WWF Monday Night Raw Results
November 27, 1995 (Taped November 20)
Richmond, Virginia (Richmond Coliseum)
Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler
Results by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
I apologize for getting this Retro Recap up two days late. I was delayed due to the Thanksgiving holiday. For those who celebrated this past Thursday, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving with family and/or friends, and that your turkey wasn’t dry.
“The World Wrestling Federation: for over fifty years, the revolutionary force in sports entertainment.” The WWF video leads us into the show.
Video: A somber Vince McMahon narrates a video about Shawn Michaels’ collapse last week on Raw. McMahon says this is a reminder that serious injury can occur at any time one enters the squared circle.
Video: The battle atop the WWF Headquarters Raw intro leads us into the show.
Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler welcome us to the show. McMahon says they’ll update us on what they know about Shawn Michaels as the show progresses. Tonight, we’ll see The Undertaker battle “The Supreme Fighting Machine” Kama. Lawler says Kama’s chain, which was formed from the stolen urn, is on the line. We’ll also have a special interview with the new WWF Champion, Bret “Hitman” Hart. Brother Love will do the interview.
Rad Radford vs. Ahmed Johnson
Referee: Jack Doan
Radford attacks Johnson from behind and lands some punches. Johnson absorbs them before hitting Radford with a back elbow. Johnson punches away at Radford in the corner before punching him over the top rope.
Bob Backlund is in the crowd, trying to get people to sign up for his presidential campaign.
Radford snaps Johnson off the top rope and pulls him out of the ring, bouncing him face-first off the apron. Radford puts him back in the ring and punches him to the corner. Radford shoulders Johnson in the midsection. Johnson counters a whip and hits a short-arm clothesline. Johnson crushes him with a scissor kick and shouts at him. Johnson connects with a side kick before sending him into the ropes for a spinebuster. Johnson looks at the crowd before grabbing Radford. Radford reverses a whip, but he lowers his head, leading to Johnson hitting him with the Pearl River Plunge for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: Ahmed Johnson
Jerry “The King” Lawler grabs a microphone to interview Ahmed Johnson. Lawler says Dean Douglas told him a little bit about Johnson. Douglas said that when Johnson graduated from kindergarten, he was so excited he could hardly shave without cutting himself. Douglas also said he’ll teach Johnson a lesson at In Your House.
Johnson warns Lawler to give him some respect. Dean Douglas heads down to the ringside to confront Johnson. Douglas says he can see that Johnson has a body chiseled from stone and looks like he has what it takes to be a superstar in the World Wrestling Federation. However, the road to superstardom runs through Douglas’s classroom. Johnson wants the bell rung so class can start.
Johnson gets in the ring, and the crowd is excited. Douglas jumps on the apron and loosens his tie, but WWF referees stop him from getting in the ring. Johnson challenges Douglas to get in the ring and doesn’t believe that the referees are really holding him back.
Mike’s Thoughts: A really solid enhancement match for Ahmed Johnson. This guy was super green and looked pretty wild with his big kicks. I forgot he used to do a scissor kick. That side leg kick looks like a recipe for tearing your groin. What Johnson lacked in promo ability, he made up for in intensity.
Later tonight, we’ll see The Undertaker in action. Next, we’ll receive an update on Shawn Michaels.
Video: The WWF World Tour de Force continues. They’ll be in the Civic Center in Wheeling, West Virginia, tomorrow night. On Wednesday, they’ll be in the Beeghly Center in Youngstown, Ohio. On Thursday, they’ll close out November in the Canton Civic Center in Canton, Ohio. On December 1, they’ll be in the Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. On Saturday, they’ll be at the Expocentre in Ft Wayne, Indiana.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Jerry Lawler takes a timeout for Twix.
Video: Shawn Michaels’ medical issues started on October 13 after being brutally attacked by thugs outside a Syracuse nightclub. Did he return too soon? Only his friends knew he was feeling dizzy, nauseous, and suffered blackouts, all symptoms of post-concussion syndrome. Michaels was so anxious to return at Survivor Series. In that match, he suffered more damage. Michaels took a Razor’s Edge, took a Powerbomb from Sycho Sid, and received a leg drop from Yokozuna. Undaunted, he continued in action last week on Raw. Owen Hart kicked him in the head, which ultimately led him to collapse. Footage is shown of him being loaded into the ambulance last week on Raw. Michaels intends to return to action as soon as he can.
