Connor McGrath
WWF Monday Night RAW
June 12th, 1995 (Taped June 5th, 1995)
From the Memorial Fieldhouse in Struthers, Ohio
Announcers: Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler
Our opening video package hypes Yokozuna facing off against Lex Luger for the first time on international television. More importantly, the winner will receive the final King of the Ring tournament slot. BUT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT, America’s pride is stake! We get a recap of Lex Luger and Yokozuna’s almost two year long feud set to “I’ll Be Your Hero”
We get some brief promos by Yokozuna with Jim Cornette and Lex Luger to hype our main event. The feud ends tonight!
Earlier today, Bob Backlund campaigns for President outside the arena. Meanwhile, Jerry Lawler’s gonna show us EXCLUSIVE footage of him training for his match against Bret Hart at King of the Ring ’95. Vince tells us we’ll have to wait to see that because Bam Bam Bigelow is an action!
Bam Bam Bigelow Vs Duane Gill
Bam Bam in this era had some of the ugliest ring gear ever. He’s facing future WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Duane Gill. Hold on, we got “Big D” WWF World Champion Diesel on the phone. Diesel says it doesn’t matter if he’s banged up! He said he’d be there for Bam Bam against Sid & Tatanka. He’s the World Champion! He’s got to be at the pay per view! Try telling that to Brock Lesnar… Bam Bam defeats the future Gillberg with the Diving Headbutt
Vince McMahon throws it to our first look at Waylon Mercy. Crazy, evil philosophical Southern heel wearing Hawaiian shirts? Eh, it’ll never work.
We get a look at the WWF Blimp! It’s coming to a town near you! Fenway Park this weekend! Vince hopes Blimp Captain Kerwin Silfies doesn’t crash through RAW! This was a lame inside joke as Kerwin Silfies was a long time TV director for WWF.
Backstage, Barry Didinsky plays pogs WWF Mad Caps with The Smoking Gunns and The Mad Hatter. Buy the complete set of 66 WWF Pogs Mad Caps now! If you order now, you get a free WWF Logo 18 K Gold Slammer and a JUST SLAM IT WWF Pogs Mad Caps t-shirt. HOW DID WCW THINK THEY COULD COMPETE WITH THIS!?
Kama (with Ted DiBiase) Vs David Haskins
There’s a black wreath at ringside for Kama sent by The Undertaker. The Undertaker’s Creatures of the Night (Vinnie Vincent FTW) are at ringside as well. Vince McMahon hypes Mr. Mom on USA Network. Kama Mustafa calls out The Creatures after he’s done squashing Haskins. He destroys Undertaker’s wreath but The Creatures seem nonplussed.
Todd Pettengill is here with our King of the Ring Report. SID & Tatanka have some words for Diesel & Bam Bam Bigelow about their main event match! Jerry Lawler pulls out a model of an infected foot to show Bret Hart what he’ll have to kiss at the PPV. Todd & Vince are disgusted. HOW DID WCW THINK THEY COULD COMPETE WITH THIS!?
Backstage Yokozuna bulks up for his main event match by eating some rice while Owen Hart, Jim Cornette, & Mr. Fuji root him on.
Stephanie Wiand narrates an ad for WWF’s World Tour De Force (featuring some 1995 CGI)! WWF is coming to Nurenburg, Manheim, and Essen, Germany and Sacramento, California! Sacramento might as well be in another country! HAH! I kill me!
Man Mountain Rock Vs Bob Cook
I always found it hard to believe that babyface commentator Vince McMahon would legit enjoy a hard rocker like Man Mountain Rock but after finding out that Vince’s favorite band is AC/DC, this gimmick seems more plausible although no less lame! Man Mountain Rock wins with the Armbar (err, Whammybar…ugh)
Stephanie Wiand announces the Fabulous Moolah will be the first female inductee into the WWF Hall of Fame. Plus Former WWF World Champ Pedro Morales, legendary manager The Grand Wizard, and George “The Animal” Steele will be inducted. The 1995 WWF Hall of Fame induction ceremony is going down the night before King of the Ring ’95.
From the legends of the World Wrestling Federation, we go to the debut of the newest members of the New Generation. Could Techno Team 2000 one day be inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame?
While we ponder that, Bob Backlund storms by Man Mountain Rock’s dressing room. He destroys Man Mountain’s guitar. Backlund cuts another crazy old man, screaming promo. It ends with Bob Backlund tripping and knocking over the cameraman. LOL
Techno Team 2000 Vs John Khrystal and Mike Khoury
Techno Team 2000 are two guys from the future, Troy & Travis (Erik Watts & Chad Fortune). Vince & Lawler kind of seem to realize that this is a hopeless gimmick right away and spend most of the match talking about the Kiss My Foot match. Techno Team 2000 win with a bodyslam/moonsault combo. So now I know Techno Team 2000’s finisher. This might very well be their last RAW in-ring appearance. Although time will tell whether or not they’ll be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
Backstage, Man Mountain Rock is distraught that Bob Backlund destroyed his guitar. Rock will get revenge!
King of the Ring Tournament Qualifier: Yokozuna (With Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji) Vs Lex Luger (with Scotty Anton)
Yes, Scotty Anton is the future American Male and WCW Tag Team Champ Scotty Riggs. Vince points out that Scotty is a wrestler from Atlanta who idolizes Lex Luger. The fact that a twentysomething male is waving the flag instead of the usual awkward pubescent kind of tips us to the fact that the flag bearer’s gonna be taking a bump…Vince mentions that Dr. James Andrews not only performed surgery on Diesel but performed surgery on Lex Luger as well in the past. Lawler wants Diesel checked for steel plates before King of the Ring. Vince says Yokozuna’s current weight at the time is 641 pounds. Yowzers. Luger looks like he has Yokozuna finished with the running forearm but Fuji slaps Scotty Anton. Anton way oversells a slap from a 60 year old man. Luger runs out and saves the day for the future Scotty Riggs and decks Cornette for good measure. Yoko leg drops Luger on the floor for a countout victory. SIGN OF THE AMERICAN DOWNFALL! JAPAN IS NUMBER ONE! Yokozuna is going to the King of the Ring! Not bad for what it was.
Vince McMahon hypes next week’s show. Lawler wants to show his training footage. The King is in his royal stable with some horses. Lawler’s walking around in horseshit. YECK! HOW DID WCW THINK THEY COULD COMPETE WITH THIS!? We then get footage of Lawler humiliating Aldo Montoya on Superstars and making Aldo kiss his feet. Lawler also humiliated Aldo a year later during King’s feud with Jake Roberts. Maybe Lawler bore a grudge against the Portuguese?
This show just felt overstuffed. Lots of stuff happening for a one hour show and not much of it (outside the Waylon Mercy promo and the main event) being any good.
Next Week on RAW: It’s the final RAW before King of the Ring ’95! In the featured match, Sycho Sid and Tatanka take on The New Headshrinkers plus The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels in action!
