Superstar Sleeze

Well put me in the camp that would vote for Bob Backlund over Donald Trump. After pretty much nothing on WWF TV after WrestleMania XI, Bob Backlund gets one last quick push. He has been attacking people most notably Jim Ross with the Crossface Chickenwing in order to set up a match with WWF Champion Bret Hart the next week on RAW. Great unhinged promo here. He says he had dreams of BEING GOD AGAIN, but it is a non-title bout. Society needs less Hitmen. Do not try to finite me which I could totally see becoming Gen Z slang. Absolutely awesome promo by Bob!

Bret Hart vs Bob Backlund - WWF WrestleMania XI I Quit Call me crazy but I liked this match don’t understand all the fuss why people think it is so bad. Yes both 1994 matches are significantly better but this is still good. The blowoff to Bret’s other big feud of 1994 does not reach the heights of the two great Backlund of 1994. I thought both wrestlers did a great job with psychology, working snug and everything looked tight. Bret’s punches and headbutts always look frat and he was using them liberally early to overwhelm Backlund. I loved Bret going for the Sharpshooter early and often. Look how Backlund escaped it was so realistic and forceful. I like how Bret settled for the Figure-4 and then a leg lace to keep towards the Sharpshooter. Backlund gets a heel to the face and immediately starts working the arm. It is really great arm work. The arm wrenches around the ropes. The arm bars are all great. Backlund like Bret us committed to his finish the Crossface Chickenwing but like Bret needs to settle for arm bars. Bret battles back. Still can’t get the Sharpshooter. Backlund struggles and applies the Crossface Chickenwing but can’t get it all the way cinched in. Bret reverses applies his own and damn he even clasps his hands. That shit is legit. Backlund doesn’t say I Quit but the match is called. It is a little short, a little anticlimactic. The finish is bizarre as they really don’t do anything with Bob after this. If there was ever a wrestle who could’ve said I Quit without it damaging them it was Bob Backlund in 1995. That mars the match a touch. I still enjoy this. ***1/4

Bret Hart vs Jerry Lawler - WWF King of the Ring 1995 THE STENCH MUST BE HORRIBLE! I actually liked this feud in what I have seen. It is a fun, campy light hearted midcard for Bret to kick some ass over a slime ball heel. Now if I do watch the Isaac Yankem part of the feud I might be singing a different story. Lawler has made sure to make his feet as a palatable as possible that even the most ardent foot fetishist would be repulsed by them. It is a fun, campy angle. I don’t know why people get so worked up about it as if Bret Hart is so above slumming it. I thought this was their best match together of 1995 (Summerslam 1993 is the gold standard of the feud). Since Lawler is going to do the JOB clean here, he actually gets in real offense. It starts off with a standard asskicking Bret shine, great punches and headbutts, A really sick steel stairs bump by Bret sets it up with Lawler hitting not one, not two BUT three piledrivers. He clobbers Bret with his boot exposing his STINKIN feet. He shoves his boot in Bret’s face. All of this even though it sounds great on paper, it is a little lacking and heartless. I think it is Bret. He is Doug. His rag doll routine. He is NOT making Lawler earn it. He is not struggling so the piledrivers and the heat segment aren’t as hot as they could be. Lawler goes to shove his STINKIN’ feet into Bret’s mouth but like smelling salts conjures up the vigor to kick some Lawler ass. Lawler uses his boot to crack Bret in the head. Fist drop. Bret pulls Lawler into the steel post. Hakushi tries to save but hits Lawler and runs off. 3/5 moves of Doom and Sharpshooter finishes it. Hakushi nails Lawler again and Bret sends him packing. Bret shoves his foot into Lawlers mouth. BUT the best part is Bret shoves Lawler’s STINKIN foot into Lawler’s mouth. Glorious. That was genius. The crux of the angle was not Bret’s feet, it was how gross Lawler’s feet were. By having Lawler have to taste his own feet, that was the payoff. Brilliant! Fun stuff could’ve been better if Bret worked better from underneath but still good Craic. *** 1/2

Bret Hart vs Jerry Lawler - WWF In Your House I disagree with everyone, I thought Jerry Lawler's mother played by an attractive, young brunette was stupid at best, weird/creepy at worst. I will say she did give all she got. It was pretty similar to the RAW match, but I preferred the RAW match. I did like the piledriver spot which seems to break me away from the pack. I interpret those type of No Sell spots like Bret Hart is such a badass and Lawler is such a weenie that Bret can fight through anything to kick Lawler's ass. Lawler was being presented more as a manager in WWF. Someone who talked a lot of shit but needed to recruit others to fight his battles. This is not 1980s Jerry Lawler in Memphis. This is 1995 WWF, I think the Piledriver will survive. Bret hits his own Piledriver which wrecks Lawler. I think if you take the RAW match and add the Piledriver spot and the finish of this match you get a good combo. Lawler gets in a little offense, but not much. Just when Bret looks to take it home, there is a pretty cool ref bump where Hebner is hanging by his ankle being caught in the ropes. That is pretty sick. Hakushi hits a bunch of diving headbutts and Lawler PINS Bret! Now he has a countout and pinfall victory! There was some cool stuff in this. Another thumbs up. With the emphasis on Diesel/Shawn, this is a fun, midcard, cartoony feud for Bret. It is something light after Owen and Backlund. Enjoying Bret/Lawler, lets see if that continues. ***

