New Generation Live Event Matches

Well for once I can’t really put much information here, as we don’t have a specific date, location or any commentary whatsoever. This is part of New Generation Week from the WWE Vault and it’s a rare treat of non-televised matches. This could go all over the place and it should be a lot of fun, especially if I get to guess dates, so let’s get to it.

From New York City, New York, March 17, 1996.

Diesel/Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart/Undertaker

We’re in the Garden, two weeks from Wrestlemania XII with a preview of the show’s two big singles matches. Paul Bearer is here with Undertaker, who CHARGES at Diesel, showing the most fire he’s ever had at this point in his career. They immediately brawl to the back before the bell, leaving Michaels to armdrag Hart down and drop some knees. Hart rolls out so Michaels takes the arm again, earning himself an elbow to the face.

Hart’s middle rope elbow sets up the chinlock as the fans get rather excited about something. They get back up and the fans get behind Hart as he grabs a Russian legsweep. Michaels fights out of the corner but gets sent back into it for a Flair Flip. Undertaker comes back and gets the tag to choke Michaels. It’s already back to Hart though as Undertaker drops down to brawl with the returning Diesel again.

That means Hart can grab a chinlock and we’re clipped (grr) to Hart slamming Michaels off the top. A piledriver gives Hart two and it’s off to the front facelock. Michaels fights up and drives him into the corner a few times for the break before grabbing a quickly broken sleeper. Back up and they ram heads as Undertaker comes back (we’ve had about eleven minutes shown and he’s been out there for about ninety seconds, which is still more than Diesel).

Hart hits the backbreaker and the camera stays on Undertaker, with Hart rolling over for the tag. Undertaker slowly chokes in the corner but misses the big elbow, allowing Michaels to fight back. This includes a dropkick so he can go up, but Diesel is back to pull Hart off the apron. Undertaker tries a Tombstone but stops to yell at Diesel, who chairs Undertaker for the DQ at 14:20 shown.

Rating: C+. To call this a weird match would be an understatement, as there is only so much you can get out of having a tag match be a singles match for such a long stretch. The fans were going nuts for Undertaker though and the ending was a good way to have everyone saved for Wrestlemania. This would have been the main event of the go home Raw in modern times but as it is, it’s a heck of a big time house show match.

Post match Diesel chairs Hart down, which doesn’t work for Michaels. That of course earns him a chair to the back and Undertaker has to get up to chase Diesel off. While not included here, this was followed by Michaels promising to “kick his seven foot a**”, which set up his awesome match with Diesel at In Your House VII.

From New York City, New York, November 26, 1994.

Pierre vs. Mabel

Oscar is here with Mabel and raps him to the ring. Mabel’s big shove sends Pierre outside early as the lighting is almost orange looking. It works so well that Mabel does it again, albeit without the floor part. Back in and Pierre tries a test of strength, which earns him a suplex for general stupidity.

A clothesline puts Pierre on the floor but he manages a neck snap across the top to finally put Mabel in trouble. That lasts all of a few moments until Mabel backdrops him to the floor. Pierre comes back in with a missile dropkick of all things for two and knocks him outside. Back in and Mabel does his occasionally good spinwheel kick, followed by a middle rope crossbody for the win at 9:59.

Rating: D. What in the world was this? Were they trying to go for something weird more than something good? I’m really not sure I get the idea of including this, as Mabel was pretty lousy on his best day and that certainly wasn’t what we were seeing here. Even the crossbody, which is quite the big time finisher, was only so much.

From East Rutherford, New Jersey, July 5, 1996.

Mankind vs. Undertaker

Paul Bearer is with Undertaker of course and Undertaker goes right for Mankind to start fast. Mankind can’t get away, with a clothesline cutting him down again. Undertaker knocks him outside, where Mankind manages to get in some shots of his own and hammers Undertaker down against the steps. Bearer getting chased around the ring doesn’t go so well as Undertaker cuts Mankind off and sends him knees first into the steps for that bump that Foley took way too many times.

A big boot drops Mankind again and Old School connects back inside, only for Mankind to send him back outside. It’s time to throw a chair inside but Undertaker kicks another into Mankind’s face. One heck of a chair shot to the back drops Mankind again but he hits a discus lariat back inside. The running knee in the corner rocks Undertaker again as this has been very hard hitting so far.

They head outside again with Mankind getting chased underneath the ring, where he comes out with a stretcher (the cloth kind). That’s left outside so Undertaker tries the Tombstone, with Mankind escaping and raking his face. Undertaker is sent outside again for the elbow off the apron and the nerve hold goes on back inside (they’ve earned a breather).

Despite being on his back, Undertaker punches his way to freedom and knocks him outside, with a kick sending Mankind head first into the bottom of the barricade (OUCH). They fight into the crowd and Mankind is sent back to ringside, where Undertaker dives over the barricade for a clothesline.

Back in and Mankind grabs a neckbreaker before pulling his hair out and hitting himself in the head (as he would do). The Mandible Claw is blocked though and Undertaker get some momentum going for a jumping clothesline. Mankind gets in another shot and goes up but dives into a chokeslam. The Tombstone finishes for Undertaker at 17:00.

Rating: B+. Now that’s much more like it, as these two went out there and beat the living daylights out of each other in a match that easily could have been on a pay per view. As usual, there is little in wrestling as intimidating as a ticked off Undertaker wanting revenge and that’s exactly what we saw here. Awesome match and better than some of their more well known fights.

From Montreal, Quebec, Canada, November 21, 1994 (the Vault lists this date but everything else I can find says October 21).

Intercontinental Title: Razor Ramon vs. Jeff Jarrett

Ramon is defending. They both promise to throw the other out before Jarrett armdrags him into a strut. It works so well that he does it again before getting to chill on the top rope. Ramon works on the arm but gets taken to the mat for some slaps to the head, which has Jarrett VERY pleased. Just like before, Jarrett does the same thing again, but this time Ramon is up with a hard clothesline out to the floor.

Back in and Ramon grabs his fall away slam for two and it’s off to the armbar. That’s broken up and Jarrett hits some dropkicks but a sunset flip is broken up. Jarrett knocks him down again and the chinlock goes on, only for Ramon to come up with a backslide. Jarrett’s enziguri gets two and the chinlock is on again, followed by a sleeper.

With that broken up, Jarrett grabs a swinging neckbreaker and…yeah another chinlock. This time Ramon belly to back suplexes his way to freedom and they’re both down again. A very delayed cover gives Ramon two but Jarrett knocks him outside. They slug it out on the floor and only Jarrett beats the count at 13:43.

Rating: C+. It was their usual perfectly decent match, though I was hoping it would be one of the times where they cranked it up. The problem is that they spent far too long in the chinlock, which did nothing but extend the match. The positive thing here though was that you could see the good version of Ramon out there. It wasn’t around too often once he left the WWF, but the talent was absolutely there and it’s a treat to see.

