Summerslam 1994
Date: August 29, 1994
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 23,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

This is the old review of the year and that’s an interesting choice. The show has a double main event of WWF World Champion Bret Hart defending against his brother Owen to continue their awesome feud, plus the wholly unawesome Undertaker vs. Fake Undertaker match. It’s the best of both worlds you see. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Randy Savage to welcome us to the show, held in the brand new United Center. Somehow, this is the only pay per view the company has ever run from the arena.

Jerry Lawler has some breaking news: Shawn Michaels and Diesel have become the new Tag Team Champions after defeating the Headshrinkers last night. What an odd time to do a title change, but 1994 was an odd time.

IRS/Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Headshrinkers

IRS and Bigelow have Ted DiBiase in their corner and this was originally going to be a title match. The Headshrinkers (Samu/Fatu) have Afa and Lou Albano with them, just to crank up the bizarre state of the show so far. Bigelow runs Fatu (not Samu Vince, though to be fair it’s a pretty easy mistake to make) over with a shoulder but eats the superkick for two. Fatu avoids a very early top rope headbutt and a double superkick puts Bigelow down again. Samu comes in, so Vince says Samu is now in, after saying Samu started.

Vince really wasn’t great at this whole thing. Samu starts cleaning house and ducks an IRS charge to send him outside. Back in and Bigelow low bridges Fatu to the floor but it’s a double clothesline for a double knockdown. The hot(ish) tag brings Samu back in for a BAAAACK body drop and a headbutt to Bigelow, which works because Samoans have hard heads. The middle rope headbutt gets two on IRS with Bigelow making a save. With Bigelow being knocked to the floor, the double Stroke sets up the Superfly Splash but Bigelow goes after Albano. That’s enough to draw Afa in for the DQ at 7:18.

Rating: D+. Pretty lame opener here with the lack of the titles taking away the little interest this match had. The Headshrinkers are good in their roles but Bigelow and IRS are a pretty generic team who don’t have much to do here. I’m still not sure what the point is in having the titles change early. Why not just do it the next night on Raw?

They brawl to the back.

And now, for your comedy of the show. The detectives from the Naked Gun movies are trying to find the Undertaker, complete with a bunch of puns and sight gags. Such gems include “we’re both on the case” as they stand on a briefcase.

Women’s Title: Bull Nakano vs. Alundra Blayze

Blayze is defending and Nakano has Luna Vachon in her corner. For those of you of a younger age, Nakano is a rather terrifying Japanese monster and Blayze’s archnemesis. We get the ceremonial flower presentation but Vachon throws hers at Blayze to really be a jerk. Nakano kicks her in the ribs instead of shaking hands but it’s too early for a powerbomb. A knee to the ribs cuts the champ off and Nakano throws her down by the hair.

We hit the chinlock (with Nakano’s back to the camera because she doesn’t know how to work) until Blayze makes the rope, which isn’t an escape you see that often. The yet to be named hurricanrana gives Blayze two but Nakano pulls her down into a Boston crab with both legs under one arm. With that broken up, Nakano puts on what would become Paige’s Scorpion Crosslock.

Since Blayze hasn’t been tortured enough yet, Nakano switches to a cross armbreaker. Back up and three straight running sleeper drops have Nakano in trouble but she powers out of a piledriver attempt. A powerbomb gets two on the champ as the pace has picked WAY up out of nowhere. Blayze avoids the guillotine legdrop though, kicks Vachon down and grabs the German suplex to retain at 8:17.

Rating: B. For 1994, this was some insane stuff in America, especially for a women’s match. Blayze really was good but Nakano was one of the best of the era. She was big, strong, could wrestle on the mat and had the submission skills to be that dominant. Unfortunately these two pretty much the entire division for a long time so it could only go so far.

Shawn Michaels and Diesel brag about winning the titles because the Heartbreak Hotel needed some more gold. Diesel says Razor Ramon isn’t taking one of his two titles tonight. Razor has had a bunch of chances and tonight isn’t going to change anything.

Intercontinental Title: Razor Ramon vs. Diesel

Razor is challenging and has NFL Hall of Famer Walter Payton in his corner to balance out Shawn. The white boots are a weird look for Razor. Shawn talks trash to Payton to start and Razor fires off the right hands, which look very good against someone Diesel’s size. Back in after a quick trip to the floor and Diesel gets in his own punches to take over. A sleeper slows Razor down even more and Diesel throws him outside.

Shawn goes for the turnbuckle pad but Payton chases him off, allowing Shawn to forearm Razor behind the referee’s back. I could watch Shawn outsmart people for days. Back in again and the referee stands in front of the exposed buckle but Shawn’s second distraction allows Razor to be whipped in. Diesel hits Snake Eyes onto an unexposed buckle as Lawler thinks the pad fell off the other one. A chinlock with a knee to the back keeps Razor in trouble and a big boot knocks his head off.

We hit the abdominal stretch, which at least looks more painful than a chinlock with a knee in the back. Diesel grabs the rope, making me wish we had Bobby Heenan there to explain why it’s more to avoid a hiptoss counter than to add more leverage. Razor gets out and sends Diesel ribs first into the exposed buckle, sending Lawler into hysterics as it should.

The middle rope bulldog (the Hall Buster) gets two and there’s a right hand to knock Shawn off the apron for a great over the top sell. A flying shoulder gives Diesel a breather so Shawn goes after the belt. Payton goes after him again and of course the referee yells, allowing Shawn to superkick Diesel by mistake. Shawn gets pulled outside and Razor finally crawls over for the pin to get the title back at 15:01.

Rating: B-. I’ve always had a mixed reaction to this one as the match itself is pretty good but Payton being out there was just a celebrity cameo that could have been anyone. Razor getting the title back was the right call as Shawn and Diesel are already having issues. They could have cut a few minutes out here, but what we got was still good enough and didn’t get sunk by the extra time.

Diesel yells at Shawn all the way to the back.

Savage talks about what we just saw.

Lex Luger and Tatanka are in the back. A fan poll has 54% saying that Luger sold out to Ted DiBiase and Tatanka is tired of hearing Luger deny it. We see a montage of DiBiase and Luger getting very close, but Luger still swears there’s nothing going on because DiBiase is lying. Tatanka is going to prove his story in the ring tonight.

Lex Luger vs. Tatanka

There’s no DiBiase to start. Feeling out process to start with Luger running him over but not following up. Tatanka’s armbar has no effect so Luger puts him down again, only to miss the jumping elbow (as always). That means we get more of Tatanka’s lame offense, including the top rope chop to the head. The second attempt gets punched out of the air and Luger starts in with the clotheslines. Cue DiBiase with a gym bag as Luger hits a powerslam. DiBiase pulls money out of the bag as Luger yells at him, allowing Tatanka to grab a rollup for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: D. This was all about the storyline instead of the wrestling and that’s not surprising. Neither Luger nor Tatanka were going to have a good match at this point so the story was the only way this was going to work. Tatanka was a fine midcard hand but if he had even a slightly better offense, he could have been a much bigger deal. There comes a point where you need the wrestling to back up the character and that just wasn’t the case for him.

Post match Luger kicks the money out of DiBiase’s hands so Tatanka jumps him from behind, revealing that he sold out. I’ve always liked that story, as bad as the match was. What I don’t like is how long this goes on, as Tatanka beats him up three different times, capped off by the Million Dollar Dream. We get the money in Luger’s mouth for a little old school touch.

Gorilla Monsoon is aghast at what we just saw. Agreed. That money must be filthy.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Mabel

This is going to be a disaster. During the entrances, Vince and Jerry debate the detectives’ skills and if Lawler has any rhythm. Mabel tosses away a wristlock attempt (Jarrett’s sell is quite good) and drops the big elbow when Jarrett tries a drop down. A clothesline puts Jarrett on the floor so he shoves the rapping Oscar. That’s not going to get him booed as Oscar isn’t very good. Back in and Jeff scores with some middle rope ax handles but Mabel crushes him in the corner.

The spinwheel kick (the one good thing that Mabel could do) gets two as Abe Knuckleball Schwartz (the Brooklyn Brawler as a baseball player) is on strike in the crowd. This adds nothing and isn’t funny or interesting, but it’s a thing that happens. Sounds like 1994 as a whole. They head outside with Oscar getting in a slap and Mabel splashing Jeff against the post. Back in and the middle rope splash misses, followed by a missed sitdown splash to give Jeff the pin at 5:57.

Rating: F. Oh what were you expecting here? Mabel was fat and useless while Jarrett wasn’t exactly someone who was going to carry anyone at this point, especially someone that big. This should have been on Raw at best and comes off as terrible filler here. Mainly because that’s what it was.

Vince introduces the detectives in the aisle, blowing their cover. Undertaker’s silhouette appears in the entrance but they don’t see him. Because they’re bad at their jobs you see.

We recap Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart. This started way back in 1993 when Owen was the only Hart eliminated at the Survivor Series, which he blamed on Bret. Owen and Bret then teamed up to try and win the Tag Team Titles, but Bret wouldn’t tag out when injured, leading to a referee stoppage.

They went on to have a classic at Wrestlemania X with Owen pinning Bret clean. Bret won the WWF World Title later in the night and the feud was on for the rest of the summer. Owen even won the King of the Ring (just like his brother the previous year) to earn another title shot. Tonight is the big blowoff inside a cage. This really was a great feud as you could see Owen’s point all along and it built up perfectly over time.

Earlier today, Owen and crony Jim Neidhart (Bret’s former partner) were in the cage and promised to destroy Bret once and for all tonight.

Bret is going to forget they’re family tonight because Owen will be crying a river of tears, just like he did when he was a baby.

The Hart Family, including Davey Boy Smith, is at ringside and Helen can’t believe this is happening. Stu hopes the best wrestler wins and sounds as only he can. Lawler accuses both of them of causing all of this and thinks Smith will turn on Bret again. Lawler: “Wouldn’t you love to be in there with Bret again tonight?” Smith: “Uh, not really.” Neidhart is behind Smith and says we’ll see Owen prove that he’s the better man once and for all. Bruce Hart spins around and says stay out of this.

Bret, recovering from strep throat, says his condition won’t change anything tonight. What we’re going to see tonight is barbaric and nothing like what they did when they were kids. Everyone wants things to end tonight and Bret is going to finish it to heal his family.

WWF World Title: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart

Bret is defending in a cage with escape only to win. Owen goes right at him to start and hammers away during the entrances, followed by some hard right hands to the head. You can see Helen panicking over the whole thing and a DDT by Bret makes things even worse. It’s too early to escape though and Owen scores with some headbutts, followed by an enziguri to really rock Bret. He’s fine enough to suplex Owen off the cage and it’s a double knockdown.

Owen goes for the door so Bret bends him around the ropes for a save and drags him right back in. They’re setting up a good feel here with both of them going for the escape and being pulled back for more punishment. That ties in the idea of wanting to hurt each other but wanting to be the better man even more, which is really what this is all about. They both wind up on the top rope and slug it out with Owen knocking him down.

Instead of getting the easy climb out though, Owen comes back with a missile dropkick into a nipup. Both make some fast climbs up the cage but get pulled down for a crash each. A collision gives us another double knockdown as they’re taking their time building the drama, mainly because they’ve got the time to do so. It’s still too early for Owen to get out the door as Bret pulls him out, only to get pulled back down from the top for a hard crotching.

