Connor McGrath
WWF Monday Night RAW
January 23rd, 1995
Live from the Manatee Civic Center in Palmetto, Florida
Announcers: Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels
It’s the night after Royal Rumble ’95 and it’s time for another RAW Before The War. I shared my thoughts on the show over at The Real TSM. If you’d like to read them dial PHONE NUMBER OUT OF SERVICE, only .99 cents per minute and kids under 18, ask your parents for permission
(www.therealtsm.com)
Anyway, the show opens with Vince McMahon in serious mode, issuing an apology on behalf of the World Wrestling Federation and Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow to Lawrence Taylor for Mr. Bigelow’s actions last night. Vince says that Mr. Bigelow has been suspended indefinitely without pay.
We are live from the Manatee Civic Center in Palmetto, Florida! Manatee Civic Center has to be one of the goofiest arena names ever. This venue also hosted the only pay per view put on by Herb Abrams’ UWF. A fact that only me and maybe fellow Culture Crossfire scribe Andrew Lutzke care about.
Vince McMahon welcomes his co-host, the winner of the 1995 Royal Rumble Shawn Michaels! He was the first man in and the last man to leave. He made history last night at the Sun Dome. HBK whoops it up in the ring. I still don’t recognize the ring announcer they’re using. HBK hugs it out with an uncomfortable Vince. Shawn Michaels says he’s gonna fulfill his destiny and win the World Title at WrestleMania XI. No, Shawn, that’d be next year’s WrestleMania.
Speaking of championships, The Smoking Gunns will get their opportunity to win the WWF Tag Team Titles against new champs the 123 Kid & Bob “Spark Plugg” Holly, who won the titles last night at the Rumble.
WWF Tag Team Titles Match: 123 Kid & Bob Holly (c) Vs The Smoking Gunns
Lot of interest in this match as The Smoking Gunns were originally supposed to be in the Tag Team Title tournament for the vacant titles but suffered an “unfortunate rodeo accident” and had to be replaced by… Kid & Holly. Shawn Michaels is excited to call this as he’s an expert on tag team wrestling being a former Champion and all. Both teams shake hands before the start of the match. Hey, speak of the devil, Vince plugs the WWF Superstar Hotline at the start of this match.
Shawn Michaels yells “Catfight” as Holly & Billy Gunn have a stare down. I chuckle. No accounting for taste. Vince says The Gunns had been preparing to face Bam Bam Bigelow & Tatanka, the team that Kid & Holly beat at the Rumble last night, at tonight’s show. Michaels is rooting for the Smoking Gunns, Vince says it’s smart for Holly to get himself disqualified so Kid & Holly can keep the titles. Man, bizarro world ’95 RAW commentary team. This is a damn good babyface Vs babyface tag team but crowd doesn’t seem too into it outside of the chicks in the front row who have the hots for Billy & Bart. And the Gunns win it with the Sidewinder! “The San Diego Chargers of the WWF” 123 Kid & Bob Holly only got to hold the belts for one night! Oh well, that’s one more night than the San Diego Chargers of the NFL have got to hold a championship.
Lord Alfred Hayes says that promotional considerations for this show have been paid for by the following…
History’s greatest monster Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow is the newest spokesman for Slim Jim. He thinks potato chips are a snacks for WIMPS!
Vince McMahon interviews 123 Kid & Bob Holly. Kid & Holly cut a dopey babyface promo where they talk about how disappointed they are but they don’t want to make any excuses and think the Gunns are great. If Billy & Bart are honorable, they’ll give 123 Kid & Bob Holly the shot that they gave them, next week right here on RAW.
Todd Pettingell in a tux instead of an ugly shirt gives us our final Royal Rumble Report. He talks about the grueling Bret Hart Vs Diesel WWF World Title match. It seems like they had each other beat! But then Shawn Michaels, Owen Hart, and Bob Backlund all ran in and we got a lame indecisive finish! Oh well. Maybe one day, we’ll see which one of these two is the better man. The Toddster also talks about The Undertaker’s troubles with the Million Dollar Corporation, the druids distracted Undertaker, and IRS repossessed the urn then King Kon—ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Plus Jeff Jarrett is the new WWF Intercontinental Champion but not without controversy! Razor was allowed to wrestle injured! Will he get his hands on NashVegas’ biggest wrestling/country star again? Only time will tell… but yep.
Back at the booth, the crowd chants “Diesel” at Shawn Michaels. HBK is appalled. Todd didn’t even mention that Shawn won the Royal Rumble in the Royal Rumble report. Vince says we got some action in store, IRS is in action next and “Rowdy” Roddy Piper will join the broadcast, liva via telephone!
