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: November 25, 1996
Location: New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut
Attendance: 4,968
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon

We’ll wrap up the month with the Thanksgiving week show coming off last week’s different kind of show. There is a sense of change around here, as the action has been more aggressive, with Steve Austin leading the charge. We are on the way to In Your House in about three weeks and Sid defending the WWF Title against Bret Hart is going to need something else on the card. Let’s get to it.

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

Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart

Yeah this should work and Clarence Mason is here with Owen. We go split screen to see Shawn Michaels arriving in Jose Lothario’s living room with promises of an interview later. They fight over a lockup to start with Owen taking over on the arm. Bret switches to a wristlock of his own and drives a knee to the arm as they are in a rather low gear to start. Owen takes him down to escape a hammerlock but Bret slaps it right back on.

A clothesline takes Owen down for a change and Bret backdrops him for a bonus. Owen gets in a shot of his own though and sends Bret into the corner as the slow pace continues. There’s the hard whip into the corner to rock Bret again and a backbreaker stays on the…well the back. The camel clutch goes on so let’s go split screen to look at commentary. Owen hits the belly to belly as only he can and the enziguri sends us to a break.

Back with Bret slamming Owen off the top and hitting a Russian legsweep, with JR complaining about Vince not calling it. Bret’s Sharpshooter takes too long so Owen rolls him up, only to get kicked outside. Back in and Bret tries it again, only to have Steve Austin come in with a chair to his back for the DQ at 13:00.

Rating: C+. This wasn’t exactly what they were capable of doing and it felt like they were in slow motion for a good bit. I can understand why you don’t want a champion losing a fall so the Austin interference made sense, though you expect a bit more out of Owen vs. Bret. Then again, this is a rather different era than the peak of their feud and Bret was already dealing with Austin so he wasn’t quite himself.

Post match Austin loads up the Pillmanizing but British Bulldog makes the save, with Owen Hart not being happy. That’s too much for Austin, who chairs Bulldog down instead. Owen doesn’t like that either as Austin leaves.

Executioner vs. Freddie Joe Floyd

Paul Bearer is here with Executioner. Floyd takes him down a few times but Executioner gets in some knees to the face. An elbow gets one on Floyd and we go split screen to hear that Steve Austin has left but might be back. Floyd hits a jumping kick to the face but gets clotheslined in the corner for his efforts. The Asian Spike (thumb to the throat) knocks Floyd out at 3:15.

Rating: D. Every time the Executioner is in the ring, you can see just how sad the whole thing has become. Terry Gordy was an amazingly talented wrestler but his health issues destroyed anything he could do in the ring. This feels like nothing more than a pity job, but that doesn’t make it any easier to watch. It isn’t his fault, though having him at this level feels like a mistake.

Shawn Michaels and Jose Lothario join us from Jose’s house, with Jose apologizing to Shawn for costing him the WWF Title. As for Shawn, he can’t stand what Sid did to Jose, who is a legend with thirty years in this business. Shawn is coming for Sid no matter what and he’s doing it in his hometown at the Royal Rumble. He isn’t happy with losing the title but promises to get it back, whether the fans like it or not. He’ll be even more flamboyant and in your face than before. Shawn was ranting and raving here, making it sound like he was trying to be Steve Austin and it only kind of worked.

Sunny beats Sable in Karate Fighters….and gets caught cheating (using gum to hold her fighter in place) so Sable wins via reverse decision.

Rocky Maivia vs. Salvatore Sincere

Sunny is on commentary and Vince seems to approve. Sincere is something like Rick Martel with an Italian accent. Lou Albano also jumps in via split screen to talk about how great Maivia can be. Sincere goes for the face to start and Maivia isn’t pleased. Speaking of not being pleased, we go to Doc Hendrix via split screen to hear about Bret Hart being a bit messed up.

Maivia does the Jimmy Snuka double leapfrog into a dropkick before armdragging him into an armbar. Sunny seems impressed and Vince seems to think Sunny wants to manage him. Sunny: “Well how did you guess?” The sass in that response is a big part of what made her a star. Maivia gets knocked outside as we talk about Jerry Lawler’s jeans.