Bret Hart vs Jerry Lawler - WWF RAW 3/13/95 Apparently, Bret Hart is a racist! Man, you could not run this angle today at all. Everyone would be freaking the fuck out. Pretty simple, asshole heel makes up a lie to disgrace the babyface, but it is so baseless no believes it. Lawler says he is racist towards the Japanese people. He has Bull Nakano out with him to prove he has the support of the Japanese people. What this really is a backdrop for Bret Hart/Hakushi feud to start, which would Bret's post-Mania program. Bret had a lot of loose ends to tie off. He has the No Holds Barred Match against Owen in two weeks, the Bob Backlund I Quit Match at WrestleMania and now he has the rebooted Lawler program from 1993 and Hakushi. They may have taken the title off, but he is getting the Dusty treatment with all the feuds he is in. Lawler tries to jumpstart the match, but Bret is having none of it. He comes roaring back and he kicks the King's ass from pillar to post. Bret has some great punches and strikes. Slams Lawler into some hard metal objects. Tree of woe. It is a pretty good asskicking. I would liked some more variety from Bret or even more over the top stooging from Lawler, BUT it was still very good, just not all-time, you gotta see this levels. Bob Backlund is in the crowd. Hakushi is outside. Bret gets distracted and Lawler takes over. Lawler's heat segment is short, but sweet. Bret catches him coming off the top rope. Great Bulldog by Bret. He slugs Lawler over the top rope. Outside Bull Nakano fucks with him. Bret gives her the death stare. Lawler tries to hold Bret for Nakano, but she hits Lawler. Nakano holds Bret's foot as he is trying to get back into the ring. Lawler wins by countout. Bret stalks Nakano. Racist and a woman-beater. Jeez Bret, this is not a good look brutha. Bull Nakano hides behind Hakushi and Shinja. Lawler attacks Bret from behind to continue the feud. It was more of an angle than a match, but I enjoyed this. It was a good asskicking with a fuck finish that leads to a new, interesting program. Thumbs up from me. ***

Bret Hart & British Bulldog vs Owen Hart & Jim The Anvil Neidhart - WWF RAW 11/7/94 Since no one had really talked this up, I thought I found a hidden gem, but apparently everyone is just really lukewarm on it. Weird, because I am not a huge fan of Stampede style tag team matches, but I thought this was every bit as good as them so I thought this would warrant more love. It is pretty shocking in retrospect how much Bret Hart's signature title reign was spent against Owen. According to Cagematch, besides the televised title defenses against Backlund, Kid and Diesel, all the house show title defenses were against Owen, until they switched over to Anvil, oof. They made a big deal in the Action Zone match to say that would be the last Owen challenge so that was blown off on TV. Now it is time to give away the tag team match on TV. I enjoyed this as a Stampede style match with Owen basically filling in for Dynamite Kid and doing strange bedfellows tag. Nice to hear Vince acknowledge Bret/Anvil were tag champs. Slam bang start. Babyfaces whip the heels into each other and Bulldog press slams Owen from the ring to the floor onto Anvil, helluva spot. Always a Sleeze Pleaser. I thought Bret/Bulldog did a great really putting Owen/Anvil on their back foot during the shine, really overwhelming them with fast break offense. Bulldog was really throwing Owen around. I was disappointed by the transition to heat. The spinwheel kick is great, but Owen is supposed to be this brat heel. I would have rather seen some cheating like a Hart Foundation style sliding knee to the back (which we do see later). I liked the heat segment on Bulldog it did go a little long and maybe one too many chinlocks but there was a lot of action in and out of the chinlocks. Anvil throwing gutwrenches and powerslams was a delight. The start of the heat segment was Bret chasing Owen around the ring only for Owen to hit the Hart Attack on Bulldog. Great spot! Heel miscommunication sets up the Bret Hot Tag which I thought was very good, really liked the reverse crossboy onto Owen out of a standing ten count punch to Anvil. They fake us out with a possible double FIP with Owen hitting the sliding knee and during ref distraction a top rope elbow on Bret as he was pinning Anvil. That was great! Bulldog trips Owen and Bret applies the Sharpshooter on Anvil to win. I dont think this is as good as the Action Zone tag pitting Bret/Bulldog vs Owen/Backlund, but I still thought this was very good. They were given plenty of time and there was a lot of slam bang action throughout. The shine and the Hart Attack were really good. *** 3/4

