NWA House Show
Date: February 1, 1987
Location: The Omni, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 4,500

So the WWE Vault YouTube channel strikes again as we have a house show from some of the glory years of the NWA. The names included on the show are something of a who’s who of this era and that should make for a rather fun time. The main event is the Road Warriors challenging for the Tag Team Titles so let’s get to it.

Note that there is no commentary for this and it’s not the complete show, but we’re getting about an hour.

Dutch Mantell vs. Bill Dundee

Dundee’s Central States Title isn’t on the line. Mantell chases him around to start and grabs an armdrag as Dundee is shaken up early. A backdrop gives Mantell one and it’s time to work on Dundee’s arm. Back up and Mantell grabs his big whip, which is enough to send Dundee bailing to the floor (which is far from a cowardly heel move). Dundee gets back in and goes after the leg, setting up a front facelock to take over. The middle rope crossbody misses for Dundee so Mantell rolls him up, only for Dundee to reverse into one of his own and grab the tights for the pin at 5:12.

Rating: C. Not exactly a classic here but they kept things moving and didn’t spend too much time out there, making it a solid choice for an opener. Dundee is a great example of someone who wrestles bigger than his size, as he is not a big guy but makes you forget it, which is quite the trick. Mantell is best known for his talking, but he could more than hang in there with anyone.

Jimmy Garvin vs. Bob Armstrong

Garvin jumps him to start and hammers away in the corner. The brainbuster is loaded up but Armstrong slips out and elbows him in the face (with a cast) for the pin at 30 seconds. Ok then.

Brad Armstrong vs. Arn Anderson

Anderson has JJ Dillon and Lex Luger in his corner, the latter of whom seems to be making his debut. Anderson shoulders him down to start before grinding away on a headlock. Back up and Armstrong hits some dropkicks out to the floor, with the fans approving. A crossbody gives Armstrong one and he grabs an armbar to keep Anderson in trouble. They go to the floor with the arm being sent into the barricade, followed by more armbarring back inside.

Anderson can’t even get out of trouble by going to the eyes and Anderson is right back on the arm. An atomic drop out of the corner puts Armstrong down for a breather though and Anderson drops a knee for one. The Anderson Drop (later known as the spinebuster) gets a slightly delayed two but Armstrong punches him out of the air and starts the comeback. Armstrong loads up a suplex but Luger sweeps the leg, allowing Anderson to land on top for the pin at 8:10.

Rating: C+. And that’s how you introduce someone and have them pay instant dividends, as the fans immediately get that they need to pay attention when Luger is out there. The Horsemen were always going to be fine with some cheating to win and Luger lets them do it even more frequently. Nice stuff here in another fairly short match.

TV Title: Wahoo McDaniel vs. Tully Blanchard

Blanchard is defending and has JJ Dillon with him, plus the winner gets $10,000. McDaniel takes him into the corner to start and hits an elbow to the head, with Blanchard bailing out to the floor. Back in and McDaniel chops away again, with Dillon’s distraction completely failing. A rake to the eyes works a bit better for Blanchard and he snapmares McDaniel down into a chinlock. Blanchard punches him down for two more but McDaniel is right back with the signature chops. Lex Luger, apparently at ringside too, gets in a belt shot, to give Blanchard the pin at 5:11 (with the camera on Luger rather than the cover for a weird visual).

Rating: C. Similar story to the last match as Luger is able to screw over two popular stars in back to back matches. It’s easy to see why Wahoo was so popular as he looked tough and had some incredible charisma. Again though they didn’t have much time to build things up, which makes me wonder if there were about fifteen matches on the show or if the main event was going REALLY long.

Midnight Express vs. Ronnie Garvin/Robert Gibson

Elimination rules. Garvin is half of the US Tag Team Champions so the Midnights (with Jim Cornette and Big Bubba Rogers of course) could be feuding with either of them. Eaton hugs Cornette who gives him a kiss on the cheek before he drives Gibson into the corner to start. Gibson slams his way out of trouble and it’s time for Cornette to yell at a cameraman. Condrey comes in and gets slammed down as well before the good guys beat up both Midnights at once.

Cornette pulls Eaton out to the floor as Garvin rolls Condrey up for some near falls. A Bubba cheap shot puts Gavin down though and Eaton comes in for some choking behind the referee’s back, as a villain should be known to do. Condrey grabs the camel clutch so Garvin crawls over to the ropes in something you don’t see very often. That doesn’t work but a jumping headbutt does, allowing the hot tag to Gibson as the fans go NUTS. Everything breaks down and Cornette rackets Gibson for the elimination at 7:38.