Bret is up fast enough for the headbutt between the legs but Owen pulls him down again. Owen gets closer to getting out than any other attempt yet, even getting his feet and legs out of the cage. Bret pulls him back in and sends Owen face first into the cage for a big knockdown. This time the climb is cut off by a belly to back superplex as the crashes and falls are getting bigger and bigger. A good piledriver plants Bret but he’s fine enough to catch a tired Owen again.

They both fall off the ropes this time for a breather until Bret catapults him face first into the cage. Owen has to literally dive over for a save and sends Bret into the cage, with the champ coming up holding his knee. The knee is fine enough to climb up and kick Owen away but he gets pulled back down by the arm.

Owen gets out again and you can feel the fans quiet down as he gets close. He’s pulled back in yet again and Bret kicks him down to the mat but it’s Owen’s turn for a last second save. Bret catches him in the corner and pulls Owen back down with a huge superplex (Bret always had a great one) and they’re both down again. Owen is up first with a Sharpshooter but Bret reverses into one of his own.

A little cranking has Owen down but, say it with me, he lunges over for the save by pulling Bret down hair first. They both climb and this time make it over the top, leaving them hanging on the side. Bret hits him in the ribs, causing Owen to slip and get tied up in the cage wall. That’s enough for Bret to drop down and retain at 32:18.

Rating: A+. I’ve had to say this about several Bret matches before but the wrestling isn’t the point here. This was all about telling a great story and that’s what we got. The thing to remember here is that they don’t hate each other but rather Owen wants to prove he’s better and Bret wants to shut Owen up. It explains why they weren’t trying to kill each other in what is usually a violent match. Instead, they were trying to win, which should be the case in most matches and especially one like this. Notice how the match ends: not with a big spot, but with Bret being one step better than Owen, which is the point of the feud.

It is slower paced and it does feel like they’re doing the same things over and over, but it’s a case of WHY they’re doing the same things over and over. They’re not trying to destroy each other and it really is about being the better man. Owen has gone off the deep end with trying to beat Bret, but it never felt like he wanted to hurt him. That might not make for the most exciting match, but it’s how things should have gone when you think about it.

Post match Neidhart jumps the barricade and clotheslines Davey, knocking him into his wife. Neidhart locks himself inside the cage and the double beatdown is on as Owen has completely snapped. The Hart Brothers storm the cage (always cool) but Owen keeps knocking them off. Davey finally punches Owen down (for a great bump) and gets in, sending Owen and Neidhart running as the rest of the brothers get inside as well.

In the back, Owen and Neidhart yell about how Owen should be the winner and Davey isn’t family. Owen: “Let’s go celebrate my victory!”

Survivor Series ad, making fun of football. Considering how meh that show was, I wouldn’t go that way.

We recap the Undertaker vs. Undertaker. Back in January, Undertaker was destroyed by about a dozen guys and put in a casket. Not to worry as he ascended out of the casket in one of the most ridiculous things you’ll ever see in wrestling. After being gone for several months (aside from some sightings, including by a young child in school), Ted DiBiase said he had seen Undertaker. Paul Bearer said no way but DiBiase brought him back, only to reveal that it was a fake Undertaker (played by Brian Adams, better known as Chainz). The lack of about three inches was a, ahem, dead giveaway.

With Undertaker succumbing to the power of money, Bearer went to the graveyard and said he had the real Undertaker again. After the lights went out one night on the King’s Court (Todd Pettengill: “Look at that brain surgeon Jerry Lawler.”), the real Undertaker said he was back and not with DiBiase. He would be around this coming Monday (at Summerslam) against whatever DiBiase had with him. This video gets well over five minutes as we need to get rid of the cage.

Undertaker vs. Undertaker

For the sake of simplicity, I’ll identify them by the colors of their gloves: gray for the fake one and purple for the real. DiBiase brings his man to the ring but Bearer comes out with just a casket. There’s nothing inside though and the casket is wheeled to the back. Instead Bearer opens the Urn to reveal a light….and here’s the real Undertaker. That certainly seems to be worth the wait for the fans.

Purple shrugs off some forearms to the back and leapfrogs (!) gray, who falls to the floor. Gray stalks Bearer and gets suplexed back inside for his troubles, only to be sent right back to the floor. A Stunner over the top staggers Purple but Old School just isn’t happening. The real Old School connects and now Lawler believes Bearer has the real thing.

Purple misses a charge and falls to the floor as Vince defends the silent crowd. More right hands from gray don’t have much effect but a good looking chokeslam gets….no cover. Gray goes with a Tombstone for no cover again as he spends too long pointing at DiBiase. Purple hits a Tombstone of his own, followed by a second for good measure. A third finally gives purple the pin at 9:10.

Rating: F. Well what was that supposed to be? The biggest problem here is the match was really, really bad with the Tombstone being the only thing worthwhile from the fake Undertaker. That leaves you with about eight minutes of lumbering forearms and right hands as the fans had no idea what to make of anything because there was nothing to get excited about. This would have been much easier to sit through if it didn’t come after twenty minutes of build and a great cage match. For the life of me I’m not sure how they thought this was going to work, but it failed miserably.

Gray gets put in the casket and purple poses before the Urn’s flashlight.

Savage wraps the show up but throws it to the detectives, who find a briefcase. “The case is closed.” That ends the show. Summerslam mind you, ends on a sight gag. I remember watching this live and my dad tried to explain the joke to me because at six years old, this went flying over my head. What a great way to end a show.

Overall Rating: D+. It’s certainly not the worst show as there’s enough good stuff to carry it past horrible, but my goodness they didn’t do themselves any favors here. There’s a reason that 1994 was one of the worst years in company history and this show was a good example. With the fake main event being such a mess, they’re lucky to have an instant classic in the real main event to bail it out. It’s watchable, but be ready to fast forward a lot.

Ratings Comparison

IRS/Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Headshrinkers

Original: C+
2013 Redo: D+

2018 Redo: D+

Alundra Blayze vs. Bull Nakano

Original: D+

2013 Redo: C

2018 Redo: B

Razor Ramon vs. Diesel

Original: B-

2013 Redo: C+

2018 Redo: B-

Lex Luger vs. Tatanka

Original: C-

2013 Redo: D

2018 Redo: D

Jeff Jarrett vs. Mabel

Original: D-

2013 Redo: D-

2018 Redo: F

Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart

Original: A

2013 Redo: A+

2018 Redo: A+

Undertaker vs. Undertaker

Original: B

2013 Redo: F

2018 Redo: F

Overall Rating

Original: C-

2013 Redo: D+

2018 Redo: D+

I still don’t know how I got a B out of the main event before and I really liked the women’s match more this time around. Other than that, it’s about the same all around.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/07/28/history-of-summerslam-count-up-summerslam-1994-from-great-matches-to-leslie-nielsen/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/07/30/summerslam-count-up-1994-the-last-great-cage-match/

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: September 25, 1995
Location: Grand Center, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Attendance: 1,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re done with In Your House and that means it’s time to start getting ready for In Your House. The big story coming out of last night is Diesel and Shawn Michaels won the Tag Team Titles, albeit by pinning a substitute champion in the British Bulldog. I’m sure nothing bad will come of that so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a preview of Undertaker vs. British Bulldog tonight.

BREAKING NEWS: Diesel and Shawn Michaels have been stripped of the Tag Team Titles after the controversy in last night’s title match. There will be a rematch in the future, but for tonight, Owen Hart and Yokozuna will defend the Tag Team Titles.

Opening sequence.

Marty Jannetty vs. Skip

Sunny is here with Skip and Marty is in a weird set of attire, with a plain black muscle shirt over regular tights. Marty starts fast and clears the ring as Jerry says the Rockers are former Tag Team Champions. Back in and Skip fires off some right hands in the corner but Marty sends outside again. Sunny yells a lot so Marty sneaks up on her with a hug, which the crowd finds AMAZING for some reason.

Back in and Marty works on the arm but a Sunny distraction lets Skip grab a gutwrench powerbomb to take over. Cue Dean Douglas to scout the match as we take a break. Back with Skip hammering away in the corner but a quick suplex gets Marty out of trouble. What looked to be a leapfrog is countered into a powerbomb to keep Skip down and Marty gets to hammer away. Sunny’s distraction doesn’t work as Marty hits the Rocker Dropper and the top rope fist drop finishes Skip at 11:09.

Rating: C+. It’s amazing what happens when you have two people away from a lot of the issues that plagued their careers, allowing them to show the talent that they have. I could see either of these two getting a shot in the company as they are both that good. This got some time and was a solid return (after about a year and a half) for Jannetty.

We recap the whole Triple Header ordeal, with British Bulldog being the official replacement for Owen Hart. Then Hart showed up and got pinned, so the title change doesn’t matter. This is described as maintaining the company’s integrity, despite being the biggest bait and switch in at least a few months. I believe this marks the debut of Jim Cornette’s attorney Clarence Mason

Tag Team Titles: Owen Hart/Yokozuna vs. Smoking Gunns

The Gunns are challenging in what was turned from a non-title match into a title match as part of the ordeal over last night’s main event. Bart armdrags Owen into an armbar to start before it’s off to Billy, who gets to face Yokozuna. A shoulder drops Billy, who fires back with a pair of dropkicks and a bulldog to actually take Yokozuna down. That doesn’t work for Owen, who comes in to take over on Billy, including a chinlock.

A legdrop gets two and we take a break. Back with the champs wishboning Billy and Yokozuna grabbing the nerve hold. The big elbow misses though and a diving tag brings in Bart to clean house. Owen accidentally collides with Yokozuna, leaving Owen to get caught with the Sidewinder. Yokozuna’s splash hits Owen by mistake and Bart gets the pin to get the titles back at 12:15 (the fans go NUTS).

Rating: C+. Another nice match here and it’s nice to see the Gunns getting back into the title picture after basically being heads and shoulders above the rest of the division. Sometimes you need to just get back to basics with a solid team holding the titles and that is what they’re doing with the Gunns. Owen and Yokozuna couldn’t do anything else with them and the Gunns won because they didn’t make a mistake, so well done.

Shawn Michaels and Diesel come out to celebrate with the new champs.

Gorilla Monsoon and Dok Hendrix announce some matches for the next In Your House:

Goldust makes his debut
Shawn Michaels vs. Dean Douglas for Shawn’s Intercontinental Title
British Bulldog vs. Diesel for Diesel’s WWF Title, winner defends against Bret Hart at Survivor Series

Undertaker vs. British Bulldog

Paul Bearer and Jim Cornette are here too. Undertaker chokes away in the corner to start and hits the jumping clothesline to drop Bulldog. Old School is loaded up but Bulldog pulls him off the top for a big crash. A clothesline sends Undertaker to the floor, where he gets to choke Cornette until Bulldog makes the save. Bulldog starts in on the leg by sending it into the steps. Men On A Mission are watching as we take a break.

Back with Bulldog staying on the leg as Waylon Mercy is watching as well. The half crab is broken up and Undertaker grabs a belly to back suplex. Old School connects but Bulldog is right back up with a piledriver for two. Undertaker is back up with a chokeslam but Mabel comes in with the spinning belly to belly for the DQ at 12:53.