WWF Champion Bret Hart vs Owen Hart - WWF Action Zone 10/23/94 Surprised this did not make the Yearbook as it made the original WWE Bret Hart DVD set, it is a WWF Title Defense, it is sort of the swan song of the Bret/Owen (they have a match on RAW in early 95 but theres no title) and it is also the premiere episode of Action Zone. The Kliq can rest easy, they still have the best Action Zone match in history, but this is pretty good. I remember thinking the WrestleMania X match was a lot better, but still enjoying this one and when I would get tired of WrestleMania X, I would spin this one. I do think this a million times better than their borefest at Summerslam. It is pretty much the condensed version of WrestleMania X with the in-laws (Anvil & Bulldog) thrown in for effect. Take routine restholds, but make them fun is the mantra of Owen. In the hands of a lesser man, the chinlock/headlock sequence during the initial heat could have ground the match to the halt, but he threw in so much hair pulling and ref misdirection. He always had me entertaining. Classic Owen heeling early too, celebrating ridiculous stuff like the lockup. Bret seemed to be wrestling extra dry in my opinion. He was just mechanical, clinical, cold. Nailing the arm drags, working the arm, going for interesting covers early. The passion was not there. Owen was bringing life to the match. Anvil trips Bret which leads to the holds I talked about at the beginning of the paragraph. This also triggers Bulldog to come out. Bret starts to mount a comeback with some stiff European Uppercuts. This shows a similar progression as the WrestleMania X match. Bret was working scientifically early and just trying to win the match by pinfall, but he had enough of Owen's antics started to really lay it in. Owen got a nice belly to belly and missile dropkick. This puts Bret in position to be attacked by Anvil while Owen distracted the ref. Anvil wrapped Bret's knee around the post. Owen is Bret's younger brother and is just a savage on the leg. He is a great grinder. Bret really thrives in the grind, breaking someone down. I thought Owen varied the holds and the strikes wonderfully. We cut to break as Bret is reversing a Figure-4. It is off to finish stretch. Bret hits his standard stuff, which always looks good. When he goes for the Sharpshooter, Owen pokes him in the eye and gets a spinwheel kick. Bret fights back and tries to superplex Owen, but Anvil holds Owen's foot and Bret goes flying, crashing hard to the match. As the ref is checking on Bret, the Bulldog shoves Owen off the top rope to crotch himself. 1-2-3! It was never going to be WrestleMania X and it was never supposed to be. Like I said it was the condensed version but also with a sudden ending. The wrinkle of Anvil and Bulldog helped change the dynamic from Mania X. Set up a RAW match between the two teams that I have not seen, but am interested in. It is Bret vs Owen, the work is very solid, but it is hard to call this more than very good especially with the finish. *** 3/4

This is an interesting point. I see on Cagematch the Milan match from the next night did make tape, but if memory serves me correctly the Barcelona match is the match that made the Bret Hart DVD. Bret Hart vs Bam Bam Bigelow - WWF Barcelona 4/24/93 This made the the initial DVD release for Bret Hart back in the mid-2000s when I was gobbling those up with fury. Christmas shopping was so easy for me back then just buy me the latest one. This match did not make too much of an impression on me compared to the other badass matches on the set. I agree with my past self in that this is a very good match, but nowhere near one of Bret's best (Cagematch has it at his 24th best, which seems too high). Short match, only 11minutes and change, my memory was that it was longer. Not a huge Bam Bam fan, but this one is his better efforts. I actually thought the King of the Ring Finals match was better. This is light years better than their July RAW match though. They establish Bam Bam's power advantage early through conventional measures. Bret is able to work the arm and start to build an advantage. Bigelow even goes for a press slam and Bret falls on top of Bam Bam because Bam Bam cant hold him up. Now thats a nice twist you dont see every day. He gets a little cocky when he hits Bigelow with an European Uppercut so hard it sends him to the floor. Bam Bam catches Bret coming off the apron and sends him spine first into the steel post. What follows is laser-focused, clinical back work. Really enjoyed all over it, good suplexes/slams, holds and strikes to the back. Loved the headbutt to the back, a real Bam Bam signature. Bearhug was well-worked. The Argentine Backbreaker is not something you see a lot of and that was cool. Bigelow missed the top rope headbutt which is a perfect transition to Bret's comeback. Bret keeps brief with a flying clothesline and bulldog. Bam Bam quashes the Sharpshooter attempt. Bam Bam shifts his weight on a suplex attempt. 1-2-NO! Good nearfall that I was not expecting. Bret gets a Victory Roll out of the corner to win. Someone should bring back the Victory Roll. It is a very good match. Very textbook. It is textbook wrestling, done very well. *** 1/2

WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon vs IRS - WWF Royal Rumble 1994 I watched a bunch of Scott Hall around time of his passing, but I must have skipped this one because it is IRS. It is Razor's only meaningful IC Title defense before the Ladder Match with Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania X. He defended against Martel and IRS at some Superstars Tapings, but no RAW title defenses and this the only PPV defense of this title reign. This is a stopgap feud for Razor between winning the title in October and the Ladder Match at WrestleMania X. IRS repossessed Razor's gold chains due to tax evasion and is holding them in a briefcase. I dont think I really have a problem with Rotundo but he is not good in this match at all. Just watch how he takes the atomic drop or does a snapmare. He is not putting in the effort. He looks and feels like a holdover from the previous generation and is just out of place. Razor is full of vim and vigor. He wrestles a great match unto himself. He SLUGS IRS at one point during the Shine. It was wicked! Razor takes a crazy bump over the top rope to the floor that is downright Dustin-esque. IRS settles for chinlocks. Razor comes back and he looks great. Punches, Sack O Shit, the Back Suplex off the Top. Ref gets bumped through. IRS goes for the briefcase, but Da Bad Guy blasts him with it. Still no ref. Michaels cracks Razor with his bogus IC Title. IRS covers. 1-2-3?!?!?!? WAIT! WHAT? The history books are wrong! Is it going to be a triple threat at WrestleMania?!?!? Wait! There is another ref. Razor hoists IRS up and RAZOR'S EDGE! 1-2-3! THANK GOD! They threw in some wrinkles down the stretch that I did not expect. I thought this was a great individual performance by Razor, but not enough to get over the average hump. IRS really drags the match down.

WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon vs Diesel - WWF RAW 11/29/93 A non-title bout. Shawn Michaels is back in WWF and he is disputing Ramon's Intercontinental Championship as Michaels has never lost it. This leads to of course the very famous Ladder Match. It is a great angle and a perfect use of the Ladder Match. It makes sense that Ramon takes on HBK's heater prior to the match to put some stank on the feud. Short match, but we do see, is pretty good. It is a Kliq Match so Razor is very giving and really lets Diesel shine. You can see the Diesel push is starting. He got his own program coming out of Summerslam with Mr. Perfect. While IRS was the leader of his team at Survivor Series, he was definitely the star of the team (also included Adam Bomb & Rick Martel). They establish Diesel's size advantage (although Razor is a big boy). Diesel works the back really well. It is laser-focused. It is varied and he keeps it moving. The use of the straddle on the back, the sidewalk slam. The bearhug. The Big Boot & Snake Eyes coming out of the first bearhug into the second bearhug. Good stuff. Razor makes his comeback out of his second bearhug with the second rope bulldog (love that move) and punches. He is going to do the Razor's Edge, but Shawn Michaels comes in and attacks Razor. He wants to piledrive Razor on the IC Title, but Razor reverses and 1-2-3 Kid makes the save. All nothing like a Kliq love-in. This sets up Shawn Michaels vs 1-2-3 Kid the next week. Looking forward to that. This could have been great, but more of a set up for next week and thats fine. I like their Superstars Sprint the next year thats the IC Title switch.

Razor Ramon vs Rick Martel - WWF RAW 10/11/93 Vacant WWF Intercontinental Championship Vince McMahon brings history teachers to tears across the country when he declares that Christopher Columbus was Hispanic and sailed for the Queen of England (Columbus was Italian and sailed for the King & Queen of Spain). Usually when someone says "they dont teach you this in history class", it is either wrong or it was taught and they just werent paying attention. Fantastic match. I could have sworn I seen this match, well if I did, I dont remember it being this good. I thought Martel was fabulous in this match, his last best match until his brief resurgence in WCW in 1998. Martel really pushed the pace. I loved during the shine, he would pepper in offense thus making Razor EARN the shine. It was a slight wrinkle and it forced Razor to overcome and walk through Martel's offense making Razor's offense more compelling. Razor worked his usual specialties like the Sack O' Shit (Fallaway Slam) and his solid base of arm work. Martel even took his slingshot splash into the ring. The match really picked up after the ad break where Martel had a very strong heat segment. This was different from your run of the mill WWF heat segment. Martel really threw out the bombs. This felt more like All Japan than WWF. Bodyslam on the outside kicks off. Great Saito Suplex and general back work. TWO Boston Crabs! Razor gets the ropes on the first, Martel peppers in a sidewalk slam and then a second Boston Crab. Razor muscles out of the Boston Crab, great series of nearfalls. Razor comes back a little too neatly for my tastes. Something more creative OR Martel missing a move would be better. I did like Martel fighting through the apparent, customary Super Back Suplex from Razor to hit a crossbody to get one last nearfall. Then Razor polished it off with a Razor Edge. I think one missed Martel move, a consolidation move by Razor followed by the Razor's Edge would have elevated match slightly more. This was awesome! Cagematch has this as Scott Hall's 8th best match. I dont disagree with their rating. I have this at *** 3/4 which on their scale is 7.5 and the aggregate rating is 7.24 so pretty close. I just cant believe this is Scott Hall's 8th best. I feel like he has to have more top ranked matches. I will definitely have to make a list. Regardless, this match is a ton of fun, highly recommended. *** 3/4

WWF World Tag Team Champions Yokozuna & Owen Hart vs Lex Luger & British Bulldog - WWF In Your House II There was no more fitting end to Lex Luger’s tepid WWF run than having him stare up at the lights after a Yokozuna leg drop. Luger & Yoko we’re so tied together for last two years and for Yoko to get first pinfall and send Luger packing feels right. I love Luger, a Top 50 fave but WWF was just an awful fit for him. Anything interesting thing most WWF wrestlers of this generation had their best match against Bret or Shawn but Luger never got a chance to work with either. I wonder if he did if his run would’ve went better. Last note, I have never seen an Owen/Yoko match before and I have always been intrigued by the team. These two holding the tag title definitely elevated them. Yoko/Luger start off not much of a shine at all for Luger. Yoko body slams misses an elbow but Yoko goes back on offense, weird. Luger does rally and knocks Yoko on his ample posterior which lands on poor Owen’s foot. This ends up being the best part of the match. Owen selling is good comic relief and they tease some tension in Camp Cornette. Luger/Owen have a brief exchange which makes me wonder how Luger would’ve done with better wrestlers. Bulldog comes in. They work their standard Stampede wrist lock spot. Yoko gives Bulldog a good whack as he is running the ropes. Owen and Yoko take over. Yoko does the nerve pinch. We get a good spinning heel kick and the Enziguiri of Doom (though he hadn’t KO’d Shawn yet). I forget the transition to the hot tag but Luger gets a good one. He press slams Owen onto Yoko. The Allied Powers back suplex Yoko together. Owen crashes down on Luger. Yoko drops the leg. 1-2-3. Hello WCW! The most poetic ending to the ignominious WWF run of Lex Luger. ***

As an AP Latin student someone using “anaphora” correctly about obscure 1993 pro wrestling just popped me huge in the Dublin airport!

