What the World Was Watching: WWF Monday Night RAW – 05.09.94

Vince McMahon and Randy Savage are commentating, taped from Burlington, Vermont.

Opening King of the Ring Qualifying Contest: Razor Ramon (13-1) beats Kwang (w/Harvey Wippleman) (9-2-1) after the Razor’s Edge at 9:40 shown:

Ramon wears green tights, the same color he wore in last year’s King of the Ring tournament when he was eliminated in the first round by Bret Hart. There is a funny spot early when Kwang gets ready to spew mist into the air but does not have it prepped properly so he has to repeat it for the hard camera. Ramon does a few unorthodox moves, doing a flying body press off the ropes for a near-fall. Kwang works a bit faster than usual, although he still stalls for his “martial arts” offense. There is a frenzied near-fall sequence after a commercial break as fans think Ramon has won after rolling through a reverse flying body press off the second rope. Kwang kicks out and is supposed to lose after putting his head down too early on an Irish whip. However, Ramon cannot get him up for the Razor’s Edge. So they have to improvise a bit with Kwang missing a spinning heel kick and Ramon finally hitting the move to qualify. This was a solid, hard-hitting match that made Kwang look good in defeat. Rating: **¼

Todd Pettengill does the King of the Ring Report. He reveals that next week on RAW there will be a qualifying match between Thurman Plugg and Bam Bam Bigelow.

Crush (w/Mr. Fuji) (12-1) beats Raymond Roy after the heart punch at 2:56:

Roy, who also went by Roy Raymond, wrestled on the Florida independent circuit for the International Championship Wrestling Alliance (ICWA), based out of Tampa. While there he was known as the Stormtrooper. In 1992 he also worked a television taping for Smoky Mountain Wrestling. This was his first WWF enhancement match.

Savage takes joy in Roy getting a near-fall early from a schoolboy roll up. The young man might think WWF wrestling is easy after that but Crush quickly puts him in his place with some power moves. McMahon shoves as much discussion about tonight’s show and other angles, along with a USA Network promo, in the three minutes it takes Crush to get the win. Unless they do a big angle between Crush and Lex Luger their house show program has no juice.

Duke Droese is in front of another trash heap, telling fans not to change the channel because he is coming soon.

Doink the Clown (w/Dink) (15-0) pins Mike Terrace after the Whoopie Cushion at 2:27:

Jeff Jarrett phones in, upset at McMahon and Savage talking bad about him during the match. He laughs about making a mess of Dink several weeks ago. The WWF adds a sound effect for the Whoopie Cushion.

Earthquake does a voiceover of a video package of his sumo career, talking about how he went 24-0. He says he has more to prove in the WWF.

Yokozuna, Jim Cornette, and Mr. Fuji are guests on the King’s Court. Jerry Lawler first addresses Roddy Piper, saying he makes bad movies. Cornette says Earthquake’s sumo record was pre-history. Since a wrestling match would be a foregone conclusion, Cornette decides to accept Earthquake’s challenge as long as it is a sumo match. However, Cornette and Lawler are convinced Earthquake will not accept because he is a coward.

A landscaper talks about seeing the Undertaker sleeping in a trench they dug. Eventually, he got up and escaped through the woods.

Mabel (w/Oscar) (1-0) pins Mike Bell after a sidewalk slam at 2:26:

Mo has been written out because of the injury suffered against Owen Hart a few weeks ago on Wrestling Challenge. Savage gets a note that says Earthquake has accepted Yokozuna’s sumo challenge for next week’s program. McMahon puts over Mabel as if he has assembled a massive win streak, saying he has impressed by as a singles competitor. The big man looks fine in the squash but in a longer match that is probably going to be a different story.

Jerry Lawler talks backstage with Earthquake in a tiled room that looks like a shower or restroom. Earthquake accepts the sumo match challenge, promising to prove he is a better big man than Yokozuna. Lawler jokes that he feels the ground shaking because Earthquake’s knees are dropping, cowering away as the show ends.

Tune in next week to see Earthquake face Yokozuna in a sumo match! Also, Thurman Plugg wrestles Bam Bam Bigelow in a King of the Ring qualifying match!

The Last Word: The sumo match is a freak attraction for next week but it is as good a match as any for Earthquake and Yokozuna. Earthquake was an underrated promo guy. He knew his character and how to get it over. It is a shame that he did not get to go toe-to-toe with Cornette during the King’s Court segment. Overall, this was a solid show and fans should be overjoyed about getting two features matches next week.

Up Next: WWF Superstars for May 14!

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