The Fed Zone: Reviewing WWF 1995

[ChristianCaged]

RAW #117

Date: 26 June 1995
Location: Whitey McCloskey Center; Danville, PA
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Shawn Michaels

TONIGHT: It's the fallout from King of the Ring and Jeff Jarrett defends the IC Title!

We're in another high school gym for this set of tapings, as Vince welcomes us and his co-commentator for the night, Shawn Michaels, to the show. Jerry is still getting his mouth sorted or something.

The Smoking Gunns def. The Black Phantom & Jason Arhndt (1:41)
The Gunns apparently want revenge on MoM but it sounds like they'll have to get in line. Billy and Phantom start the match and Billy works him over. Both men tag and Bart catches Arhndt with a vertical suplex as the Gunns assert themselves. Billy is tagged back in and the Gunns finish Arhndt with a Sidewinder. The highlight of this was HBK making lots of subtle jabs at Sir Mo (who was pretty much universally hated at the time in the back).

We now catch up with Jerry Lawler at the office of his dentist, Isaac Yankem DDS, and apparently the loss to Bret Hart has affected King's oral hygiene badly. Yankem is, funnily enough, a wrestler as well as a dentist, and he's coming for Bret Hart. Yankem is, of course, none other than Glenn Jacobs (a.k.a. Kane) but we'll meet him soon.

Skip def. Scott Taylor (2:13)
Usual Sunny promo to start, as she continues to lap Skip in terms of both fan interest and charisma. Skip does some high-fives in the ring and goes for a pop shot on Taylor but misses. Taylor works Skip a bit, but the fitness bod drops him with an enzuiguiri and then parades himself around the ring a bit. Taylor actually gets his shit in though and dropkicks Skip out of the ring, before sending him into the barricade outside with a baseball slide. Skip halts his momentum pretty fast though and trips him from the outside, slamming him on the floor before levelling him with a plancha. Skip then takes his opponent to the top for a hurricanrana and gets the pin. Neat finish. As much as I've called the action, pretty much all the focus was on Sunny here.

King of the Ring Report now with Todd, as he wraps up the action from last night and plugs the main event for In Your House 2: Sid vs. Diesel in a Lumberjack Match. Meanwhile, Savio Vega and Jeff Jarrett cut promos ahead of their match later tonight.

Man Mountain Rock def. Phil Apollo (1:20)
Usual guitar solo introduction for Man Mountain Rock, who is still getting something of a push (at least for now). This is mostly a backdrop to talk about the Backlund presidency angle. Rock hits Apollo with a belly-to-belly and then beats on him a bit until it's time to go home with the Whammy Bar. Get this loser off my screen, please.

King Mabel def. Kenny Kendall (2:33)
They have four poor schmucks carry Mabel's fat ass out to the ring on his throne and that doesn't look fun. Inside the ring, Mabel roughs up his opponent and screams about being King. He whomps Kendall with an ugly-ass enzuiguiri and then tosses him into the steps on the outside. Back in the ring, Mabel is being compared to Henry VIII (I guess he gets a lot of bitches too) as he finishes Kendall with a belly-to-belly. This push is instantly DOA.

What isn't DOA is this awesome Waylon Mercy character, who debuts on RAW next week. Dan Spivey delivers the material really well, it's just a shame he couldn't really go in the ring.

Also, we're just a week away from hearing Jarrett's new single WITH MY BABY TONIGHT and oh boy, I'm excited.