The villains celebrate so Garvin rolls Eaton up to tie the score at 8:02, which would be used again by Randy Savage on Ted DiBiase at Survivor Series 1988. So it’s Condrey vs. Garvin, with Condrey slamming him down and dropping an elbow but not being able to keep the shoulders on the mat. Garvin’s rollup gets two and they collide for a double knockdown. They trade rollups for two each until Garvin’s big right hand gets two more. An elbow to the head gets the same but the Texas piledriver is countered Bubba gets on the apron but Garvin sends Condrey into him for the fast pin at 12:38.

Rating: B. Despite the really weird good guy combination, this was easily the most fun thing on the show so far and the fans were losing it for the ending. Garvin was someone the fans would get behind no matter what he was doing and they wanted to see him win here. You would normally associate Gibson with getting the win here, but this was good stuff with Cornette losing it as usual on the floor.

Post match the Midnights and company lay out the winners until Gibson gets the racket for the save.

Russians vs. Super Powers

The Russians talk trash before the match and Dusty gets laid out but Nikita makes the save with the chain. The Russians run off and the match is a DQ before it ever starts. Well that’s lame, but the fans were going nuts for Dusty and Koloff.

Tag Team Titles: Manny Fernandez/Rick Rude vs. Road Warriors

The Warriors, with Paul Ellering, are challenging and Paul Jones is here with the champs. Rude already has the slow robe reveal down and is basically what he would be in the WWF about a year later. Hawk doesn’t think much of Rude’s posing to start and shoves him down, setting up his own posing. Back up and Hawk wins a test of strength to take Rude’s hands to the mat for a good stomping.

Animal comes in to shoulder Rude down before doing the same to Fernandez as the fans heartily approve. The champs charge back in and are gorilla pressed out to the floor because you just do not do that to the Warriors. Back in and Fernandez is knocked outside again so let’s try Rude vs. Hawk again. A slam sets up Hawk’s middle rope clothesline (that always looked great) for two as Fernandez makes the save.

Fernandez gets in a cheap shot from the middle rope so the villains can take over, with an elbow to the face dropping Hawk. Rude’s top rope fist drop actually connects for two but Hawk grabs a quickly broken bearhug. The piledriver wakes Hawk up (as is his custom) and it’s a double tag to Animal and Fernandez. Everything breaks down and Animal hits a powerslam, drawing in Jones for the (delayed) DQ at 11:04.

Rating: C+. The Warriors are a great example of a team not having to do much to make it work because they were so popular that the fans were going nuts over anything they did. The ending isn’t that big of a surprise as it’s rather normal for a house show result. Fernandez and Rude would never be defeated for those belts, as Rude would leave for the WWF in April and the Rock N Roll Express got the belts in a phantom title change.

The only match missing is an hour long Broadway between Ric Flair and Barry Windham, which probably tore the house down.

Overall Rating: B-. It does feel incomplete without the main event but this was a heck of a fun hour of old school wrestling. You could hear the fans reacting like crazy to just about everything and you can see why the NWA was as hot as it was at this point. The business side of things would go downhill in a hurry, but the wrestling wasn’t the issue here. This YouTube channel is great and I could absolutely go for more of this kind of thing.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 9, 1993
Location: Castle Recreation Center, Alexandria Bay, New York
Attendance: 1,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan, Randy Savage

We are three weeks away from Summerslam and unfortunately that means we have to deal with more of Lex Luger Is Awesome Despite Not Wrestling. This week it’s the contract signing between Luger and Yokozuna, because that’s a step up in interest. Other than that, it’s the in-ring debuts of the Heavenly Bodies and….the Macho Midget. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Commentary runs down the card.

Tatanka vs. Mr. Hughes

Hughes, with Harvey Wippleman, jumps him from behind as we hear about Undertaker wanting to get his hand son Hughes to continue their rather forgettable feud. The slow beating continues but Tatanka comes back with a running crossbody for two. Back up and Hughes pulls him down by the hair and adds an ax handle to the back to take over. We take a break and come back with Hughes cranking on the neck. Tatanka fights up and starts firing off the chops, only to be sent over the top. Hughes goes out to get him….but takes too long and only Tatanka beats the count.

Rating: C. Yeah this wasn’t exactly great stuff and there was only so much to be expected. Hughes was pretty much exactly what he was for years. Tatanka had to steal a win rather than get something definitive. In theory that is so Undertaker can get the big win over Hughes, but it makes me wonder why this match was set up in the first place.

Post match Tatanka goes after Wippleman but Hughes decks him with Undertaker’s urn. He even leaves a black wreath as a present.

We get part two of the Who Is Lex Luger series. This time he talks about being a football star but getting thrown out of college due to disciplinary problems. Then he became a pro despite being told not to and wound up winning the Grey Cup in Canada. After playing in the NFL and the USFL, he did finish school. He was thinking about law school but then went into wrestling instead. It is indeed more interesting to hear him talking about wrestling instead of watching him wrestle.