Rating: C. Not exactly the best way to get the Bulldog over before a title shot but at least he didn’t get pinned. Undertaker is still one of the biggest stars in the company and beating him is a big deal, though if there was ever a time to have him lose to a screwy finish, this would have been it. Bulldog does look better as a main eventer and if he can back that up, good for him.

Post match the big beatdown is on until Shawn Michaels, Diesel and the Smoking Gunns come in for the save (still with soap on them and barefoot, which is an old school way of adding some realism). After a break, Shawn and Diesel pose for a long time to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This was certainly a busy and eventful show and that is not normal for Raw around this time. The title change itself was a big deal and they did a nice build towards In Your House with a lot of the card already set. The wrestling bottomed out at completely fine and that is a good sign for an hour long show. It’s hard to fathom in 1995 but things are actually doing decently at this point. Now if they could find a way to get people to pay for it, things would be even better. Nice show this week.

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: September 21, 1995
Location: Memorial Civic Center, Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 1,600
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

It’s the go home Raw for In Your House and that means we are in for…well not much on the main event, which is already set. Other than that, we have another Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid match as the two of them aren’t getting along. Finally, Men On A Mission are facing Owen Hart and Yokozuna for reasons of evil. Let’s get to it.

Here is last week’s show if you need a recap.

This is a special Thursday edition of the show, which wasn’t mentioned last week.

We open with a recap of last week, with the 1-2-3 Kid costing Razor Ramon a match against British Bulldog. Kid wants to be taken seriously so he’ll have to beat Razor again.

Opening sequence.

Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid

During the entrances, we look at Razor attacking Dean Douglas in the classroom at Summerslam in case you want to be told what to expect here. Kid jumps him to start and fires off some kicks to put Razor on the floor. Back in and Razor goes with the power to take him to the corner for the super fall away slam. Razor chops away in the corner and tosses him HARD (with a great bump from the Kid) before working on the arm. A chokeslam gives Razor two but Kid manages to send him outside.

Kid hits a slingshot dropkick (over the top at that) and a spinning kick to the face gets one back inside (the foot on the rope helped). The sleeper takes Ramon down to one knee and we take a break. Back with the hold still on but Razor suplexes his way to freedom. The discus punch drops Kid and there’s the running corner clothesline. Back up and a collision sends Kid into the referee so cue Dean Douglas for a top rope splash to Razor. A VERY delayed cover gives Kid the pin at 10:33.

Rating: C+. Kid getting to bump all over the place worked and Razor gave him a ton of offense at the same time (I for one am shocked). The Kid winning makes a lot more sense and it is smart to let him move up the ladder a bit. Razor is more than a made man so this was a good example of helping bring someone up. Now just do it more often.

Dean Douglas grades the match, with the Kid getting a D (dumb), Razor getting an E (elevate, which Razor is trying to do by face Dean), Dean getting an A (because he’s nifty) and Razor vs. Dean at In Your House getting an N (no brainer).

Tatanka/Kama vs. Savio Vega/Bob Holly

Ted DiBiase is here with Tatanka and Kama. Vega cleans house to start before it’s off to Holly, who works on Kama’s ribs before it’s quickly off to Savio. The kick misses Tatanka but he distracts Holly so Kama can jump Vega. A double slam plants Vega as the referee takes FOREVER to get Holly out. Kama plants him down again and shoves Holly, who still doesn’t get how stupid it is to try to come in.

Vega is mostly destroyed in the corner but finally manages a shot of his own for a needed breather. Holly comes in and now is quite a bit more lethargic (he really isn’t that bright in this match), though a high crossbody does get two on Kama. Everything breaks down and Kama powerslams Holly out of the air (with a nasty landing) for the pin at 5:46.

Rating: C. This was an energetic match but Holly was hardly helping his partner most of the time. They were trying throughout though and that is always nice to see, especially in a nothing match like this one. Kama and Tatanka were pretty much just thrown together, but they did well enough all things considered.

Razor Ramon is ready to hurt Dean Douglas.

Wrestlemania: The Special is coming on September 30, featuring the two main events. That was a big deal.

Jean Pierre LaFitte vs. Brian Walsh

Jean shrugs off an early assault and stomps away as Bret Hart calls in to say he doesn’t like LaFitte stealing his gear over and over. Some shots to the face and chest have Walsh in more trouble as the slow beating continues. The Cannonball (Swanton) finishes Walsh at 3:17.

Rating: C-. Total and complete dominance here and that is how it should be. LaFitte wasn’t going to go anywhere because he’s a pirate of all things in 1995 but putting him in there with Bret is going to make it feel important. That’s the power of someone like Bret and the WWF knew just how big of a deal he really was.

Tag Team Titles: Men On A Mission vs. Owen Hart/Yokozuna

Owen and Yokozuna (with Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji) are defending and Mabel is carried to the ring, with the people carrying him cringing under the weight. Owen kicks away at Mo to start but charges into a powerslam so Mo can stomp away. Mabel comes in and nothing words for Owen, who is knocked out of the corner with ease.

Mo gets in a few more stomps but Owen gets away to bring in Yokozuna. As Owen sends Mo into the steps, the giants stare each other down but stop so Yokozuna can unload in the corner. We take a break and come back with Owen and Mo trying spinwheel kicks at the same time for a double knockdown.

The double tag brings in the giants, with Mabel winning a slugout and hitting a jumping (work with me) clothesline. Mabel throws Owen at Yokozuna and it’s Mo coming back in to slug away. Yokozuna clotheslines Mo down like he’s Yokozuna clotheslining Mo and hands it back to Owen. A cheap shot lets Mo get two of his own as everything breaks down. Owen drop toeholds Mo down and the Yokozuna legdrop is enough to retain the titles at 12:45.

Rating: C. I never would have bet on it but this was pretty decent. If nothing else, Yokozuna could still move well enough here and Mabel was slightly motivated, even after his main event run was dead. Owen was his usual self, so this was about as good as it could have been all things considered.

Diesel and Shawn Michaels are ready to win the Tag Team Titles.

Post break, Owen Hart/Yokozuna and company are still in the ring, with Jim Cornette promising to bring some more gold back at In Your House. They’ll make the Two Dudes With Attitude into the Two Fellas That Are Yellow. Cornette runs over the rules of the match (as you should) and promises that his men are ready to show how great they are. What happened the last time Shawn and Diesel were partners? They got in a fight, and how much worse will it be when they have titles to protect? Cornette: “In Your House, in your face and around their waists!” Great line to wrap this up as Cornette sold the match really well.

Jerry Lawler’s official prediction: Yokozuna wins the WWF Title.

A quick preview of Undertaker vs. British Bulldog for next week wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. They did what they could with what is basically a one match In Your House (Bret vs. LaFitte is a maybe at best) and that included a heck of a push for the Triple Header. Other than that though, there isn’t much going on for the show and it could be quite the mess to get through. At least it wasn’t a long build, which probably explains why is isn’t much of a show. They did what they could with what they had here, which is about as good as you can get.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: September 11, 1995
Location: Memorial Civic Center, Columbus, Ohio
Attendance: 1,600
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We’re done with Summerslam (and the US Open tennis tournament) so it’s time for the beginning to the build for the next In Your House. Shawn Michaels is on fire after retaining the Intercontinental Title in a ladder match against Razor Ramon and Diesel managed to get rid of King Mabel, because that was a thing. This is also the first ever show to go up against Monday Nitro so you know it’s going to be big. Let’s get to it.

Vince McMahon gives us a rather energetic preview of the show, which features a double main event as it is the Fall Season Premiere.

Opening sequence, featuring the debut of the Raw on the roof deal (the helicopter intro as you might know it).

Razor Ramon vs. British Bulldog

Jim Cornette is here with Bulldog as Razor starts in on the arm. Razor sends him outside for a consultation with Cornette as Lawler brings up Summerslam 1992 as a reason for Bulldog to get a WWF Title shot against Bret Hart. Back in and Razor cranks on the arm some more but Bulldog is right back with the delayed vertical suplex.

A clothesline gives Bulldog two and we get another pause, as both of them are rather fond of just stopping after a big move. Bulldog hits the gorilla press and we take a break, coming back with a slam getting two on Razor. Another slam lets Razor go up top but Bulldog stops to look at….nothing apparent, allowing Razor to pull him back down.

The referee gets bumped and Razor hits the Edge, only to have Dean Douglas come in for a top rope elbow (with Razor laying there with his head down in a way no one would do while making a normal cover). 1-2-3 Kid’s save doesn’t work and Bulldog hits the powerslam. The Kid comes off the top and hits….well it was supposed to be Razor but Bulldog didn’t move fast enough so he hit both of them and it’s….something at 7:12.

Rating: C-. All of the random staring around and just waiting for stuff to happen really hurt things here as it felt really awkward. It doesn’t help that Douglas is still a lame character and it’s hard to care about anything he is doing. Kid and Razor having tensions is interesting though, and odds are a big showdown is coming.

Post match the beatdown is on, with Bulldog beating on both of them and Cornette getting in some stomps as well. We don’t actually get a winner announced.

Post break, Vince McMahon is in the ring to talk to Ramon and the Kid, with Lawler talking over him in something you don’t hear that often. With Vince clarifying that Razor was disqualified because of Kid’s interference, Kid wants to know what was up with Razor costing him a match last week. Kid is tired of the lack of disrespect and offers to beat Razor again next week. With Kid gone, Razor talks about what he has been doing lately and now the Kid wants another piece of him? Sure, let’s do it. This was a simple story and they explained it just fine, but Lawler was REALLY distracting here and I’m not sure why he would do that.

Video on Owen Hart/Yokozuna vs. Men On A Mission. Holy sweet goodness that sounds horrifying.

Smoking Gunns vs. Rad Radford/Brooklyn Brawler

Brawler and Radford jump them from behind and send Billy outside but Billy is right back in with a double clothesline. Billy’s swinging neckbreaker drops Brawler and it’s time to crank on the arm. Bart comes back in and gets caught with a cheap shot from Radford as we talk about badly dressed celebrities. The comeback is on and everything breaks down, with the Sidewinder finishing Brawler at 2:48. Just a step above a squash.

Goldust is in Hollywood and quoting Night Of The Living Dead. He’s interested in hearing more about the Creatures of the Night and using his gold to get rid of the darkness.

Isaac Yankem vs. Scott Taylor

Say it with me: it’s Scotty 2 Hotty. Yankem sends him into the corner and grabs a chokeslam as there are a lot of empty seats to be seen. The DDS finishes Taylor at 2:14.

Todd Pettengill tells us What’s Happening In Your House and says he has a new “tartar control attitude”. We hear about the Triple Header main event, with Diesel/Shawn Michaels vs. Owen Hart/Yokozuna, with all titles on the line in one match. As a bonus, if anyone is intentionally disqualified or causes a countout, the titles change hands anyway. The rest of the card gets a rundown as well and….well there’s a reason 1995 isn’t the most fondly remembered time.

For $25.00 + $3.95 shipping and handling, you get the Shawn Michaels pleather hat and sunglasses, plus a poster. That’s a heck of a deal actually.

Shawn is ready to beat Sid.

Intercontinental Title: Sycho Sid vs. Shawn Michaels

Michaels is defending and Ted DiBiase is here with Sid. Some shots to the head in the corner annoy Sid and a flying clothesline takes him down. More lefts and rights have him on the floor but he comes back in and throws Shawn outside. That earns him a skinning of the cat and Shawn knocks him to the floor again, leaving Sid rather frustrated.