Intercontinental Championship: Savio Vega def. Jeff Jarrett (c) via DQ (5:30 shown)
Roadie distracts the guy who pinned him last night to allow Jeff Jarrett to take control early on. Savio responds though and manages to avoid getting a boot to the face in the corner. He hits a flying punch for a near fall, before Jarrett manages to get him into a corner and work the challenger over. Vega fights back but Roadie tries to get involved and ends up getting knocked off the apron. The match moves to the outside now, as Savio clotheslines Jarrett, while Shawn has some fun on commentary and pulls on Roadie's dreads. Back from a break, Jarrett gets a two off a snap suplex and Roadie tries to attack Savio's throat with the ropes while Jarrett distracts the ref. Vega makes a comeback though and connects with his own suplex, as both men are down. Vega gets his arm over for two and then levels Jarrett with a chokeslam. Roadie tries to trip Savio now but gets kicked back onto the announce table, where Shawn plays with his hair once again and pushes him back. They get into it and Jarrett tries to sneak attack HBK, but Shawn has his number and beats on him, before throwing him back in the ring. Savio then goes for a victory roll, but Roadie runs in to save Jarrett's title and give Savio a DQ win. The stuff at ringside with Shawn was more interesting than anything in the match itself but it was fine for a TV match, I guess. *½

Post-match, HBK helps Savio even the odds, effectively setting up the Jarrett/HBK feud heading in to the next PPV. Shawn is over as hell (like, scarily more over than anyone else on this show) and that's how we finish things off this week.

Not a terrible show this week but there's not a whole lot to sing about right now and I have very little interest in any of the programmes they have going. Slight thumbs down.

NEXT WEEK: Bam Bam Bigelow goes one-on-one with Sid and Waylon Mercy debuts!

 

[ChristianCaged]

RAW #118

Date: 3 July 1995
Location: Whitey McCloskey Center; Danville, PA (taped)
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

TONIGHT: Sid clashes with Bam Bam and we get to see Double J's music video!

Jerry Lawler is back as usual this week but still has some bad breath in what's surely not going to be a really irritating running gag throughout the episode.

Dueling promos between SID and Bam Bam now. This clash is certainly one of the matches that ever happened.

The 1-2-3 Kid def. Mike Bell (3:03)
Despite getting flattened by MoM a little over a week ago, Kid is back to face Mike Bell. Kid gets an early clothesline but Bell boots him in the corner to cut off the momentum. Kid gets back in the game though and does a form of seated senton dive from the apron to the floor, wiping out Bell. A spinning heel kick form Kid connects and he pin Bell with an Oklahoma Roll. Kind of a weak finish there but good to have Kid back.

In Your House Report with Todd now, as he announces some of the lumberjacks for the Diesel vs. Sid match at the PPV. We'll also be getting Roadie vs. 1-2-3 Kid, The Allied Powers vs. Owen Hart & Yokozuna and Jarrett vs. Shawn for the IC Title. Delicious, finally some good f***ing food.

Big moment now (as I'm not covering Superstars) as we get a first glimpse at "With My Baby Tonight", as it's revealed that Double J can sing! This song is actually a banger, and taking the character in the "oh, he's good" direction rather than just making him a goof out of the gate is a surprisingly erudite move from WWF in this era.

Bob Holly def. The Brooklyn Brawler (2:54)
Holly gets knocked down early but recovers and executes a flying head scissors on Brawler before working the arm. Brawler gets him down with the leg and works some heat (if I'm being less generous, more like mild annoyance). Holly works out of that though and connects with a dropkick, before hitting the flying body press from the turnbuckle to put Brawler down for three.

Henry O. Godwinn def. Barry Horowitz (2:57)
Godwinn has started a mini-feud with Adam Bomb after "slopping" him on Superstars. I wouldn't give that too much thought. HOG overpowers poor Barry to begin with, as the latter continues battling for his first victory. The fans seem to be getting behind him though, so the storyline is working. Horowitz tries to keep his head above water, but HOG clotheslines him and follows that up with a knee drop. Horowitz then manages to hit a knee lift though and evades a corner charge, as the crowd start to chant his name. Have I missed something here? When did he get this popular? Unfortunately, he misses a dropkick and HOG finishes him with the Slop Drop for the win.

