hall Show coming to an end. Vince: “Does Jeff Jarrett resemble Barney Rubble from the Flintstones?” Jarrett comes back with some stomping into a slingshot suplex, followed by the middle rope fist drop. The chinlock goes on as we talk about anything but the match. Hamerrick gets in a dropkick (with Vince pointing out how little contact it made) but a missed charge lets Jarrett grab the Figure Four for the submission (over the WE WANT DOINK chants) at 3:53.

Rating: D. Jarrett as the country singer was not good in any way and I don’t think there is any way around that reality. He’s talented in the ring but this whole gimmick just feels lame. It doesn’t help that Jarrett is the definition of a solid hand rather than someone who is going to have an exciting match, leaving us sitting through a bunch of stuff like this: technically fine, but really boring.

Jerry Lawler suggests that Roddy Piper will be on the King’s Court last week without actually saying his name. It would be a Piper impersonator to really hammer in the joke.

Overall Rating: D-. The big story of this show was the Crush vs. Tatanka verdict and they somehow got a decision together in the span of about thirty minutes. I don’t believe Jack Tunney could tie his shoes in that amount of time, so this was a stretch in more ways than one. Another rather bad show here, but you kind of have to expect that coming in.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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