–Vince McMahon, Mr. Perfect, and Jim Ross are calling today’s action, which is taped from Salisbury, Maryland.
–Marty Jannetty gives Razor Ramon a leather jacket backstage and asks for Ramon’s help against the 1-2-3 Kid. Ramon agrees to the idea and agrees to watch Jannetty’s back as long as Jannetty watches his in the weeks ahead. It seems like this angle ran behind their television storylines as McMahon already told fans on RAW that Ramon and Jannetty would be facing Sid and the Kid at In Your House.
–Savio Vega is shown in the Spanish commentary booth.
-Opening Non-Title Contest: Razor Ramon (Intercontinental Champion) (w/Marty Jannetty) (22-7-1) beats Ken Rafer after a Razor’s Edge at 2:19:
Ramon has little difficulty dispatching Rafer in a match that sees Sid and the 1-2-3 Kid wander out and watch the action. Jannetty trades some words with them as Ramon wins and then both babyfaces taunt the heels from inside of the ring.
–McMahon provides some editorial commentary in response to a recent story by sports editorialist Phil Mushnick of The New York Post that said there was witness tampering and obstruction of justice in McMahon’s steroid trial a year earlier. McMahon says that Mushnick is a “journalistic stalker” and that federal prosecutors and officials are not the good guys, noting that they were “keystone cops” who wasted taxpayer dollars.
–Bob Backlund is shown campaigning in the crowd.
–Footage of King Mabel stealing the Undertaker’s urn on RAW is shown.
–Handicap Match: King Mabel (w/Sir Mo) defeated Dave Thornberg & Jerry Faith after pinning Thornberg following a belly-to-belly suplex at 2:06:
The commentators announce that Mabel will face the Undertaker in a casket match at In Your House to settle their feud. Brother Love says that he has a surprise on RAW as Mabel annihilates his jobber opponents, squashing them against the turnbuckles before finishing Thornberg with the usual.
–Barry Didinski encourages fans to buy a life size cut out of the Undertaker or Diesel for $25 (plus shipping & handling)! Mabel is not a fan of the cut outs as he knocks the Diesel one over and rips up the Undertaker. This was not the best product placement as it made these cardboard cut outs look very fragile.
–Clips of Bret Hart’s recent appearance on Lonesome Dove are shown, as well as how Bob Backlund attacked the WWF Champion on the Brother Love Show on RAW. The commentators then discuss the WWF title situation, with the Undertaker and Diesel both wanting title shots against Bret.
–Call 1-900-370-2000 to get a travel package to the Royal Rumble. Each call is ninety-nine cents!
–Ahmed Johnson, dressed up in holiday gear, tells fans to not drink and drive.
–Ahmed Johnson (3-0) pins Jason Arhndt after a Pearl River Plunge at 2:01:
As Ahmed makes his entrance, Dean Douglas gives a promo in the split screen where he promises to give him a wrestling lesson at In Your House. Ahmed diversifies his arsenal in this squash, giving Arhndt some rolling German suplexes before finishing him off. Ross tells fans that Ahmed’s tigerbomb finisher is called the Pearl River Plunge.
–Owen Hart (w/Jim Cornette & Mr. Fuji) (8-4-1) beats Matt Hardy via submission to the Sharpshooter at 2:44:
The WWF is no longer relying on Slam Jam segments to put over its major house shows in the Northeast as Ross tells fans in the New York area that on January 26 Bret Hart will defend the WWF title against Diesel in a cage match. The Hardy Boys would typically get some offense in their appearances, but that is not the case today as Owen runs through his major hits to build momentum for his appearance in an open contract match at In Your House.
–Ross interviews Bob Backlund in the crowd, with Backlund being perturbed that Ross did not address him as “Mr. Bob Backlund.” When Ross goes to end the interview, Backlund gets in his face and puts him in the crossface chicken wing. This prompts Savio Vega to hop the guardrail and break the hold.
–Duke Droese (14-4) pins Reginald Walker after a sidewalk slam at 3:04:
McMahon acknowledges that Droese’s appearances have been sporadic on WWF television as of late, last appearing on Superstars on October 28. Walker gets some extended offense, although his blows look very weak and he botches a blind charge that leads to Droese taking out the trash, albeit this time with a sidewalk slam instead of the tilt-a-whirl powerslam that Droese typically uses to end matches.
–A replay of the Shawn Michaels video package that aired on RAW is shown.