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, June 14, 1997.

WWF Title: Steve Austin vs. Undertaker

Undertaker is defending and has Paul Bearer with him, though they’re not on the same page at the moment. Austin circles him a bunch to start and flips him off a few times without making any contact. Undertaker hammers away in the corner but it’s way too early for the chokeslam. A big boot drops Austin and they trade some rather aggressive arm cranking.

Old School connects for two and Austin bails out to the floor, where Undertaker sends him hard into the steps. Back in and Austin’s knee gives out on a slam attempt and Undertaker grabs a rare sleeper. That’s broken up with a jawbreaker (which is of course different from a Stunner) and a low blow out of the corner drops Undertaker again.

The front facelock goes on to keep Undertaker down and Austin hits a middle rope forearm to the head. Some forearms to the head set up a chinlock as this isn’t the most action packed match thus far. Undertaker fights up and hammers away, setting up the jumping clothesline. The chokeslam plants Austin and the Tombstone retains the title at 12:10.

Rating: C+. Austin’s star was on the rise but it’s quite the sight to see him take a clean loss like this. At the same time, I could have gone for less of the chinlocking, as these guys have a tendency to be more than a big off in big time matches. This wasn’t bad, but it’s still not quite the full on Austin experience either.

Overall Rating: B-. Not exactly their best collection here with one really good match, one interesting match, some stuff that has been done better elsewhere and…I still have no idea why Pierre vs. Mabel was included. At the same time though, it’s still cool to see these things as they haven’t been aired in full outside of the occasional DVD release. It’s a special treat with some of these and you never know when you’ll find a hidden gem like that Undertaker vs. Mankind match. This wasn’t must see, but it held my interest more than well enough.

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Sunday Night Slam
Date: August 21, 1994
Location: Beeghly Center, Youngstown, Ohio
Commentators: Jim Ross, Randy Savage

This is a special (part of a series) of hype shows before pay per views, Summerslam 1994 in this case. I’ve seen some of them before and they’re hit and miss to say the least, but this isn’t exactly from the best time in the company’s history. This isn’t exactly looking promising but I’ve been surprised before. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Jim Ross and Randy Savage welcome us to the show and run down the card, which is very 1994.

Lex Luger vs. Crush

They test the power to start as commentary says they aren’t sure if Luger has sold out to Ted DiBiase or not. Luger gets an early knockdown for two but Crush hits him in the ribs to cut that off. The piledriver is blocked though and Luger hammers away, followed by a running shoulder to send Crush outside.

They get back inside and Crush goes to the back to take over, setting up the camel clutch. Crush crashes down onto the back for two and the bearhug stays on the bad back. Cue Ted DiBiase at ringside to count money and Luger fights out. That earns him a gorilla press slam though and we take a break with Luger in big trouble.

We come back with Crush still on the back until a double should gives them a double down. DiBiase seems to be cheering for Luger, who gets up for the signature clothesline comeback. A powerslam and DDT (that’s a weird one for him) give Luger two but Crush superkicks him down. The tilt-a-whirl backbreaker plants Luger but DiBiase gets up on the apron to offer Crush money. Crush swats it away (seems kind of dumb) and the distraction lets Luger hit the forearm for the win at 15:58.

Rating: C. This could have been a lot worse, which is about as high as Luger was going to get in the WWF. His offense was just so basic and generic that there was nothing to get excited about when he was in the ring. He was living off that single bodyslam and the luster has worn very thin. At some point he needed to win something (other than tying for the Royal Rumble) and that hasn’t happened yet.

Jerry Lawler and Vince McMahon are in the WWF Studios and talk about the disappearance of the Undertaker. We see Undertaker rising up through the screen at the Royal Rumble, with even Paul Bearer not being sure where he is. Then a bunch of people swore they saw Undertaker, which is one of the weirdest angles to build up a match that I can remember. This led to Ted DiBiase bringing back his version of the Undertaker, who was clearly not the real thing. Bearer realized it was a fake and is swearing that the real Undertaker will be back at Summerslam. This is still dumb and the match would be even worse.

Bam Bam Bigelow/IRS vs. Bob Holly/1-2-3 Kid

Ted DiBiase is here with the villains. Bigelow LAUNCHES Kid around a few times to start but Kid is back with the rapid fire kicks. A missed charge in the corner lets Kid fire off even more kicks to put him on the floor, where a big slingshot flip dive connects. IRS misses a charge at Holly and crashed to the floor, where Bigelow and IRS are rammed together.

Back in and Holly’s high crossbody gets two on Bigelow and we hit the armbar. Bigelow misses a headbutt so it’s off to IRS to slow things down (shocking I know). Holly gets two off a dropkick and it’s back to Kid, who is sent crashing out to the floor. A legdrop gives IRS two and we hit the chinlock. Bigelow comes in for a front facelock and a DDT gets two, leaving Bigelow shocked.

We flash back to the 70s as IRS hits an airplane spin for two and Bigelow grabs an Argentine backbreaker, albeit with Kid spun around in an opposite direction than usual. IRS drops an elbow to the elevated Kid as Savage sings Kid’s praises. The moonsault misses for Bigelow and it’s Holly coming back in to clean house. That lasts until a high crossbody is countered into a World’s Strongest Slam to give Bigelow the pin at 10:10.

Rating: B. The first two or so minutes of this show were as hot of a start of a tag match as I have seen in a very long time. They were all over the place and the fans were wanting to see the underdogs pull off a miracle. Throw in an airplane spin being used as something other than a comedy spot for the first time in forever and this was FAR better than I would have ever expected.

Leslie Nielsen is going to be at Summerslam to find the Undertaker.

And now, the Summerslam Report, which is, shockingly, about Summerslam. We run down the card and hear from Razor Ramon, who is ready to win the Intercontinental Title and has Walter Payton with him. Payton’s voice is not exactly intimidating.

Razor Ramon vs. Todd Becker

Ramon sends him flying to start and then grabs an abdominal stretch, followed by the weird STF variation. A belly to back suplex sets up the belly to back superplex, followed by the Razor’s Edge to complete the squash at 3:38.

Rating: C. This was about what you would have expected, as Ramon destroyed the jobber in short enough order. That’s a good enough way to get him heated up before he goes after the Intercontinental Title at Summerslam and I’ll take this over a dull match with IRS. If nothing else, it’s fun to see Ramon doing his cocky stuff, which he did so well.

Leslie Nielsen orders Domino’s and doesn’t realize the Undertaker delivered it.

Abe Knuckleball Schwartz (a baseball themed character) is on strike. End of character and storyline.

