November 10, 1995
From the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, NY
This recording omits the Fatu vs. Rad Radford and Hakushi vs. Mo matches.
Show stars with Mo angrily pacing around the ring as Skip tries to console him. Mo had just lost to Hakushi and the following was a correspondence report from the “Pro Wrestling Torch” newsletter: “Hakushi pinned Mo with an inside cradle. After the match Mo refused to leave, so Ahmed Johnson came to the ring for his match and argued with Mo. Mo slapped him; Ahmed responded by slapping Mo.”
Skip w/ Sunny vs. Ahmed Johnson
Solid reaction to Ahmed’s entrance. Skip is scared of Ahmed’s presence then stalls by flexing and doing jumping jacks. He then sneaks in a punch that does nothing but irritate Ahmed and ends up getting dropped. Skip slides outside and gets fanned off by Sunny’s towel as the crowd cheers for Ahmed. Skip sneaks back in and hammers away in the corner. He takes Ahmed down with a hip toss but immediately backs away when Ahmed pops right up and gets into his face. Skip pokes the eye and tries a suplex but that gets blocked and Ahmed drops him with a delayed gordbuster. The crowd is just eating up Ahmed’s offense here. Skip is checked on in the corner and goes after Ahmed but is dropped with a clothesline then Ahmed follows that up with an axe kick. Ahmed tries a pump kick that looked like shit but ends up spiking Skip with a spinebuster. Sunny distracts Ahmed on the apron but that does not work as Ahmed puts Skip away with a double underhook powerbomb (5:25) **.
Thoughts: A brief but fun match here with Skip doing one hell of a job making Ahmed look strong. Speaking of Ahmed, he was shaky at times here but at least most of his stuff looked impressive. But most important of all, the fans were responsive. Maybe the pre match stuff did it for him here but the angle on TV where he slammed Yokozuna came off great and was pushed heavily across all programming.
Howard Finkel holds up a copy of “WWF Magazine” and I can’t really make out what he says but he closes by saying they are available at the merchandise stand.
Bob Backlund is introduced to the ring. He is wearing a blue suit and waits for the boos to die down before speaking. He then talks about taking the responsibility of leading us all down the right path. Backlund gives the crowd shit for wasting time and not going to work like everyone else and this is getting boos but I personally cannot get excited for this act in late 1995. Backlund finally leaves to his presidential music.
Dean Douglas vs. Savio Vega
Vega gives his hat to a young fan that was in the ring. He then chases Douglas outside of the ring before the bell rings. The match starts and we end in a stalemate after a pair of reversals. Vega then dances after taking Douglas down and after that Douglas decides to stall and head outside to stare down the fans. Vega gets the fans behind him then Douglas returns and beats on Vega in the corner. Vega reverses and fires away before sending Douglas outside with a clothesline. Douglas gets angry and tips over the stairs and just beats the ten count. Vega drops Douglas after stopping short of a leap frog then Douglas bails again after he is hit with a knee smash. Douglas returns and this time catches Vega with a boot to the face before taking him down with a clothesline. Douglas chokes out Vega for a bit then cuts off a comeback attempt and applies a rear chin lock. Vega comes back with a crossbody that gets two but Douglas takes him right back down with a dropkick and applies another chin lock. Vega escapes and lands a few chops then catches Douglas with a side slam. Vega rolls through a crossbody for a nearfall then tries a sunset flip that gets blocked but is able to roll through and put Douglas away (8:55) *1/2. After the match, Douglas attacks Vega from behind and gets booed.
Thoughts: Dull, formulaic house show match here but the crowd was into it a bit. Douglas went from being handed the Intercontinental Title less than three weeks ago to getting put away with a rollup reversal from Savio Vega. I think this was his first match since the PPV (and the larynx injury that put him out of action on that show) and he would be gone in just a couple more weeks.
