The Fan-Cam Files: WWF @ The Boston Garden – 05.13.1995 (A NIGHT TO REMEMBER)

“A Night to Remember” is a special night as it marks the last time the WWF is running the Garden, with the FleetCenter (now known as the TD Garden) opening later that Summer. On top of being a somewhat loaded card (by 1995 standards), a bunch of legends are also on hand to be involved in the show (most of them who were road agents already working behind the scenes, so it’s not like we were calling up Bruno for this show). Two matches took place that were not preserved via this recording: The Bushwhackers (with Tony Garea in their corner) defeated The Heavenly Bodies, and Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Phil “Don’t Call Me Ray” Apollo. Helmsley has gone on record saying he begged to be added to the show and flew himself in, and based on the arena lineup sheet, I’m assuming his match was not the “one other exciting match!” To be fair, calling a Bushwhackers match, especially in 1995, exciting would also be a bit of a stretch.

Man Mountain Rock vs. Kwang (w/ Harvey Wippleman):
OK, you know this is a special night when you fly in the manager of a jobber. If you forgot Kwang was still kicking in 1995, don’t worry, you’re not alone. This is a match that just screams “dark days of the New Generation” no matter who you’re talking about. Kwang is your “we felt like ripping off the Great Muta” half-assed attempt before abandoning whatever push there might have been and Man Mountain Rock plays the guitar, but once the bell rings, forget about it. Mountain Man started an insta-feud with MISTER Bob Backlund where the soon-to-be presidential candidate mistreated Rock’s axe. Maybe my ears are playing tricks on me, but I think Man Mountain Rock’s music was later used for Droz. I always love discovering short-lived gimmicks and finding out stuff getting repurposed. Rock Man also has the DUKE OF DORCHESTER with him. Yes, one last appearance of Pete Doherty for the bean-town diehards!

Kwang jumps Mountain from behind and puts the boots to him. Rocky Mountain reverses a whip but Kwang doesn’t fall for the back body-drop attempt. He whacks Mountain Rock Man with a clothesline, but Rock bounces back with a clothesline of his own. The camera misses the next few seconds, but it looks like Kwang rolls away from a leg drop. He spits the mist because he had some leftover and felt like it would be a waste not to use it. They keep rushing through things, with Rock’s spotty selling being highlighted. Rock Man misses an avalanche, but Kwang is such a geek he runs right into the Whammy Bar (side arm bar) and gives it up at 1:58. This would be the last time we saw Kwang, as he would ditch the gimmick and re-debut the next night at In Your House as Savio Vega. Match was only 2-minutes, but it was a poor 2-minutes. ZERO STARS

Bob “Spark Plugg” Holly vs. The Roadie:
We’re in prelim hell. Holly is your New Generation version of Koko B. Ware or Tito Santana (early 90’s version), where he’s a good enough worker and fans take to him a bit, but he’s here to make up-and-coming heels look good. He does have a 24-hour reign as Tag Team Champion under his belt, so that’s something to brag about. Roadie has yet to wrestle on TV, scheduled for his first match at In Your House the following night. I know Brian Armstrong has had a lot of foot-in-mouth comments about other people and how they work, but I don’t think he’s nearly as bad as some want to say. Watch King of the Ring ‘99 and how he walks Chyna through the entire match. It’s not a 5-star classic, but a master class in carrying a sub-par worker through the fundamentals and making it look good. Sorry, I didn’t plan on a Brian Armstrong defense rant, but here we are.

Roadie with the classic routine of hiding in the ropes and begging off. He also shows off some dance skills that make you want to punch him. Lockup and Holly with the clean break. Roadie pops Holly with a slap and hides again. We do a THIRD lockup where Holly hesitates taking a cheap shot and pays for it. It’s OK, as he fires off a hip toss, slam and clothesline, sending Roadie to the outside for a breather. Roadie leads Holly on a chase and it pays off, dropping an axe-handle as Hollywood Bob re-enters the ring. Holly fights out of the corner with kicks and rights, but Roadie catches him with his head down and executes a suplex. He comes off the ropes a little short with a knee drop and follows with a diving forearm for a two-count. Holly with a surprise sunset flip, but Roadie pops up with a clothesline to remain in control. Whip and a BAAAAACK body-drop. Holly with a whip reversal and powerslam but he’s unable to follow up immediately. Holly beats Roadie to the punch (literally) and drives an elbow into the chest. Whip and the Jim Brunzell Memorial Dropkick for a near-fall. 10 corner punches from Sparky, followed by a running clothesline. Roadie avoids a flying body press and covers for the clean three-count at 9:10. Well that came out of nowhere. They were pacing themselves like this was going 13-15 minutes, but they just kinda skipped any rest-hold cool down and surprised everyone with that finish. I know Roadie was presented as an inexperienced wrestler, but Holly came off like a geek losing like that, and Roadie not even bothering to grab tights. **