Bushwhackers/Macho Midget vs. Brooklyn Brawler/Blake Beverly/Little Louie

Please, let it be sho….never mind. Macho dances to start and the villains just kind of blankly stare. Blake drives Luke into the corner to start but everything breaks down and we get a big circle bite. Macho dropkicks Louie to the floor and the good guys get to march around the ring. We settle down to Louie shoving Macho down before we go to a criss cross.

As you might expect, Savage stops running and just watches as Louie wears down. Butch comes in for a double noggin knocker before it’s back to Macho vs. Louie. Macho fights off the mat and it’s time to dance. The not hot tag brings in Butch to clean house, with the Battering Ram hitting the Brawler. Instead Macho hits a top rope splash for the pin.

Rating: D. Oh just no. This was exactly what you would have expected and the best thing about it is that it wasn’t even seven minutes long. There is only so much that you can get out of this kind of, I beg your pardon, comedy, as it was the Bushwhackers (still around somehow) and a guy who had nothing to do with them vs. a mixture of villains. Pretty bad stuff here, but what else were you expecting?

And now, we get the contract signing between Lex Luger and Yokozuna, with quite the twist as Jim Cornette is revealed as Yokozuna’s manager. Er sorry, American spokesman. Cornette puts over the people of Japan and looks at the contract, as handed over by Jack Tunney. Luger comes to the ring in a suit, because if there’s one thing you don’t want to show off with Luger, it’s his physique.

They both sign rather quickly, with Cornette pointing out that it is Luger’s ONLY title shot. Luger says he only needs one shot and he’ll be on the Lex Express until he gets to Summerslam. With sweat FLOWING down his face, Luger promises to have all of the people in his corner in the name of the USA. Luger was not exactly feeling this fired up promo here and they didn’t even get in a fight. Just in case this feud could have gotten worse.

Razor Ramon vs. Dan Dubiel

Ramon takes him into the corner and then sends him flying right back out of it. The fall away slam lets Ramon stomp away and we hit the abdominal stretch. The belly to back superplex into the Razor’s Edge finishes fast.

It’s the Summerslam Report with Gene Okerlund just running down the card.

Heavenly Bodies vs. Bobby Who/Mike Bucci

Jim Cornette is here with the Bodies (Tom Prichard/Jimmy Del Ray). Prichard drives Who into the corner and then takes him down for a quick spank. Del Ray sneaks in from behind with a superkick to send Who into a DDT. Vince reads the description of the movie of the week as Del Ray blatantly calls a spot and then runs Bucci over. A double suplex sets up Del Ray’s moonsault press for the pin. Bucci would later be known as Nova/Simon Dean so he certainly had a career.

Post match Cornette calls out the Steiners, saying the Bodies want the Tag Team Titles.

The Summerslam Spectacular is coming in two weeks.

Overall Rating: D+. This was pretty terrible, with a boring contract signing, an unfunny comedy match and pretty much a grand total of nothing worth seeing throughout the show. Summerslam needs to get here already so we can move on to pretty much anything else. The Luger vs. Yokozuna feud is dying more and more every week and it can’t end soon enough. Pretty lame show here, and unfortunately it could just get worse.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: August 2, 1993
Location: Castle Recreation Center, Alexandria Bay, New York
Attendance: 1,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Bobby Heenan

We’re back to the old Raw’s with another short month. The build to Summerslam is on so this is going to be a show focused on Lex Luger again. Other than that, we’ll need to build up the rest of the card, which doesn’t exactly have the best reputation. Maybe the build will be better though. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Doink The Clown challenging Randy Savage and having two more Doink’s pop up for the mind games.

Opening sequence.

A very patriotic looking Randy Savage is ready for all the Doink’s and says he might have a little surprise of his own.

Steiner Brothers vs. Duane Gill/Barry Horowitz

Non-title. The shots of the arena during the Steiners’ entrance shows you just how tiny the venue really is. Scott powers Horowitz around without much trouble to start but misses a charge in the corner. Horowitz pats himself on the back for the dodge and is promptly caught in a Boston crab. Rick comes in and Barry yells a bit before Gill comes in to hammer away. This earns him a quick clothesline and it’s back to Scott for the Frankensteiner and the fast pin. Total squash, as it should have been.

We get the first part of a series to help us get to know Lex Luger on his way to the Summerslam title match. He talks about how important it was to get a good education to go with athletics. His friends made fun of him when he was working so hard at school, even though he moved around a lot as a kid. To this day, his friends are amazed to see him doing what he does today. He’s always nervous and he fights it to this day. Thrilling indeed. Far better than, I don’t know, having him wrestle.

