WWF Raw 28/2/1994

Randy Savage vs Yokozuna

Even though you knew Savage wasn’t going to win this match so close to Mania, they still did a good job of building this up, including Savage talking about doing the right thing and defending the title vs Luger and Bret. This was a really good effort from both men, with Savage setting a high tempo early by attacking Yoko before the bell. Savage is on fire, getting a close 2 on a clotheslines, and though Yoko tries to subdue him on the mat, Savage is too resilient and evades a Yoko splash. I liked Savage knocking Yoko to the outside, but really struggling to get the big man back in the ring. It made Savage look good, as if Yoko was only just holding on, and it allowed Jim Cornette to distract Savage and give Yokozuna the opening he needed to take control. They’re putting Savage over strongly here, so he soon regain control, and I loved Yoko’s wobble-selling as Savage hits a series of punches and a double-ax handle to try and knock him down. The end sees Fuji handing a wooden salt bucket to Yoko, only for Savage to grab it and use it himself. Flying elbow looks to have won it, but Crush comes in for the DQ. Really good bout.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs Mike Khoury

Bland squash. Bigelow mainly hits punches and drops some elbows, though I liked him catching Khoury on a crossbody and hitting a World’s Strongest Slam. Standing enzuigiri gives Bigelow the win.

Earthquake vs Black Phantom

Phantom was a pre-fame, in-good-shape Gangrel. This was pretty enjoyable, including a fun spot where Quake dropped an elbow when Phantom did a dropdown from a Irish whip. Nice fat man dropkick from Earthquake, and a slam and sitdown splash finish.

Kwang vs John Chrystal

The Kwang gimmick sucked, but this is the second fun Kwang squash we’ve seen. Nice series of kicks, big meaty slams and a nice superkick to the jaw to win. No complaints here.

Men On A Mission vs the Brooklyn Brawler & Steve Smith

It’s for the best to pretend the Mo sections didn’t happen. His offense never looks good, and he’s pretty pointless. Mabel is really fun as the dominating force, hitting a massive legdrop on the Brawler, though his elbow drop only seems to graze Smith. Assisted splash on Smith gets the job done.

WWF Monday Night Raw 03/01/1994

As well as my ongoing WCW 1992 project, I decided to use the Network to watch all the Raw's from 1994. This was the start of my second big moment as a wrestling fan, as my parents bought Sky, allowing me to watch WWF programming weekly. I've not seen this stuff since it first aired, so it should be interesting to revisit

Yokozuna vs Dan Dubeil

Before this match started, I was pretty sure I remembered Dan Dubeil’s name for some reason. This is a really fun squash, with Yoko just ragdolling Dubeil. There’s a lovely snap to a slam and a great looking belly-to-belly suplex. Then the reason I remembered Dubeil’s name….Yoko hits the Banzai Drop and lets his legs out, just squashing poor Dubeil. Brutal end to a great squash.

 

The Smoking Gunns vs Bam Bam Bigelow & Bastion Booger

Though both members of the heel team are big guys, Bammer is noticeably more agile and mobile than Booger. With Bigelow in the ring, the Gunns are able to use their speed advantage to take control, with Bigelow able to bump and make them look good. With Booger in, he’s so cumbersome that the Gunns end up bumping around for him more, to make his offence look more impactful. Bart Gunn even takes a 360 bump off a Booger clothesline. I liked the spot where Bart tried to take Booger down with a sunset flip and Billy came in to hit Booger with a bulldog, which would make sense as Bastion would be trying to lean forward to avoid Bart taking him down. The heels work a rather dull heat section on Bart, before the hot tag sees the Gunns run wild on Bigelow. Outside, Luna Vachon rubs Booger’s hump to revive him, and he takes this as a sign of her affection for him. This leads to a rather horrid ending as Booger essentially molests Luna, and Bammer rolls out to attack him, leading to the Gunns countout win 

Jeff Jarrett vs John Chrystal

Decent squash, and one where Jarrett was clearly already in command of his character. Loved him ducking out of the ring at the very start, and cheapshotting an opponent he’s superior to over the referee’s shoulder. Jarrett is pretty cocky during the match, and this keeps leading to Chrystal getting shock roll-ups on him, which in turn leads to Jarrett cranking up the aggression before the cycle repeats. JJ gets the win with a spiking DDT 

Shawn Michaels vs Brian Walsh

Curiously, Michaels gives Walsh loads here, even letting him get the better of Michaels on the mat. Walsh gets two from a slingshot, before Michaels cuts him off. Right away, Michaels throws Walsh out to Diesel twice in succession, as if wanting to cut off the threat in it’s prime. Michaels works a rather dull chinlock before Walsh gets another roll-up for 2. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music and a piledriver to win the weakest squash of the show.