Bret “Hitman” Hart & The British Bulldog vs. Jerry “The King” Lawler & Hakushi (w/ Shinja):
I’m sorry, where’s Lex Luger?! Even on a Night to Remember, someone forgot to book Lex. Maybe this was the last straw for him, not being buried in a go-nowhere tag team. Bret is set for individual matches against Lawler and Hakushi at In Your House on May 14th. Are we getting “try-hard” Bret or “I’m saving it for tomorrow” Bret? Bulldog… is just happy to be here, I guess. As a team with Luger, they’re getting wins against what the tag team division has to offer (the Blu’s, Well Dunn and Heavenly Bodies). Just typing that depresses me.

Lawler with some pre-match trolling, and as soon as the bell rings, he gets on the house mic with empty threats, saying he’s waited two years to get his hands on Bret again. Bret ducks a right hand and responds with his own, sending Lawler crawling to the referee and looking for any escape. Hakushi with the distraction, allowing Lawler to bop him from behind. Naturally, he gloats about Bret’s compromised position. Lawler with a beautiful piledriver for a near-fall. Hakushi with the handspring elbow as the crowd chants USA. Make your own joke. Maybe they knew Bret was born in America, otherwise that chant is exclusively for Lawler. Every time Bret seems to pick up momentum, he’s cut off. Lawler busts out a running bulldog and follows with a fist drop from the second turnbuckle. Hakushi drops Bret across the top rope and sends him to the corner. Lawler slaps on a front face-lock so we get the “referee misses the tag” trope as he’s conveniently distracted by Hakushi. Lawler makes a rare trip to the top rope and gets nailed on the way down. Bret with a Russian leg sweep and big ol’ clothesline, finally setting up the hot tag to the Bulldog. He runs wild with clotheslines and slams, including dumping Hakushi onto Lawler. Running powerslam on Lawler but Hakushi saves. Hakushi accidentally hits Lawler with the flying shoulder tackle, gets knocked over the top rope, and Bret finishes Lawler with the Sharpshooter at 11:36. Well… that was something. Not the usual “day off” Bret formula, but him selling for 10-minutes and then rushing to a finish was quite the disappointment. Davey Boy’s involvement in the match was limited to about 45-seconds worth of work (he was involved in an accident the day before, but worked at In Your House in a match taped for Raw). The MVP of the match was probably Lawler. **½

WWF Intercontinental Championship; Ladder Match: “Double J” Jeff Jarrett (c) (w/ The Roadie) vs. Razor Ramon:
We need something to pick me up from the disappointment of the last match and overall lackluster show through the first half-hour. Double J finally got over the mid-card treadmill to nowhere that he spent most of 1994 on and defeated Ramon for the Intercontinental Title at the Royal Rumble and has held it since. I guess I should mention they taped a match for The Action Zone with Jarrett and Bob Holly where a disputed finish resulted in a rematch where Jarrett walked away the undisputed title holder, but I don’t count that as losing the title, though most places consider it another title reign. How that makes sense I don’t know. Holly was never recognized as Champion, so why is Jarrett credited with an extra reign? Razor is scheduled to face Jarrett and Roadie in a non-title handicap match the following night at In Your House.