Adam Bomb vs. Tony Roy

Johnny Polo is here with Bomb. A waistlock takes Roy down without much effort as Bobby talks about knowing Marilyn Monroe. Polo thinks his parents deserve applause as Roy is sent hard into the corner. A drop across the top rope and a top rope clothesline set up the Atom Smasher (powerbomb) to give Bomb the pin.

Next week: Tatanka vs. Mr. Hughes. Oh yeah it’s 1993.

Doink The Clown vs. Randy Savage

Hold on though as Savage wants to check on the floor for extra Doinks before being ready to go. Doink bails into the corner to start as the fans are rather behind Savage. A rake to the eyes slows Savage down so he goes outside for a chair, which is enough of a distraction for Doink to get in a cheap shot. The Boston crab has Savage in more trouble and Doink even grabs the rope for a bonus. With that broken up, Doink wraps the leg around the rope and hammers away in the ropes.

Savage gets away and hits the running knee to send Doink outside. A posting cuts Savage down though and we take a break. Back with Doink hitting a dropkick and we hit the neck crank. That doesn’t last long either and Doink grabs an abdominal stretch. Doink slams him down but misses the Whoopee Cushion. Savage gets sent outside, where he crawls outside….and is replaced by a miniature version. Doink is so confused that Savage small packages him for the pin.

Rating: C. This got some time but that didn’t exactly make it good. Doink worked on the back for a good while until the screwiness came out. Savage was pretty clearly just kind of there until Crush came back and this wasn’t exactly great to see. Doink was a bizarre character but he could make it work. Just not with the “funny” stuff at the end, which really didn’t work

Post match the Mini Savage bites Doink and poses with the big version.

It’s time for the Summerslam Report. We run down the card with Gene Okerlund pointing out that we don’t know what a Rest In Peace match is yet.

Ted DiBiase calls in to complain about the 1-2-3 Kid. We see a clip of Razor Ramon costing DiBiase a match against the Kid on Wrestling Challenge, causing DiBiase to hang up in disgust.

Heenan is upset over DiBiase….but gets very happy as he sees someone in the ring. That would be the debuting Jim Cornette from Smoky Mountain Wrestling, with Heenan asking the fans if they know who he is. Heenan calls him the greatest manager in wrestling but Cornette says he’s only the best because Heenan retired.

We talk about Smoky Mountain Wrestling and how great Cornette is, but now he’s here with his knockout blow. Cornette, already dripping with sweat, hypes up the Heavenly Bodies, who will be answering the Steiner Brothers’ open challenge for the Tag Team Titles at Summerslam. The thing here is that while Cornette might not have been known in the WWF, all he had to do was be friends with Heenan and the fans knew they shouldn’t like him. That’s so simple and uses Heenan’s status to someone else’s benefit.

Mr. Perfect vs. Barry Hardy

Jim Cornette is on commentary and Vince asks him about various other teams in Smoky Mountain (including the Rock N Roll Express, which is bizarre to hear from Vince’s mouth). Perfect starts fast with a dropkick to the floor, leaving Cornette panicking at a person flying at him. Back in and Perfect works on the leg and rips off part of Hardy’s gear. The PerfectPlex finishes fast.

Another Lex Express video.

Commentary previews next week’s show to wrap it up.

Overall Rating: C. Well, stuff did happen here and that’s a rare thing for this show. That being said, it wasn’t exactly all positive, with stuff like the Lex Luger interview being pretty awful. The long match wasn’t exactly my taste, but Cornette’s debut and watching the Steiners wreck small humans is always worth a look. This isn’t the best time for the WWF though and odds are that isn’t changing anytime soon.

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Bluegrass Brawl 1993
Date: April 2, 1993
Location: College Gym, Pikeville, Kentucky
Attendance: 1,778
Commentators: Les Thatcher, Lance Russell

This is from Smoky Mountain Wrestling, a promotion that I have barely ever looked at for some reason. It’s another request and in this case we have quite the big main event, with a triple threat (before that term was a thing) nine man tag, plus a chain match for the Heavyweight Title. Let’s get to it.

We open with My Old Kentucky Home (Kentucky’s rather lame state song).

Les Thatcher and Lance Russell run down the card and talk about how great this show can be.

There appears to be a Robbie Eagle vs. Rip Rogers match missing here.

Rob Morgan vs. Mongolian Stomper

Morgan jumps him to start and they’re on the floor fast. Stomper posts him hard and stomps away back inside, setting up a big boot. A cobra clutch finishes Morgan at 1:22. Bret Hart called Stomper (who never took his jacket off here) the best Canadian wrestler ever and he looked rather dominant here so maybe Bret is on to something.