Marty Jannetty vs. Goldust
A rematch from last month’s “In Your House” PPV. We get some “Dustin Rhodes” chants before the bell. Goldust beats down Marty then hits a jumping clothesline that looks like shit and rolls outside to taunt the fans. Goldust slams Marty then drops an elbow for two and you can now hear the crowd chant “why, Dustin, why?” Goldust puts Marty in an abdominal stretch as this match is the absolute shits. Marty comes back with a crossbody for two but hurts his back trying a slam and gets turned inside out with a clothesline. Goldust puts on a rear chin lock after some punches as the crowd is basically amusing themselves or at least the section where this is filmed. Marty gets out and takes Goldust down with a backslide for two. Marty uses a reverse rollup for two but Goldust gets up and beats him down. Goldust tosses Marty outside and hammers away then drags him back to the apron by the hair. Marty falls into the ring but manages to fight back but misses a charge in the corner and gets punched for a two count as Marty got his foot on the ropes. Goldust works another chin lock to really rev things up here as the crowd is now restless. The chin lock continues on the mat as we are past the two minute mark of this particular hold as the person who is holding the camera sighs “dear god.” Goldust throws some really terrible looking punches in the corner then eats boot on a charge. He tries another charge and ends up spilling outside then returns as Marty yanks him down then works the arm. Goldust begs for mercy as Marty slams his arm against the ring post. Goldust begs for mercy again in the corner but Marty hits him with mounted punches. Marty rolls up Goldust for a nearfall then catapults him into the corner and uses a school boy off the rebound as that also gets two. Marty clotheslines Goldust for two as these two are unable to get on the same page. Goldust then ducks a clothesline and puts Marty away with a reverse lifting DDT (11:55) DUD.
Thoughts: This was garbage and no better than their match from In Your House 4. These two just couldn’t work together and whatever they did looked like shit. That chin lock spot in the middle took me out completely.
WWF Tag Team Title Match: Kama & Jean Pierre Lafitte w/ Ted DiBiase vs. Smoking Gunns (c)
Lafitte is substituting for Psycho Sid, who missed the event due to a “family emergency.” More on that in the final thoughts segment. Lafitte and Bart start things off going back-and-forth. Bart catches Lafitte with a powerslam for two the Gunns works the arm. Kama grabs Bart from the apron and the heels then run interference to take control of the match. Kama tags in and lands a few shots but Billy takes him down with a dropkick then a slam. Billy tags and runs wild until Kama catches him with a backbreaker then the heels go back to running interference. The heels cut the ring in half and get a few nearfalls as the crowd seems bored. Billy gets roughed up on the outside then Kama tags and puts him in a bearhug that is very loosely applied I might add. Billy eventually fights out then hits Kama with a back suplex as both men are down. Both men tag out then Bart runs wild on Lafitte that is until he gets low-bridged by Kama. Bart is rolled back inside then Lafitte heads up top after a slam but misses the splash. Bart covers for two as Kama makes the save then Billy knocks Kama outside and the Gunns put Lafitte away with the Sidewinder (9:43) *1/4.
Thoughts: For a match thrown together, it wasnt that terrible. I thought Kama was awful though but it was formulaic and he did mostly cheating so they covered it up well enough. Crowd didn’t seem to care much though and the result was a foregone conclusion and well, those two can go hand in hand most of the time. However, during the match, Lafitte suffered a hernia injury and this ended up being the final match of this run. He did apparently give notice earlier in the week and would not return to the company for a couple more years.
Finkel now shills the 1996 WWF Calendar inside of the “WWF Magazine” and that they will return to Nassau on January 5th, which will in fact be the first WWF event of the year.
Isaac Yankem DDS vs. Henry Godwinn
Yankem starts off by stalling on the apron so Godwinn grabs his slop bucket and that is enough to cause Yankem to jump onto the floor. We get more stalling here and both men finally lock up just shy of the two minute mark. Yankem eats elbow on a charge in the corner then Godwinn takes him down with a hip toss. Godwinn sends Yankem over the top rope with a clothesline as the crowd is not digging the lack of action tonight. And who can blame then with what we have seen so far at this point of the show. Yankem returns inside and sends Godwinn into the corner then hits a back suplex for a two count. Yankem dumps Godwinn outside then Godwinn ends up hanging over the ropes so Yankem knocks him off with a springboard forearm. The fact Yankem can springboard was impressive but that shot was incredibly light. Yankem uses a chin lock and some gauging then covers for two as the crowd is booing this match. Godwinn hits a suplex a both men are down. They get up and go right back down after a double clothesline spot as the camera now shows up Hunter Hearst Helmsley sneaking down the aisle. Godwinn now fires away then is about to hit the Slop Drop (Yankem had no idea what position he was supposed to be in for this) until he is distracted by Helmsley trying to steal the slop bucket and that allows Yankem to attack from behind and hit the DDT for the win (8:07) 1/4*.
