WWF Wrestling Challenge: February 5, 1995

The South Padre Island Convention Centre – South Padre Island, TX

Announcers: Gorilla Monsoon & “The Million-Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase

Now a full two weeks removed from the Royal Rumble and into the month of February, the focus should begin to shift toward WrestleMania XI. With Wrestling Challenge the bottom of the barrel show it is by this point in its run, however, just how much news, if any, will come from this taping? DiBiase gloats over his man, King Kong Bundy, overcoming Mabel, on Monday Night RAW, in their mini-Royal Rumble match as the broadcast begins with Monsoon needing to remind “The Million-Dollar Man” that it only took three of his guys (I.R.S. and Tatanka) for Bundy to get the job done. With the early bickering put aside, let’s get to the opening match for this week.

Greg Davis -VS- Doink the Clown (w/ Dink)

Result/Analysis: Doink via pinfall (3:35) following the Whoopie Cushion.

Monsoon and DiBiase discuss the Lawrence Taylor and Bam Bam Bigelow altercation from the Royal Rumble yet again with Doink’s wrestling here but a mere backdrop to their arguing over who should issue an apology to the other and for what? Dink is allowed to run amuck without so much as a warning by the referee but his comedy antics as the sidekick had grown tiresome alongside the Doink character that no longer had any usefulness. Ray Apollo tried to succeed as Doink in the babyface role but the gimmick was a total flop after “Evil Doink,” as portrayed by Matt Borne from 1992-93, was scrapped. There were only so many Doink versus Kwang house show matches that one could stomach, you know?

Rating: 1/4*

We’re brought back to the Royal Rumble to see Bam Bam Bigelow’s confrontation with Lawrence Taylor, including Bam Bam’s shove, unprovoked in Gorilla’s opinion. Bam Bam’s non-apology to LT from Monday Night RAW is shown which ended with a match challenge made by Bigelow to Taylor. Gorilla says the management for LT has reached out to the WWF since RAW aired and will address Mr. Bigelow’s challenge this coming Monday night.

Raven Clark -VS- Mr. Bob Backlund

Result/Analysis: Backlund via submission (2:02) with the cross-face chickenwing.

Mr. Split Personality himself, Bob Backlund, makes quick work of another jobber. The creative direction for Backlund continues to focus on his deranged persona with the non-release of the cross-face chickenwing submission hold, despite an opponent’s submission to it, a focal point of his matches against any enhancement talent. Backlund communicated to everyone this new policy of his for the cross-face chickenwing on the prior Monday Night RAW while a guest on The King’s Court with Jerry “The King” Lawler. Monsoon and DiBiase discuss Backlund’s confrontations with Bret “The Hitman” Hart at the Royal Rumble during the match. Since Bret, of course, has the sharpshooter as his submission hold, and Backlund, has the cross-face chickenwing as his, the wheels seem to be heading down the track for a Hart versus Backlund submission match.

Rating: 1/4*

Tamara Murphy, from Live Event News, gives a rundown of announced matches for a stacked card for the “In High Gear Tour” at Madison Square Garden on March 19. Depending on which part of the country you lived in then that’s the event that would have been advertised. For the MSG card, out of nine matches total, you were at least promised to see Diesel & Razor Ramon versus Shawn Michaels & Jeff Jarrett, The Undertaker against Bam Bam Bigelow, Adam Bomb challenging Bob Backlund in a submission match and The Smoking Gunns defending the WWF Tag-Team Titles versus I.R.S. and Tatanka from Ted DiBiase’s “Million-Dollar Corporation.” That’s not a bad line-up.

The Headshrinkers [Sione & Fatu] (w/ Afa & Cpt. Lou Albano) -VS- Sonny Pruitt & Lee Tobin

Result/Analysis: The Headshrinkers via pinfall (3:45) when Fatu pins Tobin following a splash off the top rope.

The 2.0 version of The Headshrinkers look dominant here as both Pruitt and Tobin take an absolute pounding. With the tag-team division in flux, the smart thing would be to turn The Headshrinkers heel again. The tag division has an excess number of babyface teams but only the recently formed I.R.S. and Tatanka duo from DiBiase’s Million-Dollar Corporation plus Jacob & Eli Blu comprise the heel side. Monsoon mentions The Smoking Gunns being the newly crowned champions and gauges DiBiase on if he’ll re-pair Tatanka and Bam Bam once Bigelow’s 30-day suspension ends. DiBiase doesn’t commit to doing so. In a cool moment from the match, The Headshrinkers use the decapitation elbow made famous by Demolition. It looks pretty sweet but the Fatu big splash off the top rope is the move used as the finisher.

Rating: *

Man Mountain Rock 🎸 has like his eighth different promo in the month lead up to his in-ring debut which will come on Monday Night RAW. At six-foot seven inches tall and weighing at 400 pounds, Rock says being a wrestler allows him to channel his aggressive energy. Rock adds he’s excited to be a part of the New Generation in the WWF.

“Native American” Tatanka (w/ “The Million-Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase) -VS- Matt Hardy

Result/Analysis: Tatanka via pinfall (3:22) following The End of the Trail.

