WWF Monday Night RAW: January 2, 1995
From: Liberty, NY

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon & Shawn Michaels

Tag-Team Match:
“Native American” Tatanka & Bam Bam Bigelow
(w/ “The Million-Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase)
-VS-
The Allied Powers: “Made in the U.S.A.” Lex Luger & “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith

Result/Analysis: double-count-out (8:48 shown). In 1995, unlike today, a match would still end in a count-out but what purpose did that serve? A double-disqualification is effectively the same result so doing that might have warranted a return bout. Luger and Bulldog were being thrown together as a tag-team starting here but their individual body language tells that neither was too keen on being forced into the tag-team division. Bigelow and Tatanka had been teamed up for a while and they had already advanced to the semi-final round of the tag-team tournament for a match against The Headshrinkers in a few weeks. Gorilla and Michaels wonder out loud as they do the commentary during the match if Luger and Bulldog can truly co-exist when both are entrants into the Royal Rumble match? It was a fair question to raise. The tag-team titles were vacated after Survivor Series in November 1994 when the champions Diesel and Michaels could no longer function together. Luger is the legal man for most of the match, though outside of a flurry of offense at the onset, he’s pummeled throughout as Tatanka and Bigelow take turns with him. Bulldog gets winded quickly so it’s no wonder that a singles push wasn’t in the cards for him as 1995 began. Roids. Eventually, Luger does make the hot tag to Bulldog and Bam Bam takes a power slam that seemingly will lead to him being pinned. DiBiase saves Bam Bam, however, and all four guys end up fighting each other, paired-off, outside the ring. Referee Earl Hebner counts out both teams and the first televised match in 1995 has no winner. Incredibly lame.

Rating: *

Royal Rumble Report w/ Todd Pettengill:

– Pamela Anderson of “Baywatch” will host the event on January 22nd from The Sun Dome in Tampa, FL
– Diesel will defend the WWF Championship against “The Hitman” Bret Hart
– “The Bad Guy” Razor Ramon will defend the WWF Intercontinental Championship against “Double J” Jeff Jarrett
– The Undertaker faces the taxman I.R.S.
– confirmed Royal Rumble entrants: Lex Luger, Doink, Mr. Bob Backlund, King Kong Bundy, Dick Murdoch, “ The Portuguese Man O’ War” Aldo Montoya, Duke “The Dumpster” Droese, Kwang, Adam Bomb, Henry Godwinn, “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith, “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, Mabel, Mo, The 1-2-3 Kid, Bob “Spark Plugg” Holly, Butch and Luke – The Bushwhackers.
– the finals of the WWF Tag-Team Championship tournament will also take place

Back at ringside, The Roadie is setting up a stage microphone for tonight’s singing debut of “Double J” Jeff Jarrett and performing a mic check to be certain all is kosher.

Duke “The Dumpster” Droese – VS- Mike Bell

Result/Analysis: Droese via pinfall (1:35) following the trash compactor. There’s nothing to see here. Bell was a jobber extraordinaire in his day. Vince McMahon had this fascination with giving his second-rate SuperStars these awful gimmicks to get over with and to suit his fancy or something. As repulsed by garbage, at least the smell of it anyway, so too, were WWF fans for “The Dumpster” character. Somehow, though, Vince employed Droese over a two-year stint.

Rating: 1/4*

A promo for Kama airs. His “WWF debut” was coming up later on in January. He, “The Supreme Fighting Machine,” in yet another Vince repacking gimmick, was formerly “Papa Shango” from 1992-93. The Kama character was meant to be a scrappy and competitive “shoot wrestler” type inspired by the highly-regarded Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial artist fighter Kimo Leopoldo at the time. Whatever.

Meanwhile, The Roadie is checking the wiring around the ring to make sure it’s all working for Jarrett’s signing debut.

Gorilla recaps where the brackets stand in the WWF Tag-Team Championship tournament. Bam Bam and Tatanka advanced into the semifinals with a victory over Men On A Mission. The Heavenly Bodies did the same by defeating The Bushwhackers. Over the prior weekend on WWF SuperStars, The Headshrinkers advanced to meet Bam Bam & Tatanka when Owen Hart got himself and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart disqualified. Only one quarterfinal match remains. The Smoking Gunns will square off with Well Dunn on the January 7 WWF SuperStars. The finals will occur at The Royal Rumble pay-per-view on January 22.