A slingshot puts Sincere on the floor for a change but he takes over back inside. Sunny thinks Maivia is the kind of person you could build an entire organization around, showing she might be the smartest person around here. Maivia avoids a charge though, does a weird pose, and hits a shoulder breaker for the pin at 4:22.

Rating: C-. This is more of a historical footnote than anything else and Rocky certainly had a long way to go in the ring. He was as generic as you could get so far but that has to be expected in his second match. Sunny was the star here, as she was selling the infatuation with Maivia rather well, which could lead in a few different directions.

Marc Mero is ready for Billy Gunn and if HHH is on commentary, so be it.

Doc Hendrix says British Bulldog and Owen Hart have calmed down but Bulldog is promising to go after Steve Austin.

Billy Gunn vs. Marc Mero

Sable is here with Mero and HHH is on commentary. Gunn jumps him from behind to start but Mero gets in a clothesline to the floor. There’s an ax handle from the apron to drop Gunn again and a slingshot legdrop gets two back inside. Mero’s double jump moonsault press drops Gunn again but Gunn gets in a hard shot of his own.

Commentary discusses looks, with Vince bringing up HHH introducing her to the company and “cutting the promo” about bringing beautiful women to the WWF. The chinlock, with feet on the ropes, goes on as HHH brags about using everyone he can to get ahead. With that broken up, Mero bounces into the ropes to crotch Gunn on top and we take a break. Back (after an ad for In Your House) with Mero hitting a super hurricanrana for two as HHH goes after Sable. Mero goes out for the save and the double teaming is on for the DQ at 10:49.

Rating: C-. Another dull match here which happened to get more time than the one before it. Mero was doing his usual stuff but this was the Billy Gunn who was trying to break into the singles ranks while still feeling like half of a tag team. The ending didn’t help either, but Mero vs. HHH could feel like a showdown when we get there.

Post match the beatdown is on but Jake Roberts runs in for the save. The brawl ends the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement for where things are going, but Austin’s energy boosted the show every time he was on screen. Other than that, you have the very beginnings of Rocky Maivia, a bad midcard feud and Executioner looking more sad than anything else. Not a good show, as we enter the lull between Survivor Series and the Royal Rumble.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: November 18, 1996
Location: New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut
Attendance: 4,968
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Vince McMahon

It’s the night after Survivor Series and there is a lot to unpack. First of all, Sid is the new WWF Champion (somehow the first major singles title of his career), having hit Shawn Michaels with a camera to win the title. Other than that, Bret Hart beat Steve Austin in a classic to give Austin something else to get mad over. To cap it off, Rocky Maivia made his in-ring debut, because the show didn’t have enough going on. Let’s get to it.

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

Steve Austin vs. Mankind

This is billed as a Toughman Contest, which seems to mean anything goes. It was also supposed to be Vader vs. Austin but Vader was hurt so we get what should be an upgrade. Mankind jumps him in the aisle to start fast with Mankind knocking Austin down, leaving Austin’s eyes bugging out (possibly at the fan sign which clearly has an F bomb). Austin gets whipped hard into the steps as we’re still waiting on the bell to ring.

They get inside for the opening bell and Austin hammers away in the corner with the style that made him famous. Some ax handles off the apron rock Mankind again but he posts Austin for a breather. Back in and Austin hits a heck of a clothesline before hammering away again. They go outside again with Austin whipping him HARD over the barricade but Mankind gets the Mandible Claw back inside. Austin kicks him low to escape and we take a break.

Back with Mankind dropping an apron legdrop and sending Austin throat first into the barricade. They get back in again where Mankind snaps off a neckbreaker. Austin’s sleeper is broken up and Mankind blasts him with another clothesline. Mankind goes up but gets pulled back down and choked on the mat. They’re already back on the floor with Austin taking over, setting up the middle rope elbow back inside. Mankind is in trouble but here is the Executioner to jump Austin for the DQ at 11:18.

Rating: B+. This was GREAT and one of the best fights you’ll ever see on Raw. They didn’t bother with wrestling and just beat the living daylights out of each other for a while. It felt like a match two years ahead of its time as you would absolutely believe this belonged in the heart of the Attitude Era. This was physical and violent, but above all else, it is the kind of match that would get your attention fast, which is what Raw needed.