Barry Didinsky is at ringside with a new Bret Hart t-shirt that promotes his third WWF Championship reign.
Aja Kong and Tomoko Wantanabe make their way to the ring. As they do, Jerry Lawler tells Princess Diana to eat her heart out as she suffers from bulimia because Kong doesn’t have it.
Mike’s Thoughts: That was an absolutely GROSS line, even for 1995. Granted, I think everyone who knows the story of Princess Diana knows how tragic her entire life in the public eye was. The press was so invasive and commented on everything that the poor woman did. All this culminated in her being in a car, attempting to outrun even more prying eyes into her private life, and a sudden crash that ended her life in September 1997. The cruelty of the world toward her was on full display with a nasty comment like that.
Tag Team Match
Aja Kong and Tomoko Watanabe vs. WWF Champion Alundra Blayze and Kyoko Inoue
Referee: Mike Chioda
Kong and Watanabe attack Blayze and Inoue from behind. Blayze and Inoue quickly regain the advantage and take Kong down with a double dropkick. Inoue is left in the ring with Kong. Inoue lays in some shots, but Kong absorbs them. Inoue hits the ropes, but Kong avalanches her down. Kong sends Inoue to the corner and hits a corner clothesline. Inoue goes down, so Kong hits a big splash. Watanabe tags in and throws Inoue by the hair. Watanabe stretches her on the ropes before hitting a snapmare and applying a stretch. Inoue reverses a whip and ducks a springboard crossbody. Inoue applies a beautiful Mexican surfboard stretch. The referee starts to count Inoue’s shoulders down, so she releases the hold. Alundra Blayze tags in and punches Watanabe. They brawl before Watanabe sends her to the corner, but Blayze rolls up the turnbuckles and lands on the apron. Blayze attacks her and bounces her off the turnbuckle before coming off the top rope with an arm drag.
Inoue and Kong tag in. Kong takes Inoue down and viciously kicks her in the spine a few times. Kong powers Inoue up for a delayed vertical suplex. 1… 2… Blayze breaks it up.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Watanabe comes off the top rope, but Inoue moves. Inoue hits Watanabe with a clothesline before hitting Kong with one. Inoue hits Watanabe with a scoop slam before going to the top rope and hitting a wild flying elbow drop that hits Watanabe in the thighs. Ouch! 1… 2… Watanabe kicks out. Inoue sends her into the ropes, but Watanabe hits a springboard crossbody for a one-count. Watanabe goes to the top rope, but Inoue slams her down to the mat. 1… 2… Kong breaks it up. Blayze comes into the ring and tags in, which is illegal. The referee lets it go. Kong attacks Blayze and also does an illegal tag. Blayze kicks away at Kong and hits an enzuigiri to take her down. Blayze goes to the second rope and hits a missile dropkick. Blayze hits a second missile dropkick. Kong avoids a third. Watanabe runs in and slams Blayze. Kong comes off the second rope for a splash, but Blayze moves.
Inoue tags in and clotheslines Kong down. Inoue goes for a piledriver on Kong, but Kong fights out. Kong hits a swinging back suplex, spiking Inoue on her head. Kong pulls her to her feet and smashes her with a back fist for the win.
Winners by Pinfall: Aja Kong and Tomoko Watanabe
Mike’s Thoughts: Amazingly, this is the final televised match for Alundra Blayze in the WWF until a one-night-only return in the Battle Royal at the first WWE Evolution in 2018. She would have one other match after this, the next night at the WWF Superstars tapings on November 21, when she faced Lioness Asuka in a dark match, which you can view here. Not long after this match was taped, the WWF would opt not to renew Blayze’s contract, essentially firing her and dropping the Women’s Division altogether. This would lead to the infamous angle on Nitro in December 1995, in which Medusa appeared on the show, throwing the WWF Women’s Championship into the garbage. We’ll cover that in a History Corner next month.