Bull Nakano vs. Heidi Lee Morgan

Luna Vachon is here with Nakano. Morgan gets an early rollup for two before Morgan takes her down with a short armscissors. Nakano powers out and works on the back, with a Boston crab making it worse. What would become Paige’s Scorpion Crosslock has Morgan tapping but that doesn’t mean anything in 1994 WWF. Nakano throws her outside for a ram into the steps from Vachon, followed by a seated abdominal stretch back inside. Morgan fights up and hits a dropkick but gets dropped with a hard suplex. The guillotine legdrop finishes Morgan at 7:28.

Rating: C. Well that was….lengthy. Morgan was a good example of why the division wasn’t working at this point. She was certainly trying in the ring and you could see that she knew what she was doing, but she felt like a relic from 1982 as one of Moolah’s old girls (and hey, she was one of them, albeit one who debuted in 1987). That’s not going to work in there with someone like Nakano, who was throwing out all kinds of crazy stuff for the time being. Morgan was absolutely not bad, but she’s not the kind of wrestler who was going to feel important at this point.

Here is Bret Hart for a chat (from Superstars, because doing this on the regular show would be putting in too much effort). Yes Owen Hart beat him at Wrestlemania, but this time it’s different with the title on the line. The entire Hart Family is going to be there and Owen was the one who wanted it to be in a cage.

Owen got his one win at Wrestlemania and maybe Bret was a bit distracted. Sure Owen has Jim Neidhart with him, and yes Neidhart is fat, but Bret forgot to mention that Neidhart is STUPID. Bret talks about looking through the bars of Owen’s crib as a child and laughing, which is what will happen at Summerslam. I’ve heard worse, but it would have been nice to hear it here, rather than from Superstars.

We get the still awesome Go Get Em Champ Bret Hart ad.

Typhoon vs. Diesel

Diesel’s Intercontinental Title isn’t on the line and Shawn Michaels is in Diesels’ corner. Diesel hammers away in the corner but Typhoon fights back with a rather easy slam. Back up and Diesel knocks him down, setting up the neck crank. Some boot choking in the corner has Typhoon in more trouble but he fights out rather well. The legdrop misses but Typhoon goes with the basics, meaning using his rather large stomach to crush Diesel in the corner. Diesel cuts off a charge with a boot though and finishes with a running clothesline at 4:58.

Rating: C-. When I saw this match advertised, it felt like something of a sick joke. At the end of the day, there is only so much you can do with Typhoon, whose lone characteristic is “he’s big”. Diesel’s offense against him worked and they did what they could, but you know what you’re getting out of a Typhoon match and it isn’t very much.

Leslie Nielsen is going around the world to find the Undertaker.

Vince and Lawler don’t have much to say in the studio.

Undertaker vs. Sonny Rogers

Ted DiBiase is with the Undertaker, who grabs him by the face and chokes to start. The Tombstone finishes at 1:22.

Leslie Nielsen isn’t sure how there can be two Undertakers and then has a fake Leslie Nielsen arrested.

Apparently Vince and Lawler will be taking live fan calls as the show continues, though there don’t appear to be any more matches. This part isn’t included on the WWE Vault version and the show just ends.

Overall Rating: C. There’s a reason that Summerslam 1994 is not among your more remembered editions. The show was built around two matches and this show featured one of them in a squash and the other was a taped promo. Other than that, the highlight was a 1-2-3 Kid/Bob Holly match, even though neither of them are on Summerslam. Nothing to see here, and really not much of a special.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: June 28, 1993
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, Bobby Heenan

It’s the last show of the month and the big story coming out of last week is Razor Ramon’s continued frustrations with the 1-2-3 Kid. Last week Ramon still couldn’t beat the Kid, who ran off with the $10,000 Ramon was putting up. Other than that, we’re coming up on the Yokozuna bodyslam challenge, which could be rather interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Intercontinental Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Kamala

Michaels, with Diesel, is defending. They take their time to start with Michaels offering a handshake, which allows him to knock Kamala into the corner. Kamala doesn’t care for that and bites the finger before knocking Michaels out to the floor. Back in and Kamala charges into some raised knees in the corner as we take a break.

We come back with Kamala’s bearhug being broken up with a rake to the eyes, allowing Michaels to stomp away. Michaels avoids a charge in the corner and goes after the leg, though the Figure Four attempt is blocked. Kamala kicks him into the corner and starts chopping away, setting up the splash to the back. As usual, Kamala doesn’t quite have the pinning thing down so Diesel gets on the apron. That’s enough for Michaels to hit a superkick to the back of the head for the pin at 11;15.

Rating: C-. Michaels is an all time star but there is only so much you can do in this situation. Kamala’s good guy run was a stretch on its best day and then it was hard to make something like this work. Diesel being involved in the ending helped establish him, but the idea of Michaels needing help against Kamala is a stretch at best.

Post match Kamala goes after Michaels but Diesel makes the save.

Here are Yokozuna and company for a chat. Mr. Fuji is ready to humiliate various American athletes at the bodyslam challenge but Vince McMahon warns him that America is kind of amazing. Someone will step up and hit a home run, though Fuji doesn’t seem convinced. Yokozuna calls American athletes inferior, just like American products, so McMahon gets a USA chant going. It was weird to hear McMahon be so one sided in a story like this, but it shows how big of a villain Yokozuna really is.

Various athletes, including Tatanka, say they can slam Yokozuna.

Smoking Gunns vs. Iron Mike Sharpe/Barry Horowitz

Billy and Sharpe start things off with Billy clearing both jobbers out in a hurry. Bart comes in for a crisscross into a small package for two on Sharpe, followed by the armbar. It’s off to Horowitz, who avoids a crossbody to actually take over. A northern lights suplex doesn’t get Horowitz very far as Bart is back up for the tag off to Billy. The Sidewinder finishes Horowitz at 4:25.

Rating: C. The Gunns are only going to be able to go so far, but at the same time, the tag division isn’t exactly strong at this point so they only have to be so good. They have a time honored gimmick and the Sidewinder isn’t bad. Just let them win some matches and see where they can go from here.

We look at the 1-2-3 Kid stealing Razor Ramon’s money last week.

Here is Money Inc. for a chat, with Vince McMahon immediately mocking them for being the FORMER Tag Team Champions. IRS shrugs that off because they have a rematch clause in their contract against the Steiner Brothers. They move on to the idea of keeping your money, with Ted DiBiase mocking Razor Ramon for losing his cool, and as a result, his money, last week. Maybe Ramon can go to some stupid school like the University Of Michigan so Ramon can become the third Steiner Brother! And that’s how we’re setting up Ramon’s face turn.

Adam Bomb vs. PJ Walker

Johnny Polo is here with Bomb, who chokes Walker down to start. Naturally commentary ignores the match to talk about the bodyslam challenge, even as Bomb takes him to the floor for a hard clothesline. Back in and a top rope clothesline sets up the Atom Smasher for the pin at 2:14.