In a promo for WWF, William Shatner hypes the tag team combination of TekWar and Monday Night RAW!
IRS (with Ted DiBiase and The Druids) Vs Buck Quartermaine
IRS is carrying the Undertaker’s supersized urn. Michaels says The Undertaker was too cheap to pay the taxes on that urn so IRS was right to take it! WWF Legend Roddy Piper phones in to distract us from the fact that we have to watch an IRS squash. Roddy says the first syllable of Roddy is “Raw” and he was RAW before it was cool! Piper says there’s a lot of tension between the old generation and the New Generation of WWF Superstars but he gives props to those wacky kids. The Rumble last night was one of the greatest he’s ever seen. He wants to know why Vince wasn’t in there and Vince does his cheesy Vince laugh. Vince McMahon win a Royal Rumble? Preposterous! Piper forgets to congratulate HBK and HBK is pissed. IRS wins as Vince mentions that Roddy Piper is hosting the replay of the 1995 Royal Rumble next Tuesday and it’ll feature a face to face interview between Piper & Shawn Michaels. C’mon YouTube!
It’s time for the WWF Week in Music. WUT? Man Mountain Rock is coming! He jams out on his electric guitar. The kids are gonna love it!
Jerry “The King” Lawler comes out to host The King’s Court. His guest tonight is the new Intercontinental Champion “Double J” Jeff Jarrett and his sidekick The Roadie. Man, Jeff Jarrett is wearing a SWEET outfit tonight. He told the world he was coming the Sun Dome to take Razor Ramon’s Intercontinental Title and he did! Jeff Jarrett says he’s been the WWF Intercontinental Champion for a while. Vince is appalled. He’s only been champ for 24 hours! Double J says something’s missing! He wants the WWF World Title! Jeff Jarrett challenges Diesel! Vince McMahon wonders how greedy Jeff Jarrett could be. He’d find out in about four and a half years.
This segment was basically used to set up Double J replacing Bob Backlund as Diesel’s house show opponent. Man, remember a time when they built up house shows on TV? How quaint.
We get ad for this week’s WWF Mania, taking place live from the Hartford Civic Center as tickets for WrestleMania XI go on sale. The Undertaker & Paul Bearer, The Million Dollar Man, and Shawn Michaels will be on hand live with Todd Pettengell. Wow. Remember a time when WrestleMania tickets went on sale only two months before the show? And when they had to hold WrestleMania in Hartford, CT? 1995 was a different time. Although with the current financial state of WWE, we might see WrestleMania XXXII from the Hartford Civic Center…
Vince gives another plug to WrestleMania XI tickets going on sale this Saturday. He says next week on RAW, we’ll see a two man Royal Rumble as Mable takes on King Kong Bundy plus a rematch of this week’s feature as The Smoking Gunns defend the WWF Tag Team Titles against the team they won the belts against tonight, The 123 Kid & Bob Holly
“The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith Vs The Black Phantom
Some rock guitar has unnecessarily been added to Bulldog’s theme, I believe. Perhaps the work of Man Mountain Rock. Bulldog badmouths Shawn Michaels. HBK makes crybaby faces. The Black Phantom jumps Bulldog. Vince McMahon says Michaels cheated The Bulldog. Michaels (rightly) says it’s not his fault that he was smarter than Bulldog was for realizing that the match doesn’t end until the last guy that’s thrown out has to have BOTH feet touching the floor. Bulldog wins with the Running Powerslam. Hmm. Phantom hasn’t won any matches on his RAW. Maybe being a phantom isn’t the right career direction and he should try to be some other sort of ghoul or vampire. Just a thought…
Bam Bam Bigelow is here (in a Steven Seagal-esque suit) to apologize for his actions last night. Bam Bam makes some funny frustrated faces. Vince hypes next week’s show. Shawn Michaels can’t wait to see the blubber boys, Bundy & Mabel, in action. Also next week, Kama The Ultimate Fighting Machine will make his debut. Shawn sings a bit of “Karma Chameleon”! Oh no! We have audio issues and we won’t get to hear Bam Bam’s apology this week! Vince assures us he’ll tell LT he’s sorry next week. Scott “Bam Bam” Bigelow pouts as the show comes to a close.
Next Week: Royal Rumble ’95 might have gone in the books but we’ll get a small taste of it again as King Kong Bundy takes on Mabel in an Over The Top Rope match! Plus a rematch between the Smoking Gunns and 123 Kid & Bob Holly for the WWF Tag Team Titles.