Thoughts: Trying to get heat for Helmsley and Godwinn in Nassau I guess. Which, makes no sense since they weren’t running this back in January. And for some reason they still want to protect Yankem despite the fact he’s not ready or impressive but he is big and really that is what counts for some people. The match was awful but at least Yankem seemed to try despite not being ready for this position.
Owen Hart w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Bam Bam Bigelow
Fuji waves the Japanese flag to try and get heat for the Canadian Owen Hart here. Try is the key word there. The crowd chants for Bret Hart as its the loudest they’ve been since Ahmed Johnson was out here. Owen complains of a hair pull then pokes Bigelow in the eye and baits him to chasing him around the ring. Bigelow then reverses an Irish whip and sends Owen down with a shoulder block. Owen retreats to the corner then Bigelow works the arm before using a headbutt. Bigelow slams Owen but whiffs on a falling headbutt as Owen now stomps away. Bigelow rolls outside and Fuji whacks him with the flag post across the back. Owen rolls Bigelow inside and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. Enziguiri gets two. Bigelow fights back and skies Owen with a back drop but soon afterwards eats boot on a charge. Owen then uses a mat slam and taunts the crowd. Bigelow whips Owen into the corner and uses a bridging German suplex but Owen gets his arm up before the three count and gets the win (6:30) *. After the match, Bigelow tosses Owen outside and wants a explanation as to why he lost. He then raises his arms to the crowd and does a cartwheel before leaving to a lukewarm reaction.
Thoughts: Two guys going through the motions here. Bigelow had given his notice a week prior and doing the job as he was rumored to be going to Japan but really didn’t go until later in 1996 and did some Independent dates in the United States.
WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Razor Ramon (c)
This crowd loves Razor. Before the match, Razor tossed his toothpick right in Helmsley’s face. The bell rings and we get stalling for about 90 seconds before Helmsley takes Razor down and toys with him on the mat, in a manner that Razor does to wrestlers on WWF TV. Nice touch there. Razor then decks Helmsley before hitting a falling away slam. Helmsley gets clotheslined over the top rope then returns as Razor works the arm. Razor also gets revenge on Helmsley and slaps him around a bit. Razor continues to work the arm but tries for a running clothesline and spills to the floor as Helmsley was able to sidestep the charge. Helmsley takes Razor down with a baseball slide then heads out to ram him into the ring apron. Helmsley grabs a chair and raises it over his head but the ref was able to get on the apron and take it away. Helmsley jumps off of the chair and hits a high knee then heads inside to taunt the crowd. Razor heads in and Helmsley knocks him down with an European Uppercut. Helmsley hammers away then whips Razor hard into the corner a few times before hitting a corkscrew neckbreaker for a two count. Helmsley targets the back for a while then cuts off a comeback attempt with a mat slam that gets two. Helmsley now applies an abdominal stretch and uses the ropes for leverage when possible as the ref is on to his antics. The ref finally catches Helmsley in the act and shakes the ropes then we get a reversal sequence leading to both men fighting over a backslide in dramatic fashion. Helmsley flips over and takes Razor down with a neckbreaker that gets two then slaps Razor across the face. Helmsley now catches Razor with a sleeper and works that for a bit to really slow things down. Razor eventually breaks this up with a back suplex as both men are down. Helmsley tries coming off of the top but Razor catches him then hits an uranage as both men are down once again. They are back down right afterwards when they collide during an Irish whip sequence and the crowd is back to being restless with some “boring” chants being heard. Helmsley covers and gets two then Razor gets up and fires away. Razor gets two with a clothesline then places Helmsley up top for a super back suplex but Helmsley escapes then uses a rollup and bridges back to hold the ropes as the ref lays on his stomach underneath and counts to three in one of the most convoluted spots you will ever see and gets the win (17:10). However, 1-2-3 Kid comes out in his street clothes and tells the ref what happened and the ref goes over to Finkel and tells him the match will continue. Razor now fires way and almost hits the ref but Helmsley ends up taking the ref down with a clothesline by accident. Razor then hits the Razor’s Edge but the ref is down so Kid makes the count to three and Razor celebrates like he won. However, he turns around and sees that the ref is down and gets pissed at Kid. The partners then get in each other’s faces until Helmsley takes them both down and hits Razor with the Pedigree. The ref crawls over and counts but Kid breaks up the pin and beats up Helmsley as the match is now ruled a DQ with Razor retaining (18:53) **. Helmsley runs up the aisle as Kid is on the outside looking at Razor trying to pull himself up in the ring. Kid then heads inside and slaps Razor across the face a few times before kicking him down. Kid then takes off his shirt and rubs it in Razor’s face before leaving.