Post match Undertaker runs in for the save but Austin clotheslines him out for a bonus.

Video on Survivor Series.

The suspended Ahmed Johnson is in the crowd.

Here is Sunny to introduce Faarooq, complete with PG-13 handling the rap.

Faarooq vs. Savio Vega

Vega hammers away in the corner to start and monkey flips Faarooq out of another corner. Sunny joins commentary (Lawler approves) as Faarooq fights out of a hammerlock. A hard whip into the corner rocks Vega again and there’s a belly to back as we take a break. Back with Vega in a reverse chinlock and Johnson, uh, watching the match from the crowd.

Vega suplexes his way out of trouble again and gets two off a small package. An elbow misses for Vega but he crotches Faarooq on top. They fall off the top and out to the floor and thankfully are fine enough for Vega to land a spinwheel kick. Vega misses a charge so PG13 goes after him, allowing Faarooq to get the easy pin at 11:15.

Rating: C. They got a bit more time than they needed here but what mattered was a pretty nice back and forth match. Faarooq was still rather mobile at this point and could do the power stuff, but he was stuff dealing with Johnson for such a long time. Not a bad match at all though, which shouldn’t be a surprise given the talent in there.

Post match Johnson runs in with his 2×4 to clear the ring. Johnson is livid with Faarooq and swears revenge. We get Johnson’s YOU’RE GOING DOWN chant and you can feel the charisma. If he could stay healthy for more than eighteen minutes at a time, the potential was right there.

Sunny beats Bob Backlund at Karate Fighters.

Sid is waiting to talk to Jim Ross.

Vince McMahon talks about Sid turning full heel by hitting Jose Lothario with a TV camera to win the WWF Title. Vince makes it sound like Sid set a bus full of puppies on fire and praises Shawn’s title reign. It turns into an almost weird praising of Michaels and the title reign, with Vince promising that Michaels will be back. This was just weird, as Vince was making it sound like Shawn was either dead or at least horribly injured.

Bob Holly/Leif Cassidy vs. Doug furnas/Philip LaFon

Captain Lou Albano wanders out to do….Spanish commentary? LaFon and Cassidy start things off with LaFon taking him down into an armbar. That’s broken up so Cassidy misses a kick to the face, earning a knock out to the floor. Back in and we go split screen, with Owen Hart and British Bulldog not wanting to hear about Furnas and LaFon. Cassidy comes back in and blasts LaFon in the back of the head with a clothesline as we take a break.

We come back with Cassidy hitting a dropkick as commentary talks about baseball contracts. LaFon gets over to Furnas for the tag and house is cleaned in a hurry. A dropkick gives Furnas two and a Frankensteiner get the same, with Cassidy having to make the save. Cassidy’s dragon suplex gets two on LaFon so he tries it again, only to get reversed into a cobra clutch suplex to give LaFon the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C. You could see the different style from Furnas and LaFon here and that is the kind of thing that the company needed to try at this point. The problem is that they were hardly the most interesting team and that showed here. This was two dull teams having a pretty hard hitting match with a nasty looking finish. It worked, but only so much.

Here is Sid for his first appearance as WWF Champion (the title does look good on him) with Jim Ross handling the interview. Ross says that Sid is the man and it is his time, but does he have any regrets of how he won the title? Sid says that he doesn’t, because Jose Lothario made the mistake of getting involved. Sure Shawn Michaels can have a rematch because Sid can beat him again. There are challengers lining up, starting with Bret Hart at In Your House on December 15. Sid is ready and promises to keep the title, setting up his awesome pyro to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The opener is great and the rest is just ok, but the biggest change here is things felt more aggressive. We are still a pretty far cry away from the full on Attitude Era, but you could feel that things are changing. Austin is leading the charge but there are more than enough others to back him up. The opener is absolutely worth seeing, if nothing else because of what it could mean for the show’s future.

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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.

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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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Monday Night Raw
Date: February 21, 1994
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Randy Savage

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bret Hart vs. Tom Prichard

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Little Richard is ready for Wrestlemania.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Opening sequence.