Back in and Sid hits a release spinebuster to drop Shawn hard and some of the frustration is relieved. Shawn gets sent onto the top and kicked out to the floor, where Sid drops him face first onto the apron. DiBiase validates his job by getting in some stomps and we take a break. Back with Sid hitting a one armed chokeslam but the powerbomb is broken up. There’s the flying forearm and a pair of superkicks retain the title at 7:21.

Rating: C+. They didn’t bother with anything complicated here as Shawn got beaten down and then come back with the big win in the end. Shawn knows how to do a comeback as well as anyone and he was around the peak of his first run at this point. Not exactly a classic, but it did what it needed to. This was also the match that Eric Bischoff infamously spoiled on Nitro and….yeah it really doesn’t change the fact that it was good enough.

Post match Shawn strips a bit and various fans approve while Lawler does not.

Post break, Shawn and Diesel are ready to win the Tag Team Titles at In Your House. Shawn laughing off the idea of losing the Intercontinental Title is very…well Shawn of him actually. They’re two dudes with attitude and they’ll be two chaps with all the straps.

We get a preview of next week’s show, complete with clips of the matches. That’s quite the change of pace and I don’t remember Raw doing that more than a few times ever. If nothing else, how often did they acknowledge that it was taped in advance?

Overall Rating: C. They had to rush into the In Your House main event and it makes sense to go with something quick like the Triple Header. The match was hammered home here and the Razor vs. Kid match should be good. Not the most eventful show, but as usual, it’s hard to get that annoyed at a show that runs an hour and has a completely decent main event.

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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 21, 1994
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage

This is a weird one as the most recent show (from two weeks ago due to the Dog Show) was taped from the previous cycle, then this one is live, and then next week is taped again from the previous location. Other than that though, we have Razor Ramon and Marty Jannetty challenging for the Tag Team Titles, plus Bret Hart vs. a Heavenly Body. Which Heavenly Body? A Heavenly Body. Let’s get to it.

Here is the most recent episode if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Vince introduces Savage for commentary, which is a big update over Bastion Booger. Savage is excited to be here believe it or not.

Tag Team Titles: Quebecers vs. Razor Ramon/Marty Jannetty

The Quebecers, with Johnny Polo are defending. Actually hang on as we have a switch.

Tag Team Titles: Quebecers vs. Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid

The Quebecers, with Johnny Polo, are defending and we don’t get a reason for the switch. We start fast with Razor fall away slamming the Kid at Pierre and the champs need a breather on the floor. The stalling continues for a good while before they get back inside with Pierre slowing it down against Kid. He slows it down so much that Razor comes in for a top wristlock into a headlock.

Polo offers a distraction though, allowing the Quebecers to stomp away. Razor gets outside and Razor’s Edges Polo on the floor, which is about as big of the total destruction moves as you’ll see from this era. We take a break and come back with Razor handing it off to Kid to stay on Pierre’s arm. Razor comes back in to counter a leapfrog into an atomic drop, which Vince dubs accidental.

As I try to figure out what Vince would consider intentional, Kid starts working on the leg to mix it up. Razor gets kicked into the corner so Jacques comes in, earning himself a leg crank of his own. Cue Diesel to watch as Vince doesn’t approve of the refereeing. We take a break and come back with some heel miscommunication allowing the hot tag to the Kid.

A spinwheel kick bangs up Kid’s already injured knee and the champs drop him ribs first across the top rope. Jacques slams Pierre onto Kid for two but they try it again and get broken up, allowing the tag off to Razor. The belly to back superplex drops Jacques and there’s the Razor’s Edge to Pierre….but Shawn Michaels comes in for the DQ.

Rating: C. This got a LONG time but it wasn’t exactly exciting stuff for a long stretch. Shawn running in for the DQ is a fine way to retain the title and Razor/Kid would have been a better option to challenge for the titles than Razor and Jannetty anyway. Not a great match, but it felt big and that is a good thing.

Next week: Randy Savage vs. Yokozuna for the WWF Title. Well that’s an upgrade.

Jim Cornette comes out to shout about how Yokozuna will crush Savage, who disagrees.

Bret Hart vs. Tom Prichard

Jim Cornette is here with Prichard. Vince goes into a discussion of the Dallas Cowboys, which I would call an upgrade. Feeling out process to start with Bret’s headscissors not getting him anywhere. Bret does it again and we get another standoff. Back up and Bret grabs a headlock but gets drop toeholded down, setting up a hammerlock. A backdrop sends Prichard outside and Bret works on the arm back inside.

Vince points out Nikolai Volkoff at ringside, with Savage deeming him as ugly as ever. As you try to figure out why Volkoff was getting a story in 1994, Bret works on the arm, including a snapmare into an armbar as we take a break. Back with Prichard raking the eyes as we hear about Donny Wahlberg coming to Wrestlemania. We’re so lucky that he calls in to the show as Vince talks about listening to the new New Kids On The Block album.

Prichard grabs the chinlock as Donny denies having any jealousy of his brother Mark Wahlberg. A jawbreaker gets Bret out of trouble and a backslide gives him two. Prichard snapmares him down into a chinlock with a knee in the back. Cornette goes to get in a cheap shot with the tennis racket but Savage sends him into the steps to cut that off.

We take another break and come back with Bret grabbing a small package for two. The backbreaker into the middle rope elbow gets two as Savage has stolen the tennis racket, leaving Cornette looking really weird. Prichard knocks Bret outside and here is Owen Hart to throw him back inside. Bret doesn’t seem to mind and grabs the Sharpshooter to win.

Rating: C+. Bret got some time here and that is always often going to work. It helps when you have someone as talented as Prichard in there. I know he’s remembered as part of a pretty middle of the road team in the WWF but he really was good at what he did and could work just fine in this spot.

Post match Bret and Owen yell at each other a lot.

It’s the Wrestlemania Report with Todd Pettingill. Rather than matches though, we talk about the celebrities, because they’re what really matter. This includes two Showtime movie critics who used to be cab drivers, though I don’t think they were on the show. We get around to the matches, which is just a big list of them. This whole thing went over five minutes and didn’t add anything significant.

Little Richard is ready for Wrestlemania.

Jim Cornette and Yokozuna come to the ring to yell at Randy Savage, who is ready to go right now. Yelling ensues to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This was a rare show with two long matches and it set up some things for next week. The fact that next week is last week is a different story, but this was still in the formative years of the show. You can feel Wrestlemania season starting to come together though and I’m wanting to see how the build goes to one of the most important shows the company has ever had.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 9, 1995
Location: Grand Center, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Attendance: 1,500
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We’re still on the way towards In Your House: Great White North but first we have to get a pretty big six man tag out of the way. This week, Camp Cornette will face Diesel, Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, which is a pretty big main event on any Raw. Other than that, maybe we can get some build towards the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence (dig that helicopter deal).

Shawn Michaels spoke to a group of students who had very high attendance and seems genuinely choked up by it. That’s not something you would regularly see from 90s Shawn.

Camp Cornette vs. Diesel/Shawn Michaels/Undertaker

That would be Owen Hart/British Bulldog/Yokozuna with Jim Cornette in their corner. Joined in progress with Shawn hammering on Owen and armdragging him into an armbar. Shawn clotheslines him over the top but skins the cat to stay inside, because Shawn is awesome like that. Everything breaks down and the villains are knocked to the floor, leaving Cornette rather flummoxed.

We settle down to Diesel beating up Bulldog and sending him outside where Undertaker choke….tosses him back inside. Undertaker comes in for Old School on Yokozuna but the Samoan drop cuts that off rather quickly. That doesn’t last long either as Undertaker grabs the running DDT and hands it off to Shawn to crank on the arm. You don’t do that to Yokozuna, who crushes Shawn and brings Owen in to hit a backbreaker.

Cue Waylon Mercy (basically 90s Bray Wyatt) to scout his match with Diesel and not much more. Bulldog adds the gorilla press, meaning the triple teaming can continue having Vince in hysterics as we take a break. Back with Owen grabbing an abdominal stretch as Dean Douglas comes out to watch too. The referee catches Bulldog helping Owen though and kicks the arms apart, allowing Shawn to get two off a backslide.

Since it’s just a backslide, Bulldog is able to come back in with a delayed vertical suplex as Diesel and Undertaker get angrier and angrier on the apron. Owen grabs the chinlock for a bit, followed by a spinwheel kick for two. That lets Owen go up for a top rope splash which….I have no idea as we take a break with Owen in the air.

Back with Owen and Shawn both down and crawling over for a tag. Bulldog and Diesel both come in with the latter hitting a side slam on Bulldog but having to go after Owen and Yokozuna as well. The distraction lets Bulldog hit the running powerslam but Undertaker makes the save. With Undertaker removed though, Bulldog gets the pin anyway as we get the hard push towards In Your House.

Rating: B. This was the kind of six man tag that is always going to work and the surprise ending does help boost up the pay per view title match. The good thing about this kind of a match is that you can put any combination together and get something out of it, which was the case here on a bit of a smaller scale. Mercy and Douglas didn’t add much here but I’ll take that over them watching awkwardly in the back. Rather good stuff here and a better than average Raw match.

Post match King Mabel comes in and, with Yokozuna’s help, crushes Undertaker in the corner. A bunch of legdrops crush Undertaker as Dean Douglas beats on Shawn and whips him into the steps. Splashes, legdrops and elbows continue as the good guys are thoroughly crushed. If I remember right, this was originally planned to end the show but Vince decided that it needed a happier ending, so the change was made.

Post break and the good guys are still being taken out.

We look back at Bret Hart beating Jean Pierre LaFitte but getting jumped by Isaac Yankem after the match. The result: a cage match next week.

Diesel, Shawn and Undertaker are back up.

We see part of Bret Hart beating Isaac Yankem at Summerslam via DQ when Yankem choked him in the ropes. Actually we see a lot of it so here’s the match from Summerslam.

Isaac Yankem vs. Bret Hart

Lawler handles Yankem’s entrance. As a bonus pun, Yankem is billed from Decay-tur, Illinois. Lawler is on commentary for a bit of a surprise as Bret gets shoved down to start. Yankem misses a big elbow but is fine enough to send Bret hard into the corner. Bret is back with an atomic drop and a clothesline for a trip to the floor. Back in and Bret hits a middle rope clothesline, followed by the headbutt to the abdomen.

The backslide gets two as Lawler is saying only Vince needs to be impartial tonight. Another hard whip into the corner takes Bret down again and Isaac chokes on the ropes until the referee drags him away by the hair. More choking ensues as Yankem doesn’t have the highest variety in his offense so far.

Bret is back up and sends him outside for a suicide dive as the comeback is on. Back in and it’s time for the Five Moves Of Doom but a Lawler distraction breaks up the Sharpshooter. Lawler stays up to cheer on Yankem’s beating (as he should) but Bret gets in a slam off the top for a rare power display.

In a change of pace, Bret ties Yankem’s legs around the post and stomps away until the referee unties Yankem’s feet. Lawler would do it but he’s too busy getting beaten up by Bret. The distraction lets Yankem hit a top rope ax handle to the back and Lawler helps him tie Bret’s neck in the ropes for the DQ at 16:10.