Crush vs. Bastion Booger

Heenan says Booger is related to Hilary Clinton as Crush can’t quite lift him up. Instead they go outside, with Crush not being able to ram him into the post. Booger can send him into the post though, and the steps as well. Back in and Booger grabs a bearhug but Crush powers out and manages a suplex. Some slams put Booger down, followed by a second and third for the pin at 5:37.

Rating: D+. Hey, did you know that Crush is strong and can lift large people? That was the entire point of the match and there wasn’t anything else going on, which made for a long five minutes. The match was as dull as you would expect and thankfully they did what they should have. It’s about as good as a Booger match is going to be, because, shockingly enough, he’s not very good.

Randy Savage is at Giants Stadium with a New York Giant who is ready to slam Yokozuna.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Commentary is hyped for the bodyslam challenge to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. The idea of this show was focusing on the upcoming bodyslam challenge, with Crush being the big name who is going to come after him. That’s a fine enough idea, but then you realize that you’re getting ready for a bodyslam challenge rather than a match. It’s only going to change so much, and it makes for some rough time on the way there, which was on display this week.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: June 7, 1993
Location: Manhattan Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage, Bobby Heenan

We’re on the way to the King Of The Ring, with the show taking place this coming Sunday. That should be more than enough of a focus, and now we get to see if Yokozuna is ready to face Hulk Hogan. Other than that, there is a good chance that we get a look at the tournament so let’s get to it.

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

Intercontinental Title: Shawn Michaels vs. Russ Greenberg

Michaels, the brand new champion (having won the title at a house show last night), has a brand new unnamed bodyguard is defending here (in case there was any confusion). A hammerlock takes Greenberg down to start and Michaels gives him a slam. Michaels grabs a chinlock until Greenberg fights up, which is cut off just as fast. The middle rope elbow and piledriver finish for Michaels at 3:48.

Rating: C. This was exactly what you would have expected as Michaels smashed through a jobber shortly after winning the title. The good thing is that they kept it short enough to not be dull but let it go on long enough so Michaels could look good. That being said, Michaels using a piledriver still doesn’t feel right and that’s going to need to change.

It’s the King Of The Ring Report, which runs down the card, including the first round of the tournament. Also announced: Shawn Michaels vs. Crush is now an Intercontinental Title match.

Michaels, with the bodyguard, storms down to ringside where he is livid over having to defend the title.

Adam Bomb vs. El Matador

Johnny Polo is here with Bomb. Matador works on the arm to start and Bomb is already bailing over to the ropes. The quick breather seems to work as Bomb is back with a powerslam but Matador grabs another armbar. Bomb powers out again and kicks away before ramming Matador face first into the buckle. Matador fights back and the fans seem into it but Bomb cuts off an O’Connor roll attempt. A slingshot clothesline to the back of the head finishes for Bomb at 5:32.

Rating: C+. Better than I was expecting here though I’ve long since been a fan of both guys. Matador is someone who had been established as a good hand for a very long time and thankfully that continued after things changed from years as just Tito Santana. On the other hand you have Bomb, who always felt like he had potential but never got the chance to really do anything important.

Tatanka vs. Peter Weeks

They fight over arm control to start until a hiptoss puts Weeks on the floor. Back in and a big jumping elbow hits Weeks but he actually fights back with some forearms. Tatanka goes on the warpath for the quick comeback, with the top rope chop connecting for the pin at 3:15.

Rating: C. Another squash here, but not quite as entertaining as the Michaels version, though that might be due to the other one featuring Shawn Michaels. Tatanka was someone who basically give you just about everything he was going to be able to do in any given match. That’s not giving him much of a ceiling, though there were far worse options for a short outing.

Here is Jerry Lawler (in pink) for the King’s Court. He’s sick of being in the Rotten Apple and insults various people who live here. After a break (yes in an interview segment), Lawler says he’s not talking about the King Of The Ring tournament because the winner is nothing but an imitation of the real king. Instead he brings out Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna, who are ready for Hulk Hogan. Lawler insults Hogan and Fuji brags about Yokozuna’s weight. Even Yokozuna is ready to win.

Rick Steiner/Billy Gunn vs. Fatu/IRS

Their partners are all here too. Afa is here too…and he’s having a WWF ice cream bar. Those Samoans have all the luck. Afa isn’t sure what to make of the $50 that IRS hands him but gets distracted by the good guys taking over on Fatu. IRS comes in and gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing Rick and Billy to work on the arm. That’s broken up and IRS accidentally decks Fatu, with the big fight being teased as we take a break.

We come back with the villains having calmed down, mainly thanks to DiBiase paying them off (the Headshrinkers ate the money). Back in and IRS sends Rick crashing out to the floor, with DiBiase and Samu sending him into the steps. Fatu drops Rick with a clothesline but Rick Steiner Lines his way out of trouble. The tag brings in Billy as everything breaks down, with DiBiase offering a distraction. That’s enough for IRS to hit a clothesline to the back of the head for the pin at 11:35.

Rating: C-. What exactly were you expecting out of this? It’s a mixed up tag match to preview a King Of The Ring eight man tag which wound up being a heck of a lot shorter than this one. The match was rather long and nothing of note happened, which made for a pretty lengthy stretch of TV time.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here is Razor Ramon to offer the 1-2-3 Kid $7,500 for a rematch. As for King Of The Ring, he’s ready to make Bret Hart a Nutter Loser.

Overall Rating: D+. Well, King Of The Ring can’t get here fast enough, as a tournament show doesn’t exactly give you much to talk about on television. It doesn’t help that a bunch of big names are in the tournament and that leaves stuff like Hulk Hogan (not here), an eight man tag and Shawn Michaels vs. Crush. I’m going to need more to get hyped about than that and we didn’t see it happen here.

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: January 29, 1996
Location: Stockton Civic Auditorium, Stockton, California
Attendance: 2,904
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We’re on the way to the next In Your House, which means we’ll be getting ready for the last stop on the Road To Wrestlemania. The big story continues to be Shawn Michaels’ quest for the WWF Title, though he seems like he’s going to have a stop over with the other Hart Brother on the way to face Bret for the title. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening preview.

Opening sequence.

British Bulldog vs. Diesel

Jim Cornette is here with Bulldog. Diesel powers him around to start and hits a slam but Bulldog gets in a knockdown of his own. Bulldog wraps the leg around the post and cranks away (because this formula worked so well in their disaster of a pay per view match), including a half crab. Cue Yokozuna to ringside as we take a break.

We come back with Bulldog choking and then doing his weird double step stomps to the leg. Diesel gets sent outside where Yokozuna…throws him back in. Back in and Diesel boots him down but Cornette has the referee, leaving Yokozuna to drop a leg. Granted the leg hits Bulldog so it doesn’t exactly work out well but at least he was trying. Cornette freaks out as Diesel gets the pin at 9:38.

