WWF Monday Night Raw Results
December 4, 1995 (Taped November 20)
Richmond, Virginia (Richmond Coliseum)
Commentary: Vince McMahon and Jerry “The King” Lawler
Results by: Mike Tedesco of Wrestleview.com
“The World Wrestling Federation: for over fifty years, the revolutionary force in sports entertainment.” The WWF video leads us into the show.
Video: Tonight, the Intercontinental Championship will be on the line. Dean Douglas was given the title at In Your House in October, but he only held it for fifteen minutes. Can he beat Razor Ramon for it? At Survivor Series, The 1-2-3 Kid was the sole survivor in his match. Last Monday on Raw, Marty Jannetty, who Kid cheated to beat at Survivor Series, went to confront him when Sycho Sid attacked him from behind and gave him a powerbomb on the floor!
Video: Sycho Sid says Marty Jannetty is going to have to learn the hard way that if you mess with the 1-2-3 Kid, you have to answer to him. Jannetty says he may not be the biggest or the best, but he’ll light Sid up tonight.
We’ll also hear comments from Shawn Michaels’ doctor.
Video: The classic brawl atop the WWF Headquarters video plays.
Bob “Spark Plugg” Holly vs. The British Bulldog w/ Jim Cornette
Referee: Jack Doan
The bell rings, and they lock up before Bulldog powers him down. Holly gets to his feet and applies a hammerlock before hooking the head. Bulldog whips him off and goes for a slam, but Holly gets out of it and hits a hip toss. Holly connects with a scoop slam, followed by a pair of clotheslines. Bulldog furiously rolls out of the ring to recover and strategize with Cornette. Bulldog gets back in the ring and applies a side headlock. Holly whips him off, drops down, and leapfrogs him before hitting a scoop powerslam for a two-count. Holly hits an arm drag and applies an armbar. Bulldog fights up, but Holly wrenches the arm. Bulldog quickly presses him over his head and drops him crotch-first onto the top rope.
Bulldog bounces Holly’s head off the top turnbuckle and punches him. Bulldog forearms him in the face before hooking the head for a suplex. Holly counters with an inside cradle for a two-count. Bulldog pops up and clotheslines Holly down. Bulldog connects with a delayed vertical suplex before shouting that he is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. Bulldog covers for a two-count. Bulldog quickly applies a rear chin lock. Holly fights up and elbows out before hitting the ropes for a sunset flip to pick up a two-count. Holly hits the ropes, but Bulldog turns him inside out with a kitchen sink knee to the midsection. Bulldog punches him and connects with a scoop slam. Bulldog hits the ropes and drops a leg. Bulldog charges for a clothesline, but Holly ducks and hits a dropkick. Holly punches Bulldog before sending him into the ropes for a back elbow. Holly punches him and sends him into the ropes for another dropkick to pick up a two-count. Holly kicks Bulldog in the midsection before sending him to the corner. Holly does the ten punches, and Bulldog falls to the mat. Holly covers for a two-count.
Holly punches and kicks Bulldog in the corner. Bulldog reverses a whip to the corner. Holly goes for a slingshot over him, but Bulldog catches him and hits a Running Powerslam for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: The British Bulldog
Mike’s Thoughts: Surprisingly, a very good, competitive match. With British Bulldog penciled in for a WWF Championship match against Bret Hart in the coming weeks at the next PPV, I figured this would be an easy, enhancement win for him. Instead, Bob Holly (yes, Spark Plugg) got a TON of offense in on him and made this super competitive. I’m not sure why they chose to do that to the No. 1 Contender for the World Title, but Holly at this time wasn’t exactly a member of the J.O.B. Squad yet. He still had a modicum of push and had won more than he lost. A nice little surprise. To me, it’s between Holly and Billy Gunn as the two best at connecting with a traditional dropkick. Also, it’s nice to see Bulldog in a match with a guy who can go, unlike that disaster with Diesel in October.
Replay: Last Monday on Raw, Bob Backlund attacked WWF Champion Bret Hart while he was on The Brother Love Show. This past weekend on WWF Superstars, Backlund locked Jim Ross in the Crossface Chickenwing.
Jerry “The King” Lawler invites Bob Backlund to ringside. Backlund takes exception to some fans touching him. Lawler says Backlund is campaigning among the plebeians. Next week, Backlund will be facing Bret Hart in a non-title match. Backlund flips out when he’s told it’s a non-title match. Lawler tells him to think about what a win over the Hitman would do for his career and his campaign. Backlund is furious and says he had dreams of being a god again and reigning supreme over all the plebeians to put them in the right frame of mind. Backlund asks Lawler if he knows what he’ll do if the people keep agitating him. Backlund says Hart is just like the plebeians. We don’t need more Hitmen in this society. We need role models. Lawler has to cut him off so they can go to a break. Backlund is absolutely livid.