Rating: C+. Bret was doing everything he could here but Yankem wasn’t there yet and there’s only so much you can do as an evil dentist. The match felt straight out of Memphis with someone wanting to get at Lawler but he brought in his latest monster for protection. It’s a perfectly usable story and the match wasn’t bad, so I’ll take what I can get here.

Post match Lawler and Yankem pull at the still trapped Bret until referees break it up.

Skip vs. Fatu

Sunny is here with Skip, who isn’t making a difference like Fatu. Skip hammers away to start before grabbing a wristlock. For some reason Skip tries to ram him head first into the buckle and yeah that’s not how wrestling works. Sunny gets on the apron to get Fatu to chase her outside, allowing Skip to get in a few cheap shots. An enziguri drops Fatu for two and Sunny is NOT pleased with the kickout.

Skip goes for the head again, with Vince calling him an idiot as a result. The chinlock goes on as Lawler insists he will NOT be put in a shark cage during next week’s cage match and rants about President Gorilla Monsoon for a bit too. Back up and Skip tries a headbutt (Vince: “WHAT AN IDIOT!”), which only gives himself a headache. Skip catches him on top but hurts his back on a superplex attempt, setting up the top rope splash to give Fatu the pin.

Rating: C-. It isn’t a good sign when the best part of a match is hearing Vince call someone in the match an idiot, but that is about all we had here. Skip was a talented guy but how far is he going to go when his name is Skip and he is overshadowed by Sunny? The match was longer than it needed to be, but Fatu’s hard head bit was enough to keep it lively.

We look back at the six man tag and ensuing beatdown.

Doc Hendrix was in the men’s locker room and isn’t going to be interviewing Undertaker, Diesel and Shawn Michaels because they are too banged up.

Camp Cornette is very happy with what happened and Jim Cornette is ready for British Bulldog to take the title from Diesel at In Your House. We get a promise of a powerslam through the mat and Bulldog being the new WWF Champion. Bulldog promises to win the title as well because Diesel can’t run and hide. King Mable comes in to brag about destroying Undertaker and prove how awesome he really is. Of note: Mabel’s crown looked stupid and Bulldog shouldn’t wear a hat.

Jerry Lawler knows Bret Hart has been begging for help with him and is ready for next week’s cage match. Oh and he will NOT be in that cage.

A video on next week’s cage match wraps us up.

Overall Rating: C+. The opener was rather good and that is about all there is to the show, because the rest was about the possible injuries and Camp Cornette/Mabel bragging. Oh and Skip vs. Fatu, because they needed something else on the show other than one long six man. That being said, Cornette was right (if I’m remembering it right), as ending with that huge beatdown and doing regular stuff for the first half would have been better with a big cliffhanger ending.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 2, 1995
Location: Grand Center, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Attendance: 1,500
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

I’m back to Raw as the WWF is on the way towards In Your House: Great White North. In this case, that means WWF Champion Diesel will be defending against the British Bulldog, which is as In Your House of a main event as you can get. Other than that, we are in that weird period between Summerslam and Survivor Series so this isn’t the hottest stretch. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Yokozuna accidentally splashing Owen Hart last week, allowing the Smoking Gunns to take the Tag Team Titles from them.

Here’s a quick clip of Lawrence Taylor beating Bam Bam Bigelow on the Wrestlemania Special from over the weekend, as we look at a match from about six months ago.

Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid

This is billed as the last match between the two and that isn’t the most out there of possibilities. Two weeks ago, Dean Douglas helped 1-2-3 Kid beat Razor (which Kid didn’t see) so tonight it’s a fair fight. Razor sends him outside to start but Kid is right back in with the rapid fire kicks in the corner. The fall away slam gives Razor two, only to have Kid come back with another kick for two of his own.

Cue Douglas to watch in the aisle as Razor punches Kid down but he leaves as Kid makes the comeback. Razor hits one heck of a clothesline for the pin and yes it’s as out of nowhere as it sounds. Hold on though as Kid slaps Razor in the face and I guess we’re just going to keep going. Razor chops him in the corner and grabs the abdominal stretch. A charge in the corner hits Kid’s raised boot though and we take a break.

Back with apparently a third fall, as Razor powerbombed him for the pin during the break, only to have Kid want to keep going. The belly to back superplex sets up the Razor’s Edge, but Razor lets him go and grabs a small package to pin Kid, who is already out cold thanks to the superplex.

Rating: C-. This was a weird one as Razor more or less squashed him three times in a row with Kid only managing a few kicks. Commentary kept hyping up the idea of it being about respect, which worked well enough as Kid wouldn’t stay down despite clearly being outclassed. Odds are there is more to this in the future, even with this one sided beating.

Respect is shown post match but Kid grabs a rollup for two, with the referee just going with this. Kid tells him to hit the Razor’s Edge but Razor shakes his hand instead.

We look back at British Bulldog and Yokozuna wrecking Undertaker last week until Shawn Michaels and Diesel made the save.

IS OJ SIMPSON GUILTY??? Call in and vote, with your 50 cents a call going to help prevent child abuse. Eh it’s for charity so fair enough.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Barry Horowitz

Horowitz is fresh off beating Skip a few times so it’s pretty much the hottest time of his career. Helmsley takes him down into something like a cross armbreaker, allowing for a kick to the face. A takedown has Helmsley bailing to the ropes as Vince brags about last week’s Raw being the most watched in history. Helmsley’s curtsy sets up a suplex as Lawler talks about the Simpson case.

Back up and Horowitz grabs a sunset flip for two, which just seems to annoy Helmsley. As expected, this leads to a discussion of the Pope coming to the United States, and Vince would love for him to come to the charity show at Madison Square Garden. Horowitz gets an elbow to the face into an abdominal stretch rollup for two (Patterson and Brisco’s back grapple special in No Mercy) but the Pedigree finishes him off out of nowhere.

Rating: C-. This went a bit long but the good thing is that Horowitz felt like he could pull off the upset. That is what you get out of the wins over Skip, as Horowitz goes from a total loser to someone who just won a few weeks ago. At the same time though, Helmsley was still new and undefeated at this point so he wasn’t about to be in any serious jeopardy to anyone, let alone Horowitz.

PG-13 vs. Al Brown/Sonny Rogers

PG-13’s (they’re white rappers from Memphis) USWA Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line but they want the Smoking Gunns’ WWF Tag Team Titles. Rogers works on Ice’s arm to start but it’s a running dropkick/Russian legsweep combination to take him down. Wolfie D knocks Rogers down and dances a lot as Lawler talks about the Simpson case gain. Rogers gets away and brings in Brown to clean house as Vince still can’t remember which one is PG and which one is 13. The illegal Wolfie uses a distraction to hit a middle rope bulldog for two on Brown before an assisted splash finishes for JC Ice.

Rating: C. PG-13 looked decent in there for a team who was far better known for their gimmick than anything they did in the ring. It isn’t like they were ever going to be anything important in the company but the annoying rapping deal will always work to some degree. If they can have an ok squash at the same time, that’s even better.

CALL THE SIMPSON HOTLINE!

Bret Hart vs. Jean-Pierre LaFitte

Rematch from Bret’s victory at the most recent In Your House. LaFitte pounds him into the corner to start and a hard clothesline drops Bret again. A missed charge in the corner sends LaFitte crashing out to the floor, where Vince sends him into the steps. This lets Vince call the match a “demolition derby” for about the fifth time in less than three minutes.

Back in and Bret gets dropped throat first onto the ropes, setting up the chinlock. A heck of a clothesline keeps Bret in trouble and a top rope headbutt gets two. LaFitte’s Stinger Splash sets off the LET’S GO BRET chants but another clothesline cuts off another comeback (that’s working for LaFitte).

We take a break and come back with LaFitte missing the Cannonball but running Bret over for two more anyway. They head outside again with Bret being whipped hard into the steps, sending Lawler into euphoria on commentary (Lawler’s hatred of Bret was always funny). Back in and Bret is fine enough to start the comeback, with the Russian legsweep getting two. LaFitte grabs a Regal Roll but the Cannonball is cut off again. Bret superplexes him down and puts on the Sharpshooter for the win.

Rating: B-. The match got some time and while it wasn’t quite as good as their In Your House match, there is still something to be said about any Bret match going almost fifteen minutes. Not exactly a hidden gem, but Bret being able to get something out of a pirate in 1995 is pretty impressive. Good enough here, but Bret needs to move on to something more important.

Post match Lawler yells at Bret, who goes after him until Isaac Yankem jumps Bret from behind.

Post break Vince announces a cage match between Hart and Yankem at some point in the coming weeks.

Camp Cornette is ready for Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Diesel next week.

Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and Diesel are ready for Camp Cornette next week.

The fans say OJ Simpson is not guilty by a margin of 51-49.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t the best show but the main event and setup for the cage match worked well enough. Bret going from fighting a pirate to fighting a king to fighting a dentist is about as 1995 as you can get but at least we didn’t have to deal with King Mabel. The rest of the show wasn’t much to see, though Razor vs. Kid was certainly something different.

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Summerslam 1995
Date: August 27, 1995
Location: Pittsburgh Civic Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 18,062
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon

So it’s time for the annual redos and for some reason, my readers decided to have me watch one of the worst Summerslams of all time. I’m so thrilled. Anyway this is built around Diesel vs. King Mabel in one of those moments where Vince McMahon was considered completely insane. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about the big matches tonight, including Diesel vs. Mabel, Jerry Lawler sending his evil dentist (that will never sound normal) against Bret Hart, Kama Mustafa vs. Undertaker (over the again stolen urn) and the sequel to the ladder match (which was added because the company knew they were dead in the water otherwise).

I still love the big flying blimp in the arena. The fans behind it must be so thrilled. Now am I being sarcastic on that one?

Dean Douglas, the annoying teacher, is in the back to critique all of the matches. I’m not a Shane fan, but to go from the Franchise to this is a shame.

1-2-3 Kid vs. Hakushi

Vince: “The Kid is ready for WWF action!” You mean this isn’t the Boggle tournament? Hakushi’s White Angel look is way too awesome for a show like this. Kid grabs a headlock to start but gets taken down by the hair, with a fan opposite the hard camera being VERY upset by the cheating. A trip takes Hakushi down but he kicks Kid away, giving us a double nipup.

Back up and they both miss spinning kicks for another early standoff. Hakushi finally sends him into the corner for the handspring elbow and the fans aren’t sure what to think of it (fair enough as he’s a heel, but an awesome heel). The Bronco Buster hits Kid (so that’s where he got it) and it’s time to kick at his leg. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Hakushi sends him outside and hits a cartwheel into a backdrop over the top for your YOU DO KNOW IT’S 1995 spot.

Back in and a top rope headbutt to the standing Kid gets two but a top rope splash misses. Kid dropkicks him to the floor and hits his own dive, followed by a slingshot legdrop for two. Kid’s top rope splash connects for the patented 1-2-He Got Him NO! Back up and Kid tries a spinwheel kick but gets caught in something like a belly to back suplex to give Hakushi the pin at 9:28.

Rating: B-. This was WAY ahead of its time with stuff like the Space Flying Tiger Drop of all things being far more than you would expect from a WWF match in 1995. The Kid was very good as well and fought from underneath with his own high flying. Good stuff here, though I’m worried about what else they have for the rest of the night.

