Connor McGrath
WWF Monday Night RAW
March 6th, 1995 (Taped February 20th, 1995)
Taped from the Coliseum in Macon, Georgia
Announcers: Vince McMahon and Jim Cornette
We’re less than a month away from WrestleMania XI but tonight, we got unfinished business from Royal Rumble ’95 and the first two men to enter the match and the last men standing, Shawn Michaels and British Bulldog are facing off in a HUGE featured match!
The show opens with footage from last week of Bam Bam Bigelow directly challenging Lawrence Taylor to appear at the WrestleMania XI Press Conference… tonight, we bring LT’s SHOCKING remarks about his match with Bam Bam Bigelow. Plus comments from WWF World Champion Diesel and his opponent at WrestleMania, Shawn Michaels and HBK’s bodyguard SID… that’s the same Shawn Michaels, who is in our featured match tonight.
“The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith Vs Shawn Michaels (with Psycho Sid)
Cornette does a fantastic job of being frightened of SID. One of my first moments of questioning wrestling announcer’s logic was Vince McMahon being APPALLED at Michaels screwing Bulldog over at the end of the ’95 Rumble. Yeah, I guess it’s a little bit underhanded to throw a guy out from behind his back but it was hard for me to feel bad for Bulldog because he was too stupid to notice whether or not Shawn Michaels’ feet touched the floor. As I type this, Vince McMahon tells us we can find out ourselves when Royal Rumble ’95, comes out of VHS on Coliseum Video on Wednesday. Nice synergy with this week’s main event booking!
Vince & Cornette talk about Pamela Anderson’s recent marriage to Tommy Lee of Motley Crue to show us that this show is TOTALLY LIVE! Vince McMahon wonders what Tommy Lee thinks of Pamela appearing in the corner of Shawn Michaels. This match isn’t as good as their ’96 PPV series but it’d be impossible for these two guys to have a bad match against each other. Michaels does a fantastic job bumping around for Bulldog. Cornette asks if this is rasslin or championship ping pong? I’ve never seen the heel lackey tactic that HBK and SID use of pulling the rope away when the boss has his opponent in a rest hold so it’s harder for the opponent to reach. Kind of a neat little touch. Michaels wins with a back kick after Sid attacks Bulldog outside the ring. Ah yes, it was still a back kick then, not yet The Sweet Chin Music.
Vince McMahon in goofy ass suit coat with striped sweater underneath combo is appalled at what he just saw! He throws it to Todd Pettingell for our first WrestleMania XI Report. The Toddster recaps the WrestleMania XI Press Conference… right after our commercial break.
OK, OK, Bam Bam, stop calling me a dweeb, I’ll buy some Slim Jims even if you’re no Macho Man.
Alright, we’re back. Todd says ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, ESPN, Fox, and even the Howard Stern Show were at the WrestleMania XI Press Conference! Diesel cuts a droll, dry babyface promo about living your dreams. I wonder how hungover Nash was for this… Michaels responds. Bam Bam Bigelow thinks LT is just a flash in the pan. LT! LT is here! He’s not going to let any EASTER EGG disrespect him. LT believes in showing respect to people and what Bam Bam did in Tampa was uncalled for! LT and Bam Bam shake hands and LT gives Bammer a kiss on the cheek. Aw, how sweet.
We have more WrestleMania news. Is it more match announcements? No! It’s celebrities announced for WrestleMania XI! Pamela Anderson will acocompany Shawn Michaels to the ring! NYPD Blue‘s Nick Turturo will be sure justice is served! Man of the House star Jonathan Taylor Thomas will be in the house and alternative rock group Fishbone will play the National Anthem.
Todd asks Bob Backlund if he has some words for us before his match coming up next. Bob Backlund is ready to lambaste another plebian! OK, then!
An ad for the second WWF Fan Festival at the Hartford Civic Center Exhibition Center, WrestleMania XI week! Pretend to wrestle your friends and have Mike Chioda referee! Hang out with the Smoking Gunns! Stand in front of a lifesized Andre The Giant cutout! Buy WWF Official Merchandise! Call the Hartford Civic Center Box Office at *NUMBER NO LONGER ACTIVE* TODAY!
Bob Backlund Vs Buck Quartermaine
Jim Cornette and Vince talk about LT’s All Star Team featuring Reggie White, Steve McMichael, Ken Norton Jr, Chris Spielman, and Carl Banks. They’ll be there to back LT up against the Million Dollar Corporation. Cornette thinks these football players are out of their league! Cornette says LT can impress him by strapping a bucket of fried chicken to his back and riding a motor scooter. Uhhh…
Vince McMahon has BREAKING NEWS! Bob Backlund is going to WrestleMania to face Bret Hart in a… I QUIT Match. Vince McMahon is flabbergasted. Cornette explains the rules. Vince says, “That’s right… a SUBMISSION Match at WrestleMania.” Oh man. No wonder why that match sucked. Vince McMahon also says The Undertaker Vs King Kong Bundy has been announced for WrestleMania XI. Why didn’t they hype these matches during the actual WrestleMania XI report instead of talking about how Nick Turturo would be in the house for the show?
Crowd chants “Opie” and Backlund freaks out. Backlund’s list gets busted during this match. Backlund puts Quartermaine in the Chicken Wing. He says “I quit,” but not “I quit, Mr. Backlund,” so Backlund won’t let go. Jim Cornette says Bob Backlund will make that RACIST Bret Hart quit at WrestleMania.
Next week, accused racist Bret Hart takes on the guy who accused him of racism, actual racist Jerry Lawler in our main event. There’s bad blood between these two! It’s all going to boil over next week!
Duke “The Dumpster” Droese Vs Steven Dunn (with Harvey Whippleman)
*closeup on Duke’s trashcan”
Vince: No, it’s not kick the can! It’s Monday Night RAW!
Cornette rightfully chews him out for making such a lame joke. Jim Cornette then hypes Duckman and calls him a personal friend. Vince & Cornette have another of Cornette’s personal friends, Jerry Lawler on the phone. Lawler says he has proof that Bret Hart is a racist and he’ll show us next week! Lawler makes some Stu & Helen Hart jokes and Vince hangs up on Lawler in disgust. Duke wins with a Trash Compactor. This is definitely one of those matches that just served as something for the announcers to talk about other storylines over. Another example of that; any WCW undercard match from 1996 to 2001. Steven Dunn dumps the contents out of Duke’s trash can. Duke scares him off. Hey, wait! Duke’s found a $100 bill in his trashcan! Fans yell at him to pass it on but Duke pickets it because hey $100 went a long way if you were on the WWF roster in 1995… or WWE roster in 2014 apparently…
Anyway, does this lead to some angle I forgot where The Million Dollar Corporation goes after Duke because he pocketed a hundo that Ted DiBiase accidentally threw away? I sure hope not..
We get a WrestleMania XI ad parodying NYPD Blue with Nicholas Turturo, centered around Mr. Fuji & Paul Bearer in drag. HOW DID WCW THINK THEY COULD COMPETE WITH THIS!?
Show closes with a montage of the WrestleMania XI Press Conference and tonight’s RAW set to Linda McMahon’s theme.
Next Week on RAW: RAW is live from Stockton, California! Bret Hart takes on Jerry “The King” Lawler in our featured match plus The New Headshrinkers Vs The Blu Twins and the WWF’s favorite lovable loser Barry Horowitz takes on Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett!