Thoughts: The first half of this match was fun then it slowed way down with a convoluted finish. Kid turning on Razor here I guess was a shock and they would have their Tag Team title match the following day on “Superstars” so if you were here live you got tipped off to the finish of that one. They really let Helmsley look strong here and did not even let Godwinn try to get some revenge from earlier.
Yokozuna & Mabel & British Bulldog w/ Mr. Fuji & Sir Mo vs. Shawn Michaels & Bret Hart & Diesel. Special Guest Referee: Bob Backlund
Another match where we do not get any action until about two minutes after the bell rings. Shawn and Bulldog start things off with Shawn taking control early. Shawn takes Bulldog down with an enziguiri after a fast-paced sequence then tags out to Diesel. We see Diesel hit a side slam for a two count then Bulldog crawls over and tags in Yokozuna. Diesel and Yokozuna shove each other then we see Diesel accidentally knocking Bret off of the apron as Bret runs in to confront Diesel with Shawn playing the role of peacekeeper. Things settle down then Yokozuna catches Diesel with a Samoan Drop that gets two as Bret makes the save. Bulldog is back in and quickly tags out to Mabel, who misses an elbow then Mabel tags right back out to Bulldog. However, Bret tags in and hits Bulldog with his signature moves and applies a Sharpshooter until Mabel breaks it up. Backlund admonishes Shawn as Mabel tags and hammers away on Bret. The heels beat on Bret as we get some “USA” chants when Yokozuna is in the ring. To which, the person behind the camera says “Bret’s from Canada you dumb fucks.” Yokozuna then works the nerve hold long enough to suck that energy right out of the building. Bulldog is back in and hammers away then applies a front face lock. The heels run interference as Yokozuna comes in and leg drops Bret but Diesel makes the save on a pin attempt. Mabel eats boot on a charge in the corner then Bret staggers him with a flying elbow smash but Mabel still takes Bret down. Mabel then misses a charge in the corner and then whiffs on a splash and Bret is able to tag out. Diesel runs wild then the match breaks down. We get a triple noggin knocker spot then Diesel drops Mabel with a big boot and tags Shawn for a rocket launcher. Yokozuna tries to break up the pin with a splash but hits Mabel by accident then Shawn puts Mabel away with a super kick (11:37) *3/4. After the match, Diesel decks Backlund and Bret takes exception as Shawn once again has to play peacemaker. Bret leaves and slaps hands with the fans ringside while Diesel and Shawn are in the ring.
Thoughts: Not the most action packed main event I’ve ever seen but passable given the competitors on the heel side. The story of the match was tension between Diesel and Bret. And from what happened they almost presented Bret as heelish or someone about to turn on Diesel. Shawn did not do much but was fast-paced in most of his offense as it was reported he is still not close to 100% from his concussion.
Final Thoughts: Man, this was just a bad show. Even the fact the first two matches were not on this recording, what I saw was still over two and a half hours long with some of the slowest paced action you will see from this era. They did some angles but you’re paying for action on these shows. The starpower was weak, the matches on the card not too intriguing outside of the main event and just again, the lack of depth on the roster is alarming and the heel side is atrocious.