Mike’s Thoughts: Man, Mr. Bob Backlund was such a bizarre character. It’s fun to watch him scream and gesticulate, but lining this guy up as a serious challenger for the WWF Champion… again, a very 1995-ish piece of cursed booking.
-Commercial Break-
Video: During the commercial break, Bob Backlund was furious and wanted to know who cut his microphone off. Backlund then charged through the crowd to find the sound engineer.
“Make a Difference” Fatu vs. The Brooklyn Brawler
Referee: Mike Chioda
The Brawler attacks Fatu from behind as he removes his jacket. Brawler shoulders him in the midsection in the corner before sending him into the ropes for a kitchen sink knee to the midsection. Brawler punches Fatu a few times. Fatu punches back, but Brawler cuts him off. Fatu reverses a whip, counters a hip toss, and hits a backbreaker. Fatu hits a running cutter before signaling for the end. Fatu hits a beautiful top rope splash for the win.
Winner by Pinfall: “Make a Difference” Fatu
Mike’s Thoughts: Just a match to show Fatu still exists on the roster. Thirty years later, and the Brooklyn Brawler basically looks the same.
Dok Hendrix’s Merchandise Pit
We go to Dok Hendrix’s Merchandise Pit to see him dressed in some god awful 1990s fashion. Hendrix is excited about a Shawn Michaels interview next week on Raw.
Last week on Raw, Owen Hart issued an Open Contract for In Your House after claiming no one wants to wrestle him since he put Shawn Michaels out for good.
Hendrix is cut off as we go back into the arena. Mr. Bob Backlund is over by the sound engineer’s station, screaming at the guy. Backlund grabs him, manhandles him over the table, and locks him in the Crossface Chickenwing, swinging him around every which way before tossing him aside like trash.
Back to Hendrix, Hendrix says something has to be done about Backlund. Anyway, he was speaking about Owen Hart’s Open Contract. Diesel has answered the contract and will face Hart at In Your House.
Mike’s Thoughts: Ok, that was actually hilarious watching Bob Backlund manhandle that tiny sound guy. I loved the Rag Doll spot.
Back in the Richmond Coliseum, Dean Douglas is heading to the ring for his Intercontinental Championship match.
Later tonight, we’ll see Sycho Sid battle Marty Jannetty. We’ll also hear from Shawn Michaels’ doctor.
-Commercial Break-
Tonight, Raw is brought to you by Twix, as well as Tyco’s Haunted Highway toy and Burger King.
WWF Intercontinental Championship
Dean Douglas vs. Razor Ramon (c)
Referee: Earl Hebner
As the bell rings, Douglas slaps Ramon in the face. Ramon flicks his toothpick into Douglas’ face. Douglas attacks him as he goes to take off his ring vest, stomping away at The Bad Guy. Douglas rips the Intercontinental Championship off Ramon’s waist and goes to hit him, but the referee pulls it away. Douglas bounces him off the top turnbuckle and hits some jabs. Ramon reverses a whip. Douglas ducks a clothesline, but Ramon catches him on the rebound and hits a fallaway slam. Ramon quickly follows up with a clothesline over the top rope. Ramon finally takes off his ring vest and throws it at Douglas.
Ramon puts Douglas in the ring and soon hits a hip toss. Ramon wrenches the arm and slaps him on the head. Ramon has “Shawn” taped on his boot. Ramon yanks on Douglas’ arm and sends him hard to the corner. Douglas boots him back and goes to the second rope for a lame looking flying bulldog. The commentators are talking about Douglas’s back issues. Douglas connects with a scoop slam before going for a springboard splash, but we don’t see if it hits because they cut to a commercial.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Douglas is applying an abdominal stretch. A replay from the springboard shows the splash did connect. Douglas holds the rope for leverage, but the referee catches him. Ramon soon applies an abdominal stretch to Douglas. Douglas gets out and hits a hip toss. Douglas goes to the top rope for a diving crossbody block, but Ramon rolls through for a two-count.
Ramon takes Douglas down and signals for the end. Ramon sets up for a Razor’s Edge before hitting it decisively for the victory.
Winner by Pinfall and still WWF Intercontinental Champion: Razor Ramon
Mike’s Thoughts: Not much of a surprise here to see such a decisive victory for Razor Ramon. These two had zero chemistry, but the real exclamation point is how final this result was. The reality is that behind the scenes, Dean Douglas had given his notice, apparently because his significant other didn’t like him being on the road so much. Also interesting to note is that during this taping, Douglas apparently fractured two vertebrae in his back. This will play into a pretty dramatic event involving him and Vince McMahon later this month, which I’ll talk about when we get to his last appearance ever with the company.