Jerry “The King” Lawler hosts “The King’s Court” with special guest “The King of Hart’s” Owen Hart. Gorilla reminds the television audience that Owen, who is introduced to a chorus of boos, has been excommunicated from The Hart Family since the Survivor Series. It was Owen, of course, that convinced a hysterical Helen Hart,” his mother, to throw in the towel on his brother Bret, as “The Hitman” was struggling to free himself from the cross-face chicken wing that Mr. Bob Backlund had put him in during their WWF Championship match. With Helen throwing the towel in the ring, the referee viewed that as an act of surrender (by Bret) and Backlund became the WWF Champion, a short-lived reign that was before he dropped the belt to Diesel at Madison Square Garden days later. Monsoon says Owen’s actions at Survivor Series were despicable. Lawler has Owen do the “Royal Wave” to the peasants in the crowd. Owen mockingly waves at them but he tells Lawler the people don’t deserve the acknowledgement. That’s so true, Owen. Monsoon chimes in with his personal take “two sick individuals,” he says. Lawler wants to discuss Survivor Series and Owen’s amazing Oscar-worthy performance of convincing Helen to throw in the towel. Jerry claims he even heard it through the grapevine that Stu and Helen are so ashamed of Bret since then that they’re now thinking of putting him up for adoption. LMAO! Owen agrees that’s a long overdue thing to happen. Me, too! Owen recaps his great 1994 next. He beat Bret at Wrestlemania X (Owen says he knew he could). He became “King of the Ring” to become “The King of Hart’s.” Lastly, and his most favorite moment of all, was that he was personally responsible for Bret losing the WWF Title. Laughs aplenty follow as Lawler adds in his cackle. To Owen, all of it, especially Survivor Series, was part of his master plan. Lawler asks Owen to share his promised bombshell announcement. Owen agrees to share since Lawler is also a “King.” Owen promises to be a WWF Tag-Team Champion, the WWF Intercontinental Champion and the WWF (World) Champion. Unlike Bret, however, he’ll never lose the belt(s) and retire as the champion. First things first, though, while Bret may be WWF Champion again at the Royal Rumble, though Owen doubts it, he’ll be the one to win the Royal Rumble match. Gorilla scoffs at that and tells Michaels that Owen is trying to upstage him. Shawn laughs the notion off and promises that 1995 will indeed be the year of HBK. Owen departs the ring to more boos.

Next week, on the 2nd anniversary show for “Monday Night RAW,” there are TWO announced matches. Razor Ramon will defend the Intercontinental Title against Owen Hart. Harvey Whippleman and ring announcer Howard Finkel will compete in a “Tuxedo Match.” Oh jeez, I tried to forgot about that feud and those never-ending matches.

“Double J” Jeff Jarrett -VS- Buck Quartermaine

Result/Analysis: Jarrett via submission (2:52) with the figure-four leg lock. We learn from Shawn that Buck Quartermaine is a name you’d hear on a Soap Opera. That’s accurate. Gorilla makes sure to note that Jarrett stole the strut and figure-four from “Nature Boy” Buddy Rogers without referencing “Nature Boy” Ric Flair because in those days their was never a mention of someone in a rival promotion. Jarrett pummels Quartermaine long enough for Gorilla to question why it’s taking so long for “Double J” to put the youngster away and sing his song. But ain’t he great? Squash match here.

Rating: 1/2*

Afterwards, The Roadie has Jarrett all set up for his singing debut, the guitar is tuned and so on, but Jarrett isn’t satisfied with the microphone at first before that gets adjusted to his liking. He’s then ready to sing, or so it seems, as the lights dim out in the gymnasium, only for the spotlight he requests not to be shown on him. As such, Jarrett scraps his entire performance. Michaels thinks Razor Ramon has sabotaged it.

Up next, the tag match from earlier is being resumed as the four combatants were dissatisfied with the double count-out ruling. It’s less because of that and more because there’s little else to give the fans in attendance as a “Main Event.”

Tag-Team Match:
“Native American” Tatanka & Bam Bam Bigelow
(w/ “The Million-Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase)
-VS-
The Allied Powers: “Made in the U.S.A.” Lex Luger & “The British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith

Result/Analysis: The Allied Powers via pinfall (5:02 shown) when Davey Boy pins Bam Bam following a collision with Tatanka. With RAW often pre-taped in these days it’s likely the case this match immediately resumed after the double count-out from earlier but the WWF presents it to the television audience as a large break in-between. Much like the “first match” Luger gets pummeled while Davey Boy awaits the hot tag on the ring apron. Michaels uses the time to bash Luger’s wrestling ability and downgrade him as any kind of threat to win the Rumble or have a successful 1995 in the WWF. That’s foreshadowing at its finest. Davey Boy eventually does receive the hot tag and as-seen 1000x in these matches beforehand, the heel tag-team is blown up. Bulldog at least, with credit to the ‘roids he was taking at the time, does light a fire under the fans behinds, as they’re vocal for him and his ability. The Lex Express was empty on fuel way before 1995 started. The Allied Powers win but are they a competing tag-team in the tournament? Naw. That would have made too much sense for the WWF to make happen at the time.

Rating: *1/4

The Verdict: A NOTHING show. What can be the takeaway? Jarrett didn’t sing as advertised. The Main Event was SOO BAD it was shown twice over with little improvement. Duke “The Dumpster” Droese had a match. The highlight for me was Owen Hart on “The King’s Court” not that he said ANYTHING of consequence. The Royal Rumble card looks OK given the composition of the roster but the television product being put out hardly got anyone excited for the PPV.