Brain Lee is ready to beat Kevin Sullivan in whatever kind of match they have.

Here is Lee to find out what kind of match he and Sullivan will be having, by way of a roll of a dice. The dice is a six, meaning Lee gets to pick. That would be….a Singapore Spike match!

Tim Horner is ready to take care of the Nightstalker and then he’ll have Lee’s back later.

Nightstalker vs. Tim Horner

Nightstalker is better known as Adam Bomb/Wrath and he shoves Horner around to start. Horner punches his way out of the corner and the fans certainly like that. Horner’s shoulder bounces off of him though and Nightstalker starts working on the arm. With that broken up, Horner dropkicks him to the floor but gets sent hard into the corner back inside.

A sideslam sets up one heck of a slingshot clothesline for two on Horner and we hit the bearhug. Two arm drops trigger the comeback but Nightstalker’s clothesline trigger another near fall. Horner fights out of the chinlock but Nightstalker sends him into corner to keep up the beating.

The comeback is on anyway though and a snap suplex gives Horner two. The sleeper doesn’t work for Horner so he tries it again, only to have it broken up again. A powerslam sets up a missed elbow for Nightstalker and we hit the third sleeper. This time Nightstalker throws him over over the top to escape and that’s a DQ at 13:13.

Rating: C+. I’ve always been a fan of Nightstalker as he’s one of those guys can get by on pure power and appearance alone. Horner on the other hand is a rather generic good guy and it’s not much of a surprise that he never went too far. The ending didn’t help things here either, as it felt like a way to set up a rematch. They were going well until then, but there is only so much that can be done with a fairly weak finish.

Kevin Sullivan is happy to face Brian Lee in a Singapore Spike match. He hasn’t had this much fun since he went to Norway and clubbed baby seals!

Kevin Sullivan vs. Brian Lee

This is a Singapore Spike (there is a box in every corner, with the spike inside one of them) match and Nightstalker/Brian Horner are the seconds, though they are handcuffed in corners. Lee unloads with right hands to start and they’re already on the floor, with Sullivan getting in a posting.

A chair shot just wakes Lee up a bit and they head inside, where Lee charges into a raised boot. They head back to the floor with Sullivan hitting him with a sandbag but there’s nothing in the first box. Lee gets in a shot of his own but there’s nothing in the second box either. Sullivan takes him to the floor again and hits him with the ring bell hammer.

Back in and Sullivan uses some pliers to keep Lee down but the third box is empty as well. The fourth box is opened but Sullivan doesn’t pull anything out for some reason. Lee fights back and the referee goes down, allowing Nightstalker to get to the apron (still hooked) to try and bring in the spike (which he seemed to pull out of the box). For some reason Nightstalker hesitates to hand it over though and Lee uses the distraction to grab a rollup for the pin at 7:08.

Rating: C. It was a decent enough brawl but at the end of the day, the boxes and the spike didn’t even matter as Nightstalker got the spike and never even used the thing. Lee vs. Sullivan seems like a big feud, but this wasn’t the best execution of what seemed to be a big time match. It had the energy, though that’s about all.

Post match Sullivan goes after the still handcuffed Nightstalker with a chair but the cuffs come off, meaning Sullivan has to run off.

Tracy Smothers is ready for the Dirty White Boy. The White Boy has cost him the TV Title and $5,000 but then he burned the rebel flag that Smothers gave to him.

Ron Wright (Tennessee wrestling legend in a wheelchair) has handed down his beloved Tennessee chain to the Dirty White Boy and promises violence.

Dirty White Boy is in Central Park (allegedly) and whips out a gun to deal with off screen muggers. He has a bunch of sugar for Smothers (ok then) and a beer, which Smothers has already had. Finally, he has a bunch of dirt, which the people of Tennessee have under their fingernails. He uses the whip to break the sugar and assorted fruits and promises violence.

Smoky Mountain Title: Tracy Smothers vs. Dirty White Boy

The White Boy is defending in a Tennessee Chain match, meaning they’re tied together and it’s touch all four corners rules (with “an offensive blow” being enough to reset the count). They fight over pulling on the chain to start until White Boy pulls him into a clothesline. Smothers isn’t having that and pulls him down with the chain before hammering away. They go to the floor so Smothers can twirl a rebel flag, followed by some rams into the buckle back inside.

That’s good for three buckles but White Boy breaks it up, earning himself another beating. White Boy comes up and slugs away, only to get dropped with a single right hand. They head outside for some choking, followed by some rams into the buckle back inside. Smothers grabs the mic and calls him a “stupid Yankee” before going back to the right hands to the head.