-Commercial Break-
Next week on Raw, WWF Champion Bret “Hitman” Hart will battle Mr. Bob Backlund in a non-title match. We’ll also hear from Shawn Michaels for the first time since his collapse in the ring.
The Brother Love Show w/ Special Guest King Mabel
Brother Love is in the ring. His guest is the man who will face the man that Brother Love brought into the WWF, the Undertaker, on December 17 at In Your House. Love introduces King Mabel.
King Mabel is carried down to the ring on a throne. Mabel is wearing the chain made from Undertaker’s urn. Love says Mabel is missing someone. Mabel takes exception to that and says he’s missing Sir Mo. Love says Mabel will be stepping into the ring at In Your House in a Casket Match against the Undertaker. Mabel says not only is he the first man to ever pin the Undertaker’s shoulders to the mat for a pin, but he’s also the first man to put him out of action. Now, he’ll be the first man to ever put Undertaker in his casket.
Brother Love says he has a surprise for him since he’s the one who brought Undertaker into the WWF. Mabel says he doesn’t like surprises. Love points to the entrance area. A druid pushes an extra-large casket down to ringside. The druid is having issues getting that casket down the aisleway. Love tells “Brother King” to behold the casket. Love says he has two surprises for Mabel. The first surprise is that the druid is Sir Mo. Mabel is stunned that Mo has turned against him. Love says he loves Mabel as Mo loves him. Surprise number two: the casket is covered in spray paint for Mabel. It’s a custom-painted casket for Mabel. Mabel thanks Brother Love for this token of love. Mo is with Mabel. They were only pretending.
Mabel says there will be no love for Undertaker at In Your House. There will be 568 pounds of pure hate.
Mike’s Thoughts: I didn’t hate the segment, but Mabel really knew nothing of his Undertaker history. Not only had Undertaker been pinned before (he lost the WWF Championship to Hulk Hogan at This Tuesday in Texas), but he was put out of action by Yokozuna at the 1994 Royal Rumble when he was stuffed in a casket by the big man. These three things Mabel thought he did first.
Backstage Segment
WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon is backstage with Marty Jannetty. Ramon tells him to take that big psycho down. Jannetty tells Ramon to watch out for the 1-2-3 Kid.
Video: The WWF World Tour de Force is coming to your town. Tomorrow, they’ll be at the Civic Auditorium in Oshawa, Canada. This Wednesday, they’ll be at the Niagara Falls Civic Center in Niagara, New York. This Friday, they’ll be at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena. On Saturday, they’ll be in Chicago at the United Center. Then, on December 17, they’ll be at the Hershey Park Arena for In Your House.
-Commercial Break-
Video: On January 1, they’ll have the WWF Raw Bowl.
Barry Didinsky is at ringside with two life-size cardboard cutouts of Diesel and the Undertaker. What could you ever want to do with those?
Sycho Sid w/ “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase vs. Marty Jannetty
Referee: Tim White
Marty Jannetty charges to the ring and attacks Sid. Jannetty punches away at him before hitting the ropes for a running crossbody. Jannetty bounces Sid’s head off the mat a few times before letting him up. Jannetty punches him and hits the ropes. Jannetty ducks a clothesline and goes for another running crossbody, but Sid catches him and slams him down. Sid talks trash to Jannetty. Sid bounces Jannetty’s face off the mat. Sid gets Jannetty in the corner and punches him before choking him a few times. Sid kicks Jannetty in the midsection a few times before sending him to the opposite corner. Sid charges, but Jannetty boots him back. Jannetty comes off the second rope with a blockbuster, followed by a diving fist drop for a two-count.
We go backstage to see WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon watching this match.
-Commercial Break-
Back from the break, Sid turns Jannetty inside out with a clothesline. Sid lets him up, so Jannetty starts punching back at him. Jannetty goes for a sunset flip, but Sid won’t go down. Sid turns him inside out with another clothesline. Sid covers for a two-count. Sid drives his knee into Jannetty’s back and applies a chin lock. Jannetty fights up and punches at Sid. Jannetty hits the ropes, but Sid grabs him and sends him over the top rope. Sid taunts the crowd.
Sid distracts the referee as Ted DiBiase attacks Jannetty. Jannetty absorbs the stomps and menacingly approaches DiBiase. The 1-2-3 Kid runs down to save DiBiase. Razor Ramon soon runs down and attacks Kid. The referee throws the match out.
No Contest
Ramon punches away at Sid and sends him over the top rope. Ramon then chases the Kid into the crowd.