Dok Hendrix is WAY too excited to know about Mabel’s master plan. You’ll just have to wait, exactly like Big Daddy Fool. And that’s before he even gets in the ring people.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Bob Holly

Helmsley is brand new here and still an undefeated blue blood. There’s no contact for the first minute so Holly grabs him for a slam and an armdrag sends Helmsley into the corner. Holly charges at him though and gets caught in a Stun Gun to let Helmsley take over. Vince talks about wanting to see Lawler in a go kart or bumper cars as Holly gets whipped hard into the corner.

The chinlock goes on and we cut to British Bulldog arriving, even though he has nothing to say. Back in and arena and Holly’s abdominal stretch is countered with a hiptoss over the top. Holly is right back up with a DDT and the dropkick with the backdrop completing the jobber level comeback. A missed charge lets Helmsley finish with the Pedigree at 7:10.

Rating: D. Oh come on. I know it’s a different era but this made Summerslam? I can get behind the idea of a match to make a newcomer look good but this wasn’t entertaining on any level. Helmsley was clearly someone they wanted to push but this would have been boring on Raw and we get it on a pay per view. At least it was short, but that’s all I’ve got.

Some wrestlers and firemen had a charity tug of war. Nothing wrong with that.

Blu Brothers vs. Smoking Gunns

Jacob (of Jacob and Eli Blu, which sounds conspicuously like Jake and Elwood Blues) gets caught in an early armbar from Billy. It’s off to Bart in a hurry but Eli snaps his throat across the top to take over. A quick crossbody gets Bart out of trouble though and Billy comes back in.

The yet to be named H Bomb (when they would become the Harris Twins that is) plants Billy for a delayed two and it’s off to the also yet to be named Tree of Woe (1995 needs to catch up with the times already). Lawler: “I bought five copies of Windows 95 and I don’t even have a computer.” After that random line, Eli gets two off a powerslam as the second Raw level match continues. Billy gets in a dropkick and brings in Bart to clean house. Heel miscommunication lets the Sidewinder connect for the fast pin on Eli at 6:11.

Rating: D-. At least in the Helmsley vs. Holly match (something that has never been said) they were pushing someone new and fresh. Here it’s a win for the Gunns, who had been around for years and were former Tag Team Champions. And against the Blu Brothers? That’s the best they can put together for what should be the second biggest show of the year? Thank goodness we were only a few weeks away from Nitro because this is some horrible planning.

We recap Barry Horowitz vs. Skip in a rematch of the huge upset of Barry pinning Skip. Barry then won by surviving a ten minute challenge, meaning it’s time for a third match. The idea here is that Barry hasn’t won a match in years but managed to pull this one off. How this is supposed to make me want to watch isn’t clear, as Barry is only going to be known to long time fans who are going to be watching in the first place.

Barry Horowitz vs. Skip

Sunny is out with Skip and does her trademark great rant about how they were cheated twice but it won’t happen again. Barry charges to the ring (with the awesome rock version of Hava Nagila) and hammers away to start with a clothesline putting Skip on the floor. Back in and Barry gets two off an O’Connor roll before suplexing Skip over the top again. Sunny tries to throw in the towel but is told that it’s not boxing and doesn’t count. Uh, it counted for Bob Backlund in 1983.

The distraction works well enough for Skip to jump Barry from behind, meaning it’s time for some jumping jacks. For some reason, this turns into a discussion of who would win in a fight between Siskel and Ebert. Barry is back up with some shoulders for two and a sunset flip for the same. Skip runs him over again though and it’s off to a seated abdominal stretch. That’s broken up as well and Horowitz goes old school with a Thesz press of all things for two more.

Skip pulls it back to the mat for legdrops and a chinlock but Barry jobbers up. They trade dropkicks and it’s a double knockdown as this keeps going. Another dropkick from Barry crotches him on top but Skip knocks him backwards. The Swan Dive gives Skip two so Barry hits another dropkick and goes up. This time it’s Sunny crotching him down for a change, which draws out Hakushi of all people. The distraction into a rollup lets Barry get his third straight win at 11:23.

Rating: D. AND??? Am I really supposed to get behind Horowitz after this? The guy has a career win/loss record somewhere lower than mine and now he’s getting a win on Summerslam? Somehow this is the best that they can do and that sums up a lot of the problems they were having around this point.

Dean Douglas uses a telestrator to talk about the previous match in big words. Barry gets an S for Slacker.

Shane throws it to Vince but we get Todd Pettengill instead, who gives us a look at the Wrestlemania X ladder match. Shawn Michaels says you can’t prepare for a ladder match but Razor isn’t taking his title again tonight.

Women’s Title: Bertha Faye vs. Alundra Blayze

Faye, with Harvey Wippleman, is challenging and her gimmick is that she’s large and not very attractive. This is one of those gimmicks that was bad then, worse later and horrible today. Blayze kicks her down to start and sweeps the leg for a bonus. More kicks have Bertha in trouble but she runs Blayze over, because she’s big you see.

The middle rope splash misses and Blayze gets two off a victory roll. Some running head slams get no cover as Harvey has the referee. Instead Blayze goes after him but can’t get the German suplex on Faye. A hurricanrana gives Blayze two and a missile dropkick has Faye reeling. Another dropkick misses though and it’s a sitout powerbomb to give Faye the pin and the title at 4:37.

Rating: D-. You can hear Vince laughing at this one and doing so all by himself. This gimmick isn’t funny and it’s a waste of someone as talented as she was. Is there any reason why they felt the need to humiliate someone that they brought in? There was nothing that the women could do when Faye was only allowed to use the “I’m big” offense in a short match. Terrible stuff here and it’s not on the wrestlers.

Post match Faye says she’s the beauty now and has the belt. Blayze would get it back in about two months.

We recap Undertaker vs. Kama Mustafa, who is the latest person to steal the urn (and melted it down into a big gold chain because reasons) as part of Undertaker vs. the Million Dollar Corporation, which felt like it went on forever. Kama even beat up some of the Creatures of the Night, meaning he’s gone too far. Therefore, it’s a casket match because what else could it be.

Paul Bearer and Undertaker promise to finish Kama.

Undertaker vs. Kama Mustafa

Casket match with Ted DiBiase in Kama’s corner to counter Bearer. Undertaker isn’t wasting time and picks Kama up for some choking and then throws him onto the casket. Something close to a Stinger Splash (THEY’RE DOING THE MATCH!!!) and Old School connects. The casket is opened revealing the Casket Cam as Kama is knocked in.

That goes nowhere this early and Kama is right back up with a top rope clothesline. Undertaker’s second Stinger Splash is caught with a powerslam and of course he sits up again. DiBiase offers a distraction so Kama can hammer and kick away. A clothesline puts Undertaker on top of the closed casket and a suplex does it again. Kama can’t piledrive him on the casket though and Undertaker backdrops him inside.

That’s fine with Kama, who hits a powerslam for a cover, checking off your required “I forgot this is a casket match” box. We hit the chinlock for a good while as the match just stops as they lay there. A belly to back suplex finally gives them something to do and the comeback is on.

The jumping clothesline connects but it’s a Cactus Clothesline to put them both in the casket. They come out and it’s a prototype of the famous shot of Shawn Michaels being dragged back in as Kama is put inside again. Back in and Kama grabs a swinging neckbreaker to put them both down again. The chokeslam connects though and it’s a Tombstone to finish Kama for good at 16:26.

Rating: D. It wasn’t even that it was bad but it was WAY too long with all of the laying around and Kama being the least believable opponent Undertaker has had in a long time. Kama felt like the villain in the fourth edition of an action movie series that has gone on too long and the star needed a paycheck. Really dull stuff here and the last thing the show needed.

Lawler is very excited about the idea of Isaac Yankem removing Bret Hart’s teeth.

Video on Yankem, who really is an evil dentist and we really are supposed to believe this as something threatening. Lawler vs. Hart has been going on for over two years now and has offered some awesome stuff, but as soon as Todd says “the King recruited a dentist”, it loses me a bit. Yankem is of course better known as Kane and his story of hearing that he was being brought in to be an evil dentist is rather funny.

Bret is ready to shut Lawler’s mouth. Bret to Yankem: “I don’t care if you’re a dentist.” Words never spoken in wrestling before or since.

Isaac Yankem vs. Bret Hart

Lawler handles Yankem’s entrance. As a bonus pun, Yankem is billed from Decay-tur, Illinois. Lawler is on commentary for a bit of a surprise as Bret gets shoved down to start. Yankem misses a big elbow but is fine enough to send Bret hard into the corner. Bret is back with an atomic drop and a clothesline for a trip to the floor. Back in and Bret hits a middle rope clothesline, followed by the headbutt to the abdomen.

The backslide gets two as Lawler is saying only Vince needs to be impartial tonight. Another hard whip into the corner takes Bret down again and Isaac chokes on the ropes until the referee drags him away by the hair. More choking ensues as Yankem doesn’t have the highest variety in his offense so far.

Bret is back up and sends him outside for a suicide dive as the comeback is on. Back in and it’s time for the Five Moves Of Doom but a Lawler distraction breaks up the Sharpshooter. Lawler stays up to cheer on Yankem’s beating (as he should) but Bret gets in a slam off the top for a rare power display.

In a change of pace, Bret ties Yankem’s legs around the post and stomps away until the referee unties Yankem’s feet. Lawler would do it but he’s too busy getting beaten up by Bret. The distraction lets Yankem hit a top rope ax handle to the back and Lawler helps him tie Bret’s neck in the ropes for the DQ at 16:10.

Rating: C+. Bret was doing everything he could here but Yankem wasn’t there yet and there’s only so much you can do as an evil dentist. The match felt straight out of Memphis with someone wanting to get at Lawler but he brought in his latest monster for protection. It’s a perfectly usable story and the match wasn’t bad, so I’ll take what I can get here.

Post match Lawler and Yankem pull at the still trapped Bret until referees break it up.

Razor Ramon isn’t scared of Shawn Michaels and he’ll take every chance he can get. If Shawn is ready to dance, Razor leads.

Intercontinental Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon

Shawn is defending in a ladder match, which was added due to “fan demand”, which is a rather accurate definition of what happened (originally scheduled to be Shawn vs. Sid before the company woke up and saw the rest of the card). The title is raised but hang on because Shawn isn’t happy with the way it’s attached to the hook (likely a problem with how the finish was supposed to go). Dok Hendrix has replaced Lawler on commentary.

They both look up at the title and then go to the slugout, as they should have done. The threat of an early superkick has Razor grabbing the ropes in a smart move. A Razor’s Edge attempt has Shawn looking worried so Razor throws him outside without much trouble. It’s time to go for the ladder but Shawn cuts Razor off from getting it. I’ve never gotten that but I guess it’s a pride thing.

They head back to the ring instead with Razor suplexing Shawn outside but Shawn’s leg hits the barricade in a nasty looking crash. Dok: “I might suggest that’s it.” Vince: “Uh yes that’s it.” Back in and Shawn escapes the Edge again but misses another superkick, meaning it’s a double clothesline to put them both down. Razor is up first and hits a super fall away slam as he continues the early dominance (they’re building things up here and that’s going to pay off in the end).

Now the ladder is brought in as we see Sid watching in the back. Shawn makes a fast save though and it’s his turn to grab the ladder, but he would rather hit Razor than climb. Razor breaks up a climb by pulling the tights down and then shoves the ladder over in a smart move. Replays show Shawn’s leg getting caught in the ladder on the way down as the focal point continues to grow.