Video: Last week at the Survivor Series, Diesel was defeated by Bret Hart for the WWF Championship. After the match, Diesel attacked Bret Hart with two Powerbombs and attacked the officials. For that, Interim WWF President Gorilla Monsoon heavily fined him. Last Monday on Raw, Diesel interrupted a match and said he thought about apologizing, but then thought better of it. Diesel complained about WWF trying to make him a corporate champion. Diesel said after losing the title, he is back.
Brother Love is entering the ring. He’ll interview WWF Champion Bret Hart next.
-Commercial Break-
The Brother Love Show w/ Special Guest Bret Hart
The red-faced, white-suit-clad Brother Love is in the ring behind a podium. The Richmond Coliseum is bathed in red. Love says to rejoice because he is alive. Love proclaims, in a long, dragged-out way, “I love you!” Tonight, on the Brother Love Show, he will have as a guest a man who needs a lesson in love. This man has a lot of heart but no love. He is your WWF Champion, “Brother Hitman” Bret Hart.
WWF Champion Bret “Hitman” Hart makes his way to the ring for the first time since winning the title at Survivor Series. Hart gets in the ring, and Love welcomes Brother Hitman. Love doesn’t like the Hitman name. He thinks people should call Hart a “marked man.” Every top superstar in the WWF wants that title. Love sat back at home and watched the Survivor Series. Love saw one of the most grueling matches he’d ever seen with Hart and Brother Diesel. Was that Hart’s toughest match ever? Hart goes to speak, but Love pulls the microphone away. Love mentions that there’s a man he brought into the WWF by the name of The Undertaker. Love says Hart is shaking in his boots. Hart tries to speak, but Love pulls the microphone away again.
Love says Hart is a man who knows no love. Hart has even made his mother cry by fighting his own brother, Owen. Now, at In Your House on December 17, Hart will meet his own brother-in-law, the man who beat Hart for the Intercontinental Championship. What kind of man can sit here and be proud of making his mother cry? Love pulls the microphone from Hart, but Hart grabs his arm. Hart says, “To achieve great things, you gotta live like you’re never gonna die.” As far as Big Daddy Cool goes, from bell-to-bell, they know where they stand. What Diesel did to him at the end of the match was cheap. Diesel is cheap and always has been. When Diesel steps into the ring with Hart the next time, it’ll be a different story. As far as the Undertaker goes, he’ll cross that bridge when it comes. Hart warns Love to shut up about Bulldog and his mother. In 1992, at Wembley Stadium, he lost to the British Bulldog in the center of the ring. That’s been in Hart’s mind for a long time. Redemption is the greatest of all human qualities. At the Hershey Park Arena at the next In Your House pay-per-view, British Bulldog will find out it’s a dog-eat-dog world. Hart will redeem himself because the Excellence of Execution will prove that he’s the Best There Is, the Best There Was, and the Best That There Ever Will Be.
All of a sudden, Bob Backlund attacks Hart from behind and locks him in the Crossface Chickenwing. Backlund shouts that Hart is a disgrace. Love says he can tell Backlund loves the Hitman as much as Love loves you. Hart passes out, and Backlund releases the hold.
Mike’s Thoughts: Man, a lot is going on in this segment. I’ve heard Bret Hart complain in the past (what a surprise to hear him complain about something…) that he felt there wasn’t a lot of effort put into his title run or making him look strong. It’s kind of hard to argue when his first appearance as champion is on The Brother Love Show, a goofy late-80s character they were intent on reviving, where the host is showing up the champion, and then it ends with him being laid out by the terminally boring Bob Backlund. Not even his PPV opponent, The British Bulldog? Backlund had defeated Hart to end his last title run, but that was over a year ago. Does it really need to be rehashed? After being destroyed immediately after winning the title, Hart should have been made to look strong. In his first appearance as champion, they made him look even weaker.
-Commercial Break-
Raw is brought to you by Tyco R/C Maximum Heat, and Milky Way.
Video: Henry O. Godwinn is shown on his farm. Godwinn shows off his “family” of pigs. At In Your House, Hunter Hearst Helmsley will meet them in person.
Video: This past Saturday at Madison Square Garden, Howard Finkel was slopped.
Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. John Chrystal
Referee: Earl Hebner
The bell rings, and they lock up before Helmsley quickly takes him down. Helmsley stomps him and hits an uppercut. Helmsley sends Chrystal into the ropes and connects with a high knee to the face. Helmsley puts him in the corner and slaps him in the face. Chrystal fights back with some right hands before sending him into the ropes, but Helmsley attacks him and hits a Pedigree. Helmsley slaps him in the face before covering for the pin.
Winner by Pinfall: Hunter Hearst Helmsley
Mike’s Thoughts: Easy squash match for Helmsley here. There seemed to be a little heat between him and this enhancement talent, John Chrystal. Those slaps felt a little personal. I found a record that they had faced on Raw in May 1995, which was Helmsley’s debut match. Maybe something happened during that match, and receipts were paid in this one?
At In Your House, WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon will team with Marty Jannetty to battle The 1-2-3 Kid and Sycho Sid.
Video: Jim Cornette is with Owen Hart. Cornette says they’re having a hard time finding anyone who wants to get in the ring with Hart after what happened to Shawn Michaels. At In Your House, they’ll have an open contract to find an opponent for him. Cornette wonders who will step into the ring with “Dr. Owen Kevorkian.” Hart says he’s so proud of himself. The Heartbreak Kid was busted up by the Hart Breaker. Hart is excited to get in the ring with his next opponent. They’ll wind up in the hospital like HBK.
Mike’s Thoughts: The “Dr. Owen Kevorkian” name is a reference to the infamous (and I mean INFAMOUS) Dr. Jack Kevorkian, the physician nicknamed Dr. Death. Kevorkian gained a ton of infamy in the 1990s for helping terminally ill patients end their lives with medicine either given or administered by him personally. As a kid, images of this man haunted my dreams. I was terrified of doctors, thinking they were all Dr. Kevorkian because they portrayed him as willy-nilly bringing people’s lives to an end. After many decades and seeing loved ones suffer terminal illnesses, it’s hard for me to argue that they should have met their end with ungodly amounts of pain and suffering and that the out Dr. Kevorkian was offering wasn’t infinitely more humane.
“The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase makes his way to the ring with “The Supreme Fighting Machine” Kama. Kama is on crutches with the huge gold chain (made from The Undertaker’s urn) around his neck. DiBiase says Kama is unable to wrestle tonight due to injuries. DiBiase has paid for and secured the services of another World Wrestling Federation superstar. DiBiase says Sir Mo will battle Undertaker.
The crowd boos as Sir Mo heads to the ring.
-Commercial Break-
The Undertaker heads to the ring with Paul Bearer leading the way. Undertaker will battle Sir Mo next.
-Commercial Break-
Next week on Raw, Razor Ramon will defend the WWF Intercontinental Championship against Dean Douglas.
The Undertaker completes his entrance and removes his hat, revealing the fright mask that is protecting his healing orbital socket.
Sir Mo w/ “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase and “The Supreme Fighting Machine” Kama vs. The Undertaker w/ Paul Bearer
Referee: Tim White
Undertaker kicks Sir Mo and punches him down. Undertaker grabs Mo and bounces him off the top turnbuckle. Undertaker connects with a scoop slam before hitting the ropes, but DiBiase grabs his ankles. Mo clotheslines Undertaker over the top rope, but Undertaker lands on his feet and grabs DiBiase by the throat. Kama, who is clearly uninjured, attacks Undertaker from behind. DiBiase and Kama stomp Undertaker at ringside as Sir Mo distracts the referee. Mo attacks Undertaker at ringside.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Sir Mo punches away at Undertaker, hurting his hand on Undertaker’s face mask. Mo bounces him off the top turnbuckle, but Undertaker absorbs the pain. Undertaker throws Mo to the corner and chokes him. Undertaker uppercuts him and sends him hard to the opposite corner before hitting a big boot. Undertaker hits the ropes and hits his diving lariat. Undertaker gets out of the ring and attacks Kama, bouncing him off the ring steps. DiBiase runs in fear. Undertaker gets in the ring and hits Mo with a scoop slam. DiBiase and Kama head to the back. Undertaker grabs Mo by the throat and hits a big Chokeslam. 1… 2… 3.
