[1995-04-24-WWF-Raw] Diesel vs Bam Bam Bigelow

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[Loss]

Finish only. Tatanka has his back turned and trips Bigelow, costing him the match and leading to Diesel winning the match. I had a LOL moment when Diesel looked back at the ring and Earl Hebner did a "shoo" motion at him. DiBiase berates Bigelow over the loss and fires him from the Million Dollar Corporation and slaps him. Tatanka attacks Bigelow from behind and Bigelow comes back with a clothesline and takes him out. Bigelow corners DiBiase and says DiBiase can't fire him because he quits. IRS is out now and it's a doubleteam as the crowd chants for Diesel. Now Sid is out too to make it a triple team. Sid does a terrible powerbomb on Bam Bam, and Diesel finally comes back and clears the ring. This all needed to be in the follow-up -- Bigelow had lost so much that he needed to be pushed hard to be a top babyface. We all know what happened from here though.

[Tim Evans]

Diesel falling while doing the powerbomb on Bam Bam was pretty funny. Bam Bam looked so weak here.

[PeteF3]

Bigelow's on quite the losing streak, which generally isn't a great way of building what is supposed to be a top-3 babyface. This comes at the end of an astoundingly bad, overlong 19-minute match. DiBiase runs down all of Bam Bam's screwups since the Royal Rumble and fires him. Tatanka attacks but Bigelow makes his own save. "YOU can't fire me--I QUIT." This scenario really could have used a manager who could take bumps. IRS and Sid put a beatdown on Bigelow before Diesel makes the save. An underwhelming payoff to the slow build of Bam Bam's face turn, that looks more underwhelming knowing what's to come of it.

[Robert S]

WWF timing shows was not perfect in 95, the example here is that after the commercial break they went straight (as in 35 s or so between coming back and pinfall) to the finish.

[Superstar Sleeze]

WWF World Heavyweight Champion Diesel vs Bam Bam Bigelow - WWF RAW 4/24/95

I cant believe the hidden gem of all my WWF 1993-95 is between these two fuckers. I have slowly warming up to the idea of Diesel being a good worker and this match probably represents the peak of his power. Everything drips with effort, he is hitting hard, closing gaps, and working tight. Easily the best non-Bret, non-Shawn match of his career I’ve seen so far. I am not a Bam Bam Bigelow at all but he is pretty decent in this. There only one chinlock that makes air from him and for the most part he works this as a heavyweight slugfest.

Diesel sets the tone early that he has his working boots on when he counters a reverse waist lock by Bam Bam with a Double Wristlock Drop Toehold like he’s a 7 foot Volk Han,  muthafuckas. After that, Diesel BULLIES Bam Bam! He throws him around! Watch those Stinger Splashes. Watch the back elbows. The hiptoss. The body slam. The way shoves his foot in Bam Bam’s face. Nash is working this like it is a fucking fight. Friggin’ Bam Bam busts out an ankle pick. It is a scrappy fucking match. Bam Bam yanks him to the outside and slams Diesels back into apron and post. Back from commercial, they do the double headknocker spot to level the playing field. Diesel gets a glorious single leg pick up! Amazing bump by Bigelow! NASH SPLASH! Who is this man? The setup and execution of the Straddle is awesome! Diesel gives a fist pump! The Omaha crowd roars! I don’t think Nash was ever this over before or after. The crowd was loudly chanting Diesel. This was probably his best 3 move sequence ever!

They trade vertical suplexes but in a sick heavyweight clash of the titans way. Bigelow wraps on chinlock as Tatanka wanders to ringside and Diesel back suplexes out for our second leveling the playing field spot. Bigelow pummels Diesel as Tatanka snaps Nash's head on the middle rope. Diesel gets the big boot in the corner. The Million Dollar Man is up for the distraction, but Tatanka trips Bigelow! Diesel hits one of the SICKEST BIG BOOTS EVER! He went through Bam Bam and I loved Bam Bam's sell. It was not a snap back, but an out on your feet sell. MUTHA OF ALL JACKNIFES! Bam Bam is such a load that it came off as an out of control POWERBOMB FROM HELL! I loved it! 1-2-3! HELL FUCKING YEAH BABY!

Now here comes the booking. They started RAW off with a great video package about all the losing Bam Bam Bigelow has done lately first the upset loss to 1-2-3 Kid & Bob Holly for the Tag Team Titles at Royal Rumble and then losing in the main event of WrestleMania XI to a football play, LT. DiBiase recruited Sycho Sid last week on Action Zone (interesting it was on Action Zone instead of RAW) to be the crown jewel of the Million Dollar Corporation fresh off Sid's turn on Shawn Michaels. Sid also has a World Title match against Diesel at In Your House. DiBiase berates Bam Bam and fires him and slaps him. Bam Bam beats back Tatanka and rebukes DiBiase with a I Quit and he is going to beat him but here comes IRS and then Sid gets the scraps. He beats up Bigelow and POWERBOMBS him! This was more of a Tenryu style powerbomb, but man Bam Bam is such a load that both Nash and Sid look like Hercules getting him up. Diesel clears the ring after the crowd chants his name. I thought this was a really good build to Diesel/Sid at IYH. Watching this and some of the later stuff it looks like in June, Nash runs out of Diesel power because I thought the original IYH match with Sid was pretty good and heated. By IYH2, he was cooked and there was no heat left. Was the elbow injury in May/June 1995 a shoot and is that what derailed him? I thought this was a killer angle for Sid! I am not a huge Bam Bam Bigelow fan, so I agree not the best way to turn him babyface, but not really sure he had the legs anyways also the last thing they needed was another babyface with Diesel, Bret, Taker, Shawn and Razor. The heels were Sid...Hakushi/Lawler, Kama/IRS/Tatanka, and Double J. That is a pretty desperate heel roster in 1995.

Anyways, I LOVED this match and it way over delivers. I have been seeking to find that hidden gem and I finally found it! Watch this match! ****