Had to watch this after stumbling upon this Yearbook thread! Bobby Heenan makes this segment! He is grinning like a Cheshire Cat. You can’t wipe that huge smile off his face. He seems genuinely happy and I was marking out for this. The presentation was really weird. They went from a recap of Razor/Kid/DiBiase angle to Jim Cornette just wandering out to the ring like he was lost. Heenan makes this a mark out moment for long time fans but also at least lets the 1993 Northeast crowd know they should boo this man. Surprisingly Cornette is not introduced as Yokozuna’s manager yet. This is purely a Heavenly Bodies promo to get them ready for the Steiners at Summerslam which is a really fun match. When does Corny become Yoko’s manager? Terrific segment for a fan like me; I think they could have done more in real time to help Cornette succeed but he is so good he can get over on his own out of the blue.

This is the peak of Lex Luger's babyface run in WWF and unfortunately it was Day One. This is an amazing reset angle coming off losing Hulk Hogan (they probably didnt realize it would be for 8 years). I thought this was fantastic way to crown the new heir to the Hulkster. Unfortunately it didnt pan out for Flexy Lexy.

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Yokozuna vs Bret Hart - WWF Survivor Series Showdown 1993 These specials before the PPVs have some pretty good shit on them. Yoko/Bret continue to have some freaky deaky chemistry with each other. I think the MSG match I watched many years ago is still the best match, but this is my second favorite. Right off the bat, you know this is going to be a good one because as Yoko is getting into the ring, Bret kicks the ropes into his Samoan Family Jewels. Bret tees off and doesnt budge the mammoth Yokozuna, who eventually TRUCKS him with a lariat. Excellent David vs Goliath match here. Bret peppers in valiant hope spots and Yoko cuts him off. The first cutoff is a ballshot. I LOVE when a super heavyweight badass stoops to a low down ballshot. It makes all the more despicable. Then on the outside Yoko cracks Bret twice with two pretty good chair shots. Love a good Yoko Legdrop too. There is a nerve pinch thrown in there, but it is not horribly long. Bret uses openings created by a Yoko missed charge in the corner to finally start connecting his offense. The crowd and I go crazy when Bret finally takes Yoko off his feet a series of stiff clotheslines. I love his use of the bulldog from the second rope to take Yoko off his feet. Yoko crushes him with a great belly to belly suplex. That was wicked and surprising late match cutoff. YOKO MISSES THE BIG SPLASH! GO BRET GO! SHARPSHOOTER! Vince is calling the match saying we have a new champion; Owen Hart has sauntered down to ringside, to celebrate, he is shaking fans hands. The ref is distracted. Fuji cracks Bret with the salt bucket. I think Owen fucks up because he attacks Yoko first and nothing really happens. Then he gets the Salt Bucket and cracks Yoko to trigger the DQ and now here's the boobirds. Yokozuna wins by a surprising DQ! I was NOT expecting that finish. It plays really well into the impending Bret Hart vs Owen Hart feud, which I love. Great booking combined with great action, makes this an easy thumbs up *** 3/4

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan vs Yokozuna - WWF King of the Ring 1993 What an absolute blast! I did not expect this to be as awesome as this was! WOW! Terrific Hogan performance! As to be one of his most selfless ever. Hogan sells way more than anyone ever admits but he really puts Yoko over as a Mountain. Yoko looked like a million bucks. The real loser here is Lex Luger. Luger looks like shit compared to Hogan. Hogan had a match a million times better than Luger. I am a big Luger fanboy but Hogan smoked here. They lock up and Hogan can’t budge Yoko. Hogan sells way too much way too early. The hope spot-cutoffs oh my God chicken soup for the wrestling fans soul. Yoko misses a charge in the corner or misses a splash. That creates the opening. Hogan tries punches, slams and clotheslines. Nothing gets Yoko off his feet. Yoko steamrolls. Rinse lather repeat. Pro wrestling fan mental boner. The bear hug work by Hogan makes this spot a million times better than any nerve pinch I’ve seen. Belly 2 belly! 1-2-HULK UP! BIG BOOT! NO! AGAIN! NO! HE FELLS THE MONSTER WITH THREE! I AM LEGIT MARKING OUT! DROPS THE LEG! I AM LOSING MY MIND REWRITING THIS! LEGDROP! 1-2-KICKOUT! CAMERA FIREBALL! YOKO DROPS THE LEG! THE SNOWFLAKES DROP FROM THE SKY! WAIT THERES MORE! BANZAI~! IT IS A GODDAMN BLIZZARD!!!! PRO WRESTLING RULES! FUCK YEAH! ****