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

Smoking Gunns vs. Reno Riggins/Barry Horowitz

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

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

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

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

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

Owen Hart vs. John Paul

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

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

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

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

IRS vs. Marty Jannetty

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thurman Plugg vs. Duane Gill

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

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

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

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

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

Crush vs. Thornberg

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

The Tag Team Title match is on in two weeks.

Johnny Polo and the Quebecers aren’t happy.

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

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

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

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Monday Night Raw
Date: October 30, 1995
Location: Keystone Center, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Attendance: 2,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We’re coming up on Survivor Series and the build to the show has already gotten started fast with two matches announced. Diesel will defend the WWF Title against Bret Hart and the Wild Card match sounds interesting. This week though, it’s Owen Hart challenging Razor Ramon for the Intercontinental Title so let’s get to it.

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

It’s the night before Halloween so Todd Pettingill is doing a spooky voice on the intro. We’ve got a themed show people.

Opening sequence.

Commentary is in costumes, as Vince is dressed as a prisoner and Lawler is a doctor. Lawler says he heard Vince got that costume a year ago and is just getting to use it. There’s your inside joke and it would probably get people fired in later years.

Savio Vega vs. Goldust

This is Goldust’s Raw debut and Lawler is right there with every movie joke he can find. Goldust rips the wig off and starts hammering away in the corner, setting up a hard kick to the ribs. Vega fights up but misses the dropkick as Lawler wants Goldust to be more like a horror movie character. A hard posting bangs up Vega’s shoulder and Goldust grabs the logical armbar. Lawler: “He’s dominating Savio Vega!” Vince: “Which match are you looking at?” The match where Goldust is dominating Vega? Goldust cranks on the arm in the corner and we take a break.

Back with the armbar continuing as Vince admits that this is dominance. A running knee in the corner keeps Vega down as Vince calls Goldust a “masculine RuPaul.” Vega fights up but misses the spinwheel kick, allowing Goldust to go back to the arm. An arm trap rollup finishes Vega off.

Rating: C-. The arm stuff was a fine way to go and it was nice to see it play into the finish. There was obviously something with Goldust, but Lawler laying off the movie puns would help a lot. They needed to mold Goldust a lot more though, even if you could see something in him that would draw in attention.

It’s time for the Slam Jam, featuring the announcement that the Diesel vs. Bret Hart WWF Title match at Survivor Series will be no countout, no DQ and no time limit. Doc Hendrix, either as a pumpkin or a bad Legion of Doom cosplay, doesn’t know where the fans’ loyalties will lie.

Hakushi and Barry Horowitz play Karate Fighters. Horowitz Wins!

Marty Jannetty vs. Joe Dorgan

Lawler talks about the horse that won the Breeders Cup looking too much like Alundra Blayze. Marty starts with a wristlock and cuts off a charge with a raised elbow in the corner. The chinlock goes on, followed by a chinlock to keep up the theme. Marty drops him again and hits the top rope fist drop to complete the squash.

Video on Bret Hart and Hakushi vs. Jerry Lawler and Isaac Yankem, which makes sense given how things have gone for Bret this summer.

Here is British Bulldog, with Jim Cornette and someone new for a chat. Cornette isn’t happy with what happened at In Your House, but Gorilla Monsoon has made it even worse. British Bulldog beat Diesel (by DQ) and should be facing Bret Hart. The fact that Bret isn’t champion would make this an odd choice but oh well. Anyway, Bulldog wants another match with Diesel and to face Bret at the next In Your House in December.

Cornette introduces his new lawyer, Clarence Mason (Lawler: “Best litigator since Jerry McDevitt!”), who doesn’t like anything Monsoon has done. Cornette isn’t done either, as he rants about the Wild Card match at Survivor Series. As for next week, Bulldog promises to drop Marty Jannetty. Cue Jannetty to dropkick Bulldog and punch Cornette but won’t slap Mason. This went on for a long time and didn’t really say much other than Bulldog wants Hart in December.