Rating: C+. It’s still not a great match, but what matters is that it wasn’t an all time disaster like their match back in October. Keeping it shorter and not having the match drag on forever certainly helped, though they did something similar with the leg work. Diesel needed the win though, as it’s not like Bulldog had much going on at the moment.

It’s off to the Slam Jam where Bret Hart, with a black eye, still wants Diesel in a steel cage match. We run down the rest of the In Your House car, including the newly added Duke Droese vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley.

Apparently WCW is threatening legal action over the Billionaire Ted skits. Therefore, here’s another one with Ted at a press conference where he won’t answer any questions about his business practices. This stuff is so beyond dumb and nothing but Vince McMahon whining about competition spending money.

Godwinns vs. Bodydonnas

This is Phineas’ debut and Hillbilly Jim and Sunny are here too. Henry runs Skip over to start but Zip comes in with a cheap shot to take him down. A double suplex drops Henry again and Sunny flirts with Jim, leaving Skip to miss a top rope splash. Phineas comes in and gets to clean house, with the Slop Drop finishing Zip at 2:17.

Post match Sunny runs away from…hillbilly things.

We look at Vader’s path of destruction in his rather short WWF career. This includes attacking Gorilla Monsoon last week, which was quite the moment. Of note: McMahon actually uses the term “stable mate” to describe Yokozuna and Vader.

Clarence Mason and Jim Cornette think the suspension is TOTALLY UNFAIR and there is an injunction against the suspension.

You can send in Get Well Soon letters to Monsoon. And I’m sure this won’t be used to restock the WWF’s mailing list.

Vince McMahon brings out the new acting President of the World Wrestling Federation: RODDY PIPER! The fans seem to approve, with Piper asking if he’s Vince’s boss. Piper lists off some of his accomplishments in the 80s but he knows that the wrestlers today are faster and stronger. The difference though is they’re a little confused, with Piper being here to fix things.

There will be no government shutdown when he is President. He pulls out some papers, which contain rules. Vince: “You’ve never lived by rules in your life!” Piper: “Good point!” And he puts the papers back in his pocket. He promises the fans are in good hands, gives Vince an airplane spin, and wraps it up. I’m not sure I have any idea what Piper was saying, but the GOOD POINT part was funny.

Mankind, with his deformed ear, wants us to have a nice day.

Yokozuna vs. Shawn Michaels

Owen Hart and Jim Cornette are here with Yokozuna. Michaels realizes that locking up with him is a really bad idea so he goes with right hands to knock Yokozuna outside. The villains have a meeting on the floor and we take an early break. We come back with Michaels’ top rope moonsault press getting two but Yokozuna whips him hard into the corner.

That sends Michaels crashing out to the floor, where Hart gets in a posting like a good villain should. Back in and we hit the nerve hold (Yokozuna certainly had his favorites) and we take another break. We come back with Michaels avoiding the legdrop but missing a top rope splash. Michaels slugs away, only to get driven into the corner. Hart tries to come in but kicks Yokozuna down by mistake. The superkick gives Michaels the pin at 11:42.

Rating: C. As usual, you know what you’re going to get with Yokozuna at this point and that’s not a good thing. He’s just so big and there is very little that anyone can do against him. Even Michaels was limited here, with the interference into the superkick being about as good as it was going to get. At least Michaels won by pinfall, as it makes him look like he could beat almost anyone. Or at least really big people who could barely move, which has little to do with either Hart brother, but it’s better than nothing.

Post match the Bulldog has to play peacemaker between Yokozuna and Hart. Michaels is caught 4-1 but Diesel runs in for the save. Cornette says his men are perfectly fine and issues the challenge for a tag match next week. Michaels and Diesel seem in to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. The Vader stuff is interesting, mainly because you can see what kind of a monster he really is, but at the same time he’s not going to be around for the time being. You also have Roddy Piper around, and that’s only going to be….I have no idea actually (much like whatever he said). The wrestling was good enough, but this is all about getting to Wrestlemania and you can see some pieces coming together, which is exciting enough.

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: January 15, 1996
Location: Bob Carpenter Center, Newark, Delaware
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

It’s the last Raw before the Royal Rumble and last week’s show might as well have been subtitled “Shawn Michaels Is Going To Win”. They aren’t really bothering to hide that this is a Rumble with one possible winner, so the question is more how Michaels is going to do it. Other than that, we’ve got Undertaker ready to challenge Bret Hart for the WWF Title and he has quite a big match of his own. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. for his namesake day.

Opening preview.

Opening sequence.

Owen Hart vs. Marty Jannetty

Jim Cornette is here with Hart. Feeling out process to start with Jannetty’s front facelock not lasting long. Instead Jannetty hits a running clothesline for two and slaps on the chinlock. That’s broken up rather quickly and Hart stomps away, only for Jannetty to come back with a spinning middle rope crossbody.

This time it’s Hart grabbing his own chinlock but it’s too early for the Sharpshooter. Hart suplexes him down and we take a break, coming back with Jannetty managing a faceplant. A middle rope flipping faceplant and a powerslam have Hart in more trouble, followed by a clothesline out to the floor. Back in and Hart slips behind him into a rollup for the fast pin at 9:12.

Rating: B-. As usual, taking two talented wrestlers and letting them do their thing for a few minutes works out well. Jannetty might have been an all time screwup, but he could work well in the ring with just about anyone. Hart was starting to come into his own as a singles star here and it’s no surprise that this worked.

We’re off to the Slam Jam, featuring the announcement of the Free For All show, which will feature a match for the #30 spot in the Royal Rumble, with the loser getting the #1 spot. The names involved will be the ones who draw blanks in the Royal Rumble drawing, so nice job of keeping a mystery. As for the Rumble itself, Diesel is ready to win and we get the same Vader workout video. The Jeff Jarrett vs. Ahmed Johnson match gets a quick look too.

Ringmaster vs. Matt Hardy

Non-title and Ted DiBiase is in (the debuting) Ringmaster’s corner. Ringmaster (that name is already getting annoying) hammers away to start and stomps away in the corner. Some knee drops give Ringmaster two and a gordbuster gets the same. Hardy (With HV on his tights, either for High Voltage or perhaps….HARDY VERSION?) gets choked on the ropes and the Million Dollar Dream finishes for Ringmaster at 4:35.

Rating: C. There is something so fascinating about an all time star making his debut and having such a basic match which showed absolutely nothing. Throw in the fact that he was in there against a future legend in his own right and it’s quite the historical curiosity. To say Austin would get better is an understatement, but this was a good start.

Video on Shawn Michaels, who is returning at the Royal Rumble, including his recent health issues.

Smoking Gunns vs. Spiders

Non-title and we’re actually joined in progress with Billy getting two off a small package. Bart comes in with some dropkicks and the Sidewinder finishes at 1:02 shown.

It’s off to Billionaire Ted’s Wrasslin War Room, where Ted is mad that he can’t buy the WWF.