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Bret Hart vs Yokozuna - WWF WrestleMania IX Yokozuna has got some freaky deaky chemistry with Bret Hart and Undertaker. Before the Hogan stuff, this is a good match. Hogan has a nasty fucking shiner. What’s that from? He issues a challenger to the winner. Bret really shows why he is one of the best of all time here as he really maximizes Yoko accentuating his strengths. I love that he comes out the gate strong with a drop kick. He figures the best defense is a good offense. He issuing the full court press. Yoko is just walk through that shit. He is bucking him off and bulldozing him. Bret who is one of the cleverest wrestlers ever ties Yoko up in the ropes via the ankle to get some offense in. Once the ref unties Yoko, Yoko picks up where he left off. I love a good Yoko leg drop. A couple Yoko nerve holds grind this To a halt. I liked Bret’s hope spots of bulldogs from the second rope and Yoko’s cut offs like the super kick. Bret starts stringing together moves and when Yoko pulls him down Bret rip off the turnbuckle cover. Yoko getting slammed head first into the exposed buckle and then proving the Brain wrong with the Sharpshooter was awesome. Loved the Salt Throw. 100% agree with Chad, Yoko should have followed up with a leg drop or Banzai to finish him off with Bret writhing & wriggling more post-salt. The Hogan shit was so dumb and reeked of desperation. Fuji issues the challenge and Bret encourages Hogan to take it. I will say this is a good example of how one moment is not enough to kill a career. Yoko was completely rehabilitated by July 4th Intrepid angle. This one angle did not bury him. There very few things people cannot come back from. It is all about follow through and almost nothing has to be burial depending on what happens after. Anyways good match as pretty much all Bret/Yoko matches are. ***1/4

Lex Luger vs Mr. Perfect - WWF WrestleMania IX The first match I have ever watched from the ignominious WrestleMania IX card. Probably the only non-squash Narcissist match I’ll watch; I don’t really have any interest in watch Luger vs Crush or another Luger vs Tatanka match. From a presentational standpoint the Narcissist is a much better fit for Luger but I didn’t feel a significant difference in ring work. It is interesting that they really hyped Luger KO’ing Bret with his Bionic Forearm in the morning. It was clear until Hogan jumped ship that was the plan. I think Luger would have been better off but not Bret. As for the match, I thought it was fine but nothing all that great. Perfect threw some stuff strikes in this that got me and JR’s attention that gave it a Crockett feel for a second. I liked Perfect’s shine with knee lift and a great dropkick (that hurdle was PERFECT). The heel in peril leg work that didn’t go anywhere was strange. Luger’s back work coming off the hard buckle bump was solid. The comeback was interesting it was just a string of hope spots that turned into a comeback which was cool in organic. I thought Perfect looked pretty good on offense. The strangest part of the match was neither even teased their finish. There was no real near fall so to speak. They are tussling over a backslide Luger wins but Hennig’s feet were on the ropes. A strange finish to protect Hennig. It feels little incomplete. Luger KO’s Hennig with the Bionic Forearm. Hennig just gets up and follows Luger to the back where Luger is talking to Shawn Michaels. Shawn takes it upon himself to beat the shit out of Perfect to kick off their Summerslam program. Weird. It totally undercuts Luger’s Bionic Forearm to have Perfect recover so quickly. Michaels totally overreacts to beat the shit out of Perfect. There was a better way to get there.

Mr. Perfect vs Rick Martel - WWF RAW 3/8/93 I believe I only have two Lex Luger matches left that I want to get through before I complete his WWF run and up next is his WrestleMania IX match against Mr. Perfect. I watched the Royal Rumble debut of The Narcissist and I thought it was great. Heenan was a bit repetitive, but I agree with popular opinion this was a much better fit than Made In The USA. I like the tie-in of how Perfect turned babyface on Heenan and Flair and with Flair gone, this was Heenan's new & last hired gun. There is something about Luger and Heenan that just feels like such a good fit. I liked the first Luger squash I saw against Jason Knight on the 2/1 RAW and they were playing up the Bionic Forearm immediately. Mr. Perfect has a tune-up match against Martel. Since Summerslam 1992, Martel was used mostly against Tatanka and Virgil. He did get a house show title run against Bret Hart. He was still midcard heel player but definitely on a downward trajectory. I dont know if I have ever seen a Martel promo before, but the one with Bartlett before this match was not great, but he has the look down pat. He gets a mini-push at the end of 1993 being the one who Razor Ramon defeats to win his first IC Title, but then he is gone by by mid-94. A battle of two AWA Champions; a true dream match circa 1986. It is a match that still could have rocked in 1993, but RAW is not the right format for it. They start off with kind of a babyface vs babyface start with each slamming and kangaroo kicking the other. A pretty standard start. Martel cartwheels out of a precarious situation so Hennig follows suits. A nice tit for tat. Martel uses two illegal punches to take control. Hennig sends him careening over the top rope as we go to commercial. We come back Martel is working the back. Martel goes for his signature AWA finish the slingshot splash. Hennig gets the knees up. I enjoyed Curt's comeback. Atomic drops, chop, kneelifts. It was good standard high energy stuff. Oddly enough the finish occurs during the break when Perfect gets the win with the Perfectplex. I get argument that the finish can happen at any time, but still it is weird. A match that would have been better in 1986 and would have been better in a different context, but still good. ***