The leg gets crushed in the ladder again and the fans aren’t pleased. Razor slams him legs first onto the ladder and then puts the ladder on the middle rope in the corner. That gives Razor another place to drop Shawn’s knee onto the ladder and it’s time to go into the Ric Flair cannonballs onto the leg. Shawn kicks him to the floor for a breather but that just lets Razor wrap the knee around the post. Back in and the knee gets wrenched again The ladder is set up in the middle of the ring but Shawn suplexes Razor back down for a double knockdown.

Shawn puts the ladder in the corner and whips Razor into it and bring the cheers back. A moonsault off the ladder lets Shawn hammer away but he misses the huge splash off the ladder (call back tot he previous match) and they’re both down again. They both make the slow climb and crash back down for a double crotching on the top. A missed charge with the ladder has Shawn falling out to the floor and Razor goes down with him. Shawn goes back in and sets up the ladder but Razor brings in a second ladder (a new concept at the time).

Razor drops his though and hits the Razor’s Edge off the original ladder for the big knockout shot. He can’t follow up though and they’re both down again. Both ladders are set up for a double climb but Shawn superkicks him down. Hang on though as Shawn isn’t under the belt so he jumps for it, meaning another crash down onto the bad leg. Another Razor’s Edge attempt is countered with a backdrop to the floor, allowing Shawn to go up and grab the title….but he falls again without the belt coming down. A ticked off Shawn goes up and pulls the title down to retain at 25:09.

Rating: A. Yeah this was outstanding and you could argue it’s better than the original. The big difference here was having the match involve a ladder instead of being about a ladder. They had a heck of a match with Razor working the leg and Shawn having to find a way around the power game. The teasing of finishers until the end was a great addition as well and the whole thing was a blast with big spots and awesome action throughout. Check this out and then go watch the first one again because you really could say either of them is better.

Post match Razor grabs the belt but hands it to Shawn for the nice moment.

Douglas doesn’t like Razor calling himself the Bad Guy when Razor comes in to knock him down with one punch.

Diesel isn’t worried about Mabel. You know, because he’s Mabel.

WWF World Title: King Mabel vs. Diesel

Mabel, with Sir Mo, is defending and the story here is finding out his Royal Plan. We get the trash talking before the bell and my goodness Mabel’s crown looks pitiful. It looks like it’s made of paper or cheap plastic and comes off like a toy instead of something serious. Kind of like his whole push in a way.

Mabel runs him over to start and chops away in the corner but Diesel forearms him back. The big slam doesn’t work so Diesel hits some clotheslines to put Mabel on the floor. Diesel actually manages a dive over the top (not terrible either) to take Mabel down but the fans just do not care. Mabel charges into a big boot but is back in with a….I guess Boss Man Slam, but he shoved Diesel down instead of picking him up. To mix it up a bit, Mabel sits on Diesel’s back but misses a backsplash.

The referee gets bumped so Mo comes in (which seems to be the Royal Plan), drawing out Lex Luger for the save. Well the attempted save at least as Luger is knocked outside, leaving Mabel to drop the leg on Diesel on the floor. Luger takes care of Mo (Did Luger just come out early or something? Also, that would be his last appearance in the company as he would debut on Nitro eight days later), leaving Mabel to hit the belly to belly for two. Mabel misses a middle rope splash though, allowing Diesel to hit a middle rope clothesline to retain at 9:16 (admittedly to a big pop).

Rating: D-. Oh come on what else were you expecting here? It’s freaking MABEL. Diesel is someone who can have a great match with the right opponent but Mabel is so far away from being the right opponent that he’s the left one. There’s no way to make this work as Mabel was nothing more than the big guy with a lame lackey. There was no way this was going to work, the match was terrible and they got them out of there almost as fast as possible. What else could this have been?

Overall Rating: D. There are some bright spots in here, but aside from the classic ladder match, this could have been any given house show. The opener was good, Bret vs. Yankem could have been a lot worse and the ladder match is awesome. Other than that, there is no reason to think of this as a special show in any way and that was very clear throughout. I know it’s a dark time for the company, but this was them putting out whatever they had because they had to do a show instead of trying to put on a great show. Terrible for the most part, with a few bright spots sprinkled in.

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Summerslam 1994
Date: August 29, 1994
Location: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
Attendance: 23,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

This is the old review of the year and that’s an interesting choice. The show has a double main event of WWF World Champion Bret Hart defending against his brother Owen to continue their awesome feud, plus the wholly unawesome Undertaker vs. Fake Undertaker match. It’s the best of both worlds you see. Let’s get to it.

Here’s Randy Savage to welcome us to the show, held in the brand new United Center. Somehow, this is the only pay per view the company has ever run from the arena.

Jerry Lawler has some breaking news: Shawn Michaels and Diesel have become the new Tag Team Champions after defeating the Headshrinkers last night. What an odd time to do a title change, but 1994 was an odd time.

IRS/Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Headshrinkers

IRS and Bigelow have Ted DiBiase in their corner and this was originally going to be a title match. The Headshrinkers (Samu/Fatu) have Afa and Lou Albano with them, just to crank up the bizarre state of the show so far. Bigelow runs Fatu (not Samu Vince, though to be fair it’s a pretty easy mistake to make) over with a shoulder but eats the superkick for two. Fatu avoids a very early top rope headbutt and a double superkick puts Bigelow down again. Samu comes in, so Vince says Samu is now in, after saying Samu started.

Vince really wasn’t great at this whole thing. Samu starts cleaning house and ducks an IRS charge to send him outside. Back in and Bigelow low bridges Fatu to the floor but it’s a double clothesline for a double knockdown. The hot(ish) tag brings Samu back in for a BAAAACK body drop and a headbutt to Bigelow, which works because Samoans have hard heads. The middle rope headbutt gets two on IRS with Bigelow making a save. With Bigelow being knocked to the floor, the double Stroke sets up the Superfly Splash but Bigelow goes after Albano. That’s enough to draw Afa in for the DQ at 7:18.

Rating: D+. Pretty lame opener here with the lack of the titles taking away the little interest this match had. The Headshrinkers are good in their roles but Bigelow and IRS are a pretty generic team who don’t have much to do here. I’m still not sure what the point is in having the titles change early. Why not just do it the next night on Raw?

They brawl to the back.

And now, for your comedy of the show. The detectives from the Naked Gun movies are trying to find the Undertaker, complete with a bunch of puns and sight gags. Such gems include “we’re both on the case” as they stand on a briefcase.

Women’s Title: Bull Nakano vs. Alundra Blayze

Blayze is defending and Nakano has Luna Vachon in her corner. For those of you of a younger age, Nakano is a rather terrifying Japanese monster and Blayze’s archnemesis. We get the ceremonial flower presentation but Vachon throws hers at Blayze to really be a jerk. Nakano kicks her in the ribs instead of shaking hands but it’s too early for a powerbomb. A knee to the ribs cuts the champ off and Nakano throws her down by the hair.

We hit the chinlock (with Nakano’s back to the camera because she doesn’t know how to work) until Blayze makes the rope, which isn’t an escape you see that often. The yet to be named hurricanrana gives Blayze two but Nakano pulls her down into a Boston crab with both legs under one arm. With that broken up, Nakano puts on what would become Paige’s Scorpion Crosslock.

Since Blayze hasn’t been tortured enough yet, Nakano switches to a cross armbreaker. Back up and three straight running sleeper drops have Nakano in trouble but she powers out of a piledriver attempt. A powerbomb gets two on the champ as the pace has picked WAY up out of nowhere. Blayze avoids the guillotine legdrop though, kicks Vachon down and grabs the German suplex to retain at 8:17.

Rating: B. For 1994, this was some insane stuff in America, especially for a women’s match. Blayze really was good but Nakano was one of the best of the era. She was big, strong, could wrestle on the mat and had the submission skills to be that dominant. Unfortunately these two pretty much the entire division for a long time so it could only go so far.

Shawn Michaels and Diesel brag about winning the titles because the Heartbreak Hotel needed some more gold. Diesel says Razor Ramon isn’t taking one of his two titles tonight. Razor has had a bunch of chances and tonight isn’t going to change anything.

Intercontinental Title: Razor Ramon vs. Diesel

Razor is challenging and has NFL Hall of Famer Walter Payton in his corner to balance out Shawn. The white boots are a weird look for Razor. Shawn talks trash to Payton to start and Razor fires off the right hands, which look very good against someone Diesel’s size. Back in after a quick trip to the floor and Diesel gets in his own punches to take over. A sleeper slows Razor down even more and Diesel throws him outside.

Shawn goes for the turnbuckle pad but Payton chases him off, allowing Shawn to forearm Razor behind the referee’s back. I could watch Shawn outsmart people for days. Back in again and the referee stands in front of the exposed buckle but Shawn’s second distraction allows Razor to be whipped in. Diesel hits Snake Eyes onto an unexposed buckle as Lawler thinks the pad fell off the other one. A chinlock with a knee to the back keeps Razor in trouble and a big boot knocks his head off.

We hit the abdominal stretch, which at least looks more painful than a chinlock with a knee in the back. Diesel grabs the rope, making me wish we had Bobby Heenan there to explain why it’s more to avoid a hiptoss counter than to add more leverage. Razor gets out and sends Diesel ribs first into the exposed buckle, sending Lawler into hysterics as it should.

The middle rope bulldog (the Hall Buster) gets two and there’s a right hand to knock Shawn off the apron for a great over the top sell. A flying shoulder gives Diesel a breather so Shawn goes after the belt. Payton goes after him again and of course the referee yells, allowing Shawn to superkick Diesel by mistake. Shawn gets pulled outside and Razor finally crawls over for the pin to get the title back at 15:01.

Rating: B-. I’ve always had a mixed reaction to this one as the match itself is pretty good but Payton being out there was just a celebrity cameo that could have been anyone. Razor getting the title back was the right call as Shawn and Diesel are already having issues. They could have cut a few minutes out here, but what we got was still good enough and didn’t get sunk by the extra time.

Diesel yells at Shawn all the way to the back.

Savage talks about what we just saw.

Lex Luger and Tatanka are in the back. A fan poll has 54% saying that Luger sold out to Ted DiBiase and Tatanka is tired of hearing Luger deny it. We see a montage of DiBiase and Luger getting very close, but Luger still swears there’s nothing going on because DiBiase is lying. Tatanka is going to prove his story in the ring tonight.

Lex Luger vs. Tatanka

There’s no DiBiase to start. Feeling out process to start with Luger running him over but not following up. Tatanka’s armbar has no effect so Luger puts him down again, only to miss the jumping elbow (as always). That means we get more of Tatanka’s lame offense, including the top rope chop to the head. The second attempt gets punched out of the air and Luger starts in with the clotheslines. Cue DiBiase with a gym bag as Luger hits a powerslam. DiBiase pulls money out of the bag as Luger yells at him, allowing Tatanka to grab a rollup for the pin at 6:02.

Rating: D. This was all about the storyline instead of the wrestling and that’s not surprising. Neither Luger nor Tatanka were going to have a good match at this point so the story was the only way this was going to work. Tatanka was a fine midcard hand but if he had even a slightly better offense, he could have been a much bigger deal. There comes a point where you need the wrestling to back up the character and that just wasn’t the case for him.

