WTWWW WWE — page 3

Bob Backlund tells Doink the Clown that he has manipulated WWF fans for long enough. Doink rebuts that he respects Backlund but is prepared to counter his crossface chicken wing.

Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels handle commentary, live from Liberty, New York. This taping took place at Liberty High School and, according to thehistoryofwwe.com, drew a sellout crowd of 1,400 fans. Of course, the WWF bills the location as “Liberty Central.”

Vince McMahon and Todd Pettengill are in the booth, concluding the taping in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Charlie Minn is backstage, talking about how Lex Luger is talking strategy with his young flag bearer. What strategy is entailed in waving a flag is left to one’s imagination.

Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler call today’s action, concluding a long taping in Bushkill, Pennsylvania

Jeff Jarrett appears on the video wall from Las Vegas, saying that everyone is rolling out the red carpet out for him unlike the music producers in Nashville, Tennessee.

Opening Non-Title Contest: Razor Ramon (Intercontinental Champion) (34-4-1) pins Chris Hamrick after the Razor’s Edge at 3:06:

Ramon tells McMahon and Lawler on his way to the ring that if Jarrett wants him then he can bring it instead of singing it. So that finally starts setting in motion an opponent for Razor’s title. Ramon dominates the smaller Hamrick, doing his typical set of chops, a fallaway slam, some stretching, a super backdrop suplex, and the Razor’s Edge.

Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels are in the booth, still taped from Poughkeepsie, New York. Michaels gets an entrance but does not say much when he gets the microphone to start the show.

Opening Contest: Jeff Jarrett (w/Unnamed Second) (37-7-1) beats the British Bulldog (9-0) via count out at 12:03 shown:

The unnamed second with Jarrett was Brian Armstrong, a former U.S. Marine who was part of the famous Armstrong wrestling family. Trained by his father, he debuted in 1986 for NWA Southeast Wrestling. Obligations to the Marine Corps caused him to go in and out of wrestling for WCW and Smoky Mountain Wrestling in the early 1990s, used in an enhancement capacity in both promotions. He was signed by the WWF after a tryout match in August, given a gimmick of being a gofer for Jarrett.

Jarrett’s tights are awful, with gold stars on black gear and then yellow tassels on the sides and over his nether region. Jarrett stalls early and his second creates a barrier between he and the fans on the guardrails. No interference is necessary to give Jarrett the advantage as Jarrett crotches the Bulldog on the top rope and superplexes him off. Michaels has some fun digs on the Bulldog, arguing that the Bulldog knocked himself out at Survivor Series and that going to sleep in a Jarrett sleeper hold is normal behavior because the Bulldog slept through the pay-per-view. Michaels also dings the fisherman’s suplex as a finisher in a jab at Mr. Perfect, who was angling for a job in WCW. While there are spurts of good action, much of the bout is choppy as Jarrett grabs a rest hold after a few moves. The Bulldog starts a comeback after doing an inverted atomic drop, leading to Jarrett taking a powder after some clotheslines. The Bulldog follows Jarrett and puts him in a gorilla press position, throwing Jarrett back into the ring. However, the unnamed second, who is underneath the ring, grabs the Bulldog’s leg so he cannot re-enter and Jarrett gets a cheap win. Rating: **

Vince McMahon and Todd Pettengill call another episode, taped from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Opening Contest: The 1-2-3 Kid & Aldo Montoya beat the Heavenly Bodies (w/Jim Cornette) (19-1) when the Kid pins Tom Prichard with a schoolboy roll up at 7:11: shown:

The babyface team gets a long shine although they do more work on the mat rather than the air. Montoya is placed in peril when he tries to fight both Bodies and gets bulldogged by Tom Prichard. While in control the Bodies work in some cheating behind the referee’s back and a false tag spot. Montoya survives a gutwrench sit-out powerbomb and a Bodies atomic leg drop to give the Kid the hot tag. As Montoya and Jimmy Del Ray fight on the floor, the Kid slams Prichard and goes for a top rope move. Cornette hits the top rope with his tennis racquet, causing the Kid to fall off and Prichard gets the pin. Or at least that is the decision before referee Mike Chioda runs out and gets the match restarted. On the restart, Montoya dropkicks Prichard and the Kid schoolboys him right after so that the babyfaces win. Credit to the bookers for avoiding the stupid reverse decision finish. Rating: **½

Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler commentate, still broadcasting from Bushkill, Pennsylvania.