Lex Luger vs Bob Backlund - WWF RAW 10/31/94 LEX LUGER VS BOB BACKLUND!!! Now this I have to watch, it seems random on paper and even at the time because Backlund was beefing with Bret while Luger had feuding with Tatanka yet we get this Marty Sleeze Dream Match. Unfortunately, it seems a woke up in the middle of this good dream. It was humming along nicely and if this was given 15-25 minutes could have produced a beaut. I loved Luger throwing all of Backlund's usual shine shit back at him. We had the arm drags, the single leg pickups and generally discombobulating Backlund. All that was missing a wrenched in headlock. Backlund started to work the arm, got a nice organic belly to belly and a hammerlock slam. I would have liked a more emphatic transition to heat, but the work was great. Coming back from the break, Backlund was still working away before Luger came roaring back with a Powerslam. He looked like he was going to Rack him up, BUT Tatanka came out. Backlund applied the dreaded Crossface Chickenwing and before Luger could submit Tatanka attacked Luger, which was weird. Backlund applied it again, but Savage made the save. Were we going to get Savage vs Backlund?!? Now I got a serious case of blue balls. Tatanka setting up the finish with distraction made sense, but I guess they did not want Luger to submit but they wanted the hold applied. Why didnt they just have Tatanka attack, trigger the DQ, Crossface Chickenwing, Savage save. That is so much more logical. Anyways, I thought they were on pace to have a great championship-style match, but then it just ended.

Bret Hart vs Jeff Jarrett - WWF RAW 1/16/95 According to Cagematch, this match and the Diesel match I just watched on the highest rated WWF Jarrett matches I have not watched and if that’s the case, it doesn’t bode well for him because these are good not great matches. That Shawn match really is an anomaly. I want to like Jarrett. I love his hair and he someone I just like because I was a kid in 1997 but I find a lot of his performances to be muted. He can remind me of HHH, mechanically sound but dry as a bone. Jarrett seems to be better suited to wrestle as a baby face but doesn’t have the personality for it. The real story of the match is Bret Hart has a five o’clock shadow! He has an upcoming match against newly minted Ace Babyface Champion Diesel so Vince & Shawn are teasing that he might be turning heel as he is more aggressive. Bret, the king of being the subtle heel, plays into well with his strike-based offense and his aggression. Bret works really well in and out of the arm bar. Generally really good Bret grinding offense. He grabs a sleeper but Jarrett gets a back duplex then dropkick then swinging neckbreaker (I find that move so lame). He didn’t even cheat to gain the advantage. He just isn’t a good heel. Bret catches him coming off the top. Bret hits a couple of his Moves of Doom. Sharpshooter but no Jarrett rakes his eyes…finally! Bret does that sick bump he takes into the ropes. Figure-4 is a good “near fall”. Bret wins with an O’Connor Roll. William Shatner is with Bret Hart who slugs Jarrett and Roadie belly flops. Bret did his job well here…he demonstrated he could be the subtle heel for Diesel but he was way more over than Diesel just comparing this match to the Jarrett/Diesel match from one month later. I thought there was a bit more fun in Diesel/Jarrett but this was solid too. ***

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Diesel vs Jeff Jarrett - WWF RAW 2/20/95 I am really loving these interesting WWF title defenses on these early RAWs. You don’t really hear anyone talk about them except the very famous Bret/Kid match but there’s a lot of interesting matchups that I didn’t know existed. Diesel has defended the title against Owen (Action Zone) and Bret at Royal Rumble (really great match). Interesting to see Diesel early in his title reign. He seems to be over but NOT OVER if you know what I mean. I am also interested to see how Double J does as I have not seen a lot of his stuff from this era…he just won the IC title from Razor. The best part of this match is easily the shine especially the two Memphis stooge spots that really stand out in WWF. Diesel decks the Roadie and the press slams Jarrett from the ring onto the Roadie to the floor. Then Diesel wristlocks Jarrett and Roadie tries to save Jarrett from being dragged into the ring but Roadie gets pulled in and Hebner kicks their hands apart leaving Road Dogg to eat it face first. Overall Diesel is moving great and just hit a barrage of his stock spots, the straddle in the ropes (that came off really organic); it is funny because Jarrett uses the same move as a stock spot (he uses it in the heat). Nash uses the boot choke in the buckles which is a stock Nash spot. The transition to heat is a good 3-part transition. Jarrett bumps Diesel off the apron, Roadie hits a flying clothesline from the apron and Jarrett uses a ref distraction to smash Diesel into the post. Here’s where I think the match could have been improved Jarrett doesn’t go for the leg even though he said in his pre-match promo he would focus on applying the Figure-4. I think that would have garnered more heat for Diesel’s comeback. His use of a drop kick and a top rope crossbody felt too baby face. He didn’t heel it up enough. Diesel gets back onto offense with sidewalk slam, the Snake Eyes, Big Boot and Jacknife! It was a strong finishing combination for Diesel stringing together all his stock spots. Diesel gives Roadie the Jacknife Powerbomb for good measure. Shawn with his debuting new bodyguard Sid come out to stare down to his WrestleMania opponent. Enjoyable match they stuck to the formula well enough and a couple Memphis spots brought a smile to my face. *** 1/4