There are three buckles but White Boy punches him a few times to break it up. White Boy pulls the chain for a crotching on top and head outside, where the bloody Smothers gets choked a bit. Back in and the chain is wrapped around the cut before a clothesline lets White Boy get three buckles. Smothers breaks that run up but the chain goes around his head to slow him down again.

White Boy gets smart by wrapping the chain around Smothers’ feet and dragging him around. A monkey flip gets Smothers out of trouble but the blood has left him blinded. He can still punch away without being able to see but an atomic drop cuts him off again. Smothers breaks him up at three again so White Boy chokes him down again, giving us two arm drops. Back up and White Boy kicks him low to cut off another comeback attempt. A clothesline with the chain drops Smothers again but White Boy goes up and gets pulled back down.

They head to the floor again where White Boy is busted open, setting up a top rope chain shot to the head. Smothers grabs a fireman’s carry for three buckles, as Wright trips him down for the save. White Boy starts choking and dragging him around the ring, with both of them hitting the buckles at the same time. With just the last one to go, Smothers fights back and lets White Boy flip him over with the chain, meaning Smothers gets the fourth buckle and the title at 25:58.

Rating: B+. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it felt like an old school southern fight. What matters here is Smothers gets the title and his revenge, but at the same time it was a bloody battle, which is what the fans wanted to see. This felt like they were trying to play towards each others strengths and it worked very well. Heck of a fight here and the best thing on the show so far by a mile.

Post match Smothers is in the back and talks about how this is the greatest night of his career. White Boy jumps him though and even spits on him.

We recap the three way nine man tag.

The Stud Stable (Ron Fuller/Jimmy Golden, better known as Colonel Parker and Buckhouse Buck in WCW) and Dutch Mantel are ready to take everyone out, with Mantel promising a bunch of whippings.

The Rock N Roll Express and Arn Anderson (what a team) is ready for the fight, with Anderson talking about how you might know it’s bad, but you don’t know just HOW bad it is. Ricky Morton says it’s time to learn just how good they are.

The Heavenly Bodies (Stan Lane/Tom Prichard) and Bobby Eaton with Jim Cornette are ready as well, with Cornette talking about how many firsts you’ll be seeing here. Everyone else is going out on stretchers when they win the first ever nine man street fight.

Heavenly Bodies/Bobby Eaton vs. Rock N Roll Express/Arn Anderson vs. Stud Stable/Dutch Mantel

Three way elimination (anyone gets pinned/gives up, their team is gone) street fight. The big brawl is on to start and this is going to be a nightmare to follow. Some of them go outside and the weapons are already brought in as this is already quite the melee. Eaton and Morton fight to the back but come back with a tire wrapped around his head.

Gibson whips various people with a belt and Prichard is already busted open. Morton gets a trashcan to clean house as the wild brawling continues. Gibson and Eaton fight off this time so Cornette comes in, only to get choked down. Gibson comes back and fights over a chair with Fuller until Morton gets in a chair shot to the head. That’s enough to pin Fuller and eliminate the Stud Stable/Mantel at 9:12.

Thankfully that clears the ring a bit but Fuller goes after Gibson (now with a bad ankle/leg) anyway. A Rocket Launcher gets two on Morton but Arn is up with a fire extinguisher (Cornette loved that spot). The three DDTs take out the villains and it’s time for a table, with all of them being whipped into it in the corner. Cornette is sent into it for a bonus and Gibson puts the Figure Four on Cornette as well. Prichard comes off the top with a loaded boot though and Gibson is done at 13:16.

Rating: B. This is the kind of match where you’re not supposed to be able to keep track of what is going on. It’s designed to be all about the mayhem and that was the case here, with nine people out there to go as nuts as they can until someone gets a fall. Cornette took a beating as well and it helped a lot, but this was just a bunch of fun with stars and names you might not see around here very often. Either way, heck of a way to close, but the details aren’t what mattered here, because it was all about the calamity.

In the back, Jim Cornette talks about how they’re the best team around here and he guarantees that will be the case for a long time.

The announcers wrap it up.

Credits, with a highlight package, take us out.

Overall Rating: B. The last two matches here are all that mattered and it wound up being rather good as a result. The first match was a squash, the second was a step away from being good and the third was an idea that didn’t quite come together. This show flew by and felt like a big time TV show at various points. The last two matches carried the show though and that chain match has the emotion to make it work. It’s not exactly must see, but I can absolutely see the audience for this kind of thing.

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: 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.

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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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And they’re both from the same year!