Opening Contest: The 1-2-3 Kid (23-5-1) defeats the Brooklyn Brawler with a cradle at 3:18:

The Brawler goes 50/50 with the Kid. If he could settle on a plan of attack it might have improved his chances of winning rather than adjusting it for random body parts. The Brawler tries to do two baseball slides, leading the Kid to avoid a second one and make a comeback. The Brawler does an inverted atomic drop to stop some corner punches but the Kid throws him off the rope and cradles him to win. This was better than many Brawler matches because the Kid kept him moving. Rating: *½

Vince McMahon narrates picture of the WWF title change at Survivor Series and Diesel’s babyface turn. There is also footage of Diesel beating Bob Backlund in Madison Square Garden for the WWF Championship. McMahon proclaims Diesel as the leader of the New Generation.

McMahon and Jerry Lawler call tonight’s action, live from Poughkeepsie, New York. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, 2,500 fans attended. This is the fifth television taping held in Poughkeepsie this year. They would get a sixth as a WWF Superstars taping took place the next day.

Vince McMahon announces that last night Diesel defeated Bob Backlund for the WWF Championship in Madison Square Garden. The announcement is reminiscent of fans being told in October 1992 that Bret Hart had won the WWF Championship from Ric Flair.

McMahon and Todd Pettengill are in the booth as a new taping begins in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the taping happened on November 9 and drew 4,000 fans.

Opening Contest: King Kong Bundy (w/Ted DiBiase) (8-0) beats Duke Droese (19-1) after two Avalanches at 6:53 shown:

This is Droese’s biggest test to date. He attacks Bundy when the big man enters the ring and knocks him out of the squared circle with some clotheslines and a dropkick. Then, Droese chases DiBiase off. After Bundy stalls and re-enters the contest there are a decent amount of near-falls as Bundy scores from an elbow drop and Droese comes back with a near-fall from a body press. Bundy responds with a knee drop and works a chinlock through a commercial break. Droese fights out but misses his corkscrew elbow drop. But then Bundy misses a splash. Droese proceeds to take down his straps and gloves in his version of a hulk up, ironically delivering a leg drop for two. A blind charge hits buckle, though, and two Avalanches are needed to keep Bundy undefeated. This was easily Bundy’s most enjoyable match since returning, although that does not say much. The work was so loose and soft from Droese that he looked out of his depth. Rating: *

Vince McMahon narrates a video package of Bob Backlund regaining the WWF Championship at Survivor Series. Even though Backlund is a heel, the music frames this as an inspirational segment.

McMahon and Jerry Lawler commentate, kicking off a new taping in Bushkill, Pennsylvania, the same site as the Sunday Night Slam special.

Seems fitting that Chuck Norris passed away a few days before we got to this point of the 1994 reviews.  Rest in peace to Walker, Texas Ranger.

A video package shows the captains of the different elimination tag teams giving pep talks to their squads.

Vince McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon, clad in cowboy hats, are in the booth, live from San Antonio, Texas. This would be the last WWF pay-per-view that Monsoon would commentate. It would also be the last Survivor Series to take place the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, a sellout crowd of 10,000 fans attended the show, 8,000 of which paid for tickets. The show posted a 0.90 buyrate (254,000 buys). That was better than the 0.82 (180,000 buys) of the previous year’s event, marking the first time in four years that a Survivor Series pay-per-view outsold the prior year’s edition.

Vince McMahon and Jim Cornette are handling commentary, concluding the taping in Bushkill, Pennsylvania.

The show is supposed to start with the non-title match between Razor Ramon and Diesel but Ramon is attacked by the Teamsters during his entrance.

Opening Contest: Tatanka (w/Ted DiBiase) (34-4-2) pins Chris Canyon after the End of the Trail at 4:38:

Like his squash of Tim McNeany a few weeks ago, Tatanka takes his time taking apart his opponent only to be surprised by a few fluke near-falls. Seeing someone as tall as Canyon trying a crucifix is something to behold. The flying chop and End of the Trail finish the match.

