May 13, 1995
This show was billed as the “A Night to Remember” and the final show at the Boston Garden. Its also a fan-cam copy of the show. And it omits the following matches: Heavenly Bodies vs. The Bushwhackers and Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Phil Apollo.
Kwang w/ Harvey Whippleman vs. Man Mountain Rock w/ “Duke of Dorchester” Pete Doherty
Whippleman sporting a spicy brown mustard colored suit tonight. Let’s see if presence makes this match actually worse than it was in Providence. Rock isn’t over in Boston, either, as he gets some boos while talking about his first time in the Boston Garden as part of some pandering promo. We even have the Doherty scream something to pump up the crowd. Kwang attacks Rock before the bell. He chops and kicks as the guy behind the camera said this match was real bad last night and sounds like the same who filmed the Providence show. They trade clotheslines then Rock uses a snapmare but misses presumably an elbow drop as the camera missed the shot. Kwang uses chops in the corner but after that Rock no-sells a turnbuckle smash and fires away. Kwang cuts off Rock and we get some terrible-looking back and forth until Rock takes Kwang down and uses the Whammy Bar for the win (1:59) DUD.
Thoughts: It was really short but still terrible. And on this timeline, it will be the final time we see Kwang. And once again, Rock was not over with the crowd. And at a time when it seemed like they were going to push him again on TV and the crowds think he is lame.
The Roadie vs. Bob “Spark Plugg” Holly
Roadie bails before the bell and grabs a seat at ringside. Roadie returns and does a lot of stalling and even dances on the apron as the effort is really showing at the last show inside of the Boston Garden. The crowd boos as the repetitive action and at the 2:30 mark we finally get a lockup. Roadie cheap shots Holly after a break but Holly takes him over with a hip toss then a slam. Holly hits a pair of clotheslines as Roadie bails and takes a breather on the outside. Roadie returns and stalls in the corner until once again running outside. Holly chases him around the ring and gets attacked while trying to return. Roadie lands a chop before whipping Holly into the corner. Roadie taunts the crowd but Holly fights back. Holly ducks his head and Roadie suplexes him then hits a flying knee drop. Roadie taunts the crowd again then uses a flying headbutt for a two count. Roadie now uses a reverse chin lock but Holly escapes and lands a sunset flip for two. Roadie immediately clotheslines Holly then hits a jumping headbutt. Roadie uses a knee smash then a back drop but Holly comes back with a powerslam as both men are down. Holly wins a slug fest then pumps up the crowd. Holly gets two with a dropkick then lands mounted punches in the corner then tries for the flying body press but Roadie ducks then covers for the win (9:09) **.
Thoughts: Started off dull but settled down nicely. They even borrowed the same finish of Holly/Jarrett the night prior in Providence. Roadie needed a win seeing he was on the PPV and Holly was not. Roadie did a good job here too and sells like a champ. Since he lost to Jarrett last week and jobbing out on the weekend house shows, Holly is getting sent right down to the lower card.
Jerry “The King” Lawler & Hakushi w/ Shinja vs. Bret “The Hitman” Hart & British Bulldog
Before the match, Lawler shits on the Boston crowd and laughs about the Garden being torn down. Bret beats on Lawler to start. Lawler crawls outside so Bret chases him down and hammers away. Hakushi then provides the distraction and its 2 vs. 1 against Bret as Bulldog slowly heads across the ring then gets ordered back to the apron by the ref. Lawler taunts the crowd after a piledriver then covers for a two count. Hakushi tags and stomps Bret before hammering away in the corner. He hits the handspring back elbow smash then chokes out Bret in the corner. Hakushi taunts the crowd as they chant “USA” at him which, considering the only American in the match is Lawler, is quite ridiculous. Bret comes back with a Russian leg sweep as both men are down. Lawler tags in and cuts off a tag attempt by Bret but misses a fist drop. Lawler is able to attack Bret in his corner as the USA chants continue. The heels run interference as Bulldog has remained a useless partner to Bret so far in the match. Lawler rakes Bret’s face then hits a bulldog and follows with a flying fist drop that gets two. Man, that spot looked like shit. Hakushi comes in to drill Bret with a thrust kick and then drops him throat-first across of the top rope. Hakushi chokes out the ref while Lawler distracts the referee then its 2 vs. 1 on the Bret as Shinja runs around on the apron. Lawler now puts Bret in a front face lock and Bret is able to make the tag but Hakushi distracted the ref. Hakushi is in now, he never tagged, and applies the dreaded nerve hold. Bret escapes and uses a sunset flip for two but Hakushi gets right up and stomps away. Hakushi & Lawler continue to methodically beat on Bret and play mind games with this mental midget of a referee. Lawler goes up top again but takes too long and Bret hits him in midair. Bret then clotheslines Lawler after an inverted atomic drop and makes the tag. Bulldog runs wild and press slams Hakushi on top of Lawler. Bulldog now hits Lawler with the running powerslam but Hakushi makes the save. Lawler now holds up Bulldog for Hakushi as the ref was distracted but Hakushi accidentally hits Lawler with a flying shoulder block. Hakushi is tossed outside then Bret tags and puts Lawler in the Sharpshooter for the win (11:37) *1/2.