–Sid & the 1-2-3 Kid (w/Ted DiBiase) beat Barry Horowitz & Hakushi (1-0) when the Kid pins Horowitz after a Sid powerbomb at 6:21 shown:
Horowitz has not had much success outside of the Skip feud, losing his last four television bouts and chants for him are noticeably less vocal than they were during the summer. Sid and the Kid work the match like Owen Hart and Yokozuna, with the Kid being the vulnerable member of the team and Sid being a game changer when he is tagged in. Horowitz and Hakushi are completely overmatched, with Hakushi going on dream street after a Sid chokeslam and Sid puts a quick stop to a Horowitz comeback to pave the way for his team’s victory. Giving the Kid the winning pin is great heel work as well, making him even more insufferable for fans. Rating: *
–A replay of Bob Backlund putting Jim Ross in the crossface chicken wing is shown.
–Tune in next week to see Bob Backlund face Savio Vega! Also, Diesel will face Rad Radford and the British Bulldog will be in action!
The Last Word: The highlight of this show was Bob Backlund snapping on Jim Ross and since that segment lasted just a couple of minutes it was not enough to carry the broadcast. Backlund has not had a marquee matchup in a while, but I do not have a lot of hope for next week’s encounter because Backlund had been stalling a bunch on the house show circuit since WrestleMania. The main event put over Sid and the 1-2-3 Kid strongly, though, which was necessary for the In Your House build.
The house show circuit went through the Midwest at the end of November and early December and here were the results of some of those shows (courtesy of thehistoryofwwe.com):
Wheeling, West Virginia – The Civic Center – November 28, 1995 (2,900): Hunter-Hearst Helmsley won a battle royal after the Undertaker eliminated Yokozuna and eliminated himself. Helmsley hid underneath the ring before sliding back in to win the match…Hakushi beat Bob Holly…Ahmed Johnson defeated Rad Radford…Goldust beat Marty Jannetty…Owen Hart defeated Barry Horowitz…The 1-2-3 Kid beat Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon via count out…The British Bulldog beat Diesel via disqualification…WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns beat Kama & Isaac Yankem…The Undertaker defeated Yokozuna via count out…WWF Champion Bret Hart beat Hunter Hearst Helmsley via submission to the Sharpshooter.
Cleveland, Ohio – The Gund Arena – December 1, 1995 (4,500): Fatu, Barry Horowitz & Hakushi defeated Kama, Isaac Yankem & Skip…Goldust pinned Bob Holly with a roll up…Ahmed Johnson beat Rad Radford…Savio Vega pinned Bob Backlund with a small package…Hunter-Hearst Helmsley defeated Henry Godwinn with the Flair pin in a slop bucket match…The 1-2-3 Kid pinned Marty Jannetty…The British Bulldog defeated Diesel via disqualification when Diesel slammed the Bulldog’s head into an unprotected turnbuckle…WWF Tag Team Champions the Smoking Gunns beat Owen Hart & Yokozuna…Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon beat Sid via disqualification when Ted DiBiase and the 1-2-3 Kid interfered…WWF Champion Bret Hart defeated the Undertaker via disqualification when the British Bulldog and Owen Hart interfered.
And here were some news items as the WWF headed into early December (courtesy of The Wrestling Observer for December 11):
*Former Smoky Mountain Wrestling (SMW) Heavyweight Champion Buddy Landel is getting a look from the WWF, who will be bringing him in for television tapings on December 18 and 19 and is also going to book him for the Royal Rumble. The latter was going to happen even if SMW did not fold as the company was going to have a tournament for an entry into the match and Landel was going to win it.
*Since the WWF needs tag teams, the SMW team of the Headbangers will reportedly get a tryout in the near future.
*Bruce Prichard of WWF creative was backstage at an Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) show in Reading, Pennsylvania on December 1.
*The WWF has been sending some of its talent to Carlos Colon’s World Wrestling Council (WWC) promotion in recent weeks. Some superstars that have been lent out include Hakushi and King Mabel. Mabel was booked to wrestle Colon for the Universal title there.
*Bret Hart-Undertaker main events have drawn disappointing crowds throughout Ohio.
*Pat Patterson is officially retiring and moving to Florida. The recent push given to Bob Backlund on WWF television has been his idea.
*Dean Douglas is suffering from two fractured vertebrae in his back. This latest injury could cause him to leave the wrestling business.
Up Next: Monday Night RAW for December 4, 1995!