Stan Lane and Gorilla Monsoon commentate the show, taped from Bushkill, Pennsylvania on November 8. It is the WWF’s replacement for the Survivor Series Showdown that aired in previous years on USA Network. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, 1,500 fans attended. It is odd that the WWF went with Monsoon and Lane to call the show since Lane was tossed off the commentary of Wrestling Challenge after July 3.

Opening Contest: The Smoking Gunns (21-2-1) beat the Heavenly Bodies (w/Jim Cornette) (17-0) when Billy pins Tom Prichard after a crucifix sunset flip at 12:28 shown:

This serves as a blowoff of the Gunns-Bodies feud that has been going on since September. The Gunns get a long shine that includes their side suplex-leg drop move that Lane dubs the Roundup. Bart gets placed in peril when the Bodies get him near their corner. The Bodies do not do much in the way of interesting double teams, opting for some near-falls from what they do to Bart alone. Bart gets a few fluke near-falls to keep things interesting. After a long heat segment he delivers the hot tag after avoiding a Prichard knee drop off the second rope. The Gunns do a double military press slam to Prichard but Jimmy Del Ray superkicks Billy to prevent the Sidewinder. Billy gets thrown into the corner but rebounds out to surprise Prichard with a crucifix into a sunset flip and scores the winning fall. This was a good execution of the tag team formula. It elevates the Gunns to top babyface team. Rating: ***

Vince McMahon and Todd Pettengill are in the booth for the last part of the taping in Albany, New York.

Charlie Minn gives a rundown of what we are going to see today on the show. On his way to the ring Jeff Jarrett says he cannot wait for Survivor Series.

Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler commentate, concluding the taping in Burlington, Vermont.

Opening Contest: The Undertaker (w/Paul Bearer) (7-1) defeats Jim Neidhart (w/Owen Hart) (17-1) via count out at 6:03:

Neidhart refuses to get in the ring for the first minute of the match. When Neidhart does engage, the Undertaker shrugs off all of his offense until Neidhart delivers the Anvil Flattener. Neidhart does not cover after that, preferring to choke. Referee Tim White counts a fall during that, which is odd. Bearer leaves ringside for undisclosed reasons, causing the Undertaker to weaken. He returns with a large casket and opens it, providing product placement for Survivor Series. The Undertaker boots Neidhart into the casket, causing Neidhart to freak out and get counted out. That is a terrible finish to what turned into an okay match once it got going. Was it necessary to continue to protect Neidhart after his house show run with Bret Hart was over? Rating: *½

Vince McMahon and Ted DiBiase commentate, still taped from Bushkill, Pennsylvania.

Opening Contest: Bob Backlund (10-2) defeats the 1-2-3 Kid (23-4-1) via submission to the crossface chicken wing at 5:01 shown:

Back when the WWE Network and Peacock had the Monday Night RAW archive this match was not shown because of “technical difficulties.” Even though WWF Champion Bret Hart promised last week to be in the Kid’s corner he is nowhere to be seen. The Kid rushes Backlund, getting quick near-falls before taking the match to the canvas with an armbar. Backlund powers out but in a nice bit, his arm is too hurt to capitalize and he is not used to the New Generation style that the Kid embodies so he cannot follow up, allowing the Kid to hit a missile dropkick for another near-fall. A forearm shot allows Backlund to work the Kid’s left arm but when he tries the crossface chicken wing the Kid quickly reverses to one of his own, which Backlund has to escape. The Kid sells that his arm is about to fall off but he does not need that to hit his leg-oriented offense. It builds to a top rope splash that misses and Backlund pounces with the chicken wing for a hard-fought win. This was good booking that made the styles clash a part of the match’s story and each guy came out looking better. Giving these two five minutes of airtime was criminal, though. Rating: ***

Backlund refuses to break the hold after the bell, causing Bret to rush the ring. Backlund breaks the hold to fight Bret but WWF officials flood the ring to separate them. Backlund sneaks up behind Bret and applies the chicken wing but he lets it go, telling Bret that he gave him a taste of what he will feel at Survivor Series. As Backlund starts going to the locker room, Bret trips him in the aisle and applies the Sharpshooter, quickly releasing it. He tells Backlund he will not let him out of the Sharpshooter at Survivor Series. That was a fun “turnabout is fair play” segment.

