[1994-07-18-WWF-Monday Night RAW] Diesel vs Lex Luger

[Superstar Sleeze]

WWF Intercontinental Champion Diesel vs Lex Luger - WWF RAW 7/18/94

Is Kevin Nash good at wrestling? I remember reading a tweet from Eric of Segunda Caida many years ago basically stating Kevin Nash was good at wrestling. I was dumbfounded. I love Big Sexy, dont get me wrong, but I love him the same way I love Sid. He is just a cool big muthafucka. I never really considered him good at wrestling. I was really open-minded to this idea, but had no desire to watch US Wrestling from the 90s. This match opened my eyes. That cool, big muthafucka was pretty damn good in this match. Easily, Lex Luger's best match in the WWF, I will be surprised if there is any better. I thought Luger was good in this match, but Diesel was really good. 

There were some Kliq-isms, which if it was anyone else, you might just bat your eye and say "Oh that was an interesting wrinkle", but with the Kliq, I think you always have to in the back of your mind, how much is this serving them and their refusal to look weak or show ass. In a lot of ways, they innovated that for heels. Scott Hall was good to be a stooge, but Shawn/HHH/Nash always liked looking strong. Two instances, I felt it stand out, Luger went to go for the double noggin knocker while both were on the outside, but instead they each tripped Luger and yanked him outside for more punishment. The other is customary bump is for the babyface in a sleeper to lunge towards a turnbuckle, but duck so the heel eats it. Nash pumps the brakes and sends Luger into the buckles. Savage goes on commentary "Not only is he strong, he is smart". Just reinforced that Kliq mentality of showing up the babyface. That being said, it was 1994, I do watch a lot of pro wrestling so I did like the wrinkles because it made me pop a little. I wouldnt advocate for it, but it was interesting, I will give them that. 

Overall, this was a great power-based, workrate match. Again, as mentioned above, not much of a shine. Diesel even piefaced Luger out of the ring early. There was a lot of little shit like that the more I think of it. Luger did get a powerslam. He took a great Dustin-esque bump to the floor. There was one cutoff, I think out of the chinlock, where he SMOKED Luger with a Big Boot that legit popped me. I liked switching to sleeper that saved the heat segment to me. I thought Nash did a great job with the weeble wobble sell feeding Luger's clothesline. The clothesline and the Bionic Forearm are too similar of moves. I liked the Torture Rack off the ref bump a lot. Shawn hitting Superkick to the back of Luger was so weird. You just dont think of Lex Luger and Shawn Michaels ever interacting. It just not two dudes you would have thought ever existed in the same space. Luger kicks out. Razor comes out because he is beefing with both and Summerslam is around the corner. Razor chases Shawn into the ring and that triggers the Double DQ. 

It is not the "stickiest" of matches but for a 1994 WWF the work is really good and tight, lots of effort and they brought the energy. It definitely felt like the Kliq meets Crockett in a very good way. I dug this a lot. *** 3/4