Jarrett doesn’t appreciate having a toothpick thrown in his face. Roadie with a distraction from the opening bell, allowing Jarrett to get the jump. Ramon cuts him off with a series of big rights. A chase around the ring leads to more Roadie interference, so he’s ejected by Hebner with exaggerated theatrics that would make Enrico Pallazzo blush. Back inside, Razor avoids a dropkick and clotheslines Jarrett over the top rope. Razor fetches the ladder, only to have it knocked into him with a baseball slide. Double J gives Razor an introduction to all the gimmicks at ringside (ladder, steps, guardrail) before taking the ladder into the ring. Jarrett kicks away a cut-off and comes off the ladder with the Memphis flying fist drop of doom. He dishes out more punishment with the ladder and climbs, but Razor pushes him over, dropping him across the rope. Now both men with the slow climb, slugging it out just inches away from the belt. Razor slams him down, but loses his footing and goes tumbling down as well. Razor gives Jarrett a taste of his own medicine, whacking him with the ladder and knocking him out of the ring, wiping out Hebner in the process. Razor climbs, but Roadie runs out and knocks him over. He keeps Razor from getting back in the ring, allowing Jarrett to climb and retrieve the belt to retain at 11:31. Ramon knocks the ladder over just a second too late, giving us one more bump out of Jarrett for the heck of it.

I’m going to be honest, I hate rating ladder matches (along with cage matches with escape-only rules), especially ones that aren’t intended for television and have predictable outcomes. With that out of the way, what was here is probably the best you’re getting out of such a match on this stage. They told a decent story of Razor putting up a valiant effort before succumbing to Jarrett and Roadie’s cheating, and they used the ladder enough to give fans who are thirsty for violence a little satisfaction. It’s not quite a hidden gem, but it’s above the normal quality of house show ladders. Definitely a “mileage may vary” type situation. ***

The Headshrinkers (w/ Capt. Lou Albano) vs. Jacob & Eli Blu (w/ Uncle Zebekiah):
Back to the dregs of the New Generation as we’re treated to Ron and Don Harris in their first of several attempts from the WWF to get them over (spoilers: it doesn’t work). Here they are wild men from Appalachia managed by Uncle Zebekiah, better known as Dirty Dutch Mantell. Despite being a strong heel promo, Zebekiah rarely spoke on behalf of the Blu Brothers (not to be confused with the Blues Brothers), making the signing that much more head-scratching. This is the Fatu and Sionne (better known as The Barbarian) version of the Headshrinkers. The team was on their last legs, making appearances putting over Owen and Yokozuna as well as Sid and Tatanka before Sionne disappeared and Fatu was repackaged as a street-smart motivator from San Francisco.

Dutch gets on the house mic to make threats at the crowd and Lou responds. Can we make this a Six-Man Tag, playa? Sionne starts with (flips coin) Jacob. There’s no way I’m keeping up with their switching in and out. They stalemate with shoulder blocks and clotheslines. Sionne no-sells headshots and lays Jacob out with a headbutt. Eli tries a double noggin knocker, having not paid attention 15-seconds earlier. Fatu unloads with mounted punches. Whip to the opposite corner and Eli pops out with a clothesline. More headshots are no-sold and Fatu dances. Sionne gets whacked while running the ropes and a clothesline sends him over the top rope. Back inside, Jacob with a powerslam for two. Not much happens, so I listen in on the casual conversation about tomorrow night’s PPV. Jacob and Eli with a double boot for two. Sionne escapes several chin-locks but the crowd isn’t too into his comeback attempts. They keep cutting off the hot tag, but through the magic of repetitive powerslam and clothesline spots, Fatu FINALLY gets that tag. He runs wild, no-sells ANOTHER headshot, and connects with a Super-Kick for two. Sloppy piledriver connects but Eli saves. Sionne hits a flying headbutt as the referee watches Eli and Fatu brawl at ringside. Fatu with the flying splash, but now Sionne and Zeb have the referee’s eye, allowing Eli to sneak in, turn Fatu inside-out with a clothesline, and cover for three at 12:14. This was fine at times, but they couldn’t do much with each other and went to the same well too often. Also, the finish was much more a mess than my recap would suggest. *½

The Undertaker (w/ Paul Bearer) vs. Kama (w/ Ted Dibiase):
The never-ending Undertaker vs Million Dollar Corporation feud continues as Kama stole the urn at WrestleMania XI, moments after Taker and Paul got it back from Ted Dibiase, and had it melted down into a ridiculously oversized chain. I guess Kama is a step up from I.R.S. or King Kong Bundy, but it’s marginal. Despite an impressive physique, Kama wore a white shirt under his singlet for a good chunk of 1995. I don’t know if it was to cover tattoos that would make it easier to identify him as Papa Shango, but it was such a weird look. They would somehow stretch this one out until SummerSlam, even in an era where we now have monthly Pay-Per-Views. They are using Taker’s pre-SummerSlam ‘94 music for whatever reason.