Billy Robinson vs. Rick Martel
Date: October 18, 1984
Location: Winnipeg Arena, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Commentator: Gene Okerlund

This is from the AWA, Lord Alfred Hayes (with big mustache) is with Robinson and we are joined in progress with Robinson getting two off a backbreaker. The narrator tells us that this is a blast from the past and commentary mentions Hulk Hogan currently challenging for the World Title so I’m not sure when this took place. Robinson grabs a chinlock as we hear the ten minute mark call.

They go to the mat with Robinson working on a chinlock but Martel fights up and knocks him over the top. Back in and they circle each other a bit until it’s time for a slugout. Martel grabs a hangman’s neckbreaker to a pretty strong reaction and a second one gets two. We hit the chinlock, followed by a headlock into another chinlock, on Robinson, who can’t bridge up into a top wristlock.

We’re twenty minutes in now as the chinlocking continues. Back up and Martel cuts off the comeback with another chinlock. They get up for good this time with Martel not being able to grab a monkey flip out of the corner. A collision puts both of them down but it’s Martel back up with a dropkick. Martel lifts him up for a slam but Hayes sweeps the leg and Robinson gets the pin at 16:35 shown (24:44 announced).

Rating: C-. I’ve seen great things from Robinson and Martel could go with anyone but having this much time spent in a chinlock didn’t help. What we got worked out well enough and I could see another match between them working well. Martel would become the top star in the company but the place was already on its last legs long before they reached that point.

Post match Martel yells a lot to no avail.

Stagger Lee/Bill Watts vs. Midnight Express
Date: April 7, 1984
Location: Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
Attendance: 23,000

Anything goes. This is part of the Last Stampede, which featured Watts coming out of retirement (again) to fight off the new evils of the Express and Jim Cornette. There was a cake involved and Cornette went into it, which Watts found to be hilarious, so Cornette came out and called Watts old and stupid, leading to the Midnights beating him down. It was time to cowboy up and Lee (the masked Junkyard Dog) was Watts’ partner for a series of huge tag matches against the team, including this one, which is the biggest of them all.

Watts punches the Midnights down to start and Lee joins in for some rights and lefts of his own. A big right hand knocks Eaton off the top and the fans are rather pleased. Back in and Watts punches away again as this is one sided so far, by which I mean Watts is doing almost everything (by which I mean he is mostly standing still and punching to crazy reactions).

Eaton is already busted open and it’s off to Lee for a clothesline. Lee pokes him in the eye and brings Watts back in but a Condrey distraction finally lets Eaton get in a knee. Condrey draws Lee in for some cheating stomps from Eaton and the double team stomps make it even worse. We hit the chinlock on Watts as the crowd has not stopped the whole match so far. Eaton breaks up a comeback attempt and it’s off to a reverse chinlock.

Watts starts getting up so Eaton walks him back and drops an elbow, allowing Condrey to take his place. The second reverse chinlock is broken up and a collision allows the hot tag to Lee….which the referee allows even though the referee didn’t seem to see it. Everything breaks down and Cornette sends Eaton the racket to knock Lee silly. Watts kicks the powder into Eaton’s face though and the Oklahoma Stampede is good for the pin at 12:38.

Rating: B. This wasn’t the greatest in-ring match ever but DANG the fans were going nuts for the whole thing and that is what mattered most. This was the big draw of a show that drew 23,000 people and that’s a success in wrestling. Watts might not have done so well in WCW but he was the king in Mid-South and putting him in there with the top star to face the new mega heel team was about as good as you could have gotten. Not a great match, but the fans ate it up and carried it to a much higher level.

Post match it’s time for Cornette’s punishment, which means the diaper. With Lee, Watts and some other guys surrounding him, Cornette has to take his own clothes off and, after being tripped down, gets powdered and diapered.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 11, 1996
Location: War Memorial Coliseum, Fort Wayne, Indiana
Attendance: 4,555
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

Hopefully this week’s show will include a lower level of gun play, as Brian Pillman pulled a gun on Steve Austin last week. This week is probably going to be a bit more traditional, as it is the go home show for Survivor Series. The show could use a more proper build, as last week was all about Austin vs. Pillman, the latter of whom isn’t going to be at the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Owen Hart/British Bulldog vs. Sid/Shawn Michaels

Owen and Bulldog, with Clarence Mason (as countered by Jose Lothario), are defending against the Survivor Series WWF Title match participants. It’s an old formula but it usually works out. After a long recap of Sid and Shawn’s issues in recent weeks, we’re ready to go with…well with Steve Austin popping up to say he isn’t apologizing for anything (with nothing being specified) and promising to hurt Bret Hart.

Anyway we start properly with Sid vs. Owen as Sid whips him hard into the corner. Owen manages some right hands but gets shoved down before Shawn comes in to work on the arm. Vince thinks we’re going to see new champions here, more or less guaranteeing the opposite. You would think the booker would know better. We take a break and come back with Sid kicking Bulldog down but getting caught in the delayed vertical suplex.

