Connor McGrath
WWF Monday Night RAW
April 3rd, 1995
Live from the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, NY
Announcers: Vince McMahon and Jim Cornette
It’s the first RAW after WrestleMania XI. Nowadays, it’s commonly accepted that the RAW after WrestleMania is the biggest of the year but that wasn’t the case for the first two years. The first RAW after a WrestleMania in ’93 was taped two weeks before the show and featured a ho hum (star power-wise) Bam Bam Bigelow Vs Virgil and The Steiners Vs Beverly Brothers double main event. The RAW after WrestleMania X in ’94 was main evented by a Quebecers-Bushwhackers non-titles match. Both shows just served to hype the WrestleMania replays and were hardly must see television. However, tonight’s RAW would help create the reputation of the RAW after Mania being one of the biggest of the year… We got three feature matches plus one of the most memorable angles of the era. Let’s get it started!
The show opens with stills of WrestleMania XI. Noticeable here is the logo at the bottom of the screen has switched to the blue and yellow New Generation era logo. We’ve seen it on clips from the syndicated show but for some reason, RAW didn’t make the switch till now. Vince talks about LT-Bam Bam, Diesel-HBK, and the new tag team champions Owen Hart and Yokozuna? All the WrestleMania XI news and MORE tonight!
We’re live tonight from Poughkeepsie. Jim Cornette is our color commentator tonight. He is a happy man. The proud manager of the new WWF Tag Team Champs. Yokozuna has returned just like Michael Jordan.
I said the set changed with this show but I was wrong! They still retained the multicolored florescent set here. I think they might have kept it until the beginning of the Monday Night Wars.
Bob Holly (with the 123 Kid) Vs Hakushi (with Shinja)
Vince McMahon has no idea why 123 Kid is hanging out at ringside. Hakushi apparently recently attacked Bret Hart at a press conference in front of the Japanese media. Hakushi is undefeated to this point, at least on TV. The ring ropes seem slightly looser than usual for this match. Owen Hart & Yokozuna wander down to ringside. Vince McMahon wants to know WHAT THE MEANING OF THIS IS? Cornette says they just want a closer look at this scintillating Hakushi-Spark Plugg Holly match. Owen Hart tries to jump 123 Kid but Kid nails him with a martial arts kick. Yokozuna waddles to the aid of his new buddy Owen and kicks the Kid. Hakushi wins with a running senton on Holly after Yoko trips up Spark Plugg. Vince wants to know what’s going on here!
Lord Alfred Hayes narrates an ad for WrestleMania XI merchandise.
Jim Ross is here with our final WrestleMania XI Report. Jim Ross is the greatest announcer of all time and all but he’s surprisingly somehow so much worse at these hype segments than Todd. I always thought being a great hype man is similar enough to being a great play by play announcer but definitely not the case. Mean Gene was not very good at play by play!
JR talks over stills of LT Vs Bam Bam. A sullen Bam Bam doesn’t know what will happen with him and the Million Dollar Corporation after he lost to LT. Bam Bam teases a face turn. JR also talks over stills of the I Quit Match. You know the stills of this match weren’t less exciting than the actual match in motion. JR narrates over stills of King Kong Bundy Vs Undertaker. Stills of that match were probably more exciting than the match in motion! JR says WrestleMania will be repeated one week from tomorrow night! Now back to Vince.
Vince McMahon introduces the World Wrestling Federation Champion Diesel! Vince says WWF runs on Diesel Power. Yeah, runs into the ground. Diesel says he might not be the World Wrestling Federation Champion tonight if it weren’t for SID. Diesel says he wants to give Shawn Michaels a rematch. Diesel makes nice with HBK which is sudden. Diesel tells Shawn that SID is NOT his friend. Diesel tells HBK to not take Karl Malden’s (?) advice! Take Big Daddy Cool’s advice! Leave SID home for the rematch!