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Diesel & WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels vs. WWF World Tag Team Champions Yokozuna & British Bulldog (sub. for Owen Hart) - WWF In Your House 3 Winner Takes All After a steady diet of Luger, Yoko & Sid, getting some Shawn is like eating a Sundae after only eating salad for months. I say that as someone who counts Luger & Sid among his favorites and thinks Yoko is decent. But man, watching Shawn work here really put a smile on my face. It is weird to think because it is not like someone like Shawn needs more good performances to justify for his case for GOAT, but I think these are the type of matches that makes him a Top 25 wrestler. All the guys vying for that upper echelon have a lot of classics, but how do they do in the under the radar matches and this is a good under the radar match to bolster Shawn's resume. On the flip side, I just dont think Bulldog is as good as I want him to be. He was just one of those guys because I got into wrestling in the Summer of 97 that I just want to love. I loved him as a kid, thought he had a cool name and looked cool. The more I watch him as an adult the more he just seems to be mediocre. I am coming into this match a little colder than on some of the other matches I have watched recently. I watched the Diesel title defenses against Sid. I know Shawn had a recent IC Title Defense against Sid. I know after Luger left they turned Bulldog heel and Bulldog ended up main eventing 3 out of the last 4 PPVs which is probably the strongest stretch of his career. I think after the MDC and Mabel flops, it made sense to go back to Camp Cornette for the last four months for main events. So not exactly sure the set up or even how they turned Bulldog heel, but all the titles are on the here. The other thing to note is that Owen is missing! Gorilla Monsoon has sanctioned Cornette's request to have Bulldog substitute and defend the tag titles and have the opportunity to win either World or IC title. The match this most reminds me of is the Beach Blast 1993 match. Four big time main event superstars clashing in an under the radar match. Both have Bulldog in it, and both cases I think Bulldog is the 4th best wrestler. Shawn/Bulldog start off with their standard fast-break opening routine which is a ton of fun, Bulldog bumps and feeds for Shawn well. Yoko feeds for Shawn until Diesel drills him. With Bulldog bested, they go for the size mismatch of Yoko vs Shawn. Shawn gets low and mocks Yoko with a Sumo ritual. Yoko says you want to play that, lets go muthafucka. Vince is a bit overkill in his selling of Michaels. Yoko charges, Shawn slips out, but EATS a huge elbow from Yoko eventually. Shawn gets out pretty quickly thereafter. It was a good bit of camp, sold Michaels' Devil May Care Attitude, but still respected the size difference and the need for Diesel. Diesel gets to work, GREAT BIG BOOT on Yokop but after sending Yoko out, Bulldog hits him on the apron and takes over. It was not the best transition to heat. Bullodg's strikes and penchant for the chinlock drag this down below the aforementioned Beach Blast match. Bulldog cant get Diesel for the first Delayed Vertical but he succeeds the second time. Bulldog tries to end the match early with a Running Powerslam, but Diesel evades. He tags out to Shawn. We get a GREAT SPLASH off of Nash's shoulders. That was sick! Shawn goes for the criss-cross but gets caught on the Press Slam and crotched in the ropes by Bulldog. NOW THATS A TRANSITION TO HEAT! Yoko steps on Shawn's throat, great spot. The Shawn heat segment is better than Diesel's but it still has another Bulldog chinlock and a Yoko nerve pinch. Yoko misses the Banzai Drop! Big USA chant! Lets Go Shawn! The finish stretch is a bit wild. Diesel crushes Bulldog and looks great. Moving well, everything is hit with force and speed. They whip Camp Cornette into each other. Looks like the babyfaces have it in hand. Yoko hits Diesel with a Samoan Drop. Shawn superkicks Yoko, but Bulldog hits the Running Powerslam. TOP ROPE ELBOW DROP ON BULLDOG! as he is covering Diesel. That is the motivation for next month's Diesel vs Bulldog match would have Bulldog gotten the three if Shawn had not made the save. Here comes Owen! He is here! It is a miracle! Diesel catches him flying off the top in the breadbasket. Jacknife! 1-2-3! But wait, Owen was not in the match and was not the sanctioned defender of the tag team title. I smell a Dusty Finish. Stupid, WCW finish aside and the Bulldog chinlocks, I thought this was good craic. Just a hoot. We need more fun matches. ***3/4

WWF World Tag Team Champions Yokozuna & Owen Hart vs Lex Luger & British Bulldog - WWF In Your House II There was no more fitting end to Lex Luger’s tepid WWF run than having him stare up at the lights after a Yokozuna leg drop. Luger & Yoko we’re so tied together for last two years and for Yoko to get first pinfall and send Luger packing feels right. I love Luger, a Top 50 fave but WWF was just an awful fit for him. Anything interesting thing most WWF wrestlers of this generation had their best match against Bret or Shawn but Luger never got a chance to work with either. I wonder if he did if his run would’ve went better. Last note, I have never seen an Owen/Yoko match before and I have always been intrigued by the team. These two holding the tag title definitely elevated them. Yoko/Luger start off not much of a shine at all for Luger. Yoko body slams misses an elbow but Yoko goes back on offense, weird. Luger does rally and knocks Yoko on his ample posterior which lands on poor Owen’s foot. This ends up being the best part of the match. Owen selling is good comic relief and they tease some tension in Camp Cornette. Luger/Owen have a brief exchange which makes me wonder how Luger would’ve done with better wrestlers. Bulldog comes in. They work their standard Stampede wrist lock spot. Yoko gives Bulldog a good whack as he is running the ropes. Owen and Yoko take over. Yoko does the nerve pinch. We get a good spinning heel kick and the Enziguiri of Doom (though he hadn’t KO’d Shawn yet). I forget the transition to the hot tag but Luger gets a good one. He press slams Owen onto Yoko. The Allied Powers back suplex Yoko together. Owen crashes down on Luger. Yoko drops the leg. 1-2-3. Hello WCW! The most poetic ending to the ignominious WWF run of Lex Luger. ***