Back in the ring, Sid kicks Jannetty and hits him with a Powerbomb. Sid taunts the crowd and stands on the turnbuckle. DiBiase stuffs a $100 bill in Jannetty’s mouth. Sid looks in the camera and apologizes, saying he didn’t want to do that. Sid looks unhinged.
Mike’s Thoughts: Just a match with Marty Jannetty and Sid. Jannetty was really good and did hit some good-looking offense, but there wasn’t enough time to really get this going before they did the Schmozz finish.
-Commercial Break-
Next week on Raw, WWF Champion Bret Hart battles Mr. Bob Backlund in a non-title match.
Next, we’ll hear from Shawn Michaels’ doctor.
-Commercial Break-
An update from Shawn Michaels’ doctor
Todd Pettingill was at the Chino Valley Medical Center this week. Pettingill met with Dr. Jeffrey Unger, Shawn Michaels’ physician. Dr. Unger says he was terrified watching Shawn Michaels collapse on Raw with his wife. Dr. Unger had initially cleared Michaels to return to action.
In the United States, 4 million patients suffer head trauma every year. Dr. Unger lists all the symptoms of post-concussion syndrome. This can persist for two weeks to several months. Some can go up to 3 years without improvement. Michaels’ current neurological tests are abnormal. Any talk of a return is premature. Dr. Unger isn’t sure when Michaels will come back. Some athletes never recover from these injuries. Dr. Unger would have to be certain he wouldn’t be injured.
Pettingill goes over the wild year that was 1995 for Shawn Michaels. From winning the Royal Rumble to being attacked by Sid, being in a Ladder Match with Razor Ramon at SummerSlam, and then being attacked by more thugs in October. Dr. Unger says Michaels’ wrestling career is insignificant to him. He’s looking at HBK as a human being. Technically, he does have brain damage. Any additional blows to the head could be life-threatening.
Dr. Unger says Michaels isn’t progressing as quickly as he’d like. It may not be safe for him to ever return to the ring.
Video: Vince McMahon narrates a video about the pedestal we put superstars on. The façade of superstardom was smashed two weeks ago on Raw when Shawn Michaels collapsed to the canvas. We realized a superstar is just like us. They do feel pain. They’re not invincible. We believe Shawn Michaels could do anything. We pushed him over the edge in our thirst for excitement. Now, we just hope he’s ok. Michaels is anxious to get back to the ring. Now there’s a question of when, or if, he should return at all.
Mike’s Thoughts: Oh my goodness, that was the tackiest video I’ve ever seen. Ok, maybe not the tackiest, but it’s up there. The somber Vince McMahon is talking about our heroes being human. Oof, gag me. Dr. Unger was also a really bad actor. They’re milking this angle for all it’s worth. Luckily, we’ll hear from HBK next week.
Quick Match Results
— The British Bulldog def. Bob “Spark Plugg” Holly
— “Make a Difference” Fatu def. The Brooklyn Brawler
— Razor Ramon (c) def. Dean Douglas to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship
— Sycho Sid vs. Marty Jannetty went to a No Contest
Mike’s Wrap-Up: What We Learned from Raw
If there’s one word that sums up my feelings as this show ends, it’s melodramatic. That tacky video and the lame actor pretending to be a doctor… they’re getting all they can out of this. It was a different world thirty years ago. AOL was really just emerging (I remember when we got our first desktop in like 1997, a Gateway 2000, so I was still two years away), and wrestling insiders still relied on newsletters sent by snail mail. What I’m getting at is that I can see crystal clear that they’re gearing Michaels up to return at the Royal Rumble, but did people back then all think that? Did this stuff actually work?
On paper, this was a serviceable show. We had solid work from the British Bulldog and Bob Holly, an Intercontinental Title match that ended with an actual finish, and some basic storyline advancement across the board. Oh, and that Bob Backlund angle where he attacked the sound guy? Loved that.
How did this show do against Nitro on TNT, which featured a WCW World Title match with Randy Savage defending against Lex Luger?
WWF Raw (USA Network, taped): 2.6 (Record: 6-5-2)
WCW Nitro (TNT, live): 2.4 (Record: 5-6-2)
Winner: WWF Raw
Raw snaps Nitro’s two-week winning streak. I don’t get it. There’s no rhyme or reason for who wins back and forth this early in the Monday Night War. We’re two weeks removed from the big Shawn Michaels angle. Even though the HBK angle happened on a live Raw, so people had no way of knowing ahead of time it would happen, it didn’t exactly drive people to the show the next week. Why now? Nitro had the way better show, on paper at least!
Still, we’ve got some big things coming in the next few weeks, so stay tuned for more!
Email – mike@wrestleview.com
X – @MikeTedescoWV
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Part of Wrestleview’s Monday Night War: 30 Years Later series, with weekly Raw and Nitro recaps every Thursday.