The bell rings and Taker stalks Kama around ringside. Kama ambushes him in the ring, but Taker counters a back body-drop attempt. Whip to the corner and Taker goes OLD SCHOOL (or whatever it was identified as in the mid 90’s). Kama counters a whip with a knee to the midsection and brings Taker over with a suplex. Zombie sit-up and Taker unloads with shots under the chin. Kama ducks a diving lariat and punts the body… a lot. Like, we get 3-4 minutes of nothing but kicks and some punches. I know his gimmick is a striker out of a fictional MMA group, but it doesn’t translate well in the world of mid 90’s WWF. Kama breaks the monotony with a scoop slam for a two-count. Whip to the corner and we get a bearhug. YAY. Is there a war crime I can confess to so I can get out of watching the rest of this show? Taker smacks the ears to escape and counters a headlock with an angled back suplex. Kama meets a boot in the corner and gets laid out with a charging clothesline. Crisscross and we get a clothesline double-down. Taker with more strikes and the diving lariat connects. Kama avoids the Tombstone and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Whip to the ropes, Taker awkwardly avoids a boot and plants Kama with a chokeslam before finishing clean with the Tombstone at 13:25. This was not good. I try not to make a habit of doing detailed PBP because who needs all of that, but I didn’t skimp on what they did. Just a lot of slow nothingness with Taker selling way too much for his buddy. Trim down to 4-5 minutes and it’s fine, but unfortunately that isn’t how things work. *

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Tatanka (w/ Ted Dibiase):
Please shoot me. I don’t know which is worse, Heel Tatanka or babyface Bam Bam Bigelow. Both were colossal failures, though the reasoning behind each differs greatly. Bigelow is only about 2 weeks removed from being fired by Ted Dibiase (of course he “quit” immediately after getting terminated) so he has an axe to grind. These two had some solid matches in the Summer of 1993 with their heel and face roles reversed, but fired-up babyface Tatanka is infinitely better than what he was doing at this point.

Bam Bam rushes the ring and starts hot with clotheslines, slam and dropkick, sending Tatanka to the floor and celebrating with a cartwheel (with pyro!). Suddenly, Chief Jay Strongbow is introduced to be in Bigelow’s corner and he takes a shot at Tatanka which the referee seems cool about. Dibiase hops on the apron, distracting Bigelow long enough for Tatanka to get some shots in. Bigelow cuts him off quick, hitting a pair of shoulder blocks. Dibiase pulls down the ropes for Bigelow to take a big spill out of the ring. Tatanka gives Bigelow a taste of the steps and plants him at ringside with the End of the Trail! Suddenly, NIKOLAI VOLKOFF shows up to chase away Dibiase. OK? “I didn’t know he turned on him.” I didn’t know either. Back inside, Tatanka with a cross body press for two. Bigelow escapes from a lengthy chin-lock, but meets a boot in the corner. Tatanka tries a sunset flip but Bigelow sits down on him for a counter. Whip and they meet in the middle with a double cross body. Tatanka cuts off a slugfest with a poke to the eyes and a DDT. He wastes time barking at Strongbow, allowing Bigelow to slam him from the top rope. Bigelow with more clotheslines and he flies off the top rope with a sunset flip for three at 10:13. Impressive, but I can’t see that being a smart finish for a man of that size to use regularly. There was a lot of gaga to this one, Lord knows why, but it kept Tatanka from having to rely too much on his usual formula of resting for 5-6 minutes and calling that getting heat. Not a great match, but it was good enough for the expectations they brought. **

We kill some time with a special moment honoring some of the legends who have worked in the Boston Garden over the years, including the likes of Chief Jay Strongbow, Captain Lou Albano, Pat Patterson, Arnold Skaaland, George “The Animal” Steele, Angelo Savoldi, Killer Kowalski, and Tony Garea. Vince McMahon makes an appearance as well, addressing the crowd. You know it’s a big deal when Vince is appearing as the man in charge and not just the somewhat clueless analyst on Monday Night Raw and Superstars.