Vince McMahon and Todd Pettengill call today’s action, taped from Albany, New York.

Opening Contest: Jerry Lawler (w/Queasy, Sleazy & Cheesy) (3-2) beats Bob Holly (26-4-1) after a blind charge at 7:45 shown:

Every time that Holly gets a run of moves, Lawler stalls to break his momentum. McMahon fills the time wondering how Lawler came up with names for his little people. The Royal Family puts boots to Holly on the arena floor but Holly quickly recovers. Lawler accidentally runs into his allies, knocking them over like bowling pins. That triggers a late Holly rally but he crotches himself on the second rope when doing a blind charge, allowing Lawler to win. There was not a lot of action here because of Lawler’s stalling. The way Holly lost was supposed to protect him as McMahon tries to sell the idea that Lawler barely escaped defeat. However, Holly never had Lawler in a compromising position to get that over. Rating: *

Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler commentate, taped from Burlington, Vermont.

Opening Contest: Lex Luger (29-3-1) defeats Gary Scott via submission to the Rebel Rack at 2:17:

Luger slams Scott around and Scott’s attempts to fire back go nowhere. After a backdrop Luger barely avoids botching a powerslam and runs his winning streak to eight after the Rebel Rack.

Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are in the booth, live from Bushkill, Pennsylvania. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the show drew a crowd of 1,500 fans.

Opening Contest: Bret Hart & the British Bulldog beat Owen Hart & Jim Neidhart when Bret submits Neidhart with the Sharpshooter at 14:13 shown:

The crowd is quiet for the opening action, not getting too worked up when the babyfaces attack the heels during their entrance. The Bulldog has changed his look, going with short bike-like tights that have the colors of the British flag. One novelty of the match is getting to see Bret and Neidhart battle on television for the first time. After some mediocre opening action, the Bulldog is placed in peril, kicking out of Neidhart’s Anvil Flattener powerslam. There is a fun sequence where Owen blocks a hot tag and Bret chases him around the ring, enabling Owen to get back in and finish a Hart Attack on the Bulldog. Bret breaks up the pinfall from that. There is a false tag after a second commercial break but heel miscommunication finally allows Bret to tag in. Neidhart looks lost during the hot tag sequence, standing awkwardly in place several times. Owen knees Bret in the back to put him in peril but the Bulldog trips Owen and pulls him out of the ring when the heels try to double clothesline Bret. Even that looked botched because the Bulldog did not trip Owen the first time that the heels hit the ropes and Neidhart kind of awkwardly collides with Bret when Owen is taken out of the ring. That leaves Bret and Neidhart alone and Bret submits his former tag team partner to blow off their one-on-one program on television. Parts of this were good, having several believable false finishes, but the crowd was not into it and Neidhart looked awful. Rating: ***

Note:  This review is a hybrid of the Action Zone and Wrestling Challenge because a complete episode of either was difficult to obtain, so it was put together through various clips of matches.

Vince McMahon and Todd Pettengill do commentary, taped from Albany, New York. According to thehistoryofwwe.com, the taping took place on October 19.

Charlie Minn wildly dances in the aisle to Mabel’s rap on the way to the ring, making himself look silly in the process.

Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are in the booth, kicking off a new taping from Burlington, Vermont. According to the historyofwwe.com, the taping drew a sellout, papered crowd of 2,500.

Opening Contest: Tatanka (w/Ted DiBiase) (32-4-2) beats Billy Gunn when Bam Bam Bigelow interferes at 6:21:

McMahon and Lawler debate whether Lex Luger verbally submitted to the crossface chicken wing on Monday Night RAW. Neither man seems to have a lot of energy. All of Billy’s shine spot is working an arm ringer, for example. Tatanka even struggles to do a basic chinlock. Billy comes back after hitting Tatanka in the gut when Tatanka tries a flying chop. When he goes to the top rope, DiBiase hops on the apron and Bam Bam Bigelow runs out to push Billy off, allowing his stablemate to win. Since Tatanka was in a prominent singles feud having him struggle to beat a tag team wrestler is odd booking. Rating: *½

After the bell, Bigelow and Tatanka double team Billy until Bart makes the save. On their way to the locker room, DiBiase tells the camera that what happened to Billy is what awaits Lex Luger’s team at Survivor Series.