–A video package hypes tonight’s Razor Ramon-Sid matchup that has the 1-2-3 Kid as the referee. Vince McMahon announces interim WWF President Gorilla Monsoon has grown suspicious of the 1-2-3 Kid’s actions after a recent house show tour and has decided that tonight’s match will not be for the Intercontinental Championship. More on this storyline development at the end of the recap.
–Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are calling tonight’s action and are concluding the tapings in Brandon, Manitoba, Canada since Survivor Series is this Sunday.
–Opening Contest: Hunter-Hearst Helmsley (22-0) wrestles Henry Godwinn (25-6-2) to a double count out at 1:34:
Godwinn counters Helmsley trying to spray him with perfume by slopping himself, a brilliant strategy in terms of the booking of this feud. The Greenwich blue blood does not kindly react to that and runs away, with Godwinn chasing him to the locker room.
–Dok Hendrix does a final big hype for Survivor Series.
–Ahmed Johnson is shown warming up backstage by lifting a ringside guardrail.
–A video package recaps Shawn Michaels having to forfeit the Intercontinental title at In Your House 4 and how he is one of the “most exciting athletes in the WWF today.”
–Ahmed Johnson beats Jake Steele after a Pearl River Plunge at 2:27:
This is Ahmed’s debut and Shawn Michaels cuts a promo in the split screen about how he looks forward to teaming with him at Survivor Series. Ahmed does not sell Steele’s offense, appears to kill him with a spinebuster, and gets a big pop for a tigerbomb finisher, which would later be called the Pearl River Plunge.
–McMahon interviews Ahmed, who says that Sid and the British Bulldog better not mess with him at Survivor Series.
–Barry Didinski is once again trying to get fans to buy a 1996 WWF calendar. Buy yours and get some Diesel shades and gloves!
–Diesel and Bret Hart square off in a taped, video interview segment that is moderated by McMahon. Bret whines about his 1994 Survivor Series loss and how his mother shouldn’t have been able to throw in the towel because she was not designated to do that. The best part of the segment is where Diesel tells Bret not to toot his own horn about taking him to the limit because Shawn Michaels did that at WrestleMania. This segment did not look good for either guy because neither of them looked comfortable in front of the camera, Diesel looked like he did not want to be there, and the segment went too long.
–McMahon and Lawler face off in Karate Fighters. Lawler initially wins but the finish is overruled when it is discovered that Lawler taped the foot of his Karate Fighter to its platform.
–Highlights of Mabel beating up the Undertaker a few months on RAW are shown. The Undertaker delivers a taped promo promising vengeance at Survivor Series.
–King Mabel (w/Sir Mo) (12-2-1) pins Roy Raymond after a belly-to-belly suplex at 3:01:
Mabel destroys Raymond with some big power moves in this squash, with Lawler putting over the Royals chances against the Dark Side at Survivor Series. Lawler starts ranting about the Cleveland Browns relocating to Baltimore at the end of the match for no good reason.
–Footage of Razor Ramon & the 1-2-3 Kid losing to WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns on Superstars is shown.
–Non-Title Match with the 1-2-3 Kid as the Special Guest Referee: Sid (w/Ted DiBiase) (7-4) defeats Razor Ramon (Intercontinental Champion) (22-6-1) after a powerbomb at 9:49 shown:
These guys have a backstory since Sid attacked Ramon before a scheduled match between the two shortly after WrestleMania XI. Veterans of wrestling that watched this match could likely anticipate the outcome, especially because the provision of how the Intercontinental title was on the line was removed. Ramon survives a long and slow Sid beatdown and dangerously folds Sid up with an electric chair drop. Ramon gets Sid up for the Razor’s Edge, but the Kid pulls Sid down, turning heel to the shock of fans in attendance, and quick counts Ramon’s shoulders after a Sid powerbomb. After the match, DiBiase stuffs a $5 bill down Ramon’s throat and the Kid takes it for himself. Rating: *½
–The announcers discuss the Kid’s heel turn and recap it for the audience.
–Jim Ross interviews Jim Cornette, Mr. Fuji, Dean Douglas, Owen Hart, and Yokozuna, but before he can get much out of them Ramon comes backstage and attacks Douglas as the show goes off the air.
–Tune in next week to see Shawn Michaels face Owen Hart!
The Last Word: According to Dave Meltzer, the plan for this show initially called for Sid to be awarded the Intercontinental title but the company decided to switch plans at the last second. This is why they had to create a cover story of Monsoon switching the stipulation of the match. Sid was reportedly not pleased at that news and the locker room morale got worse because the rumor that circulated at the time was that Hunter-Hearst Helmsley, who was working with Razor Ramon on the house show circuit, was going to be the one to dethrone the Bad Guy as the new champion, thereby keeping the major titles of the promotion in the hands of the Kliq. Aside from that, the Kid’s heel turn was effective and did a lot to freshen up his character, which had grown very stale by late 1995. The Kid’s turn also gives a little more balance to the face-heel split in the roster which is slowly returning to level ground as the year winds down.
Monday Night War Rating: 2.6 (vs. 2.0 for Nitro – Sting vs. Dean Malenko)
Up Next: WWF Superstars for November 18, 1995!