Here is Goldust for a chat, with Vince McMahon accusing him of preying on homophobia. Goldust: “Mr. television announcer, is that another microphone in your pocket or are you just excited to see me?” He promises to make Ramon and everyone else remember his name.

Ramon arrives (with about twenty minutes left in the show) and is looking for Goldust.

Undertaker vs. Isaac Yankem DDS

Paul Bearer is here with Undertaker. They stare each other down to start (like long lost…never mind) and Undertaker takes over with a slam. Yankem scores with a clothesline out of the corner but has to slip out of a Tombstone. They go outside with Undertaker hammering away and getting in a posting, only for Lawler to go after the remains of the urn. Undertaker isn’t having that and chases Lawler off but Yankem drives him into the post.

We take a break and come back with Undertaker fighting out of a half crab. A bearhug doesn’t last long either as Undertaker fights out and does the situp. Yankem knocks him down again and tries his own Tombstone (like that could ever work), which is reversed into the real thing to give Undertaker the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C. This is one of those things where you could see the idea on paper, just because it was so rare to find someone of Undertaker’s size who could move like Yankem. The problem though was that again, Yankem was a wrestling dentist and that was only going to get him so far. The key was finding out how to use the talent, which is one of the keys to good booking. Once they figured that out, it was off to the races. Eventually.

Goldust is ready to face Bret Hart next week but gets jumped by Razor Ramon. The brawl is on and Goldust hits him low to escape.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Royal Rumble rundown.

Ramon jumps Goldust again and chases him outside. They brawl in the snow until Goldust rams him into a truck and gets in his car to escape and end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This is definitely one of those shows where the historical impact wouldn’t become apparent for a good while, but dang it’s fascinating to see the future right there in front of your eyes. You have Austin’s in-ring debut and the first battle of the Brothers Of Destruction. That’s a heck of a Raw and while it would mean more later, it winds up being a completely decent show on its own, with the Michaels announcement being a needed boost.

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: January 1, 1996
Location: Bob Carpenter Center, Newark, Delaware
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

It’s a new year and we have a special edition of the show, featuring the Raw Bowl. That means a football themed tag team elimination match, which should be at least interesting. Other than that, we are less than a month away from the Royal Rumble and Shawn Michaels might be on his way back from injury. Let’s get to it.

The opening video hypes up the Raw Bowl, complete with a marching band, cheerleaders, and Lawler in a Cleveland Browns jersey.

Smoking Gunns vs. Yokozuna/Owen Hart vs. Razor Ramon/Savio Vega vs. Sycho Sid/1-2-3 Kid

The Gunns’ Tag Team Titles aren’t on the line. This is an elimination match and the teams have a time out each. They all have jerseys with special numbers (Vega is Uno, the Kid is 1-2-3, Yokozuna is 641 etc) and the ring has a green mat. As a bonus, commentary is making every football reference they can think of because we have a theme going here. Bart and Hart start in three point stances, with Bart drop toeholding him down.

Billy comes in and, since they have to make contact with each other, Bart tries a hiptoss but Billy sticks the landing. The two of them tag in Hart and Yokozuna, the latter of whom drops him with a shoulder. Vega comes in to face Yokozuna and gets dropped as well, so it’s off to Vega vs. Kid. The running spinwheel kick gives Vega two and Ramon comes in to drop Hart with a right hand. The fast tags continue as Sid and Bart come in for a less than thrilling staredown.

Bart actually takes over and hits a suplex before handing it off to Vega. Hart enziguris Vega and Yokozuna comes in to hammer away as we take a break. We come back with Vega still in trouble as Sid comes in to stomp him down. Vega fights back on the Kid and brings in Ramon, but the Kid calls time out. Since we’ve never actually established what calling time out means, Ramon gives Kid the Razor’s Edge anyway.

Ted DiBiase gets on the apron and gets a flag as a result, which again doesn’t seem to have any meaning. Sid uses the distraction to deck Ramon and put Kid on top for the elimination at 13:25 (as the referee didn’t see Vega calling time out). We take another break and come back with Sid hammering on Bart before Hart gets to do the same. Hart misses a top rope splash though and it’s Billy coming in to clean house.

Everything breaks down and Yokozuna accidentally Banzai Drops Hart, giving Billy the pin at 21:04. Sid stomps away on Billy and Kid adds a running kick in the corner for two. Billy fights out of the chinlock but gets booted in the face. A small package gives Billy two on Sid and the comeback is on with some right hands. Sid cuts that off with a chokeslam (Lawler: “Intentional grounding!”) so Kid goes up, only for Ramon to come back and shove him off the top. Billy steals a rollup pin at 25:33.

Rating: C-. This is a good example of a match that might have been a unique concept but it wasn’t the best execution. At the end of the day, this was quite the mess with too many people running around and the football jokes getting old fast. It’s also not a good sign when one of the rules isn’t really explained, with the timeouts not making a ton of sense. The action was ok, but dang this was an idea that needed another draft.

We get a halftime show, with Michael Hayes saying this is a two minute drill. Jim Ross has a word from (not with) Diesel, who promises to beat up Mabel. Hayes talks about the Royal Rumble and runs down the card, again with the football metaphors.

From In Your House: Season’s Beatings.

Henry Godwinn vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley

This is a Hog Pen Match, meaning the first to throw the other into a hog pen (with hogs) wins. Hillbilly Jim is the guest referee (that doesn’t seem fair) and Godwinn misses the early throw of the slop. Back in and Godwinn takes over, even tying Helmsley in the ropes for some slop to the face. Helmsley takes over and we take a break, coming back with Godwinn being whipped into the hog pen gate.

Helmsley is backdropped onto the edge of the pen but gets back down and drops Godwinn again. They head back to the ring where Godwinn charges into a boot in the corner. A wheelbarrow faceplant gets Godwinn out of trouble and he whips Helmsley over the corner. We take another break and come back with Godwinn hitting a Slop Drop up near the pen. Helmsley is right back with a backdrop into the pen for the win at 8:58 (the original time, which was heavily extended on this broadcast).

Rating: C-. Yeah do you get the concept here? This was supposed to be Godwinn’s specialty match, despite never seeing it before or after this time. At the end of the day though, this was all about who could backdrop the other one into the mud. The idea of seeing Helmsley get dirty was fun, but I’m going to need a bit more than that. Or a lot more really.

Post match Godwinn throws Helmsley into the pen as well, which can’t be good as Helmsley’s back is cut open.

Diesel vs. King Mabel

Diesel whips him into the ropes, hits a big boot, and gets the pin at 8 seconds. Better than Summerslam!

Post match Diesel Jackknifes Sir Mo and poses for his pyro. Diesel leaves with Miss Raw Bowl.

The Brooklyn Brawler gives the Smoking Gunns….the Lombardi Trophy. Ok that’s funny. The Gunns give him a Lipton ice tea bath.