Thoughts: I did not like this match. Lawler & Hakushi lacked chemistry and Hakushi remains lost between moves and the action was really dull. And I do get it since Bret had to pace himself as he was working twice on PPV the next day but still, it wasn’t fun to watch. Bret sold most of the way but got to pin Lawler at least. Easy night for Bulldog though as he was in the ring for slightly over a minute.
WWF Intercontinental Title Ladder Match: Jeff Jarrett (c) w/ The Roadie vs. Razor Ramon
Before the match, Jarrett taunts the crowd then says the Boston Garden has saved the best for last in himself. Jarrett slugs Razor but ends up getting decked. Razor punches down Jarrett a few times until Jarrett rolls outside. Jarrett yanks out Razor but gets his head smashed off of the ring apron. Roadie helps Jarrett regain control then attacks Razor behind the ref’s back. The ref admonishes Roadie as Razor remains out on the floor then finally kicks him out. Razor gets back in the ring and Jarrett keeps whipping him into the corner. Jarrett then whiffs on a dropkick and Razor sends him over the top rope with a clothesline. Razor now grabs the ladder and is about to put it inside but Jarrett uses a baseball slide to knock it in Razor’s face. Jarrett heads out and tosses Razor into the ladder and continues to rough him up. Jarrett now slides the ladder into the ring and takes his sweet time setting it up. Razor crawls in and grabs Jarrett’s legs as he tried to climb but gets knocked down. Jarrett then hits a flying fist drop off of the third rung and after that takes the ladder and uses it to attack Razor’s ribs. Jarrett tries to climb the ladder but has to reposition then climbs again and ends up getting shoved off and hitting the ropes. They both climb up now and brawl until Razor tosses him off but in the process falls down himself. Both men are on the mat then Razor is up first and whips Jarrett into the ladder. Razor takes the ladder now and uses it to attack Jarrett, eventually taking him over the top rope and hitting the ref in a preposterous spot. Razor now sets up the ladder and climbs but Roadie runs down and shoves him up as Razor hits the ropes. Roadie carefully sets up the ladder and runs out to check on Jarrett then we see Jarrett get into the ring and slowly climb. Razor is up but Roadie is on the ground grabbing his legs. Razor finally fights off Roadie and runs in to knock Jarrett off of the ladder but it was too late as Jarrett had the belt (11:30) **1/4.
Thoughts: The middle was fun but the rest was slow and predictable but even still, cool to see a ladder match on a house show at a time when it was still very much a fresh concept.
The Headshrinkers w/ Capt/ Lou Albano vs. Jacob & Eli Blu w/ Uncle Zebekiah
Uncle Zebekiah assures the fans he will tell his nephews to slap them if they continue to boo then after that, Albano says Zebekiah to keep his mouth shut. Sionne and Eli start things off by bouncing off of each other a few times. Sionne no-sells a turnbuckle smash and drops Eli with headbutt. He then hits a powerslam and tags out as Fatu fires away. Eli comes back with a clothesline then tries a headbutt but Fatu gets funky and lands a headbutt of his own. Fatu dances now as he really has mastered footwear recently and tags back out. Jacob kicks Sionne from the apron in a telegraphed spot then beats on him from the outside while the ref was distracted. Jacob & Eli run interference to maintain control. Eli hits a powerslam for two as the fans behind the camera talk about tomorrow’s PPV, with one of them saying he heard Sid will be winning the title. Jacob puts Sionne on a chin lock as the crowd seems bored. Jacob eats boot on a charge in the corner then Sionne falls down as the crowd does not care in the slightest. Jacob goes back to the chin lock after a poor excuse of a snapmare. The crowd boos then Sionne hits a powerslam as both men are down. Eli is on and chokes out Sionne in the ropes but Sionne comes back with a clothesline and falls down. Sionne finally tags out and Fatu runs wild, showing some signs of life. Fatu then hits Eli with a piledriver for two but Jacob comes in and tosses him outside. Sionne comes off the top with a flying headbutt on Eli then Fatu rolls him and covers until Jacob makes the save. Jacob then gets dumped and Fatu hits a splash but the ref is distracted because Sionne went to get his attention and Jacob runs in for an attack then Eli covers for the win (12:15) 3/4*.
