Bam Bam Bigelow — page 4

–A video package quickly highlights the various WrestleMania’s.  It is notable that celebrities are emphasized in this package instead of wrestlers, partly due to the fact that Hulk Hogan, competing in WCW, was in the main event of most of them.

–Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are doing commentary and they are live from Hartford, Connecticut.  The Hartford Civic Center is probably the worst WrestleMania venue in history since it lacks the history and size of its predecessors and successors.  Its selection is an illustration of the problems that the company was experiencing the mid-1990s.

This was a “special edition” of Monday Night RAW as Jim Ross and Gorilla Monsoon broadcast the no holds barred match between Bret Hart and Owen Hart, which was taped on March 13 in Stockton, California, while Vince McMahon and Todd Pettengill hype WrestleMania XI from the company’s studios in Stamford, Connecticut.

–A video package recaps the Bret Hart-Owen Hart feud, beginning with the 1994 Survivor Series where Owen got his mother and father to throw in a towel in Bret’s submission match with Bob Backlund, an act that cost Bret the WWF title.

Sunday Night Slam was a show that the company aired a couple of times in 1994 and one time in 1995.  It served as a lead-in for big pay-per-view events like SummerSlam and Survivor Series and tried to entice fans to buy the shows by showcasing the major feuds and angles in various matches.  It was not quite a Clash of the Champions concept that WCW was using but it did provide the company with additional exposure on USA Network outside of its usual timeslots for Monday Night RAW, WWF Mania, and The Action Zone.  Later on, the name of the show would be used to hype other pay-per-view events before the Free for All was created in January 1996, but it never again featured original matches.

–Vince McMahon and Jim Ross are doing commentary for the event.  The matches were taped along with several episodes of Monday Night RAW on March 13 in Stockton, California.

–Doink and Bam Bam Bigelow cut promos on each other for today’s feature match.  Doink says he is going to win and let Lawrence Taylor know all of Bigelow’s secrets.  Bigelow rebuts that he thought he got rid of Doink for good at WrestleMania X but will finish things today.

–Jim Ross and Todd Pettengill are doing commentary and they are still taped from North Charleston, West Virginia.

–Men on a Mission say that they are excited to fight for the tag team titles on today’s show.  The Smoking Gunns do a lot of smiling and say that they will make Men on a Mission yell “Whoop, there they go!”

–Jim Ross and Todd Pettengill are in the booth and they are broadcasting from a new taping location in North Charleston, West Virginia.  The tapings were done on February 22.

–Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are calling the action and they are now doing tapings in Augusta, Georgia.  These tapings were held on February 21.

–Before the next bout, Jim Cornette tells the crowd that Intercontinental Champion Jeff Jarrett has informed him that he has signed a contract to defend his title against Razor Ramon at WrestleMania.  However, Cornette says that Ramon will not make it there because he is facing Mantaur in the next bout.  Although many did not know it at the time (and as revealed in James Dixon’s book Titan Sinking:  The Decline of the WWF in 1995), the booking of Jarrett and Ramon was a big blow for Ramon, who had filmed some vignettes to turn heel and face the Undertaker.  Turning Ramon heel would have done wonders for his character and strengthened the heel side of the roster.

–Vince McMahon recaps how Bam Bam Bigelow and Lawrence Taylor traded verbal blows at the WrestleMania XI press conference.  McMahon promises us footage of the press conference.

–McMahon and Jim Cornette are doing commentary and they are concluding the tapings in Macon, Georgia.

Jim Ross and Todd Pettengill are doing commentary and they are wrapping up the tapings in Fort Myers, Florida.

–Vince McMahon and Jim Cornette are in the booth and they are taped from Macon, Georgia.

–Lex Luger recaps his feud with Tatanka and says that Chief Jay Strongbow will be in his corner tonight when he looks to finish Tatanka for good.  The beginning of this promo was humorous as Luger struggled to speak and flex his pectoral muscles at the same time.

–Vince McMahon and Jim Cornette are in the booth and they are live from Macon, Georgia.  Less than 3,000 fans bought tickets to this show, illustrating just how cold the product was at the time.

–Vince McMahon recaps Shawn Michaels victory in the Royal Rumble and hypes today’s match between Michaels and Adam Bomb.

–McMahon and Jerry Lawler are in the booth and they are still taped from Corpus Christi, Texas.

–Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels are doing commentary this evening and they are still taped from Palmetto, Florida.  The green screen that they are broadcast against is jarring.

–Vince McMahon apologizes to Lawrence Taylor for Bam Bam Bigelow’s conduct at the Royal Rumble and announces that Bigelow has been suspended without pay.

–Vince and Shawn Michaels are doing commentary and they are live from Palmetto, Florida.  Vince puts over how Michaels won from the #1 position and Michaels says he is going to put some moves on Pamela Anderson.  It is so weird to see the winner of the Rumble not getting a twenty minute promo to start the show.

–A limousine pulls into the backstage area and Pamela Anderson walks out.  She goes to her locker room as WWF wrestlers, led by Dink of all people, hoot and holler.  What?  You expected respectful manners out of a group of wrestlers?

As a side note, when you have been watching tons of television tapings from Liberty, New York in a high school gym for weeks on end it really makes you appreciate the bigger venue that this show is in and it makes everything seem more important.

–Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler are on the mic and they are live from Tampa, Florida.  What is hilarious about the opening is that Vince tries to introduce the Spanish announce team and Hugo Savinovich just stays seated with his back to the camera.

–Jim Ross and Todd Pettengill are doing commentary today and they recap the WWF Tag Team Championship Tournament semi-finals, which were held on WWF Superstars.  They still appear to be in Liberty, New York in a high school gymnasium.  Although this was not a great financial period for the company I have to envy some of these people that got to attend these smaller shows.  I would have loved for the WWF to come to my small community during this time period.

–Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler are doing commentary and they are still in Newark, Delaware.

–Jim Ross and Todd Pettengill are in the booth and they are from various locations since the Action Zone broadcast a collection of matches from different TV tapings.  I always fondly remember this syndicated show because it was my go-to viewing after church on Sundays or what I would run to see if going to see my aunt for a family gathering on a Sunday afternoon.

–“Double J” Jeff Jarrett lets us know how great he is going to be in his signing debut on tonight’s RAW.

–Gorilla Monsoon and Shawn Michaels are doing commentary and they are taped from Liberty, New York.  This episode was taped on December 12, 1994.

Live from Norfolk, VA

Airdate: December 26, 1988

Attendance:  10,000

Hosted by Tony Schiavone, Magnum T.A., Jim Ross, and Bob Caudle

Will the NWA, now under the Turner umbrella, introduce a new champion? Or will they maintain the status quo? Let’s find out!

Monday Nitro #288
Date: March 26, 2001
Location: Boardwalk Beach Resort, Panama City, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Scott Hudson

I can’t believe I actually typed that. After over five and a half years, we’ve actually arrived at the final episode of Monday Nitro. Tonight is the Night of Champions show with every title being defended. Other than that there’s been an open call to all former WCW World Champions to show up and bring their gear. That could be interesting or a big disappointment and I’ll let you guess which I’m expecting. Let’s get to it.