We run down some Royal Rumble participants, including the debuting Vader.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

We wrap it up with Billionaire Ted’s Wrasslin War Room, with the Huckster and Nacho Man saying they can’t do any of these new moves. They can however, POSE!

Overall Rating: D+. Other than avoiding the threat of having to see another long Diesel vs. Mable match, this was a pretty bad week for Raw. The Royal Rumble is coming up and that should help a lot, but there is only so much that can be done when the feature match was a long football themed mess. They were trying something new here, but that doesn’t mean it was a good idea.

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: March 18, 1996
Location: Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 9,364
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We are less than two weeks away from Wrestlemania and you can see most of the card from this far out. The matches are either already made or are close enough to being made, with a few more possibly being confirmed this week. Other than that, I’m sure we’ll get some more Bret vs. Shawn stuff, which should be fine as well. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening preview.

Opening sequence.

Jake Roberts vs. British Bulldog

Jim Cornette is here with the Bulldog. Roberts works on the arm to start and Bulldog bails straight to the floor. The threat of a DDT has Bulldog backing off again but he starts hammering on the back to take over. Bulldog’s legdrop misses and the DDT connects but Cornette grabs Roberts’ leg. Roberts gets the snake and gives chase, earning the countout at 4:52.

Rating: D+. Nothing to this one, as it’s just part of the preview for the six man tag. The problem is that Roberts is little more than the DDT at this point and that isn’t enough to carry him through the match. Bulldog was a bit better, but not quite better enough to make this work.

Just like last week, we see a Shawn Michaels training video. At least it’s a different package.

Likewise, we get a similar Bret Hart training video, this one from Calgary.

Goldust vs. Fatu

Marlena is with Goldust and I don’t think the Intercontinental Title is on the line here. Goldust is wrestling in a kilt and Fatu starts fast by sending him into the corner and mocking the deep breath. A possibly low blow connects as Roddy Piper calls in and we take a break. We come back with Fatu missing a Superfly Splash, allowing Goldust to rub his chest. The Curtain Call finishes at 4:41 as Piper rants about being dangerous. Not enough shown to rate but it was more of the last minute push towards Goldust vs. Piper.

Video on the Ultimate Warrior.

Here is Camp Cornette, with Jim Cornette agreeing to a six man tag with Ahmed Johnson/Jake Roberts/Yokozuna at Wrestlemania. The villains are ready to go, with Cornette seemingly writing Mr. Fuji off TV by saying he hurt his knee in a fall. Hold on though, as Roberts and Yokozuna pop up on screen to say that if their team wins, Yokozuna gets five minutes with Cornette. Panic ensues as Yokozuna beats up a Cornette doll.

We look at an MSG house show over the weekend, with Diesel turning on Michaels. This led to Michaels promising to “kick his seven foot a**”, which was the setup for their In Your House match after Wrestlemania.

Diesel vs. Barry Horowitz

Diesel hammers away to start but here is Paul Bearer, wheeling a casket to ringside. Horowitz actually fights back but gets booted in the face for two. Instead a right hand finishes Horowitz off.

Post match Diesel grabs the timekeeper’s hammer and goes to the casket, which contains….Diesel. Oh dear.

Ted DiBiase throws a camera out of the locker room.

Bret Hart vs. Tatanka

Non-title. Tatanka strikes away in the corner to start but gets dropped with a quick clothesline. Hart goes after the arm, with a knee to said arm setting up an armbar. Back up and a crossbody gives Hart two and it’s right back to the arm. Cue the 1-2-3 Kid as Tatanka is back with a clothesline. Hart stays on the arm but gets dropped by another clothesline as we take a break. We come back with Hart fighting out of a chinlock and grabbing the Five Moves Of Doom. The Kid’s distraction doesn’t work though as Tatanka is sent into him by mistake, allowing Hart to grab a rollup for the pin at 8:40.

Rating: C+. It really is amazing how Tatanka went from someone interesting to this in the span of a few years. That heel turn killed everything he had, as there was nothing to him after the change over. He was just a guy in trunks who used to have a big undefeated streak but was now Tatanka: Heel Who Happens To Be Native American. Where was that supposed to go?

We get another Billionaire Ted skit, this time parodying A Few Good Men with Ted talking about how he needs to use predatory practices. We also get the contact information for the FTC in case you’re worried about the idea of Ted Turner getting to merge his company with Time Warner. Perhaps spending time on this week after week is why Wrestlemania feels so weak?

Overall Rating: C-. Remember how the last two weeks were good? Forget all of that for this week, as it was another boring show with mostly bad action and little that would make me want to see Wrestlemania. Hart had a mostly nothing main event and it felt like little changed for the pay per view. Building towards a pay per view shouldn’t be this hard but they are managing to mess it up fairly well.

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: March 11, 1996
Location: Freeman Coliseum, San Antonio, Texas
Attendance: 9,364
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We’re less than three weeks away from Wrestlemania and this time around we’re in Shawn Michaels’ hometown. That sounds like it has quite a few makings for some Michaels excellence, though the rest of Wrestlemania could use some attention of its own. It’s not going so well thus far, but with a one hour match on the card, there is only room for so much else. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening preview.

Opening sequence.

Savio Vega vs. Steve Austin

Austin, with Ted DiBiase, is now officially STONE COLD. Has a nice ring to it no? I’m not sure on the white boots though. Austin shoulders him down to start and grabs a headlock but Vega is right back with a crossbody. Back up and Vega misses a kick to the head, allowing Austin to hit an ax bomber of all things.

Some choking on the ropes and a suplex give Austin two and he fires off shoulders in the corner. As the beating ensues, we see a former Olympian named Mark Henry sitting in the front row. We take a break and come back with Austin dropping a leg to the back of the head for two. Vega is right back with a hiptoss into the running spinwheel kick in the corner. They brawl out to the floor and it’s a double countout at 9:51.

Rating: B-. These guys always worked well together and it was good to see Austin getting the chance to be out there with someone so talented. Vega really was an underrated in-ring star and Austin has praised his work over the years. At the same time, it’s cool to see Austin starting to develop into the superstar he would become, as it’s quite the game changing effort.

Post match the brawl stays on, with Vega clearing the ring to set up their rematch at Wrestlemania.

We see a clip from during the break of Mark Henry muscling Lawler around.

Here are Goldust and Marlena, plus Roddy Piper, for a chat. Piper calls him a transvestite and mocks Goldust’s “movie” from last week. He accuses Goldust of just trying to get attention. Piper beat up Adrian Adonis with a baseball bat and declares himself a lesbian. Goldust’s attempts at playing the bagpipes doesn’t bother him but turning the Intercontinental Title into a joke bothers him. Not even Freddy Kruger comes into Piper’s nightmares but Goldust says he wants a piece of Piper and drops to his knees.