Thoughts: This was probably going to be a dud if not for Fatu, the only wrestler in this match that seemed to have a pulse. The parts with Sionne and Jacob were so awful. And all the retroactive love for Sionne/Barbarian is lost on me. Sure, he looked menacing but in a pro wrestling setting, lacked charisma in a bad way and couldn’t utilize his athleticism in the context of a wrestling match. I will say he did better in WCW teaming with Meng. Jacob & Eli Blu were pushed a little early but have shown little besides being big and the middle of the tag division continues to struggle. Actually, make that the entire tag division.
Kama w/ Ted DiBiase vs. The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
Kama gets Undertaker to chase him outside but ends up getting decked when returning to the ring. Undertaker hammers away in the corner and whips Kama around. Undertaker then uses the ropewalk attack and once again beats him down in the corner. Kama boots Undertaker and hits a suplex but Undertaker sits up and uses several throat thrusts. Kama ducks a flying clothesline then kicks Undertaker in the ribs. Undertaker is kicked outside then Kama kicks him off of the apron. Kama heads out to ram Undertaker’s back into the ring post then quickly rolls in and out of the ring to break the ref’s count so he can inflict more punishment. Kama taunts the crowd then Undertaker rolls inside and gets kicked. Kama punches away in the corner as DiBiase taunts the fans. Kama now chokes out Undertaker then drops a few elbows before stopping to look at the fans. Kama slams Undertaker for a two count as Undertaker sits up. Kama kicks Undertaker in the back then catches him with a bearhug to really spice things up. Undertaker is able to keep his arm raised on the third attempt by the ref then escapes with a bell clap. Kama puts him in a side headlock and Undertaker breaks that up with a Saito suplex as both men are down. Kama kicks Undertaker into the corner but eats boot on a charge. Undertaker then comes back with a clothesline. We now get a double clothesline spot and the ref counts but Undertaker sits up then boots Kama a few times in the gut. Undertaker then hits a flying clothesline and after that he tries the tombstone but Kama slips out. Kama then hits a belly-to-belly suplex as both men are down and Kama gets up first and hits a pair of elbow drops. Kama then says its over but Undertaker sits up. Kama punches away but whiffs on a big boot attempt and Undertaker hits a chokeslam. Undertaker leans on the ropes then looks over at Bearer before signaling for the tombstone. Undertaker then hits the tombstone and covers for the win (11:27) *3/4.
Thoughts: Despite the sluggish start it actually got a bit compelling down the stretch and finished as the best match you could expect from these two. Wade Keller reported in the “Pro Wrestling Torch” that Kama vs. Undertaker on the initial In Your House PPV card but they did wrestle in a match that made the VHS copy of the show it seems.
Tatanka w/ Ted DiBiase vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
Before the match, Tatanka also takes a shot at the Garden being knocked down then I cannot make out the rest of his promo. Bigelow gets attacked as he enters the ring but immediately fights back. He sends Tatanka through the ropes with a dropkick then we see the fire shoot off in the corners for Bigelow’s entrance. We then Chief Jay Strongbow is introduced by the ring announcer as Strongbow chops Tatanka few times in the aisle. Tatanka runs back in the ring and begs for mercy in the corner. Bigelow takes Tatanka down with a hip toss and runs him over a few times. DiBiase low bridges Bigelow then gets backed off by Strongbow and we see Nikolai Volkoff come down and grab DiBiase then take him away from ringside. Bigelow is on the outside after Tatanka roughed him up and he finally rolls back in and gets stomped. Tatanka gets two with a crossbody then grabs a chin lock. Tatanka maintains the chin lock for a while until Bigelow finally escapes. We get a reversal sequence that ends with Bigelow breaking up a sunset flip attempt with a sit-down splash as both men are down. We then see both men collide trying crossbody blocks and they end up down on the mat again. They get up and slug it out until Tatanka uses an eye poke then hits a DDT. Tatanka signals that its over and heads up top but Bigelow slams him off. Bigelow hits a pair of clotheslines then boots Tatanka in the gut then heads up top and uses a sunset flip for the win (10:13) *1/2.