Despite a rather lethargic outing (that’s Monsoon’s assessment), Tatanka takes apart the youthful inexperience of Matt Hardy by the end of the match to make Hardy’s journey to, and stay at, the reservation, a short one. Tatanka had surely become a lazy worker in the eyes of many by this point which is far cry from how he was viewed 2-3 years prior. What a shame. Monsoon plugs Tatanka’s involvement in the Monday Night RAW six-man tag-team match that’s upcoming.

Rating: 3/4*

Courtesy of the “In High Gear” house show tour going on, Raymond Rougeau has a special interview with the reigning WWF Tag-Team Champions, Billy and Bart, The Smoking Gunns. Rougeau first congratulates The Gunns on their winning the titles recently. Bart accepts the kudos and he says, winning the belts is a dream come true as all of their hard work and dedication has paid-off. Bart credits the WWF fans for their support and says the titles are as much theirs as they are the fans’. Rougeau turns to Billy to ask him what’s next? Billy makes a promise to ALL the tag teams that they’ll each get their shot at the titles just as they did despite having to sit out of the tag-team championship tournament. Billy adds the other tag teams are the some of the best tag teams in the world and that’s why they’re all in the WWF. Once he and Bart defeat them all they’ll be credited as the best. This was more cheesy than the first grade promo that Bob “Spark Plugg” Holly and The 1-2-3 Kid gave upon winning the tag-teams titles at the Royal Rumble. Who was writing the material?

Hakushi (w/ Shinja) -VS- Shawn Dakota

Result/Analysis: Hakushi via pinfall (2:58) following a seated senton.

Hakushi impresses yet again against the hired fodder to make you wonder when he’ll be placed in a match with someone more on his level? DiBiase brings up the rumors of Bret “The Hitman” Hart being overheard in the locker room saying racial slurs toward Japanese people to which Monsoon retorts as a boldface lie told by Jerry “The King” Lawler. Monsoon says Bret is so popular in Japan that he’s on speaking terms with the Emperor. Oh please. Shinja is discussed as to what his role to Hakushi is? DiBiase calls him a disciple of Hakushi. OK. Monsoon also plugs an upcoming house show in White Plains, New York that features King Kong Bundy versus Adam Bomb and a Main Event Steel Cage Match between Tatanka and Lex Luger. Without the truly big names, if you lived where the “B” part of the roster was coming to town, aren’t you trying to find a sucker for your tickets to make a few bucks back on your purchase?

Rating: *

Gorilla promotes the newest “WWF Magazine” with Bret Hart on the cover dressed in his attire from “The Lonesome Dove” TV series he had recently had guest starred in. DiBiase calls Bret “Buffalo” Bret Hart and urges him to stay in the “movies” because lonesome for a long time is what he’ll be. Funny!

Duke “The Dumpster” Droese -VS- Barry Horowitz

Result/Analysis: Droese via pinfall (2:45) following the trash compactor.

Monsoon calls Duke the blue collar/working class hero of Middle America. Horowitz puts up zero resistance despite badmouthing Duke from the onset of the match. DiBiase talks about himself and how he’d like to buy the Kennedy Compound in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts just so he can knock it down for a clearer view of Nantucket. Yes, this was actual conversation during a riveting Droese versus Horowitz instant DUD. Though, to be fair, “The Dumpster” does bring his working boots for the match and he looks pretty good on this occasion.

Rating: 3/4*

Tamara Murphy again runs through the announced matches for the March 19 card at Madison Square Garden for the New York City stop for the In High Gear tour. Adam Bomb has a promo for his scheduled Submission Match versus Mr. Bob Backlund with a promise he won’t be saying “I Quit.”

Charlie Hunter -VS- Kama “The Supreme Fighting Machine”

Result/Analysis: Kama via submission (2:35) with the STF.

The superlatives were coming fast in this match as both DiBiase and Monsoon drool over Kama as a shoot fighter unlike anything ever seen before. Monsoon says Kama has mastered hand-to-hand combat. He wonders aloud what a match between Kama and The 1-2-3 Kid or against Hakushi would look like? DiBiase educates everyone on the meaning of Kama’s name telling us it means “anger” and “hatred.” After Charlie Hunter is destroyed, DiBiase further impressed says Kama is a “money-making machine.” Monsoon asks DiBiase if he’s already eyeing Kama for The Million-Dollar Corporation? Critics were down on Kama in their early reviews of him but I liked what I saw. I’d already rather see Kama replace King Kong Bundy as The Undertaker’s adversary for instance.

Rating: *

Next week, “Made in the U.S.A.” Lex Luger, Bundy, Men On A Mission, Jacob & Eli Blu and Aldo Montoya compete on Wrestling Challenge. If that’s not a snoozefest of a lineup then what is?

The Verdict: WrestleMania XI is yet a discussion point. It seems that won’t change for 1-2 more weeks. In the meantime, new talent will suck up TV time to see if anyone sticks? It’s interesting to watch the in between periods, especially in a transitional year for the WWF which 1995 was. There could be no takeaways from this edition of Wrestling Challenge. The Smoking Gunns interview was so cheesy you’re immediately rooting for them to drop the tag-team belts.