Goldust invites him to his back lot as he slowly crawls around Piper. He lifts up the kilt and asks for a sneak preview, which is too far for Piper. Goldust licks his (own) lips and slaps Piper, who slaps him back. The challenge is accepted, with Piper promising to make a man out of him. To call this not good would be an understatement, but there is only so much that they could do with Piper being brought in as a last second replacement for the suspended Razor Ramon.

Godwinns vs. Jerry Meade/Alex Porteau

Henry clothesline Meade down to start and it’s off to Phineas, who fights out of the corner. House is quickly cleaned and Henry gives Porteau the Slop Drop for the pin at 1:52.

Shawn Michaels was in his hometown of San Antonio earlier with Jose Lothario and we look at their training regimen.

Meanwhile, Bret Hart is training in Calgary, meaning a lot of cardio and working with Stu Hart. Bret agrees that Michaels is good, but he isn’t the best.

Video on the Ultimate Warrior.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Vin Grier

Helmsley, who is facing the Warrior at Wrestlemania, starts fast with a suplex. The quick beating doesn’t take long as Helmsley finishes with the Pedigree at 1:52.

Scheme Gene previews the Huckster vs. the Nacho Man, which involves the Huckster being old and the Nacho Man having a bald spot. At least this was a bit better than mocking Ted Turner to no end.

Yokozuna/Undertaker vs. Owen Hart/British Bulldog

During Undertaker’s entrance, Diesel doesn’t seem to be impressed. Undertaker and Yokozuna tease a brawl before the bell but wind up taking out the other two instead. Yokozuna drops the big leg on Bulldog and Undertaker takes Hart outside as Diesel comes in for a cheap shot on Paul Bearer. That’s enough for Undertaker to give chase and we take a break. We come back with Hart dropping an elbow for two on Yokozuna, who fights up anyway. Cue Vader to jump Yokozuna for the DQ at 5:20.

Rating: C. This wasn’t much of a match and was more about advancing/likely setting up stuff for Wrestlemania. That’s a good enough way to wrap up the show as Wrestlemania needs some more build outside of the main event. Undertaker vs. Diesel is the second biggest match on the card and Diesel going after Bearer is as good of a way to go as any.

Post match Ahmed Johnson and Jake Roberts run in for the save and brawl to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was about building towards Wrestlemania and that’s a good sign with just a few weeks to go before the pay per view. A bunch of the matches were advanced in the span of an hour, with the big angle at the end likely setting up a six man tag. Good, efficient show here and that’s what Wrestlemania needed.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: April 24, 1995
Location: Omaha Civic Auditorium, Omaha, Nebraska
Attendance: 5,800
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We’ll wrap up the month with a pretty big show, as Diesel is defending the WWF Title against Bam Bam Bigelow. The winner of that goes on to face Sid at In Your House in about three weeks, so there is already quite a bit on the line. The rest of the pay per view card could use some build of its own though and we might be seeing that come together this week. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at Bam Bam Bigelow’s recent issues, including losing at the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. Bigelow is going to do better, such as getting a WWF Title match tonight. That’s quite the punishment for a high profile loss.

Opening sequence.

Commentary welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.

Smoking Gunns vs. Barry Horowitz/Brooklyn Brawler

Billy works on Brawler’s arm to start and Bart comes in with a top rope ax handle. A double Russian legsweep lets Bart stay on the arm before a neckbreaker/belly to back suplex combination finishes for Billy at 2:16. Short and sweet.

Bam Bam Bigelow, with a very black eye, is ready to win the WWF Title for the Million Dollar Corporation.

Diesel is ready for Bigelow.

Bertha Faye vs. La Pantera Serena

Faye is the woman who attacked Alundra Blayze a few weeks ago. This time though she’s in bright rainbow colors and a skirt rather than all black for quite the downgrade. Faye kicks away to start and Serena can’t do much with the power. Serena comes back with some kicks but Faye sits down on her to block a sunset flip. A legdrop crushes Serena and a sitout powerbomb drops her again. Faye’s falling splash finishes at 3:54.

Rating: C-. And we’re done with Faye being someone who can be taken seriously. She came in as a monster a few weeks ago and felt different but here she’s little more than a comedy monster who does some good power stuff. The presentation makes a huge difference, but why go with someone serious when you can do something goofy?

The In Your House report runs down the card, which now features Razor Ramon/1-2-3 Kid vs. Jeff Jarrett/The Roadie and Bret Hart vs. Hakushi. And you can win a house!

Sid is ready for In Your House.

WWF Title: Diesel vs. Bam Bam Bigelow

Bigelow, with Ted DiBiase, is challenging. Diesel actually wrestles him to the mat to start and Bigelow needs a breather on the floor. Back in and Diesel unloads on him in the corner before dropping a big elbow for two. A boot choke in the corner sets up an armbar but Bigelow slams his way out of trouble.

Diesel shrugs off a falling headbutt and hits a running clothesline so they can head outside. Bigelow posts him and hits a Samoan drop for two back inside. We take a break and come back with Diesel fighting out of a chinlock so they can collide for a double down. Diesel is up first to drop an elbow, setting up the running crotch attack against the ropes.

A snap suplex gives Diesel two and he grabs a neck crank. That’s broken up and Bigelow gets his own suplex into his own neck crank. Tatanka comes out to ringside as Diesel fights up, only to get stomped back down. We take another break and come back with Tatanka accidentally tripping Bigelow. A big boot and the Jackknife retain the title at 16:04.

Rating: C+. We’re pretty clearly on the way to a Bigelow face turn and that’s not the worst idea. He’s having the year of his life and it is easy to see why he is getting this kind of a chance. The fans are going to respond to someone who looks like that with that kind of movement and it’s why he was pushed this strong. Just do something with him and it could work.

Post match DiBiase and Tatanka get in the ring to yell at Bigelow. DiBiase can’t believe that Bigelow lost to a FOOTBALL PLAYER and now this. DiBiase slaps him and Tatanka jumps Bigelow from behind, only to get dropped. Bigelow quits the team so here is IRS to help with the beatdown. Sid (in blue for a weird look) comes in as well and a rather horrible powerbomb leaves Bigelow laying. Diesel runs in for the save.

Aldo Montoya vs. Black Phantom

Montoya hammers away to start and sends him to the floor for a slingshot dive. Back in and Montoya works on the arm but Phantom fights up. A middle rope crossbody puts Phantom down again and Montoya’s middle rope bulldog finishes at 2:45.

There’s a new star coming to the WWF. Some Connecticut blue blood.

We look at Diesel and Bam Bam Bigelow shaking hands during a commercial earlier tonight.

Overall Rating: C. Well, there was a big angle and that helped a bit, but the rest of the show was the run of the mill stuff we’ve seen around here forever. The show needs something interesting to spice it up and while the Bigelow turn was close, it was only so good. It’s going to take a long time for the company to get out of this rut and that’s making for some rough times.

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