–Vince McMahon and Dok Hendrix are in the booth and they are taped from Des Moines, Iowa. These tapings occurred on April 25. Thehistoryofwwe.com says that 4,500 people attended the tapings but that they were “papered,” meaning that the company gave away free tickets for people to show up to the arena.
–McMahon and Hendrix discuss Diesel’s WWF title defense against Bam Bam Bigelow on RAW and how Bigelow was kicked out of the Million Dollar Corporation after the bout.
–Opening Contest: Sid (w/Ted DiBiase) pins Aldo Montoya (8-3) after a powerbomb at 1:53:
This is Sid’s first match since returning to the company several months ago as Shawn Michaels bodyguard. As expected, Sid destroys the much smaller Montoya, hurling him out of the ring with a chokeslam and then dropping him throat-first across the ring apron before the finish. The match showed that Montoya was just a lower midcarder who was not going to be rising through the ranks anytime soon.
–Stephanie Wiand encourages people to attend the Nassau Coliseum, Madison Square Gardens, and Meadowlands shows on June 9, 10, and 11. The Nassau Coliseum will see a twenty-man battle royal, with the winner facing Diesel later in the evening for the WWF title. At Madison Square Garden Diesel will defend the WWF title against Sid. Also, Adam Bomb challenges Jeff Jarrett for the Intercontinental title. And in the Meadowlands, Diesel, the Undertaker, and Bam Bam Bigelow face Tatanka, Kama, and Sid. The Smoking Gunns will also receive a chance to regain the WWF tag team titles against Owen Hart and Yokozuna.
–The Allied Powers are shown talking to their flag bearers backstage.
–Bob Backlund plays some volleyball with college students on the beach and tries to teach them vocabulary.
–The Allied Powers (5-0) defeat The Brooklyn Brawler & The Black Phantom after the British Bulldog pins the Phantom after a running powerslam at 2:58:
The Brawler fares better here than he did against the Smoking Gunns on RAW, managing to tag in the Phantom after taking a small beating at the hands of Lex Luger. McMahon and Hendrix continue to put over the Allied Powers as tag team title contenders although they do not have a match signed for In Your House. Luger is put in peril for about twenty seconds and a few blind charges by the Phantom result in the Phantom getting drilled into the canvas with a powerslam at the hands of the Bulldog and the Allied Powers remain undefeated.
–Hunter-Hearst Helmsley, sitting in a nice living room somewhere, says that we are not listening to the message of civility that he is trying to preach.
–Hakushi (w/Shinja) (12-0) pins Kwang (2-1) after a flying senton bomb at 5:28:
McMahon hypes this “as the battle of the Shoguns” as an ode to the Hakushi-Kwang team that lasted all of one match two weeks ago. Kwang does not appear with Harvey Wippleman, with McMahon and Hendrix speculating whether Wippleman’s love of Bertha Faye has caused him to neglect his other wrestler. Hakushi works to methodically wear down Kwang, kicking his lower extremities and working a chinlock, and it hardly makes for an exciting encounter. Kwang tries to rally but his spinning heel kick eats buckle and Hakushi wipes him out with a much more devastating senton bomb than he has used in recent weeks. This would be Kwang’s last television appearance as Juan Rivera, who played the gimmick, would be repackaged. Rating: *
–Jimmy del Ray and Bret Hart are shown getting ready backstage for their encounter on this week’s show.
–A Man Mountain Rock vignette shows him playing with some big speakers.
–Jean-Pierre LaFitte (3-0) pins Gary Scott after Le Cannonball at 2:22:
Helen Demeter is today’s special fan ring announcer and for some reason McMahon finds her announcing funny, cracking his exaggerated laugh. LaFitte works much more quickly in this squash, landing on his feet when Scott backdrops him out of the ring and tearing into his opponent, using a DDT to setup his Cannonball finish. Based on the crowd reaction of “oooohhh” you can tell that LaFitte’s finisher is getting over even if the gimmick he is sporting is rather silly and dated.
–Stephanie Wiand continues putting over the New York area house show circuit.
–Bret Hart (3-1-1) beats Jimmy Del Ray (w/Jim Cornette & Tom Prichard) via submission to the Sharpshooter at 5:22:
Since Bret needs a warmup match for In Your House the company polishes off its easy go-to for a “feature match” by putting him against one-half of a tag team, in this case the Heavenly Bodies. Bret puts on a nice wrestling clinic with Del Ray, absorbing very little punishment, before blocking a monkey flip out of the corner and applying the Sharpshooter. It is really a shame that the company did not give these two ten minutes or more as they could have put together a much better match. Even more curious was the absence of any interference from Cornette or Prichard. Rating: **
–Hendrix interviews Bret, who says that he will confront Jerry Lawler on RAWand will settle this dispute over whether he is too much of a coward to face him at In Your House.
–Tune in next week to see Owen Hart & Yokozuna defend the tag team titles against the New Headshrinkers! We will also see the Undertaker in action, as well as the Superstars debuts of Hunter-Hearst Helmsley and Bertha Faye!
The Last Word: Although the in-ring work was pedestrian, the show did a good job advancing major storylines for the In Your House pay-per-view in two weeks. Sid went over in a big way and Bret Hart and Hakushi got significant wins as well. Jean-Pierre LaFitte is also showing improvement in squashes as he tries to find the best offense for his character.
Up Next: The Action Zone for April 30, 1995!