Post match Luger kicks the money out of DiBiase’s hands so Tatanka jumps him from behind, revealing that he sold out. I’ve always liked that story, as bad as the match was. What I don’t like is how long this goes on, as Tatanka beats him up three different times, capped off by the Million Dollar Dream. We get the money in Luger’s mouth for a little old school touch.

Gorilla Monsoon is aghast at what we just saw. Agreed. That money must be filthy.

Jeff Jarrett vs. Mabel

This is going to be a disaster. During the entrances, Vince and Jerry debate the detectives’ skills and if Lawler has any rhythm. Mabel tosses away a wristlock attempt (Jarrett’s sell is quite good) and drops the big elbow when Jarrett tries a drop down. A clothesline puts Jarrett on the floor so he shoves the rapping Oscar. That’s not going to get him booed as Oscar isn’t very good. Back in and Jeff scores with some middle rope ax handles but Mabel crushes him in the corner.

The spinwheel kick (the one good thing that Mabel could do) gets two as Abe Knuckleball Schwartz (the Brooklyn Brawler as a baseball player) is on strike in the crowd. This adds nothing and isn’t funny or interesting, but it’s a thing that happens. Sounds like 1994 as a whole. They head outside with Oscar getting in a slap and Mabel splashing Jeff against the post. Back in and the middle rope splash misses, followed by a missed sitdown splash to give Jeff the pin at 5:57.

Rating: F. Oh what were you expecting here? Mabel was fat and useless while Jarrett wasn’t exactly someone who was going to carry anyone at this point, especially someone that big. This should have been on Raw at best and comes off as terrible filler here. Mainly because that’s what it was.

Vince introduces the detectives in the aisle, blowing their cover. Undertaker’s silhouette appears in the entrance but they don’t see him. Because they’re bad at their jobs you see.

We recap Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart. This started way back in 1993 when Owen was the only Hart eliminated at the Survivor Series, which he blamed on Bret. Owen and Bret then teamed up to try and win the Tag Team Titles, but Bret wouldn’t tag out when injured, leading to a referee stoppage.

They went on to have a classic at Wrestlemania X with Owen pinning Bret clean. Bret won the WWF World Title later in the night and the feud was on for the rest of the summer. Owen even won the King of the Ring (just like his brother the previous year) to earn another title shot. Tonight is the big blowoff inside a cage. This really was a great feud as you could see Owen’s point all along and it built up perfectly over time.

Earlier today, Owen and crony Jim Neidhart (Bret’s former partner) were in the cage and promised to destroy Bret once and for all tonight.

Bret is going to forget they’re family tonight because Owen will be crying a river of tears, just like he did when he was a baby.

The Hart Family, including Davey Boy Smith, is at ringside and Helen can’t believe this is happening. Stu hopes the best wrestler wins and sounds as only he can. Lawler accuses both of them of causing all of this and thinks Smith will turn on Bret again. Lawler: “Wouldn’t you love to be in there with Bret again tonight?” Smith: “Uh, not really.” Neidhart is behind Smith and says we’ll see Owen prove that he’s the better man once and for all. Bruce Hart spins around and says stay out of this.

Bret, recovering from strep throat, says his condition won’t change anything tonight. What we’re going to see tonight is barbaric and nothing like what they did when they were kids. Everyone wants things to end tonight and Bret is going to finish it to heal his family.

WWF World Title: Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart

Bret is defending in a cage with escape only to win. Owen goes right at him to start and hammers away during the entrances, followed by some hard right hands to the head. You can see Helen panicking over the whole thing and a DDT by Bret makes things even worse. It’s too early to escape though and Owen scores with some headbutts, followed by an enziguri to really rock Bret. He’s fine enough to suplex Owen off the cage and it’s a double knockdown.

Owen goes for the door so Bret bends him around the ropes for a save and drags him right back in. They’re setting up a good feel here with both of them going for the escape and being pulled back for more punishment. That ties in the idea of wanting to hurt each other but wanting to be the better man even more, which is really what this is all about. They both wind up on the top rope and slug it out with Owen knocking him down.

Instead of getting the easy climb out though, Owen comes back with a missile dropkick into a nipup. Both make some fast climbs up the cage but get pulled down for a crash each. A collision gives us another double knockdown as they’re taking their time building the drama, mainly because they’ve got the time to do so. It’s still too early for Owen to get out the door as Bret pulls him out, only to get pulled back down from the top for a hard crotching.

Bret is up fast enough for the headbutt between the legs but Owen pulls him down again. Owen gets closer to getting out than any other attempt yet, even getting his feet and legs out of the cage. Bret pulls him back in and sends Owen face first into the cage for a big knockdown. This time the climb is cut off by a belly to back superplex as the crashes and falls are getting bigger and bigger. A good piledriver plants Bret but he’s fine enough to catch a tired Owen again.

They both fall off the ropes this time for a breather until Bret catapults him face first into the cage. Owen has to literally dive over for a save and sends Bret into the cage, with the champ coming up holding his knee. The knee is fine enough to climb up and kick Owen away but he gets pulled back down by the arm.

Owen gets out again and you can feel the fans quiet down as he gets close. He’s pulled back in yet again and Bret kicks him down to the mat but it’s Owen’s turn for a last second save. Bret catches him in the corner and pulls Owen back down with a huge superplex (Bret always had a great one) and they’re both down again. Owen is up first with a Sharpshooter but Bret reverses into one of his own.

A little cranking has Owen down but, say it with me, he lunges over for the save by pulling Bret down hair first. They both climb and this time make it over the top, leaving them hanging on the side. Bret hits him in the ribs, causing Owen to slip and get tied up in the cage wall. That’s enough for Bret to drop down and retain at 32:18.

Rating: A+. I’ve had to say this about several Bret matches before but the wrestling isn’t the point here. This was all about telling a great story and that’s what we got. The thing to remember here is that they don’t hate each other but rather Owen wants to prove he’s better and Bret wants to shut Owen up. It explains why they weren’t trying to kill each other in what is usually a violent match. Instead, they were trying to win, which should be the case in most matches and especially one like this. Notice how the match ends: not with a big spot, but with Bret being one step better than Owen, which is the point of the feud.

It is slower paced and it does feel like they’re doing the same things over and over, but it’s a case of WHY they’re doing the same things over and over. They’re not trying to destroy each other and it really is about being the better man. Owen has gone off the deep end with trying to beat Bret, but it never felt like he wanted to hurt him. That might not make for the most exciting match, but it’s how things should have gone when you think about it.

Post match Neidhart jumps the barricade and clotheslines Davey, knocking him into his wife. Neidhart locks himself inside the cage and the double beatdown is on as Owen has completely snapped. The Hart Brothers storm the cage (always cool) but Owen keeps knocking them off. Davey finally punches Owen down (for a great bump) and gets in, sending Owen and Neidhart running as the rest of the brothers get inside as well.

In the back, Owen and Neidhart yell about how Owen should be the winner and Davey isn’t family. Owen: “Let’s go celebrate my victory!”

Survivor Series ad, making fun of football. Considering how meh that show was, I wouldn’t go that way.

We recap the Undertaker vs. Undertaker. Back in January, Undertaker was destroyed by about a dozen guys and put in a casket. Not to worry as he ascended out of the casket in one of the most ridiculous things you’ll ever see in wrestling. After being gone for several months (aside from some sightings, including by a young child in school), Ted DiBiase said he had seen Undertaker. Paul Bearer said no way but DiBiase brought him back, only to reveal that it was a fake Undertaker (played by Brian Adams, better known as Chainz). The lack of about three inches was a, ahem, dead giveaway.

With Undertaker succumbing to the power of money, Bearer went to the graveyard and said he had the real Undertaker again. After the lights went out one night on the King’s Court (Todd Pettengill: “Look at that brain surgeon Jerry Lawler.”), the real Undertaker said he was back and not with DiBiase. He would be around this coming Monday (at Summerslam) against whatever DiBiase had with him. This video gets well over five minutes as we need to get rid of the cage.

Undertaker vs. Undertaker

For the sake of simplicity, I’ll identify them by the colors of their gloves: gray for the fake one and purple for the real. DiBiase brings his man to the ring but Bearer comes out with just a casket. There’s nothing inside though and the casket is wheeled to the back. Instead Bearer opens the Urn to reveal a light….and here’s the real Undertaker. That certainly seems to be worth the wait for the fans.

Purple shrugs off some forearms to the back and leapfrogs (!) gray, who falls to the floor. Gray stalks Bearer and gets suplexed back inside for his troubles, only to be sent right back to the floor. A Stunner over the top staggers Purple but Old School just isn’t happening. The real Old School connects and now Lawler believes Bearer has the real thing.

Purple misses a charge and falls to the floor as Vince defends the silent crowd. More right hands from gray don’t have much effect but a good looking chokeslam gets….no cover. Gray goes with a Tombstone for no cover again as he spends too long pointing at DiBiase. Purple hits a Tombstone of his own, followed by a second for good measure. A third finally gives purple the pin at 9:10.

Rating: F. Well what was that supposed to be? The biggest problem here is the match was really, really bad with the Tombstone being the only thing worthwhile from the fake Undertaker. That leaves you with about eight minutes of lumbering forearms and right hands as the fans had no idea what to make of anything because there was nothing to get excited about. This would have been much easier to sit through if it didn’t come after twenty minutes of build and a great cage match. For the life of me I’m not sure how they thought this was going to work, but it failed miserably.

Gray gets put in the casket and purple poses before the Urn’s flashlight.

Savage wraps the show up but throws it to the detectives, who find a briefcase. “The case is closed.” That ends the show. Summerslam mind you, ends on a sight gag. I remember watching this live and my dad tried to explain the joke to me because at six years old, this went flying over my head. What a great way to end a show.

Overall Rating: D+. It’s certainly not the worst show as there’s enough good stuff to carry it past horrible, but my goodness they didn’t do themselves any favors here. There’s a reason that 1994 was one of the worst years in company history and this show was a good example. With the fake main event being such a mess, they’re lucky to have an instant classic in the real main event to bail it out. It’s watchable, but be ready to fast forward a lot.

Ratings Comparison

IRS/Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Headshrinkers

Original: C+
2013 Redo: D+

2018 Redo: D+

Alundra Blayze vs. Bull Nakano

Original: D+

2013 Redo: C

2018 Redo: B

Razor Ramon vs. Diesel

Original: B-

2013 Redo: C+

2018 Redo: B-

Lex Luger vs. Tatanka

Original: C-

2013 Redo: D

2018 Redo: D

Jeff Jarrett vs. Mabel

Original: D-

2013 Redo: D-

2018 Redo: F

Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart

Original: A

2013 Redo: A+

2018 Redo: A+

Undertaker vs. Undertaker

Original: B

2013 Redo: F

2018 Redo: F

Overall Rating

Original: C-

2013 Redo: D+

2018 Redo: D+

I still don’t know how I got a B out of the main event before and I really liked the women’s match more this time around. Other than that, it’s about the same all around.

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

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/07/28/history-of-summerslam-count-up-summerslam-1994-from-great-matches-to-leslie-nielsen/

And the 2013 Redo:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2013/07/30/summerslam-count-up-1994-the-last-great-cage-match/

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

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