Post-match, Godwinn continues hanging out at ringside as Sid makes his entrance for our featured match. DiBiase seems to gesture to him about something, so I guess that won't be the last we see of him tonight. As he heads up the aisle during Bam Bam's entrance, the two big boys start trading fists, but the referees manage to break it up.

Sycho Sid def. Bam Bam Bigelow (5:42 shown)
Sid gets an advantage early but spends too long taunting the crowd and misses a clothesline, as Bigelow takes him down with a body tackle. Bam Bam continues to foil Sid's attacks and attempts at using DiBiase as a distraction, as Bigelow connects with a DDT. Beast from the East in charge. Bigelow goes up top but then decides to chase DiBiase around and gets jumped by Sid. Sid hits a big boot on Bigelow now and puts the beating to him, as the crowd actually boo him. Well, maybe that's real. Back from a break and Sid has Bam Bam caught in a REST HOLD. Bam Bam powers out of that and hits Sid with the electric chair, but he charges the corner and eats boot sole. Sid chokeslams him and goes for the Power Bomb but Bigelow reverses with a backdrop. He climbs to the top now for the flying headbutt, but Ted has the ref distracted and Godwinn returns to push Bigelow off his perch. I guess that's a new feud then. Sid gets the cover and the fall is enough to put Bigelow out for three. Couldn't just give Sid a dominant win, then?
Post-match, Sid gives Bigelow a Power Bomb for good measure. This was not very good and went through the motions, but I think I liked it more than the King of the Ring match. *¼

Waylon Mercy def. Jeff Hardy(!) (2:59)
This isn't Jeff's first rodeo on RAW, as he got decimated by Razor as Keith Davis previously. It's the first under his own name though and I can't imagine he was more than 17 or 18 here. This is also the Waylon Mercy debut following all those cool vignettes. He shakes everyone's hand to start, including Jeff's, but turns all psycho when the bell rings. It's kind of like a thinking man's Festus. Hardy gets nothing in here as Mercy just destroys him, doing real evil, vicious shit like choking him on the rope. He finishes the poor kid Nero off with a brainbuster and sleeper combo. Not a bad start but Spivey was looking old and broken at this point.

Lawler is in the dentist waiting room now, and this segment feels like it goes on forever before Isaac Yankem, a.k.a. Kane, emerges from his office. And he looks ugly! He had just made the jump from SMW of course, which was going down like a house on fire at this point. That's pretty much our lot for this week.

Similar to last week, this wasn't the worst show they've done lately and had some interesting new developments (the Mercy debut, a new feud for Bam Bam, the introduction of Yankem) but the action didn't really hit and I remain fairly bored by the overall direction of the company. Thumbs down.

NEXT WEEK: The Allied Powers take on King Kong Bundy and Tatanka...oh dear lord.

 

[ChristianCaged]

RAW #119

Date: 10 July 1995
Location: Whitey McCloskey Center; Danville, PA (taped)
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

TONIGHT: The Allied Powers take on Tatanka and King Kong Bundy Henry O. Godwinn!

Vince and Jerry are back in Danville as we get a retrospective on the chaos Sid has been causing since his return to the WWF.

The Roadie def. Jerry Flynn (2:41)
Roadie gets a head lock early but Flynn hip tosses Roadie and gets some brief control with the arm. Roadie punches out of it but Flynn shows some fire and kicks away at Roadie in the corner. Flynn then makes a charge but eats boot and then gets elbow dropped by Roadie. Flynn tries for an enzuiguiri to get back in it but misses and Roadie goes for a single leg crab. Flynn gets out of the submission but Roadie catches him with a Power Bomb and pins him. Is this guy Sid or something? Actually a fun little squash here as they went about even.

We now, for some reason, get a retrospective on Jeff Jarrett in the WWF, all the way up to another airing of "With My Baby Tonight". Were they short of material for tonight or something?