New WWF: New Generation ad where some pretentious, old British fops wax poetic about the WWF. I don’t see how this was supposed to bring in fans. Jim Cornette smartly says these old folks seem like people who would hang out with Lord Alfred Hayes. Hey, Lord Alfred Hayes should have been in this ad…
The Allied Powers Vs Well Dunn (with Harvey Whippleman)
Vince tells Cornette to take a look at the FUTURE Tag Team Champs: Lex Luger and Davey Boy Smith. Cornette says if the Allies in World War II performed like the Allied Powers, we’d be speaking German! Dang. Jim Cornette can’t remember Uncle Zeb’s full name, calling him Uncle Zebediah. Damn liberal. Cornette says Harvey Whippleman knows this is the match where Well Dunn can make a name for themselves! They can say they beat the team that beat the Blu Twins! Well, nevermind. Allied Powers win with a Hart Attack.
Jenny McCarthy and Jonathan Taylor Thomas talk about what a great time they had from WrestleMania. Pamela Anderson seems as bored as she did in all of our appearances with WWF. Nick Turturo just looks excited to be on television. Nick Turturo might be back! He might be back at WrestleMania. Um, so far, not yet… but maybe if there’s a wave of NYPD Blue nostalgia in the next few years. Hey, the ’90s are hip again!
WWF Women’s Title Match: Bull Nakano (c) Vs Alundra Blayze
Vince wonders where Cornette is. Ah, Cornette rushes back to the booth to announce that a six man tag has been signed for next week between his team of Hakushi, Owen Hart, and Yokozuna and the team of Bret Hart, 123 Kid, and Bob Holly. I always thought Nakano and Blayze’s matches get kind of lost in the shuffle since Blayze’s acrimonious departure from the company. Discussion of the history of women wrestling in WWF usually jumps from “Hey! Wendy Richter was really popular for a minute” to “Hey! Sable was really popular for a minute”. These two had some damn good matches though. Alundra Blayze wins with a bridging German suplex to win the WWF Women’s Title for a second time and send Bull back to Japan. Some mysterious fan attacks Alundra Blayze. This woman is even bigger than Bull Nakano! She also wears face paint that kind of looks like Ace Frehley’s! Vince wonders if we’re still on! Uh, this angle ended up not going so well but the start was good! This match was good too!
An ad for the WrestleMania XI Encore Plus Replay, hosted by “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, next Tuesday!
Men on a Mission Vs Ben Jordan and Tony Roy
MOM attack the jobbers before the bell. MOM have gotten rid of Oscar and turned their backs on the fan. They’re still wearing “Whoomp! There It Is!” pajamas though. Cornette quotes Pork Chop Cash. Vince McMahon tells us to get our pens and papers out because he’s gonna tell us how we can win a house. MOM win after Mabel squashes Roy.
We get a look at a house in Orlando, Florida. WWF is giving it away! This segues into our first ad for WWF’s newest pay per view, In Your House, Sunday May 14th. Vince points out that’s Mother’s Day. What better way to celebrate with your mama than watching Diesel rassle SID? Vince gives us the address for the In Your House house giveaway.
Jim Cornette shills Baby Ruth candy bars. Too bad Dairy Queen didn’t sponsor RAW…
Vince McMahon is in the ring to interview Shawn Michaels and his bodyguard SID. Cornette is frightened to be left alone with SID in the building. Michaels is sore from getting powerbombed by Diesel last night. Shawn Michaels also seems like he’s made up with Diesel somewhat but he’s also acting like a dick still. Shawn Michaels says he doesn’t need a bodyguard! He got here on his own merits. He doesn’t need SID, a guy who cost him the World Wrestling Federation Championship. HBK tells SID to stay home. SID doesn’t like that! He calls HBK a STUPID LITTLE PUKE! Vince wants everyone to cool off and go to commercial. SID says he DOESN”T GET THE NIGHT OFF! ALL HE GETS IS RESPECT!
WE HAVE TO GO TO COMMERCIAL.
When we get back to the ring, Shawn Michaels is laid out with SID standing over him. Diesel runs in to make the save. Vince says YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE BREAK! We have to go! We’ll see what happened next week. Aw. What a tease.
Next Week on RAW: We’ll see what exactly happened when SID attacked Shawn Michaels! Plus a huge six man tag main event as Bret Hart teams with the 123 Kid & Bob Holly against Hakushi and new WWF Tag Team Champions Owen Hart & Yokozuna. Plus Adam Bomb takes on Tatanka!