Lawler says the smart money is on Sid to win the title on Sunday, sending Vince into a bit of a weird statement that there has never been a betting scandal in the WWF. Owen grabs the chinlock as Lawler thinks Sid is letting Shawn get beaten up here to soften him up for Saturday (makes enough sense). Michaels gets up and grabs a rollup for a fast two, only to get choked on the ropes.

We take another break and come back again with Owen spinwheel kicking Michaels down for two more. Shawn tries to come back on Bulldog, who casually kicks him low, right in front of the referee, which isn’t a DQ for no apparent reason. It’s back to Owen for a missile dropkick but Shawn just falls down so Owen crashes instead. The hot tag brings in Sid to clean house and there’s a….chokeslam (more like he lifts Bulldog up and Bulldog shoves himself off) to Bulldog as everything breaks down. Shawn loads up the superkick but it hits Sid by mistake, allowing Bulldog to get the retaining pin at 18:07.

Rating: B-. This was the way the match should have gone as they advanced Shawn vs. Sid while putting the Tag Team Titles in a bit of jeopardy. Thankfully they didn’t change the belts here as the main event of Survivor Series doesn’t need something tacked on to make it feel more interesting. Good opener here and the extra time helped a lot.

Post match Owen kicks Shawn in the face to knock him out too.

Post break, Shawn and Sid have to be kept apart.

Dok Hendrix runs down the Survivor Series card.

Mankind vs. Freddie Joe Floyd

Floyd is better known as Tracy Smothers. As commentary manages to stop talking about Barbara Streisand, Floyd hammers away to start but gets knocked back down. More shots to the face rock Mankind but Floyd misses a charge over the top. Back in and the beating is on, with Mankind hitting the running knee to the face. A Texas piledriver sets up the Mandible Claw to finish Floyd at 2:36.

Post match the Paul Bearer mannequin from last week is lowered from the ceiling, with Undertaker’s voice promising to destroy Bearer and Mankind. Again.

Announced for the Hall of Fame: Killer Kowalski and the Valiant Brothers.

Video on Rocky Maivia. He is proud of his family and inducted his father Rocky Johnson into the Cauliflower Alley Club not too long ago. To say Maivia sounds nervous and humble is an understatement.

Sid can’t give Shawn Michaels the benefit of the doubt again. There will be no mistake at Survivor Series.

Steve Austin is ready to beat up Bret Hart at Survivor Series but we might as well do it tonight too.

Sable beats Dok Hendrix in Karate Fighters.

Shawn Michaels doesn’t like Bret Hart (ok then) but he’ll kick Sid in the face on Sunday and retain the title. Tonight was a mistake, but Sunday will be right on target.

Steve Austin vs. Bob Holly

Jim Ross joins commentary and is rather bitter about having to wait so long to get out here. Austin takes him into the corner to start but Holly isn’t having any of that. Instead Austin goes for the headlock as we see Bret Hart watching the match in the back. Holly gets him down into something like an abdominal stretch but Austin is right back up with a chop. A headlock takeover puts Holly on the mat as it is bizarre to see Austin wrestling this technical based style. Back up and Holly gets sent into the buckle a few times but manages to slam Austin’s head onto the mat as we take a break.

We come back with Austin hitting the Thesz press and hammering away from two. JR: “Hey Vince, that was a Lou Thesz press.” Vince: “And that was a clothesline JR.” JR: “You’re catching on!” Holly comes back with a hurricanrana and the required dropkick gets two. Austin misses a charge into the post and Holly goes up so he can land on Austin’s raised boot. The Stunner finishes for Austin at 10:23.

Rating: C-. This just kind of kept going and never got out of maybe second gear at best.
While Austin isn’t quite what he could become, he definitely has a lot of the pieces starting to come together. The Thesz press and aggression were on display here, but there is only so much you can do with a ten minute match and that many headlocks and mat holds.

Post match Austin heads for Bret Hart’s dressing room but he’ll pass because he doesn’t fight for free.

Overall Rating: C. This was the show that the WWF Title match needed, as Austin is rapidly taking over Raw every week. That doesn’t leave much time for anything else so Sid vs. Shawn needed a week of their own. Survivor Series is a show I’ve seen so many times I’ve lost count, but to say it has some historic stuff is an understatement. Good enough show here, but you rarely watch Raw for the in-ring quality at this point.

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence, complete with someone coughing.

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

Goldust vs. The Stalker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Alex Porteau vs. The Sultan

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Marc Mero vs. Fake Razor Ramon

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

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

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

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

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

We look back at Pillman pulling the gun on Austin.

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

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

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

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