Savio Vega def. Mike Khoury (1:52)
Savio has got some pep in his step tonight and takes over early, batting off Khoury's attempted strikes and chopping the shit out of him in the corner. Khoury tries to reverse the situation, but Savio back drops him and maintains control. He puts Khoury in the abdominal stretch to wear him down and then cradles him for a three count. He'll team with Razor at IYH2 to take on Men on a Mission.

Vince welcomes Sycho Sid to the ring now for an interview, although DiBiase does pretty much all of the talking as they introduce their 15 lumberjacks for the Championship match at IYH2. Damn, Jimmy Del Ray made the cut! And shit, Mantaur is still around. Sid does his usual bit about being the ruler of the world and this was segment was just there really.

In other news, Barry Horowitz finally won a match on Wrestling Challenge over Skip, which of course produced the famous JR call "HOROWITZ WINS! HOROWITZ WINS!". Good for Barry.

Hunter Hearst Helmsley def. Matt Hardy (3:12)
Triple H vs. Matt Hardy in 1995 feels like an acid trip. Helmsley does his usual slow and deliberate start, methodically working away at Hardy's arm. Vince actually adresses the negative reception towards King of the Ring during this, which is something. Also, Jack Tunney is retired as WWF president, so we'll be getting a new authority figure soon. Hunter continues the beat down and takes out Hardy with a delayed suplex. Hardy gets a brief hope spot off a boot in the corner, but Hunter blocks the moonsault attempt and finishes Brother Matt with the Pedigree.

In Your House Report now with Todd, who announces more matches for the upcoming PPV, including Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Henry O. Godwinn. Meaty men slapping meat!

The Allied Powers def. Tatanka & Henry O. Godwinn (5:53 shown)
So King Kong Bundy was advertised last week but has pneumonia. Which would make sense, except all of these episodes were taped? So what's up with that? In any case, I'm not sure we even see Bundy again but I could be wrong. Tatanka and Lex Luger start and oh boy do I not need to see them wrestle again. Tatanka hits Luger with a DDT, but Luger fights back. Tatanka gets a two count off an elbow smash and works Luger over to the heel corner, where him and HOG launch a double-team assault. Back from a break and Luger is still getting worked over like a geek. Tatanka gets another two off an elbow smash and tags Godwinn in, who slams Luger but misses the elbow drop. Both men tag out and Bulldog runs wild. He hits Tatanka with a vertical suplex for two as the crowd starts to heat up. Godwinn then trips Bulldog from the outside, allowing Tatanka to slam him and head up top. He can't capitalise though, as Davey Boy recovers and hits the running powerslam for the win. Well, Luger really helped out there. This was alright but mostly just heat on Luger with a decent enough finishing sequence. *¼

We finish on another visit to the office of Isaac Yankem DDS, as he drills a poor patient while Jerry sits around and asks questions. Very cheesy stuff here, even by King standards.

Pretty crappy show this week, as everything ft like filler and the company clearly doesn't care enough right now to properly build to the minor PPV coming up. Thumbs way down.

NEXT WEEK: Shawn Michaels meets IRS and we find out who Diesel's lumberjacks are!

 

[ChristianCaged]

RAW #120

Date: 17 July 1995
Location: Whitey McCloskey Center; Danville, PA (taped)
Commentary: Vince McMahon & Jerry Lawler

TONIGHT: Shawn Michaels beats up the tax man and Diesel introduces us to his lumberjacks!

We open with duelling promos from IRS and Shawn Michaels ahead of their featured match. Vince and Jerry then welcome us to the show, as it's our final night in Danville.

Owen Hart & Yokozuna def. James Dimitri & Gus Kantarakis (2:55)
Hey, the jobber team is matching tonight! Owen kicks off the match and takes control, but Dimitri gets a hold of the arm and the jobbers actually work Owen over in their corner a bit! Owen levels Kantarakis with a clothesline and dropkicks the life out of him. He tags Yoko in now, and they do the drop toe hold and legdrop combo to pretty much end this one as a contest. Owen synches in the Sharpshooter and Dimitri taps.