Winner by Pinfall: The Undertaker
King Mabel appears at ringside. Mabel goes after the big gold chain, but Undertaker rips it away. Undertaker is back in possession of the urn. Paul Bearer is elated. Yokozuna gets in the ring and challenges Undertaker. Undertaker balls the big gold chain around his fist before giving it to Bearer. Undertaker prepares to attack Yokozuna. Mabel attacks Bearer from behind, steals the chain back, and runs to the back. Undertaker slowly stalks after him.
Mike’s Thoughts: Just a match with Undertaker and Sir Mo. A typical bait-and-switch tactic to stretch out this never-ending feud with Undertaker and the Million Dollar Corporation. The urn was stolen many months before, in March, and has since been involved in many segments, such as this, where it’s briefly regained, only to be stolen back. Undertaker, who is incapable of running if it’s not a match, cannot seem to get it back. Mercifully, it does seem close to an end. Sometimes a storyline is so good that you can stretch it out for over a year. In this era, they did a lot of that. But when the storyline is lame like this one, it’s a long, frustrating slog to watch.
-Commercial Break-
Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler talk about what just happened.
Next week on Raw, Marty Jannetty will battle Sycho Sid. We’ll also see the WWF Intercontinental Championship on the line as Razor Ramon will defend against Dean Douglas.
Quick Match Results
— Ahmed Johnson def. Rad Radford
— Aja Kong and Tomoko Watanabe def. WWF Women’s Champion Alundra Blayze and Kyoko Inoue in a Tag Team Match
— Hunter Hearst Helmsley def. John Chrystal
— The Undertaker def. Sir Mo
Mike’s Wrap-Up: What We Learned from Raw
For as strong and urgent as last week’s Raw felt with the legendary Shawn Michaels’ collapse angle and the Diesel reality-style promo, this episode pretty much slammed the brakes on that momentum hard. The company had a golden opportunity to capitalize on the real intrigue, and instead delivered a mostly lifeless, mechanical show. Once again, the curse of taping multiple episodes in one night has come back to bite them.
The Bret Hart presentation was especially damaging. Your brand-new WWF Champion made his first appearance as champion on The Brother Love Show (a totally dated and cartoonish segment even for 1995) and was then laid out cold by Bob Backlund of all people. That’s not how you establish the top babyface in a fragile main event scene, especially one who is being asked to carry the brunt of the load while Shawn Michaels is out. At a time when the roster is already dangerously thin, the WWF made its champion feel small instead of essential.
The undercard was pretty much the same story. Ahmed Johnson looked intense but raw (no pun intended). Helmsley got an easy squash. The women’s tag match was strong in effort but ultimately represented the quiet extinction of the division as a real priority (the commentators were brutal on this match). The Undertaker vs. Sir Mo main event only existed to spin the wheels on a feud that had already gone on far too long.
This was a show that felt taped in every possible way. After last week showed real fight from the WWF, this was a reminder of how often they still defaulted to autopilot.
So, who won this week’s battle in the Monday Night War?
WWF Raw (USA Network, taped): 2.3 (Record: 5-5-2)
WCW Nitro (TNT, live): 2.5 (Record: 5-5-2)
Winner: WCW Nitro (two-week streak)
Even after all the intrigue coming off last week’s Raw with the huge angle, WCW still won this week. WCW was coming off the World War III PPV, but I don’t think they won because they put out a great show. I think what WWF was promoting leading into this showed they had stopped trying.
And in this war, that’s the deadliest mistake you can make.
The War for Monday Night – November 27, 1995
(TL;DR version)
Coming off the electric Shawn Michaels collapse episode, this week’s Raw was a major step backward. Bret Hart’s first appearance as WWF Champion felt shockingly flat and undercut by the goofy Brother Love presentation and a Bob Backlund attack that did him no favors. The Undertaker vs. Sir Mo main event was pure urn-feud filler, continuing one of the most drawn-out and uninteresting storylines of the year.
While Ahmed Johnson and the women’s tag offered some in-ring brightness, the overall show lacked urgency and momentum. One week after Raw showed real fire, they slid back into the safe, stale autopilot, the exact formula that keeps WCW’s live Nitro feeling hotter by comparison.
Email – mike@wrestleview.com
X – @MikeTedescoWV
Last week’s Raw | Last week’s Nitro
Thanks for reading!
Part of Wrestleview’s Monday Night War: 30 Years Later series, with weekly Raw and Nitro recaps every Thursday.