And, again this week, Vince McMahon flew out to a house show in Columbus, OH for some more drama as reported by Wade Keller in the “Pro Wrestling Torch.” Here is an excerpt as it further highlights the awful locker room morale:
McMahon then showed up for an unprecedented second time in one week at the Wednesday Columbus, Ohio house show. This time, he flew in not to quell problems with the mid-card wrestlers, but to address grievances held by “The Clique,” five of the WWF’s top wrestlers,
The WWF has historically been an organization whose wrestlers form factions. Partially that has occurred because WWF wrestlers are on the road so much they tend to group together in various contingents for carpooling purposes. As a result, strong bonds form among WWF wrestlers, although even when WCW and before that the NWA promoted heavy house show tours, the WWF roster was better known for its separate, distinct camps.
Helmsley is a recent addition to The Clique, but the other four have been together on the road as long as Diesel has been in the WWF. Michaels has been considered the leader of The Clique due to his outspoken, outgoing, cocky nature. To some The Clique is a harmless group of buddies who travel together. To others, it is an arrogant, exclusive, selfish group of power-grabbers who all but run the WWF to their advantage. Some wrestlers are open about their feelings, while others pretend not to be bothered but feel the same nonetheless.
The rap this past week by various WWF wrestlers is that, “When the Clique complains, Vince comes running.” That was perceived to be the case when McMahon showed up for the Columbus house show after spending the better part of that day with The Clique addressing their grievances.
The main grievance by The Clique was apparently concern over being overworked by the scheduling department in that they were asked to do various appearances on their off-days without compensation, including a Tuesday appearance in Indianapolis. While members of The Clique have a great reputation for handling autograph sessions and sponsor appearances, they apparently felt they were being taken for granted and after expressing that concern in the past, finally gave Vince an ultimatum.
Whether right or wrong, the perception among other wrestlers – some main eventers, many not – was that The Clique “threatened to strike” and Vince came running to them. They, as non-Clique members, have more trouble getting one-on-one time with McMahon and their concerns aren’t taken nearly as seriously because they haven’t formed a powerful alliance of their own. Undertaker, Fatu, Yokozuna, Kama, and Henry Godwinn are known as a less powerful, less outspoken pack, but aren’t nearly as much of a “force” as The Clique.
WWF wrestlers speculated that McMahon flew to Columbus because Ramon was upset that his non-title Raw pinfall loss to Sid was being changed into a title match, thus Sid would be the new champion. Others speculated the only way the WWF figured they could sneak the belt off of Ramon without him putting up a stink was to bill the match originally as a non-title match and then afterward, when it aired, bill it as a title match. (Around the time Sid found out the match was switched back to a non-title bout, he returned home immediately to tend to a family medical emergency and missed the final three house shows of the tour.)
Other various stories circulated that Vince showed up on such short notice because Michaels had a bad reaction to prescription drugs he was taking, while others said such was not the case and was a story made up by those who are jealous of Michaels’s position and power in the WWF.
Others thought The Clique was putting in a last second bid for Diesel to keep the WWF Title, to change the plans for Bret Hart to win it at Survivor Series. While the heat between Diesel and Bret Hart had not been as strong in recent days as it was around the time of the last pay-per-view, there was still tension there.
All of the above speculation is an example of the frustration or (justified?) paranoia among non-Clique wrestlers in the WWF. Perhaps The Clique expressed a legitimate concern with the panic-button mentality currently being employed by the random assortment of bookers dictating current storylines and McMahon found their concerns relevant and worthy of such immediately attention (i.e. the idea to give Sid the IC belt simply because of the urgent need to give a heel in the company some heat for the upcoming house show run).
Wrestlers talked amongst each other complaining about their perception that The Clique was being given the royal treatment by McMahon. The perception was well-backed as The Clique spent a day at Titan Towers in Stamford on an off-day during this swing, working out at the Titan Tower gym, spending many hours with McMahon in private meetings, being driven around town with McMahon and Pat Patterson, and having their Stamford hotel rooms paid for by Titan. The other wrestlers, meanwhile, were stuck paying for their hotel rooms and spending money on hotel food with no house show at which to earn money.”