WWF Championship Match: Diesel (c) vs. Sycho Sid (w/ Ted Dibiase):
Main Event and the final match of the card. Thank God. Can we please find another manager so we don’t run Dibiase out there every match?! Diesel picked up the torch for Shawn Michaels, setting us up for Diesel defending against Sid at the upcoming In Your House. Unlike Kama and Tatanka, Sid has his own theme music, and we’re all thankful for it. Gorilla Monsoon does the introductions, because why not.

Diesel rushes the ring and unloads with forearms. Feels like a lot of matches have started with guys just rushing in and not waiting for a casual lockup. Sometimes that’s a good thing, but when everyone does it, who cares? Whip to the corner and Diesel dives in with clotheslines. Sid does the Harley Race see-saw spot in the ropes before getting sent to the floor. The crowd is FINALLY awake with a big Diesel chant. Diesel brings the fight back inside, hitting a diving clothesline for a two-count. Slam and elbow drop for two. Sid tries to powder, but Diesel gives chase. Dibiase hops on the apron, allowing Sid to knock Diesel out of the ring with a high knee. Sid punishes the back a bit before applying his terrible looking Camel Clutch. Speaking of terrible, Sid’s punches might be the worst I’ve ever seen from an allegedly trained full-time wrestler. Diesel makes his comeback but Tatanka shows up for another distraction. We get heel miscommunication and Diesel puts Sid away with a simple big boot at 7:22. How are these two so incapable of putting together a satisfying finish? What a surprise, this was terrible when Sid was in control. Diesel tried bringing some fire to the match, but Sid is luggage that only a select few are capable of handling, like a wrestling version of the Sword in the Stone. *

Strength of Card: I should stress that this is based on the roster available at the time, and the quality of the matches has no effect on the rating. We’ve not only got the WWF and Intercontinental Championship defended, but arguably the top four babyfaces (on the road) are all in action, and against their natural rival as far as television storylines are concerned. The only thing I could add to this show would be the Tag Team Championship, but that’s hardly a deal breaker. I guess we could squeeze Lex Luger in, but he’s like the 7th most important babyface at this point (Diesel, Shawn, Bret, Taker, Razor and Bigelow all have more momentum than he does), a far cry from his position in the company just 12 months earlier. Grade: A-

Highs: Razor Ramon and Jeff Jarrett put on as good of a 10-minute ladder match that you’ll see from an untelevised event. Not a mind-blowing effort, but with plenty of bumps and use of the ladder to at least leave fans satisfied with the advertised gimmick. Jerry Lawler and Bam Bam Bigelow seemed to have a good time out there, even though the matches they are involved in aren’t that good as a whole, but they deserve some recognition, otherwise this segment is super-light on content.

Lows: Where to start? Diesel vs Sid is probably the worst main event this company could put out there in 1995, yet the Undertaker vs Kama is right there with a popular babyface wrestling a mostly worthless slug. Bret Hart brought his typical lack of effort to a live event, spending the entire match selling before we rushed through a finish. Man Mountain Rock might be one of the worst wrestlers the WWF featured in 1995, and that covers A LOT of ground.

The Rest: Bob Holly vs. The Roadie is a fine if unspectacular prelim match, and the Headshrinkers 2.0 vs The Blu Twins had its moments, but there wasn’t enough variety and they kept dipping into the well with the same spots. Had the match been trimmed by 3-4 minutes and turned into a more smash-mouth hoss fight, it might have found its way into the highs section, because I have seen a match between the two teams that I found entertaining, so it’s possible.

Final Thoughts: There’s a reason 1995 is one of the least popular years in WWF history. Whether you enjoyed characters or in-ring performances, you weren’t getting much of either here. All the most over wrestlers are on the babyface side of the depth chart, meaning we’re filling out the card with cold heels or people who are being built up but clearly aren’t ready for the spots they’re in. We know business was poor and paydays weren’t the greatest, but I won’t state as fact that we can point to that reasoning for so many lackluster performances here. All I know for sure is there’s one match I’d consider worth checking out and the rest falls under the OK or worse categories. A Night to Remember, indeed. Grade: D+

Next time for the Fan Cam Files, we have the following shows in the immediate to-do pile…

September 7th, 1991 @ Providence, RI

January 29th, 1993 @ Madison Square Garden

May 19th, 1996 @ Madison Square Garden

Suggestions readily available are always welcome, and thank you for reading.