Smoking Gunns vs. Phil Apollo/Joe Rashner

Non-title. During the entrances, we see a clip of the 1-2-3 Kid attacking the Gunns after losing their Tag Team Title shot at In Your House. Billy avoids Apollo’s (or Otis as Vince calls him for some reason) leapfrog to start and hits him in the face. Rashner comes in and we go split screen where the Kid apologizes and asks for one more title shot. It’s off to Bart for a double clothesline and the Sidewinder finishes fast.

Bret Hart doesn’t care what rules he has to deal with at Survivor Series because he’s winning the WWF Title.

Paul Bearer promises that Undertaker is coming back, even if his face is currently too gruesome to be seen.

Intercontinental Title: Owen Hart vs. Razor Ramon

Hart, with Jim Cornette, is challenging. Razor charges in and knocks him to the floor to start before grabbing the wristlock. Owen can’t monkey flip his way to freedom and the cranking continues. Back up and Ramon takes him down by the arm again but has to punch Cornette off the apron. Cue Yokozuna (Lawler: “Here comes the wide load!”) with Mr. Fuji and we take a break.

Back with Hart dropping Razor on the top rope and knocking him outside for the dropkick through the ropes. The missile dropkick gets two and there’s the running crotch attack on the ropes. Hart cuts off a comeback attempt and grabs a chinlock, setting up a top rope elbow for two. We take an abrupt break and come back with both of them down off a suplex while we were away. Razor is back up with some right hands and a clothesline as we take another abrupt break. Back again with Yokozuna coming in for the DQ maybe five seconds after we were back to the action.

Rating: B-. The breaks here were weird as they had three of them in a match that had about ten minutes aired. Razor vs. Owen is something that would work just fine on its own and I don’t know why they needed to cut it up so much. That being said, it was only so good with the screwy ending but you don’t want either of them jobbing at the moment.

Post match the beatdown is on but the 1-2-3 Kid comes in. That has as much effect on Yokozuna as you would expect, as the big legdrop crushes the Kid. Ahmed Jonson comes in and slams Yokozuna (better than Luger) to end the show. Johnson looked amazing but that was about it aside from the power displays.

Overall Rating: C. The ending with Johnson was the big moment that the show was needing as there was only so much going on here otherwise. Johnson felt like a hot new star and now we could be in for some interesting ways to go. Survivor Series needs to get here, but the two matches they already have announced should be enough to carry it pretty far.

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: October 23, 1995
Location: Keystone Center, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada
Attendance: 2,000
Commentators: Vince McMahon, Jerry Lawler

We are fresh off of In Your House: Great White North, which featured one of the worst main events in company history as Diesel retained the WWF Title over the British Bulldog. Thankfully we are back to a live show this week after last week’s AWFUL show, meaning things can’t get any worse. Well in theory at least. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a quick pay per view recap and a quicker preview of this week’s show. This includes Diesel retaining the WWF Title and brawling with Bret Hart, plus Shawn Michaels having to forfeit the Intercontinental Title to Dean Douglas due to his injuries. Then about 14 minutes later, Razor Ramon beat Douglas to win the title.

Opening sequence.

Battle Royal

Marty Jannetty, Bob Holly, Fatu, 1-2-3 Kid, Savio Vega, King Kong Bundy, Henry Godwinn, Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Owen Hart, Jean Pierre LaFitte, Duke Droese, Bam Bam Bigelow, Skip, Rad Radford, Aldo Montoya, Barry Horowitz, Hakushi, Sid, Isaac Yankem, Kama Mustafa

The winner gets an Intercontinental Title shot against Razor Ramon next week. It’s a….well it’s a battle royal to start and Bundy, who hasn’t been around in months, is out fast. Aldo is tossed as Sid and Fatu keep fighting on and off. We are firmly in the brawling against the ropes with no one being eliminated phase until Holly is out, meaning we get race car jokes from commentary.

Sid kicks Droese out and Skip tosses Hakushi as we hear about the United Nations. Kama punches out Fatu as the ring is starting to clear out a bit. There goes Skip at Horowitz’s hands and we take a break. Back with some eliminations having taken place during the break, meaning we’re down to Jannetty, Yankem, Sid, Bigelow, LaFitte, Vega and Hart. There goes Yankem to get us down to six and Owen has to save himself. Bigelow knocks Sid out and we take another break.