Thoughts: The run-ins made this funner than it was and since it was the final Garden show having legends used in the matches is perfectly fine by me. Plus, any match with Tatanka as a heel needs all the smoke and mirrors possible. One of the worst heels in WWF history. Bigelow’s babyface push continues but even here was markedly less over than legends from the past.
We now see Strongbow, Albano, Pat Patterson, Tony Garea, George Steele, Angelo Savoldi, Arnold Skaaland, Killer Kowalski, Gorilla Monsoon, and even Vince McMahon in the ring. Vince thanks the fans and Boston Garden for the years as the Director of Events, Steve Dansereau, also thanks everyone. Vince now salutes the legends in the ring and we get a fireworks display. Strongbow and Patterson start shoving each other and get held back. Strongbow even does his dance. Per the correspondence report in the “Wrestling Observer Newsletter,” Patterson got some boos and they played that up with this segment.
Gorilla Monsoon is brought to be the guest ring announcer and gets a good reaction as he talks about this being the final match in the building. He then asks “What is the Boston Garden?” as the guy behind the camera jokes about not knowing this was going to be a test. Gorilla then basically talks up the fans for a minute before announcing.
WWF World Title Match: Sid w/ Ted DiBiase vs. Diesel (c)
These two immediately brawl with Diesel winning that battle. Diesel hits a corner splash then punches Sid through the ropes. Diesel clotheslines Sid off of the apron then has the crowd chant his name as he yanks off his vest. Sid returns and Diesel uses a flying clothesline for two. Diesel then hits an elbow drop after a slam and that gets two. Sid rolls back outside but DiBiase provides a distraction and Sid runs in and takes Diesel outside from behind with a high knee. Sid taunts the crowd before beating on Diesel. Sid now uses a camel’s clutch then breaks and hits a leg drop for two. Sid goes back to the camel’s clutch but tries a sit down splash and misses. Diesel gets elbowed on a charge in the corner and Sid uses some punches and kicks. Sid misses an attack in the corner and Diesel fires away until Tatanka runs out for another distraction. Tatanka is now up on the apron but Diesel reverses an Irish whip and sends Sid into Tatanka and after that Diesel hits the big boot for the win and this ends with Diesel celebrating with a fireworks display (7:31) *1/2.
Thoughts: This wasn’t bad and Diesel showed great fire and intensity, especially at the beginning, but Sid’s wrestling fundamentals are the absolute shits and his strikes do not look intimidating in the slightest. The finish was corny though but it wasn’t going to be decisive with the PPV the next day.
Final Thoughts: The final show at the Boston Garden went out with a bit of a whimper. The action was not good (with the PPV the next day they aren’t going to go nuts here) but still not as terrible as what they did in Providence the night prior. And a lot of the babyfaces went over. The legend stuff got over but per the Observer, the show had 10,000 with a lot of free ticket giveaways from radio stations. And with this lineup, not tough to figure out why fans did not want to pay to attend. WWF would return to Boston in the brand new Fleet Center five months later and when we get there I will recap the fan-cam of that show too. This is not a show you need to watch unless you crave nostalgia, particularly for the Boston Garden.
Here is my schedule for the next several days:
Thursday: WWF Wrestling Challenge 5/14/95, WWF Action Zone 5/14/95
Friday: WWF In Your House: The Premiere 5/14/95
Saturday: WWF Monday Night RAW 5/15/95
Sunday: WWF Danbury, CT 5/16/95: Jeff Jarrett vs. British Bulldog Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Title
Monday: WWF Superstars 5/20/95, WWF Wrestling Challenge 5/21/95
Tuesday: WWF Action Zone 5/21/95
Wednesday: WWF Monday Night RAW 5/22/95