A final In Your House Report now ahead of the PPV as Todd runs down the card. Here's what's on tap:

• WWF Championship: Diesel (c) vs. Sid in a Lumberjack Match
• Intercontinental Championship: Jeff Jarrett (c) vs. Shawn Michaels
• World Tag Team Championships: Owen Hart & Yokozuna (c) vs. The Allied Powers
• Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Henry O. Godwinn
• Razor Ramon & Savio Vega vs. Men on a Mission
• The Roadie vs. The 1-2-3 Kid

Jean-Pierre Lafitte def. David Thornberg (2:33)
Feel like we haven't seen Lafitte in a while. He absorbs a bunch of clotheslines to start before decking Thornberg with one of his own and then nails him with a German Suplex. On the outside, Lafitte flies at Thornberg with a clothesline, as Vince speculates he may be the reason for things going missing in the locker room. Maybe the Repo Man is back?! Lafitte does his usual routine of tying up his opponent in the ropes and hitting them full force, before connecting with a DDT. A cannonball senton from the top wins the day.

We get a Fatu vignette now, as his singles career is about to begin post-Headshrinkers. He takes us to his hometown and tells kids to say nope to dope.

Look, I love the song, but they play "With My Baby Tonight" for a third week in a row and it's starting to feel like overkill.

Shawn Michaels def. IRS (8:38 shown)
Shawn tries to get a quick start in this as the crowd come alive for him, and puts IRS in an ARMBAR. IRS ropes his way out of that and tries to bail, but HBK brings him back in and hits a forearm smash for a two count, before grabbing a REST HOLD. Is he playing IRS at his own game here? IRS works out of that eventually and evades a charge from HBK, who flies to the outside. IRS takes the chance to send to Shawn into the steps and takes some control of the bout. Shawn fires back though and slingshots into the ring for a sunset flip, which gets two. IRS catches him with a shot to the stomach though and then locks in the abdominal stretch, for a long and boring sequence that brings the match to a standstill. Back from a break and Shawn is still caught in a hold, but IRS has transitioned to a head lock now. IRS then slams Shawn but gets caught with a dive from the top as both men are down. Shawn goes high now and hits the double axe-handle for two. Shawn signals for some Sweet Chin Music but IRS avoids it and hits the Write-Off. He then goes for a whip into the corner for some reason, but Shawn is able to engineer this sequence into a super kick and falls on IRS for the three count. This was IRS' last TV match ever for the company, although he will be one of the lumberjacks at the PPV. He shows up in WCW later in the year. This was okay but IRS matches are a chore and even Shawn couldn't get something that great out of him. *¾

We get another Isaac Yankem DDS promo now as he terrorises a child and Lawler continues his verbal onslaught at Bret Hart and his family.

Kama def. Russ Greenberg (2:02)
The announcer calls the jobber the wrong name and gets a telling off to start. That's great. Kama puts the beating on Greenberg early and rolls him up for two. Greenberg rallies and hits a missile dropkick, but then eats Kama's boot on the follow-up. Kama works Greenberg over in the corner now and is in firm control. A right-hand strike puts Greenberg down and Kama gets the pin. Afterwards, Kama gets in the faces of the goth kids at ringside as he leaves.

It's interview time now with Diesel. He proclaims victory at IYH2 and introduces us to his lumberjacks, which include Shawn Michaels. He gives Diesel the high-five. Sid arrives next and comes down the aisle as we go to a break. Back from the break and Sid is on the apron, as his lumberjacks arrive behind him for the big stand-off. Sid and his boys eventually back-off and leave their adversaries to celebrate. Well, that didn't make Sid look like a bitch at all.

Well, there you have it. A "go-home" episode alright, but not exactly a great sell for the PPV. I won't complain about a HBK match on TV though. Thumbs down.

NEXT WEEK: Bret Hart vs. Hakushi part deux! And the fallout from In Your House 2.