Back again with Bigelow gone, meaning we’re down to four. Jannetty hits a clothesline on Owen and hammers away in the corner as Vince tries to tell us how interesting some of these people would be against Razor. Vega manages to save himself and avoids a spinwheel kick from Owen. Marty tosses Vega and LaFitte but Owen manages to hang on. A clothesline puts Owen on the apron but he (barely) holds on to various ropes to survive some right hands.

Back in and an enziguri rocks Marty, who manages to hang on as well. Owen sends him through the ropes, meaning Marty has to grab Jim Cornette’s tennis racket and chase him off, allowing British Bulldog to pop up and jump Jannetty. Back in and Marty makes ANOTHER comeback but Owen finally sends him out for the win and the title shot.

Rating: D. This was WAY too long and probably could have been done in about half the time, especially with how long it took to get rid of a lot of people. Owen vs. Razor will be fine for a title match but I would hope they could come up with a better way to set up the match than dragging King Kong Bundy out of mothballs. Bad match and even worse, it felt long.

Post break, Owen promises to win the Intercontinental Title.

We look back at Bret Hart getting involved with last night’s main event and brawling with Diesel after the match. They’re already set for the Survivor Series title match.

It’s time for the Survivor Series Slam Jam (Control Center) with the announcement of the Wild Card match. This is an idea that I could go for again, as they are having a Survivor Series match with friends and enemies being randomly paired together. That’s a nice twist and it could work again.

Bob Backlund is campaigning for Congress. In the wrong country.

Ahmed Johnson is ready for Survivor Series.

Avatar vs. Brian Walsh

Avatar is a masked ninja who comes to the ring unmasked before putting it on for the bell. Uh yeah. Avatar legdrags him down and cranks on the arm before hitting a superkick to the back of the head. A top rope dive has to be canceled so Avatar hits a slingshot dive instead as the crowd somehow goes even more quiet. Back in and Walsh hits some clotheslines but gets caught with a backbreaker. A standing moonsault and then a weird jumping splash finishes for Avatar. This gimmick was horrible of course, but Avatar would get a bit better when he would lose the mask and wrestle under the better name of Al Snow.

Next week: Goldust’s Raw debut.

Women’s Title: Alundra Blayze vs. Bertha Faye

Faye (a rather odd looking woman whose large size was emphasized) is defending and has her boyfriend Harvey Wippleman with her. Blayze gets run over to start and Faye drops some legs for two. Some chest bumps in the corner crush Blayze, whose sunset flip doesn’t get her very far. Faye sits on her chest as Lawler comments on Faye’s weight, because that’s the entire point of her being here. Blayze is knocked around again to continue the dominance as we take a break.

Back with Blayze being sent to the apron but managing to ram her face first into the buckle. A middle rope dropkick gets two on Faye (Big Bertha Faye according to Vince for the fifth or so time) and some running clotheslines connect for the same. Blayze takes her time loading up the powerbomb so Faye counters with a backdrop. Faye takes her own time going up though and a super hurricanrana pulls her back down. Harvey’s distraction fails and Blayze grabs the bridging German suplex for the pin and the title.

Rating: D+. Commentary alone was hard to sit through and I was feeling sorry for Faye more than anything else. Blayze getting the title back was a fine story but come on with the treating Faye like some kind of disgusting slob. It’s one of those things that was bad at the time and then aged even worse, which is the case with too many things in this company’s history. Blayze wouldn’t lose the title, but she would indeed drop it a few months later.

We get a sitdown interview with Shawn Michaels, who has two banged up eyes after being wrecked by an unclear number of Marines (or Marine). Shawn worked hard to earn the Intercontinental Title and then he had to hand it over to someone he finds very overrated. Jim Ross brings up the Survivor Series Wild Card match but Shawn has to have more brain tests next week.

Lawler is near very real tears after the interview.

Overall Rating: D+. It was a two match show and neither of those matches were exactly good. That being said, you can indeed feel the difference between last week’s taped garbage and this week’s live show, which just wasn’t very good. There is a different energy there and it made a lot of difference. Now if they can actually have a good show next week, that might help the Survivor Series build, but we have a few weeks before we get there.

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

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

AND

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